Micro-Digressions: A Philosophy Podcast

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Dave Baker returns to Micro-Digressions to finish the discussion of nuclear weapons. Topics this time include the development of the hydrogen bomb, the problems with developing missile defense systems, and nuclear proliferation.

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Is the possession of nuclear weapons morally justified? Was it a mistake to invent them to begin with? Dave Baker joins Spencer to discuss these and other questions about nuclear war. (Correction: Joseph Stalin died in 1953, not 1952).

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You may have heard that there's an election going on in the U.S. A big one in fact. This episode is a debate about the records of one of the candidates, Joe Biden. Matt Lutz, noted error theorist and Biden enthusiast, returns to the podcast to argue that Americans are insufficiently appreciative of Biden's performance on the economy and foreign policy. Spencer provides pushback on Biden's various student loan repayment schemes and immigration.

Errata: The student loan repayment plan that Biden unveiled on July 18, 2024, was an expansion of an already existing program, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, and not an entirely new program. The costs of this expansion are estimated to be a mere 1.2 billion. 

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Mike Huemer rejoins Spencer to discuss the nature of consciousness. They consider the reasons for thinking that consciousness can't be physical and some prominent physicalist rejoinders to dualist arguments. 

Here's a link to Mike's excellent "Fake Nous" substack:

Fake Noûs | Michael Huemer | Substack

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Come for Spencer's funeral home jokes; stay for the unanticipated discussion of the movie Her. Travis Timmerman and Spencer Case resume their discussion about death. This time they talk about annihilationism, the idea that being annihilated is an intrinsically bad thing for the annihilated person, as well as popular arguments that immortality would be a bad thing for creatures like us.

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Ben Burgis rejoins Spencer to defend Marx's record. 

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This episode tackles one of the most controversial topics of the day (really, most days over the last several decades): Israel/Palestine. Craig White, a former diplomat and the author of Iraq: The Moral Reckoning, and Mark Oppenheimer of Brain in a Vat podcast fame join Spencer to discuss the issue. 

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Ryan W. Davis, a philosophy professor at Brigham Young University, joins Spencer Case to discuss the ethics and politics of gun ownership in the US. Check out his new book, Why it's OK to Own a Gun (Routledge, 2024).

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What is death? Does fear of death affect our everyday lives? And will your death harm you or not? Travis Timmerman, associate professor at Seton Hall University, joins Spencer to discuss these and other questions. Timmerman is coeditor, along with Michael Cholbi, of a fine anthology on the philosophy of death, Exploring the Philosophy of Death and Dying. Purchase your copy here:

https://www.amazon.com/Exploring-Philosophy-Death-Dying-Contemporary/dp/1138393584/ref=sr_1_1?crid=15H1NSANTN5NL&keywords=exploring+the+philosophy+of+death+and+dying&qid=1706235275&sprefix=%2Caps%2C656&sr=8-1

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It's the end of the year again and time to rant! This year's collection of rants includes:

• Jarrod Blair on bad habits that crush the philosophical spirit
• Matthew Adelstein on the stupidity and depravity of Effective Altruism critics
• Matt Lutz on possible world confusions
• Mark Oppenheimer on the Israel-Gaza war
• Oliver Traldi on the university presidents' testimony to Congress
• JP Andrew on naturalism as a dogma in philosophy
• Spencer Case on scientific dogmatism
• Jason Werbeloff on moralizing vegetarians
• Alex Byrne on social construction

Links:
Virtue Vibes Podcast:
https://www.virtuevibes.org/

Bentham's Bulldog substack:
https://benthams.substack.com/

Brain in a Vat podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/brain-in-a-vat/id1509951964

Humean Being Substack:
https://humeanbeing.substack.com/