Working Definition

In this episode, Peter van Inwagen and I discuss free will. We talk about what kind of thing free will might be, whether there’s an ordinary notion of free will, whether we should talk about free agency instead of free will, the cost of getting hung up about ‘the will’, the relation between free will and determinism, the relation between free will and indeterminism, the relevance of agent causation, the relevance of moral realism, the relevance of probabilistic thinking, and much more. In short, we do some philosophy! I hope you enjoy it... 

In this episode, JP Andrew and I discuss animals. We talk about whether it’s the business of philosophers to try to define animals, the differences between animals and plants, what it’s permissible to do to animals, what it’s permissible to do to electrons, whether we’re obligated to bring back extinct species, the relevance of moral disgust to vegetarianism, and much more. In short, we do some philosophy! I hope you enjoy it... 

In this episode, Tim Crane and I discuss consciousness. We talk about what it is for an organism to be conscious, whether there’s such a thing as a non-conscious experience, the difference between trying to explain why we’re conscious and trying to explain how we’re conscious, what people are talking about when they talk about AI consciousness, the relevance of consciousness to moral status, and more. In short, we do some philosophy! I hope you enjoy it... 

In this episode, Teresa Bejan and I discuss equality. We talk about whether equality is one thing or many, the difference between distributive and relational notions of equality, what it means to be one another’s equals, the lasting influence of Roman law, whether equality pertains to relations between humans and animals, the idea of the Levellers as the original egalitarians, and more! In short, we do some philosophy! I hope you enjoy it... 

In this episode, Ben Brophy and I discuss forgiveness. We talk about what counts as an act of forgiveness, about the part played by the person who's being forgiven, about whether forgiveness is a matter of justice or charity, about its relation to nearby concepts like grace and mercy and forbearance, about the role religion might have played in shaping its ordinary usage, and more. In short, we do some philosophy! I hope you enjoy it... 

In the seventh episode of Working Definition, Rebecca Lowe’s philosophy podcast, she speaks with John Tasioulas about rights. They talk about the special relation between rights and perfect obligations, the difference between rights and preferences, what it means to ground a right, whether rights can conflict, whether natural rights are the same thing as human rights, whether liberalism and democracy are dependent on rights, and more. In short, they do some philosophy! 

In this episode, Henry Oliver and I discuss happiness. We talk about what it is to be happy, what makes people happy, the problem of being made happy about bad things, and more. In short, we do some philosophy!

In this episode, Michael Ignatieff and I discuss liberalism. We talk about what it is to be a liberal, the kinds of institutions that are central to liberalism, what it’s like to do politics as someone with a liberal disposition, what liberals should do when they find themselves in illiberal places, and more. In short, we do some philosophy!

In this episode, Oliver Traldi and I discuss politics. We talk about why it’s such a hard word to define, the competing and complementary ways people use it, and its significance within the history of political philosophy and the world of political action. In short, we do some philosophy! I hope you enjoy it... 

In this episode, Ignacio Cofone and I discuss privacy. We talk  about what it is, why it matters, when it matters, how it should be protected legally. In short, we do some philosophy! I hope you enjoy it..