Brain in a Vat Podcast
1) Cultural Appropriation | Stephen Kershnar (Rebroadcast)
Is it permissible for members of one group to appropriate the cultural practices of another? Is there anything wrong with cultural appropriation at all, or are there benefits to cultural appropriation...Show More
2) Aztec Philosophy: What the Aztecs Knew About Life | Sebastian Purcell
How did the Aztecs understand life, morality, and human purpose? What can Aztec philosophy teach us about living well? Sebastian Purcell guides us through Aztec thought, beginning with a thought exper...Show More
3) The Assassination of Charlie Kirk
In this special episode of Brain in a Vat, Mark and Jasondiscuss the tragic assassination of political commentator, Charlie Kirk. The episode discusses Kirk's commitment to open dialogue and civil dis...Show More
4) Using AI to Fight Crime | David Boonin (Rebroadcast)
Is racial profiling always wrong, even if used by an AI to decrease crime? Should we use AI to judge criminal cases, recommend sentences for the guilty, or decide parole for prisoners?Chapters:[00:00]...Show More
5) Are We Free at Work? Marx on Capitalism Today | Brian Leiter
In this episode of Brain in a Vat, we’re joined by Brian Leiter, co-author (with Jamie Edwards) of a new book on Marx. We explore whether workers in contemporary capitalism are truly free—or trapped i...Show More
6) The Possible Worlds of David Lewis | Barry Lam (Rebroadcast)
What are possible worlds? Could you have been born to different parents, and could an object be both completely green and completely red? Barry Lam explains how David Lewis’s views on possible worlds ...Show More
7) Procreative Ethics | Rivka Weinberg (Rebroadcast)
Is it wrong to bring new life into the world? Is adopting a child a moral obligation? Is parenting meaningful?
8) Imagine There’s No Gender | Holly Lawford-Smith [with Raja Halwani] (Rebroadcast)
Would the world be better if we didn’t recognize genders?In such a world, there would be males and females, but nothing associated with what it means to be male or female other than biological facts. ...Show More
9) The Moral Lives of Spies | Cécile Fabre
What does a spy owe — to their country, their conscience, or their cause? In this episode, Cécile Fabre investigates the moral lives of Cold War operatives like Kim Philby and Oleg Gordievsky. With Fa...Show More
10) The Right to Sex | Raja Halwani (Rebroadcast)
Do we have a right to sex, and is there an obligation to sexually fulfill the disabled? Should sex work be not only legal, but obligatory?[00:00] Introduction and Guest Welcome[00:16] Exploring the Ri...Show More