Brain in a Vat Podcast
1) 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
2) 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
3) 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
4) 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
5) 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?
6) 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
7) 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
8) 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
9) Decriminalizing Sex Work | Jessica Flanigan
In this episode of Brain in a Vat, we welcome back Jessica Flanigan for a discussion on the decriminalization of sex work.Using a decriminalization framework, Flanigan examines the ethics of sex work ...Show More
10) Disgust | Martha Nussbaum (Rebroadcast)
What exactly makes us feel disgusted? Is disgust for a person or group ever justified? And is disgust useful, or should we try to eliminate it?Chapters:[00:00] Introduction to Disgust and Cognitive Co...Show More