Accented Philosophy

A new series here on Accented Philosophy! In addition to the discussion episodes, we now bring you shorter episodes on particular topics from philosophy and everyday life. Look out for the episodes marked in the title as "Lunchtime Thoughts". Just long enough for a bit of thoughtfulness during your lunchtime break!

This time: What is Philosophy?
Read more on the topic here on Daily Philosophy:
https://daily-philosophy.com/what-is-philosophy-in-simple-words/

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Music: The Open Goldberg Variations, https://www.opengoldbergvariations.org/

Accented Philosophy - Every Tuesday

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss the trend of quietly quitting work: doing what's required in one's contract and nothing more. For many, this is the only answer to a job that is exploitative, meaningless and empty. But is quietly quitting really the best way to reclaim our lives? Come and discuss with us!

Send us your comments and replies by email to [email protected] and we'll talk about them in the next episode!

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

Accented Philosophy - Every Tuesday (or thereabouts)

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss the recent debate about OnlyFans and whether online sex work is better or worse than conventional prostitution. What exactly are the moral problems of sites like OnlyFans, and how can and should this kind of work be regulated and controlled?

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

00:00:57 What is OnlyFans?
00:04:22 Should platforms be allowed to censor content?
00:08:42 Should Facebook be run by the government?
00:12:29 Is pornography immoral?
00:17:09 Does pornography harm the performers?
00:19:16 Is online sex different from offline prostitution?
00:24:35 Can we ask platforms to regulate themselves?
00:27:48 How to police social media?
00:32:59 Labour laws and protections for online creators
00:37:31 Freelancing: are delivery drivers different from poets?

Next time: Online dating.

Accented Philosophy - Every Tuesday (or thereabouts)

Beauty discrimination online

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss beauty in online media and whether it is discriminatory to prefer beautiful actors and presenters in video material. Are we doing something morally bad when we watch Youtubers we find attractive? Should attractiveness have no influence on our viewing habits? Or are we free to watch whom we like?  Listen to find out!

Please note that this episode begins with a different topic, "online prostitution," but we get stuck on the beauty topic before we ever get to prostitution. So the online sex topic is postponed to next time and don't get confused when I mention it in the beginning :)

Join us for your weekly dose of Daily Philosophy!

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

00:00:53 The role of bodies in social media
00:03:28 Separating sexualised from non-sexualised body display
00:05:41 What do we want in an actor?
00:07:23 Is it wrong to judge actors by their looks?
00:08:02 Does ugliness exist?
00:12:04 Is it morally questionable to prefer “attractive” Youtubers?
00:19:05 How can we act against “beauty discrimination”?
00:22:22 Can we influence who we are attracted to?
00:24:57 Is there a biological basis for beauty?
00:27:44 Can we avoid beauty discrimination in every case?

Next time: Online sex and the ethics of OnlyFans.

Accented Philosophy - Every Tuesday (or thereabouts)

Is prostitution morally right?

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss the ethics of prostitution, from issues of public health to exploitation and jobs that take over our bodies. Should we regulate sex work and how should we do it? Is the enforced sexual abstinence of priests comparable as a violation of sexual freedom to the job of a sex worker? Listen to find out!

Join us for your weekly dose of Daily Philosophy!

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

00:01:22 Moral problems of sex work
00:02:20 Why are our societies so averse to nudity?
00:08:04 The polarised public perception of sexuality
00:10:09 Public health and public regulation
00:13:17 Reasons for and benefits of drugs and sex consumption
00:15:30 Sex work and the autonomy of the worker
00:18:57 Sex work vs other kinds of jobs
00:21:09 Sex work vs labour in general
00:22:54 The association of sex with love
00:26:15 Are workers used as mere means to an end?
00:27:40 How to regulate sex work?
00:30:25 Legalisation vs regulation
00:32:06 Taxation, legalisation and social acceptance
00:33:35 Promotion of military jobs, promotion of sex jobs
00:39:52 The feminist perspective on sex work
00:42:31 Sexual abstinence and the reproductive freedom of priests
00:47:22 Sex work and human dignity

Accented Philosophy - Every Tuesday (or thereabouts)

Are come countries objectively better than others?

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy finish their discussion of moral relativism. If we don't want to be relativists, what ways are there to know whether one country or system is better than another?

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

00:01:16 Utilitarianism and consequentialism
00:05:17 Is there a “mistaken” way to be happy?
00:08:30 Subjective vs objective evaluations of happiness
00:14:09 State paternalism
00:17:37 Do restrictive dress codes actually increase freedom?
00:20:18 Platonic ethics and how to apply it
00:29:45 Virtue ethics
00:32:10 How do we determine “true happiness”? (Are we truly happy?)

Accented Philosophy - Every Tuesday (or thereabouts)

How bad is North Korea as a state?

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss moral relativism and whether we can say that one society is "better" than another. Is the US better than North Korea? In what way? Is there an objective way to judge the "goodness" of a society?

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

00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:06 Is there non-rational ethics?
00:02:01 Is incest always morally wrong?
00:04:42 The value of moral intuitions
00:08:17 How bad is North Korea as a state?
00:09:52 Political systems and "true well-being"
00:11:15 Poverty vs moral badness
00:14:12 The responsibility of the international community
00:16:49 The role of Consequentialism in moral arguments
00:17:33 Deontological ethics vs consequentialism
00:18:58 Plato (428-348 BC)
00:19:41 Does capitalism make us happy?
00:20:29 Amish society
00:21:08 Epicurus, philosopher (341–270 BC)
00:23:22 Being blind about one's own culture
00:26:40 Judging values vs judging procedural aspects
00:29:09 Jordan Peterson's interview with Yeonmi Park
00:31:03 Are we in a position to criticise other cultures?
00:35:27 Factual judgments vs moral judgments

Accented Philosophy - Every Tuesday (or thereabouts)

Moral relativism

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss moral relativism: the idea that other cultures may have their own values and moral rules that are different from ours. Do we have to respect them even if we disagree with them, or can we demand that all humans share some basic, common values?

Join us for your weekly dose of Daily Philosophy!

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

00:01:14 What is moral relativism?
00:01:41 Parallel with language norms
00:03:29 Societies and moral norms develop over time
00:04:28 Do societies evolve to become better? GWF Hegel (1770-1831)
00:09:23 Are we happier than societies in the past?
00:12:30 Arguments in favour of moral relativism: Tolerance towards others
00:13:31 The paradox in moral relativism
00:14:45 The paradox of democracy
00:17:55 Are there universal values?
00:19:48 Are moral choices based on factual truths?
00:22:06 Is all morality rational?
00:28:57 Is all ethics ultimately about preferences?
00:32:10 The moral complexities of incest
00:38:18 Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274): the “offices” in love
00:38:40 The dynamics of power in love relationships
00:39:04 The dynamics of power in Ancient Greek eros
00:45:07 Are Western-style human rights universal?
00:46:30 Moral rights as Platonic forms?
00:47:09 Moral absolutism and the colonial attitude

Accented Philosophy - Every Tuesday (or thereabouts)

Meritocracy and discrimination

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy continue their discussion of meritocracy. Do we really deserve the lives we have? And are we providing enough chances to those who need them?

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

00:00:37 The paradox of meritocracy
00:02:28 Random selection
00:04:11 Should universities be so expensive?
00:04:40 Should universities select their students?
00:09:04 Is it better to filter students earlier or later?
00:12:25 Age discrimination
00:14:17 Job interviews and soft skills
00:18:09 Positions of power and the good life
00:19:39 The "dark side" of meritocracy: merit and moral worth
00:20:53 Everyone deserves a human life
00:21:55 The Protestant roots of meritocracy
00:23:08 Martin Luther (1483-1546), theologian
00:24:30 Do we deserve love? (Appraisal vs bestowal love; charity)
00:26:00 Basic income must be unconditional
00:27:49 Do we need to change the language of "merit"?
00:29:11 "Deserving" and entitlement
00:33:29 The value of small changes
00:34:12 The wrong perception of one's own country
00:36:09 Next week's topic: Cultural relativism and international politics.

Accented Philosophy - Every Tuesday (or thereabouts)

Meritocracy: Do we deserve our lives?

In this episode, Ezechiel and Andy discuss the idea that hard work (as well as laziness) eventually get their just rewards and that, therefore, people deserve the lives they have.  But is this true? Or do we all just rely on luck to achieve the positions in life that we have?

Join us for a weekly dose of Daily Philosophy!

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

00:00:24 What is meritocracy?
00:01:34 Problems of meritocracy
00:01:55 Meritocracy is not so different from elitist concepts
00:02:35 Absolute vs relative merit
00:04:51 The problem of access to positions of power
00:07:12 Michael Sandel, “The Tyranny of Merit.” Is merit just luck?
00:08:13 How important is luck for merit?
00:11:31 The perception of “deserving” one’s achievements
00:12:35 Is this only a debate about language use?
00:14:19 “Merit” talk shifts blame away from society and onto the individual
00:16:33 The value of work
00:18:24 Effort and result
00:21:34 Privilege, entitlement and moral obligation
00:25:24 Bill Gates and other successful people
00:26:24 Robert Frank (2016): Success and Luck
00:27:53 Should billionaires exist?
00:31:34 Is it wrong to be a billionaire?
00:35:24 Personal wealth and educational achievements
00:38:52 The value of Ivy League universities

Accented Philosophy - Every Tuesday (or thereabouts)