TrueSciPhi

Podcast Profile: Uehiro Lectures: Practical solutions for ethical challenges

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6 episodes
2017
Median: 52 minutes
Collection: Philosophy

Description (podcaster-provided):

Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):

This podcast presents public lectures in practical ethics and analytic philosophy, aiming to apply rigorous scholarship to contemporary moral and political problems in a way that remains accessible beyond academia. The content is structured around annual lecture series delivered by prominent philosophers, often supplemented by discussion formats such as roundtables with other academic contributors. Across the episodes, listeners encounter sustained, multi-part arguments rather than standalone interviews, with each series building a connected line of analysis over several talks.

A central theme is equality: what it means, when it matters, and how different interpretations lead to different moral and institutional conclusions. The lectures distinguish between concepts such as equal treatment, equal status, and equality of opportunity, examining philosophical justifications and the implications these ideas have for social policy and interpersonal ethics. The approach is conceptual and argumentative, focused on clarifying principles, identifying assumptions, and assessing competing reasons that might support egalitarian commitments.

Another major focus is sex equality and feminism, framed through the challenge of designing fair legal and social arrangements governing relations between women and men. The podcast explores why consensus remains difficult even after long-running feminist movements, highlighting that some inequalities may be straightforwardly unjust while others are more contested. It also considers how technological change—especially developments in reproductive technology—can disrupt established moral frameworks and complicate efforts to define stable, “final” solutions to questions of justice and gender relations.

Throughout, the lectures emphasize diagnosing confusion in public debate, including the role of equivocation and unexamined presuppositions, and they draw on historical debates to shed light on current controversies. The overall character of the podcast is academic yet public-facing: extended philosophical reasoning aimed at making progress on practical ethical challenges tied to equality, rights, and social justice.