Dilemma Podcast

Dilemma Podcast episodes:

• 04.08.2024

  The Palestine Collection - The Collapse of Zionism and Forgiveness

  Jay discusses Palestine with historian and author Ilan Pappe. Together they ponder if we are seeing the end of Zionism and what might that collapse might look like. Jay then reads an essay on the topic of forgiveness and redemption and...

  
• 02.27.2024

  The Palestine Collection - Zionism and a Speech For the Future

  In the final part of this series, Jay dissects the definition of the words Zionism, Israel, and Judaism and delivers a Speech he wishes a future Prime Minister of Israel would give. The entire collection and all resources can be found...

  
• 02.26.2024

  The Palestine Collection - Zionist to Palestinian Activist - Miko Peled

  A conversation with Miko Peled on his journey from unquestioned Zionism to becoming an active Palestinian Activist. In this episode we discuss: Jacob Israel de Haan Where are the Palestinian Nelson Mandelas? How Miko changed his mind When the only thing left is violence Why Zionism...

  
• 02.24.2024

  The Palestine Collection - Resistance or Terror? - Richard English

  A conversation with Richard English who dares ask the question "Does Terrorism Work?" In this episode we discuss: The IRA The Troubles Hamas Al Qaeda Jewish Terrorists Whether Israel is an example of successful Terrorism The motivations of terrorists How to evaluate the success of terrorists Deciphering the intent of...

  
• 02.23.2024

  The Palestine Collection - '48 Never Ended - Gideon Levy

  A conversation with Haaretz journalist Gideon Levy where we take the pulse of Israel and discuss how he came to question the Zionist project and where we might go from here. In this episode he discusses: Two State Solutions What Israelis know How America...

  
• 02.22.2024

  The Palestine Collection - The Problem of History

  Jay Shapiro breaks down arguments being presented by popular thinkers such as Sam Harris and from Zionists who defend Israel. He walks through the complications of deciphering the popularity of Islamism and Jihadism and Hamas and he outlines the mentality...

  
• 11.14.2023

  S03E11: Monsters and Distance - David Livingstone Smith

  David Livingstone Smith has been studying "dehumanization" for decades and has written three books on the subject. In this episode Jay and Smith apply his findings to the current conflict in Israel and broaden their scope to examine how a...

  
• 10.25.2023

  S03E10: Antisemitism and the Future of Analysis

  Jay Shapiro's personal essay and account of how the disfigurement of American Judaism has forged an existential crisis for something much bigger than survival of the state of Israel.

  
• 10.20.2023

  S03E09: Israel and Palestine - Malevolent Machinery

  A nuanced look at the morality of intentions and self-deceptions in the Israel Palestinian conflict. A look at the moral distinction between collateral damage, intentional civilian targeting, and something much more common and psychologically complex which the Jewish experience makes Israel...

  
• 08.01.2023

  S03E07: Thinking of it That Way - Monica Guzman

  Is there any hope for that strained or broken relationship that's become a causality of the political divide? Is common ground found best by going towards our superficial commonalities or in the direction of our deepest existential fears and hopes?...

  
• 03.07.2022

  S03E08: Objects Without Us - Ian Bogost

  What is it like to be a baseball bat? This episode is a dive into the philosophical approach known as Object Oriented Ontology (OOO) with the author and philosopher Ian Bogost. Ian Bogost is a video game designer, author, and philosopher...

  
• 02.21.2022

  S03E06: Aspirational Nations - Tero Lundstedt

  How many countries are there? 197? 193? 180? It depends who you ask and who is counting. What constitutes a "state"? How does that differ from a "nation"? Why do certain claims of self determined statehood go unrecognized while others...

  
• 01.17.2022

  S03E05: What Kind of Truth? - Spencer Greenberg

  Does 2+2 really equal 4? What realm of truth am I in when I speak about my pain? What kind of truth claim is it to speak about the existence of "Poland"? How about the existence of ghosts and gods? Spencer...

  
• 01.10.2022

  S03E04: The Limits of Libertarianism - Nick Gillespie

  Is it possible that the default position of libertarianism which has so deeply influenced politics, economics, and philosophy since the enlightenment could produce an ecosystem which stalls our ability to handle the existentially daunting task of freedom? Does the political...

  
• 01.03.2022

  S03E03: Competing Against Everything - Alfie Kohn

  What if much of what we do to our children works directly against what we profess we ultimately want for them? Alfie Kohn argues that things like homework, grades, systems of praise and punishment, reward and sanction, and generally the enforcement...

  
• 11.01.2021

  S03E02: The Abortion Question - Bethel McGrew

  Is abortion ever morally permissible? Is it always wrong? Are there any morally valid exceptions? Do any if the answers to these questions demand a certain kind of legal limitation? Where and how do we ground any of these contemplations? In...

  
• 10.25.2021

  S03E01: Our Modern Disquiet - Benjamin Storey

  You know that strange nagging restlessness that you feel in your core? That difficulty focusing on what's in front of you? That flittering from one path to another to another in the hopes of finally feeling your purpose? That deep...

  
• 03.15.2021

  S02E22: High School Philosophy - Lawrenceville Ethics Bowl Team

  Do we underestimate the ability of High Schoolers to tackle complex politically charged existential and moral philosophy problems with nuance, intelligence, and compassion? I hope this episode will convince you that we absolutely do. Jay has served as a judge for...

  
• 03.03.2021

  S02E21: Are we in a simulation? Does it matter? - Rizwan Virk

  Quantum mechanics, mathematical robustness, dream state deja vu oddities... these are all things that one would expect to find in a simulated world. Wait, so are we in a simulation? Author, investor, and video game pioneer Rizwan Virk joins Jay for...

  
• 02.22.2021

  S02E20: Conspiracies Everywhere - Hugo Drochen and Annemarie S Walter

  What kind of environmental and individual factors lead to the proliferation of conspiracy theories? Jay is joined by co-authors and researchers Hugo Drochen and Annemarie S Walter to discuss their paper "Conspiracy Thinking in Europe and America: A Comparative Study". Jay opens...

  
• 02.08.2021

  S02E19: Quantum Computing - Sean Holland

  Have artificial intelligence fears been overblown? Are we glossing over the much more pressing issue of weaponized quantum computing? Or are these tandem problems? What the heck is a computer anyway and what would make one "quantum"? Jay discusses these issues...

  
• 01.25.2021

  S02E18: Hostage - Michael Scott Moore

  Michael Scott Moore was held captive by pirates in Somalia for 977. He recounts what philosophies and psychological tactics got him through the experience while he and Jay ponder the moral dilemma of whether or not to pay ransoms to...

  
• 01.09.2021

  Jay's Special Comment on The Coup with Michael Scott Moore

  On the using of the word "coup" to describe the events in Washington on Jan 6 2021. Subscribe to Jay's low key email reminders to keep up with when he writes something new, releases something new, appears as a guest on...

  
• 01.04.2021

  S02E17: Atheistic search for god - Seth Andrews

  Seth Andrews was a Christian Radio host in Tulsa Oklahoma before he began his intellectual journey to atheism. Jay and Seth discuss the philosophies underpinning the religious worldview and how it continues to inform our political landscape. Jay lays out exactly...

  
• 12.14.2020

  S02E16: The Silence Beyond Sound - Scott Barry Kaufman

  Why do we avoid intimacy when we know it is the deepest need we have? Scott Barry Kaufman is an author, psychologist, and podcast host. His latest book "Transcend" continues the work of Abraham Maslow who introduced the hierarchy of needs....

  
• 12.07.2020

  S02E15: Speech on Campus - Sigal Ben-Porath

  Are the kids alright? Sigal Ben-Porath and Jay discuss the thorny issues of free speech on college campus by first traversing some philosophical groundwork offered by Hannah Arendt. Together they explore what speech is "beyond the pale", "a waste of time",...

  
• 11.26.2020

  S02E14: Thanksgiving 2020 - Mom

  Jay and his mom Sally talk about old age, being thankful in a strange year, and the lessons they're learning from COVID. Video posted on YouTube: https://youtu.be/oeboanFZOG8 Happy Thanksgiving from Dilemma Subscribe to Jay's low key email reminders to keep up with when...

  
• 10.21.2020

  S02E13: The Power of Memes - Susan Blackmore

  Did Charles Darwin discover something much more fundamental than the origin of species? A defense and exploration of the field of memetics with Professor Susan Blackmore. Jay and Susan make their way through the common confusions, problems, and good and bad...

  
• 10.12.2020

  S02E12: How To Avoid a Civil War - Mike Selinker

  Jay goes down the dark paths that might lie ahead spurred by the 2020 US election with Mike Selinker. Mike is an award winning game designer and game theorist who writes frequently about politics. What are the historical analogies that...

  
• 09.28.2020

  S02E11: Home Field Advantage - Jon Wertheim

  A look at the philosophical side of sports and what we can learn about human behavior in the time of COVID altered stadiums. Jay speaks with veteran sports writer Jon Wertheim as they focus in a particular chapter from his book...

  
• 09.21.2020

  S02E10: Too Much Information - Cass Sunstein

  What do you NOT want to know? Jay is joined by the prolific and influential behavior economist Cass Sunstein for a conversation about his latest book: Too Much Information. Discussed in this episode: The Garden of Eden, Willingness to Pay and Willingness...

  
• 09.14.2020

  S02E09: What is Art? - SWOON

  Jay tackles the age old question of philosophically defining art with the incredible street artist SWOON (Caledonia Curry). Together they wonder, can machines make art? Swoon's recent piece: The Medea https://swoonstudio.org/#/the-canyon/ Subscribe to Jay's low key email reminders to keep up with when...

  
• 09.07.2020

  S02E08: Your Right To Say It - David Goldberger

  David Goldberger was raised as a proud Jew. In 1977, he was working as a civil liberties attorney for the ACLU in Illinois when a Neo-Nazi named Frank Collin knocked on his door claiming his first amendment rights were being...

  
• 08.31.2020

  S02E07: The Lessons of Black Panther - Chloe Valdary

  Chloe Valdary, Coleman Hughes, and Jay Shapiro consider the analogies and lessons of Marvel's Black Panther. Discussed in this episode: tensions with policing, Black Lives Matter, the original Black Panther movement of the 60's, the differing philosophies of Martin Luther King...

  
• 08.25.2020

  S02E06: Illusionism Part 2 : Finding Each Other - Keith Frankish

  In part 2 of this conversation, Keith Frankish and Jay talk about the implications of the illusionists view of mind and consciousness. They forecast the moral, social, and political fallout of a world which would embrace illusionism while lamenting the...

  
• 08.17.2020

  S02E05: Illusionism Part 1 : What Needs Explaining - Keith Frankish

  “Illusionists deny that experiences have phenomenal properties and focus on explaining why they seem to have them” In part 1 of this 2 part interview Jay discusses what exactly is meant by this statement from renowned philosopher of mind and author...

  
• 08.06.2020

  S02E04: History Rhymes - Uyghur Genocide - Rahima Mahmut

  An urgent episode about a genocide unfolding in China. Rahima Mahmut is the U.K. Project Director, World Uyghur Congress. https://www.uyghurcongress.org/en/ Crowdfunding link here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/stop-Uyghur-genocide www.stopuyghurgenocide.org.uk Study about the global supply chains stained with Uyghur slave labor: Uyghurs for Sale  https://www.aspi.org.au/report/uyghurs-sale PBS’s Undercover China documentary: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/china-undercover/ Subscribe...

  
• 08.05.2020

  S02E03: Virtual Afterlives - Candi Cann

  Are virtual worlds any different than real worlds? A mother is reunited with her deceased daughter in virtual reality for a South Korean TV show. Jay Shapiro speaks with Associate Professor and author Candi Cann about the ways in which technology is...

  
• 07.20.2020

  S02E02: The Meaning of Travel - Emily Thomas

  What does travel mean? Why has formal philosophy largely ignored the question? Just how strange is it to release a book on travel in the time of a global lock down and what exactly is the world missing right now?...

  
• 07.06.2020

  S02E01: Unattractive Discrimination - Francesca Minerva

  We often hear about racism, sexism, classism, and other familiar kinds of discrimination. But there is a bias which might dwarf them all, discrimination against unattractive people. Jay Shapiro speaks with philosopher, author, and researcher Francesca Minerva on the topic of...

  
• 04.10.2020

  S01E18: Can We Sue China? - William Burke-White

  International law scholar and professor William Burke-White speaks with Jay Shapiro during the ongoing global COVID19 crises. They discuss the philosophical foundations of international law, why globalism needs to re-brand itself to be more "local", the legal process of the International...

  
• 03.30.2020

  S01E17: Surviving a Slow Motion Disaster - Amanda Ripley

  Amdana Ripley, best selling author of "The Unthinkable: Who Survives when Disaster Strikes and Why" talks with Jay Shapiro during coronavirus lock down. Topics discussed: Ripley's work with ignored hurricane warnings, 9/11 rescues, stampedes at the Hajj, surviving plane crashes, what...

  
• 03.16.2020

  S01E16: Pandemic Special: Invisible Responsibility COVID-19

  Jay and Coleman discuss the giant trolley problem that we're all living through in the midst of the  pandemic.  Topics discusses: The "worry-wart" paradox. Invisible responsibility of spreading a virus. Social media etiquette and how to deal with accounts with large...

  
• 03.09.2020

  S01E15: Season 1 in Hindsight - Jay Shapiro

  Jay reviews Season 1 with the help of his girlfriend, a piano, and a glass of wine. Submit your Season 2 Dilemma Ideas to [email protected]

  
• 02.26.2020

  S01E14: Selecting for Deafness - David Deutsch

  In the finale of Dilemma Season 1 famed author of "The Fabric of Reality" and "The Beginning of Infinity", David Deutsch, sits down with Jay Shapiro to discuss the ethics of a situation where deaf parents wish to use genetic...

  
• 02.10.2020

  S01E13: Self Driving Cars - Matthew B. Crawford

  The best selling author of Shop Class As Soulcraft and The World Beyond Your Head has a new book coming out entitled Why We Drive. He sits down with Jay Shapiro to ponder the philosophical and psychological transformations afoot in...

  
• 12.18.2019

  S01E12: Medically Assisted Death - Steven Pinker

  "If I lose my mind, just kill me." Co-Hosts Jay Shapiro and Coleman Hughes discuss the philosophical borders and ethical complications of Medically Assisted Dying with Steven Pinker, cognitive psychologist, linguist, and best selling author of Enlightenment Now.

  
• 12.04.2019

  Introducing Conversations With Coleman | Official Podcast Trailer

  Join Coleman Hughes, accomplished writer, philosophy major and Dilemma Podcast co-host, for his brand new podcast, Conversations With Coleman. This is more than just a futile exploration but an honest conversation—with the sharpest minds— on some of the most vexed...

  
• 11.27.2019

  Thanksgiving Hindsight

  Jay Shapiro is joined by a very special guest... his mother, Sally. They speak about Jay's moral upbringing, Judaism, Atheism, Africa, and giving thanks.

  
• 11.22.2019

  S01E11: A Camera, A Child, and A Vulture - Larissa MacFarquhar

  In the depths of a brutal famine in Sudan in 1993, Kevin Carter took a photo of a starving child and a perched vulture which appeared on the front page of newspapers all over the world. Readers bombarded the editors...