In today’s episode, two moral philosophers explore our everyday ethical choices. Are your gut-level reactions about right and wrong a signal from a higher reality—or just a chemical reaction in your brain? And if God isn’t the foundation for our morality, do our values actually mean anything?

In this throwback Veritas Forum, you’ll hear from Peter Singer, a philosopher and emeritus professor at Princeton, and John Hare, a philosopher at Yale. Drawing from their atheist and Christian worldviews, they explore where moral intuitions come from, whether morality can stand apart from religion, and how questions of happiness, suffering, and the life and teachings of Jesus shape their understanding of what it means to live well. You’ll hear both of their opening statements followed by an excerpt of their moderated discussion.

This forum was held at MIT in 2010. Thank you to the student planning team for making this event possible.

Find additional resources and quotes on the podcast episode page here.