Philosophy Talk: Select Episodes

Philosophy Talk: Select Episodes

By Philosophy TalkEducation
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Philosophy Talk: Select Episodes episodes

  • Philippa Foot
    More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/philippa-foot.
    Philippa Foot invented the thought experiment that famously became known as the Trolley Problem. Despite the vast industry of “trolleyology” it inspired, Foot’s goal to illuminate debates on abortion and euthanasia often gets lost in the mix. So, how did Foot use this thought experiment to distinguish between doing versus allowing? What did she mean by the "Doctrine of Double Effect"? Why did she think that cultivating classic virtues—justice, courage, prudence, and temperance—was in our own rational self-interest? And what made her later change her mind? Josh and Ray explore her life and thought with John Hacker-Wright from the University of Guelph, author of "Philippa Foot's Moral Thought."
    52 min
  • Are Rules Meat to Be Broken?
    More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/are-rules-meant-be-broken.
    Rules exist for a reason: they tell us what to expect, they help us coordinate our actions, and they stop us from exploiting one another. But isn't it possible to be too much of a rule follower? Aren't some rules arbitrary, unjust, or just plain inefficient? When should we exercise our judgment to reinterpret the rules, and when should we ignore them altogether? Josh and Ray bend the rules with Barry Lam from UC Riverside, author of "Fewer Rules, Better People: The Case for Discretion."
    1 min
  • Mary Midgley
    More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/mary-midgley.
    Mary Midgley became one of the best known public intellectuals in the UK, and was one of the first philosophers to talk about climate change. Though she didn’t publish her first book—Beast and Man—till she was 59, she wrote many influential works on science, ethics, and animal rights. So, why did Midgley argue that the climate crisis was ultimately a conceptual problem? What was her criticism of scientism, the view that only science can provide knowledge about the world around us? And why did she think the work of the philosopher is a bit like that of the plumber? Josh and Ray explore her life and thought with Clare Mac Cumhaill from Durham University, co-author of "Metaphysical Animals: How Four Women Brought Philosophy Back to Life."
    Part of our Wise Women series, generously supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
    52 min
  • Iris Murdoch
    More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/iris-murdoch.
    Iris Murdoch may be best known for her works of fiction, but her philosophical contributions were equally significant. A moral realist influenced by Plato and Simone Weil, she developed theories in virtue ethics and care ethics. So what is the relationship between Murdoch's works of fiction and her philosophical writings? Why did she believe that "nothing in life is of any value except the attempt to be virtuous"? And given that, why did she think human life has no purpose? Josh and Ray explore Murdoch's life and thought with Eva-Maria Düringer from the University of Tübingen, author of "Evaluating Emotions."
    Part of the "Wise Women" series, generously supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
    52 min
  • Judith Jarvis Thomson
    More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/judith-jarvis-thomson.
    Judith Jarvis Thomson is best known for arguing that abortion is morally permissible, even granting the fetus the status of person. Her colorful thought experiments illustrate that a right to life does not mean the right to use another person's body to survive. So, what exactly is a right to life and what does it permit or prohibit? Does pregnancy come with certain moral obligations to the fetus? And how can thought experiments, like the Trolley Problem, shed light on these questions? Josh and Ray explore Thomson's life and thought with Elizabeth Harman from Princeton University, author of "When to Be a Hero" (forthcoming).
    Part of the "Wise Women" series, generously supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
    52 min

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