Moral Maze

By BBC Radio 4

What's Moral Maze about?

Combative, provocative and engaging live debate examining the moral issues behind one of the week's news stories. #moralmaze

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Moral Maze episodes:

03.07.2024
The morality of forgiveness
The Legacy Act in Northern Ireland provides a conditional amnesty for people who committed crimes during the Troubles, as part of a broader process of reconciliation. It’s an attempt to draw a line under events of the past, but...
02.28.2024
The morality of work
Many people seem to be going off the idea of work. In the UK there are more than nine million people who are "economically inactive". Some are unemployed, some are students, others are not actively looking for a...
02.26.2024
The morality of immigration
This week it emerged that Abdul Ezedi, hunted by police after an attack on a woman and her daughters with a corrosive liquid, was granted asylum after being convicted of sexual assault. He'd converted to Christianity, which could have...
02.26.2024
The morality of marriage
It’s Valentine’s Day, when we celebrate romantic love, and is there anything more romantic than getting married? It’s the way all those old films end, after all the “will they, won’t they”, the couple finally tie the knot, the...
02.26.2024
The moral case for veganism
It emerged this week that scientists in South Korea have created a new kind of “meaty” rice, with high levels of protein. The grains are packed with beef muscle and fat cells – all grown in a lab. It’s just...
02.01.2024
The Purpose of Punishment
The last week saw two contrasting examples of how societies treat killers. Valdo Calocane, who killed three people in Nottingham and tried to kill three more, avoided jail and was instead sent to a secure hospital for life...
01.26.2024
Ukraine - the moral case for ceding land for peace
It’s now nearly two years since Russia began its full scale invasion of Ukraine. Hopes that Ukraine might seize back its territory have been dashed, in a conflict that’s become deadlocked. At first it felt clear – the...
01.18.2024
Is it time to allow assisted dying?
Nearly a decade since MPs in Westminster voted against allowing terminally ill people to end their own life, assisted dying is climbing back up the political agenda. The Health and Social Care Committee is due to publish the first report...
11.22.2023
Identity Labels
Is it moral to attach identity labels to ourselves and others? We often label people by nationality, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, religion, disability and many more categories. Is this a good and helpful or something that should be avoided? The King...
11.22.2023
Should politics be guided by public opinion?
Should politicians respect, despise, accommodate or ignore public opinion? Rishi Sunak is looking for a policy he can pop into place between now and the general election that will avoid a Labour landslide. He is being advised that...
11.10.2023
How should we remember the dead and the living?
The Met police has warned of a "growing" risk of violence and disorder this Remembrance weekend. The Prime Minister has described a planned pro-Palestinian protest in London on Armistice Day as “provocative and disrespectful” to those who wish to remember...
10.19.2023
Are prisons doing more harm than good?
The UK’s prisons are full, their corridors are understaffed and their Victorian buildings are crumbling. The answer, at least at the moment, is to lock up fewer criminals. The justice secretary has announced plans this week to phase out short...
10.12.2023
How should we think about our enemies?
The surprise attack by Hamas was devastating, leaving hundreds of Israeli civilians dead, injured or taken hostage. Israel’s response was swift, with airstrikes on Gaza killing hundreds of Palestinians, including children. The scale of the attack was unprecedented,...
10.06.2023
Is impartiality a myth?
The BBC has published new guidance on how its big name presenters can use social media. Those working in news and current affairs are still bound by strict rules on impartiality, which the BBC sees as being fundamental to its...
10.04.2023
The Language of Freedom
Michael Buerk chairs a special Moral Maze debate recorded at 'HowTheLightGetsIn' festival of philosophy and music. The language of freedom permeates our political debate. In the US, it may be a decisive battleground in the 2024 presidential election. The problem...
09.21.2023
Adults, Children and Power
Labour has confirmed that it plans to allow 16 and 17 year-olds to vote in elections, in line with Scotland and Wales. The idea, they say, is to empower younger people by engaging them in the democratic process. Some...
07.27.2023
Is idleness good for us?
School’s out for summer. For many, holidays are a chance to rest, unwind and empty the mind of work. For others, the long break brings additional pressures and stresses, such as childcare. It’s a period when inaction and inactivity are...
07.21.2023
The Morality of Climate Activism
Wimbledon, the Ashes, the Proms and George Osborne’s wedding have all been interrupted by ‘Just Stop Oil’ protesters in recent days. Several areas of London have been brought to a standstill, provoking the ire of motorists and leading to multiple...
07.13.2023
Cluster bombs and the ethics of warfare
As NATO meets this week, the US is seeking to calm its critics over sending cluster bombs to Ukraine. Cluster munitions are banned by many countries – including the UK and most EU members. They are more indiscriminate and can...
07.06.2023
The Morality of Privatisation
Thames Water, which serves a quarter of the UK population, is billions of pounds in debt and on the brink of insolvency. The company has received heavy criticism, and calls for it to be nationalised, following a series of sewage...
07.05.2023
The morality of news coverage
Comparisons have been made between the news coverage of two tragedies at sea. The first was the capsizing of a boat off the coast of Greece, in which more than 500 migrants from the Middle East and Africa are thought...
06.23.2023
Should science ever be stopped?
Scientists have created the first synthetic human embryos using stem cells. The breakthrough could help research into genetic disorders, but it raises ethical questions about the creation of life without the need for eggs or sperm. While nobody is currently...
06.15.2023
The Morality of Borders
It’s almost impossible to imagine why anyone would risk a perilous crossing over cold, dark waters in an inflatable dinghy. This is a story of humankind: the despair – or ambition – that drove them, the wickedness of the traffickers...
06.08.2023
Football: a moral force for good?
Try telling the hordes of Manchester City fans heading to the Champions League final this weekend that the beautiful game has an ugly side. The team is on the verge of sealing an historic first Treble and glory awaits. Rival...
06.01.2023
How should we understand ‘cancel culture’?
The gender-critical philosopher Kathleen Stock’s address to the Oxford Union this week has divided academics at the university. One group has signed a letter expressing concern that student opposition to her invite goes against free speech. A second group has...
05.25.2023
How should we talk about suicide?
The tragic death of primary headteacher Ruth Perry, who took her own life when her school was set to be downgraded to “inadequate”, has prompted widespread anger from teachers and calls to reform or abolish Ofsted. Ruth Perry’s family believes...
03.31.2023
AI - the end of humanity or the next evolutionary step?
AI – the end of humanity or the next evolutionary step? Computers are becoming more powerful. Much more powerful. Last week, Gordon Moore, the co-founder of Intel Corporation died. A computer industry billionaire, he came up with...
03.23.2023
Is Growth a False God?
Is Growth a False God? Last week’s budget was, according to the Chancellor, about growth. Whenever politicians talk about their plans these days, it’s always about growth. The arguments are clear: Until we generate more growth, we...
03.16.2023
Is pacifism admirable, immoral, or just impractical?
Is pacifism virtuous, admirable, impractical, immoral or stupid? War and militarism are in the news every day. In the Budget, the Chancellor announced an extra £11bn in defence spending over the next five years, to counter threats from hostile...
03.09.2023
Breach of Trust
Breach of Trust When the journalist Isabel Oakeshott broke her promise and passed Matt Hancock's personal WhatsApp messages to the Daily Telegraph, was she morally justified in doing so? She didn't just go back on her word to the...
03.03.2023
Leaders with faith
Leaders with Faith The first hustings in the election of the new leader of the Scottish National Party were held this week. The winner will become Scotland’s first minister. But so far the coverage of the campaign has...
02.23.2023
How should Britain make amends for its colonial past?
How should Britain make amends for its colonial past? Should museums in the UK return historic artefacts to their countries of origin? Many items displayed in museums were looted in colonial times and now there are campaigns for...
02.16.2023
Why does God allow natural disasters to happen?
Why does God allow natural disasters to happen? The devastation following the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria has been appalling. Already more than 41,000 people have died. Extraordinary stories have emerged as people have been rescued after...
02.09.2023
Morality and Money
In her first public comments since leaving office, the Ex-PM Liz Truss has argued that her plans to boost economic growth were brought down by "the left-wing economic establishment". Losing the confidence of the financial markets at a time of...
02.02.2023
What is Evil?
Boris Johnson has described a chilling phone call in which Vladimir Putin threatened him with a missile strike in the run-up to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Almost a year on from the start of the war, it’s tempting to see...
01.26.2023
Human Maturity
Nicola Sturgeon has argued for a wider debate on teenagers' rights, as she defended plans to allow 16-year-olds to change their legal gender in Scotland. Each society settles on its own thresholds to determine when a person is old enough...
01.19.2023
Personal Debt
“Neither a borrower nor a lender be,” advised Shakespeare’s Polonius. These words seem hopelessly out of touch in cost of living crisis with soaring inflation and astronomical levels of personal debt. The charity StepChange has warned that money borrowed by...
01.12.2023
The Ethics of the Family
While no family is likely to have such a public falling out, anyone can surely relate the royal rift to tensions within their own family – the grudges, rivalries and feelings of betrayal. Prince Harry’s words, “I would like to...
12.22.2022
Kindness
Thousands of complaints have been made to the press regulator about Jeremy Clarkson’s column in the Sun newspaper, in which he expressed his hatred of Meghan Markle. His critics say he crossed a line in portraying her as someone who...
12.15.2022
What do we work for?
Forget the advent calendar, it’s a ‘strike calendar’ we need to prepare for Christmas this year. Behind today’s window lurks not a festive chocolate but a list of public service stoppages; not a robin on picket fence, but a postie...
12.08.2022
Can ethics survive the death of religion?
For the first time, fewer than half of people in England and Wales describe themselves as Christian. For centuries in the West, Judeo-Christian values have underpinned moral reasoning and grounded our ethics. While ticking “no religion” on the census doesn’t...
12.01.2022
Human Rights
The largescale protests in China are not just a response to Covid restrictions but about fundamental human rights, including freedom of speech. They follow weeks of demonstrations in support of women’s rights in Iran, and LGBTQ+ rights in Qatar. We...
07.29.2022
The Morality of Snobbery
People like us... you know what I mean. Snobbery? It's everywhere, and most of us would admit to it, at least occasionally. But beyond the caricatures of snooty and disdainful types who enjoy looking down on the...
07.21.2022
The Future of the NHS
The Future of the NHS Can the UK keep its promise of free healthcare for everyone? NHS spending is higher than ever, yet waiting lists are getting longer and patient satisfaction is falling. The worst of the pandemic...
07.14.2022
The Right to Abortion
The Right to Abortion This weekend thousands of people marched on the White House in support of a woman’s right to choose an abortion. That constitutional principle, established nearly 50 years ago in the case of “Roe v Wade”...
07.07.2022
'Unacceptable' Opinions
“Unacceptable” Opinions Have you ever felt that you can’t say what you really think, that your honest opinions have become somehow unacceptable? It’s a common complaint that freedom of speech is being restricted, that more and more views have...
06.30.2022
Ukraine - what should western countries do next?
Ukraine - what should the west do next? It's 125 days since Russia's tanks rolled into Ukraine in a full scale invasion of the country. Since then the world has watched, appalled by the bloodshed, the destruction of towns and...
06.23.2022
The morality of striking
Is it morally acceptable to go on strike, disrupting the lives and livelihoods of millions of people who are uninvolved in a dispute? This week’s rail strike is expected to be the biggest in 30 years with only a...
06.16.2022
Inequality: Is the gap between rich and poor in the UK fair?
Is the gap between rich and poor in the UK fair? The soaring cost of living is raising questions about the gap between rich and poor. As prices have been forced up by global events, including the war in Ukraine,...
06.09.2022
What is the future of the monarchy?
What is the future of the Monarchy? A pageant, a star-studded concert, street fairs and picnics; it was a joyful four-day tribute to the Queen and millions revelled in her Platinum Jubilee. Seventy years of service, celebrated in true...

What's Moral Maze about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Moral Maze episodes:

The morality of forgiveness

The morality of work

The morality of immigration

The morality of marriage

The moral case for veganism

The Purpose of Punishment

Ukraine - the moral case for ceding land for peace

Is it time to allow assisted dying?

Identity Labels

Should politics be guided by public opinion?

How should we remember the dead and the living?

Are prisons doing more harm than good?

How should we think about our enemies?

Is impartiality a myth?

The Language of Freedom

Adults, Children and Power

Is idleness good for us?

The Morality of Climate Activism

Cluster bombs and the ethics of warfare

The Morality of Privatisation

The morality of news coverage

Should science ever be stopped?

The Morality of Borders

Football: a moral force for good?

How should we understand ‘cancel culture’?

How should we talk about suicide?

AI - the end of humanity or the next evolutionary step?

Is Growth a False God?

Is pacifism admirable, immoral, or just impractical?

Breach of Trust

Leaders with faith

How should Britain make amends for its colonial past?

Why does God allow natural disasters to happen?

Morality and Money

What is Evil?

Human Maturity

Personal Debt

The Ethics of the Family

Kindness

What do we work for?

Can ethics survive the death of religion?

Human Rights

The Morality of Snobbery

The Future of the NHS

The Right to Abortion

'Unacceptable' Opinions

Ukraine - what should western countries do next?

The morality of striking

Inequality: Is the gap between rich and poor in the UK fair?

What is the future of the monarchy?