Accented Philosophy

Death Penalty: Is It Morally Right?

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss the ethics of the death penalty, and particularly the question whether other countries have the right to withhold the drugs used in US executions.

Join us for an hour-long dose of your Daily Philosophy and take part in a thrilling exploration of the philosophical issues surrounding the death penalty.

Brought to you by https://daily-philosophy.com.
Music: Nightlife by Michael Kobrin, from: https://pixabay.com/music.

00:00:44 Intro
00:02:19 Interference in internal affairs of other countries
00:06:14 Respecting the democratic will of others
00:07:44 Relativism 
00:09:44 Is there intrinsic value in democratic decisions?
00:12:32 Are we biased when judging other countries?
00:13:09 Comparison with euthanasia
00:15:00 Should companies have all rights to their own products?
00:18:10 Democratic decisions and social media manipulation
00:21:00 The choice of the prisoner on how to die
00:23:30 Asking prisoners how they want to die: is it cruel?
00:28:33 Can governments kill their own citizens?
00:31:00 John Rawls, original position, veil of ignorance
00:36:32 Is death worse than lifelong imprisonment?
00:40:55 Should people decide how they want to die?
00:43:05 Flourishing makes a life worth living
00:47:30 Arguments in favour of death penalty: Retribution
00:48:04 Retribution vs vengeance
00:52:14 Effect of death penalty on crime
00:54:58 Do people have a right to life?
00:56:15 Deontological (Kantian) ethics. Autonomy
00:58:03 Should societies have higher moral standards?
00:59:10 The irreversibility of death penalty
01:00:40 The utilitarian argument
01:03:20 The value of life and the possibility of redemption
01:04:36 How can prisoners lead a flourishing life?
01:05:15 A voluntary death penalty?

Philosophers and theories mentioned:

00:07:44 Relativism
00:28:33 Social contract
00:31:00 John Rawls, original position, veil of ignorance
00:48:04 Retribution vs vengeance
00:56:15 Deontological (Kantian) ethics. Autonomy
01:00:40 The utilitarian argument

Next episode: Is terrorism for a good cause ever justifiable?

Accented Philosophy - Every Tuesday.

Chimeras: Animals as hosts for human organs?

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss the complex ethics of growing human organs in animal hosts. Are we in danger of creating human-like animals? Could such animals claim human rights? And are we sufficiently respecting the dignity of such animal hosts?

Join us for an hour-long dose of your Daily Philosophy and take part in a thrilling exploration of the philosophical issues surrounding  modern transplantation medicine.

Brought to you by https://daily-philosophy.com.
Music: Nightlife by Michael Kobrin, from: https://pixabay.com/music.

Please note that we had some technical issues recording this episode, which resulted in us re-recording a few minutes of the episode at a different date. This is why a handful of short snippets of the recording sound a bit different from the rest. Don't worry, your ears are fine.

00:00:35 Intro
00:01:30 Chimeras: Monkeys as hosts for human organs
00:02:42 What is new about chimeras?
00:04:00 The word “chimera”
00:06:06 Overview of the moral issues
00:07:45 The need for organs
00:09:35 Intentions vs outcomes in ethics
00:13:04 Is it ethical to kill anyone for their organs?
00:14:10 The “trolley problem”
00:15:30 The doctrine of double effect
00:17:16 The “humanity” of chimeras
00:19:32 Do monkeys have different moral status from pigs?
00:21:00 The problem of animal suffering
00:22:21 The analogy to meat production
00:24:36 Jeremy Bentham on animal suffering
00:24:59 Peter Singer on speciesism
00:30:08 Aristotle and the flourishing of humans and animals
00:31:19 Kant: Autonomy and human dignity
00:37:57 Deontological arguments
00:39:15 Do pigs have dignity?
00:40:13 Being human vs being a person
00:42:16 Mary Anne Warren on personhood
00:44:20 The danger of creating human-like life accidentally
00:49:30 Manipulating animal development
00:50:21 The Christian argument
00:56:02 The dignity of animals
01:00:01 Is high-tech medicine ethical?
01:03:20 Conclusion

Philosophers and theories mentioned:

00:14:10 The “trolley problem”
00:15:30 The doctrine of double effect
00:24:36 Jeremy Bentham on animal suffering
00:24:59 Peter Singer on speciesism
00:30:08 Aristotle and the flourishing of humans and animals
00:31:19 Kant: Autonomy and human dignity
00:37:57 Deontological arguments
00:42:16 Mary Anne Warren on personhood
00:50:21 The Christian argument

Next episode: The ethics of exporting deadly drugs for US executions.

Accented Philosophy - Every Tuesday.

Who Owns Space?

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss the ownership of resources in space. Is space the new frontier of colonialism? Is it likely that we will explore space peacefully and in a civilised way, or are we about to repeat the mistakes of the past? And who owns the night sky? From the Tragedy of the Commons to whether we need to ditch capitalism in order to become a space-faring civilisation.

Come along for an hour-long dose of your Daily Philosophy and understand the arguments surrounding the exploration and exploitation of space.

Brought to you by https://daily-philosophy.com.
Music: Nightlife by Michael Kobrin, from: https://pixabay.com/music.

00:01:10 Parallel to history of colonisation
00:03:34 Space treaties, the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, Bogota declaration, Artemis accords
00:05:46 Is space still in the State of Nature?
00:07:13 Social contract theories
00:07:26 Aristotle
00:09:03 Thomas Hobbes
00:10:31 John Locke’s theory of property rights
00:14:03 Perpetuating earthly inequality in space
00:16:05 Space resources are not necessarily unlimited
00:17:10 G. Hardin, Tragedy of the Commons
00:18:02 Starlink satellites and the night sky
00:19:13 The utilitarian argument for Starlink’s internet
00:20:20 Does nature have intrinsic value?
00:22:53 Who is “we” when we talk of space? Relativism and access
00:26:13 Can the UN regulate access to space?
00:29:44 Rousseau and the “general will”
00:32:45 Tragedy of the Commons, part 2: solutions?
00:36:38 Why do we want to go to space?
00:38:05 Exploration or exploitation?
00:40:29 Is capitalism to blame?
00:45:01 Local regulation, global effects
00:47:48 Should we divide up space?
00:49:45 What drives us to explore space?
00:51:44 Panspermia hypothesis

Philosophers and theories mentioned:

00:07:26 Aristotle
00:09:03 Thomas Hobbes
00:10:31 John Locke’s theory of property rights
00:17:10 G. Hardin, Tragedy of the Commons
00:29:44 Jean-Jacques Rousseau and the “general will”

Next episode: Should we create genetic hybrids of humans and other species? 

Accented Philosophy -- Every Tuesday.

The Ethics and Politics of Drug Legalisation

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss whether we should legalise (or de-criminalise?) the use of recreational drugs. What are the arguments in favour of and against legalising drugs? What about coffee and tobacco? And is there perhaps a value in exploring altered states of mind?

Come along for an hour-long dose of your daily philosophy and understand the arguments surrounding drugs legalisation.

Brought to you by https://daily-philosophy.com.
Music: Nightlife by Michael Kobrin, from: https://pixabay.com/music.

00:01:03 Examples of drug legalisation
00:03:17 Netherlands: drug tourism and organised crime
00:08:46 Different forms of legalisation
00:12:15 Consequentialism: Benefits of legalising drugs?
00:15:05 Downsides of legalising drugs
00:16:02 Social determinism: are we free to choose?
00:20:20 US opioid epidemic
00:21:46 Libertarian argument against drug regulation
00:23:25 The role of state regulation
00:24:56 Sugar, coffee and tobacco
00:27:35 Are drug users free to choose?
00:29:11 Autonomy and second order volitions
00:33:27 Positive freedom
00:34:45 Can we avoid state involvement?
00:38:00 Parallels to abortion
00:38:59 Safe drug taking infrastructure
00:39:32 Does the state need to support BASE jumping?
00:42:40 Will outlawing drugs drive down consumption?
00:45:48 Alcohol, tobacco and other legal drugs
00:48:15 Do we have a duty to stay healthy?
00:49:00 The normative force of widespread practices
00:54:58 Are there benefits to drug use?
00:55:42 Drugs as exploration of inner spaces
00:56:56 Good Friday experiment
00:59:07 Griffiths experiment
00:01:02 Should we have access to hidden inner worlds?
01:03:30 Are drug experiences anti-social?
01:06:58 Conclusions

Philosophers and theories mentioned:

00:12:15 Consequentialism: https://daily-philosophy.com/classic-utilitarianism/
00:16:02 Social determinism
00:21:46 Libertarian argument
00:29:11 Autonomy, Harry Frankfurt and second order volitions
00:31:37 Charles Taylor: Hierarchy of desires
00:31:52 Isaiah Berlin: Negative freedom
00:48:43 Virtue ethics: https://daily-philosophy.com/how-to-live-an-aristotelian-life/
00:55:42 Aldous Huxley, Timothy Leary and Ernest Hemingway
00:56:20 Shamanism, entheogens
00:56:56 Good Friday experiment (1963)
00:59:07 Roland R Griffiths
01:06:30 Utilitarianism: https://daily-philosophy.com/classic-utilitarianism/

The Ethics of Vaccination Passports

In this first episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss the ethics of vaccination passports. Is it morally right for the state to require citizens to vaccinate or is it discriminating against those who don't want to get vaccinated? Come along for an hour-long dose of your daily philosophy and understand the arguments surrounding vaccination ethics. Brought to you by daily-philosophy.com.

Music: Nightlife by Michael Kobrin, from: pixabay.com/music

00:00:38 Israel’s “Green pass” and other countries’ plans
00:02:42 Opposition to vaccination passports
00:03:00 WHO recommendation against vaccination passports
00:05:50 Comparison to mandatory education
00:09:15 Vaccinations and freedom
00:10:10 Positive and negative freedom
00:10:40 Thomas Hobbes and the Social Contract
00:15:41 The role of the state for human flourishing
00:17:15 Individualist vs collectivist cultures
00:19:55 Confucianism, Aristotle, Utilitarianism
00:21:16 Personal autonomy vs society
00:25:00 Autonomy, drug addiction and second-order wishes
00:27:20 Paternalism of the state and car seat belts
00:32:50 Are vaccines beneficial?
00:33:50 Trust in the government
00:40:10 Libertarianism
00:41:49 A duty to benefit others?
00:42:30 Kant’s Categorical Imperative
00:46:10 Which restrictions to life can be justified?
00:48:00 What makes a human life worth living?
00:54:10 Do we need to respect every preference someone has?
00:57:12 Is democracy justifiable?
01:03:13 Conclusions and Martha Nussbaum’s capabilities approach

Philosophers and theories mentioned:

00:10:40 Thomas Hobbes
00:11:00 Social contract in vaccination ethics
00:19:55 Confucianism
00:20:25 Aristotle
00:20:39 Utilitarianism
00:21:16 Kant on autonomy
00:42:30 Kant’s Categorical Imperative
00:43:28 Dignity
00:59:03 Plato (427-347 BC)
01:04:07 Martha Nussbaum’s capabilities theory