Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ Philosophical thought experiments • Ethics and morality • Politics and society • Science and technology • Humor and culture • Identity and gender • Human rights • Art and creativity
This podcast, "Brain in a Vat," delves into a wide array of philosophical topics and ethical dilemmas, often through the lens of thought experiments and interviews with philosophers. Hosted by Dr. Jason Werbeloff and Mark Oppenheimer, the series explores both traditional philosophical themes and contemporary issues. Frequent topics include the nature of democracy, morality, and ethical considerations in diverse areas like political systems, animal rights, and technological advancements such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality.
The episodes tackle complex questions surrounding identity, including gender, race, and human rights. Discussions often revolve around whether societal constructs and individual perceptions influence these identities. The podcast also examines the morality and implications of scientific and technological progress, such as debates on immortality, autonomous weapons, and digital interactions through gaming.
Audience members can also explore the intersection of philosophy with culture and arts, as seen in episodes discussing satire, dark humor, and the value of "bad" movies. Economic and social structures are scrutinized with episodes on topics like economic inequality, privacy, and political commemoration.
Overall, this podcast offers an in-depth exploration of the philosophical aspects of a broad spectrum of subjects, inviting listeners to question and reflect on the ethical dimensions of everyday issues and broader societal concepts. Through engaging interviews and discussions, it provides a rich landscape for those interested in the philosophical underpinnings of modern life and the ethical challenges that accompany technological and social evolution.
Episodes:
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Will Machines Rule the World? | Barry Smith
2024-Nov-03
60 minutes
|
Reimagining Democracy as Lottocracy | Alexander Guerrero (With Travis Timmerman)
2024-Oct-27
65 minutes
|
Navigating Kinky Sex: Ethics, Safety, and Risk | Georgi Gardiner
2024-Oct-20
62 minutes
|
Comedy, Satire, and Laughing at the Uncomfortable | John Vlismas
2024-Oct-13
59 minutes
|
The Value of Bad Movies | Matt Strohl (with Travis Timmerman)
2024-Oct-06
65 minutes
|
Refugees and Border Control | Bradley Hillier-Smith
2024-Sep-29
70 minutes
|
Exploring Alien Civilizations | Isaac Arthur
2024-Sep-22
63 minutes
|
Can Animals Create Art? | Yolandi Coetser
2024-Sep-15
85 minutes
|
Population Decline and Pronatalism | Paul Morland
2024-Sep-08
69 minutes
|
Love and Limerence | Georgi Gardiner
2024-Sep-01
61 minutes
|
Aliens, Social Groups, and the Golden Record | Jason Werbeloff
2024-Aug-25
74 minutes
|
Ayn Rand and the Ethics of Selfishness | Tara Smith
2024-Aug-18
63 minutes
|
The Fine-Tuning Argument for God’s Existence | Aaron Zimmer (with Nathan Bray)
2024-Aug-11
60 minutes
|
Fatphobia | Kate Manne (with Travis Timmerman)
2024-Aug-04
65 minutes
|
Money, Institutions, and Social Groups | J. P. Smit
2024-Jul-28
68 minutes
|
Left vs Right, Polarization, and Political Legitimacy | Oliver Traldi
2024-Jul-21
56 minutes
|
The Ethics of Swearing | Rebecca Roache [with Travis Timmerman]
2024-Jul-14
64 minutes
|
Patriotism Unpacked | Spencer Case
2024-Jul-07
60 minutes
|
The Ethics of Dark Humor | David Shoemaker
2024-Jun-30
62 minutes
|
Is Israel’s War Unjust? | Mark Oppenheimer vs Raja Halwani
2024-Jun-23
97 minutes
|
Gaming and Friendship | Nicholas Baima
2024-Jun-16
49 minutes
|
Gaming: Dangerous or Beneficial? | Sarah Malanowski
2024-Jun-09
55 minutes
|
The Edges of Philosophy: Good, Bad, and the Controversial | Travis Timmerman
2024-Jun-02
73 minutes
|
Helpful Abortion Restrictions? | Perry Hendricks
2024-May-26
63 minutes
|
Race and IQ | Nathan Cofnas
2024-May-19
74 minutes
|
Lionel Shriver on the Dangers of Manic Equality
2024-May-12
64 minutes
|
Gun Control | Eric Sampson (Rebroadcast)
2024-May-05
53 minutes
|
Ethical Quandaries of Autonomous Weapon Systems | Afonso Seixas-Nunes
2024-Apr-28
62 minutes
|
Paediatric Gender Medicine | Moti Gorin and Holly Lawford-Smith
2024-Apr-21
77 minutes
|
Peter Singer on Animal Liberation Now
2024-Apr-14
65 minutes
|
We Should Want Immortality | John Martin Fischer
2024-Apr-07
51 minutes
|
Against Immortality | Stephen Cave
2024-Mar-31
56 minutes
|
Immigration and Borders | Stephen Kershnar
2024-Mar-24
67 minutes
|
Cascading Catastrophic Risks | Trond Undheim
2024-Mar-17
54 minutes
|
The Ethics of Political Commemoration | Hans Gutbrod
2024-Mar-10
56 minutes
|
Facial Distortions and Prosopometamorphopsia | Brad Duchaine
2024-Mar-03
61 minutes
|
Pornography and Free Speech | Nadine Strossen and Holly Lawford-Smith
2024-Feb-25
73 minutes
|
Unravelling “White Privilege” | Spencer Case
2024-Feb-18
60 minutes
|
The Privacy Paradox | David Boonin
2024-Feb-11
60 minutes
|
Dissecting Morality: Error Theory | Matt Lutz
2024-Feb-04
61 minutes
|
The Morality Maze | Spencer Case
2024-Jan-28
58 minutes
|
Why Israel's Response to Hamas Was Justified | Natasha Hausdorff
2024-Jan-21
51 minutes
|
The Trouble with Gender | Alex Byrne
2024-Jan-14
57 minutes
|
John Rawls: Justice as Fairness | Paul Weithman (Rebroadcast)
2024-Jan-07
57 minutes
|
Near-Death Experiences | John Martin Fischer (Rebroadcast)
2023-Dec-31
64 minutes
|
How To End Global Poverty | Andy Kuper (Rebroadcast)
2023-Dec-24
56 minutes
|
Evolutionary Psychology | Justin Garson (Rebroadcast)
2023-Dec-17
53 minutes
|
Trans women in sport: Is it fair? | Stephen Kershnar (Rebroadcast)
2023-Dec-10
73 minutes
|
David Chalmers on Virtual Reality and The Simulation Argument (Rebroadcast)
2023-Dec-03
63 minutes
|
Freedom | Ernst Roets and Martin Van Staaden
2023-Nov-26
94 minutes
|
The Philosophy of Black Mirror's White Bear | Rebecca Tuvel
2023-Nov-19
53 minutes
|
Why you should stop eating meat | Mylan Engel
2023-Nov-12
57 minutes
|
David Benatar on the Israel Palestine Conflict
2023-Nov-06
59 minutes
|
The Ethics of Killing in War | Jeff McMahan (Rebroadcast)
2023-Oct-29
58 minutes
|
Pornography and Exploitation | Holly Lawford-Smith
2023-Oct-23
63 minutes
|
Organ Markets | James Stacey Taylor
2023-Oct-15
73 minutes
|
Is Monogamy Wrong? | Harry Chalmers
2023-Oct-08
57 minutes
|
The Philosophy of Infinity Pool | Travis Timmerman
2023-Oct-01
57 minutes
|
Oppenheimers on Barbenheimer
2023-Sep-24
55 minutes
|
Stephen Kershnar on Cultural Appropriation
2023-Sep-17
51 minutes
|
Sex work or prostitution? | Lori Watson
2023-Sep-10
58 minutes
|
The Islam-Atheism Debate: Behind the Curtain
2023-Sep-03
67 minutes
|
Death | Travis Timmerman
2023-Aug-27
56 minutes
|
Luck and Knowledge | Mylan Engel
2023-Aug-20
58 minutes
|
Who was Derek Parfit? | David Edmonds
2023-Aug-13
54 minutes
|
Is Islam more rational than Atheism? | Eron Fasser, Mohammed Hijab, Mark Oppenheimer, Hamza Tzortzis
2023-Aug-06
127 minutes
|
Imagine There’s No Gender | Holly Lawford-Smith (with Raja Halwani)
2023-Jul-30
56 minutes
|
Hate Speech | Mark Oppenheimer (Live at St Andrews)
2023-Jul-23
37 minutes
|
What is a woman? | Alex Byrne
2023-Jul-16
61 minutes
|
Is Grieving Good for You? | Michael Cholbi
2023-Jul-09
50 minutes
|
The Supreme Court Ban on Affirmative Action | David Benatar
2023-Jul-02
63 minutes
|
Self-driving Cars and the Apocalypse | Ryan Jenkins (with Stephen Kershnar)
2023-Jun-25
62 minutes
|
Animal Ethics | Thad Metz
2023-Jun-18
49 minutes
|
Will there be peace in the middle east? | Raja Halwani
2023-Jun-11
51 minutes
|
Friendship is Magic | Samuel Kimbriel
2023-Jun-04
66 minutes
|
Anonymous Publishing | Ivar Hardman
2023-May-28
53 minutes
|
Thought Experiments | Spencer Case
2023-May-21
75 minutes
|
Conserving Monuments | Dan Demetriou
2023-May-14
56 minutes
|
Why Americans Don't Owe Veterans Gratitude | Stephen Kershnar (with Spencer Case)
2023-May-07
58 minutes
|
Procreative Ethics | Rivka Weinberg
2023-Apr-30
62 minutes
|
Anti-Semitism | Mark Oppenheimer
2023-Apr-23
64 minutes
|
Ultimate Meaning | Rivka Weinberg
2023-Apr-16
51 minutes
|
Dystopian Technology | Ryan Jenkins, guest host Stephen Kershnar
2023-Apr-09
60 minutes
|
Dark humor and censorship | Connor Kianpour, guest host Stephen Kershnar
2023-Apr-02
62 minutes
|
David Benatar on Affirmative Action
2023-Mar-26
63 minutes
|
Holocaust Responsibility | Spencer Case
2023-Mar-19
51 minutes
|
Parental Licensing | Connor Kianpour
2023-Mar-12
62 minutes
|
Amnesia and Split Identity | Jacob Derin
2023-Mar-05
54 minutes
|
Is AI art unfair to artists? | James Helps
2023-Feb-26
46 minutes
|
The Ethics of Pet Ownership | Cheryl Abbate
2023-Feb-19
56 minutes
|
Conversations about Philosophy | Brain in a Vat
2023-Feb-12
24 minutes
|
Stephen Kershnar on the Impossibility of Responsibility
2023-Feb-05
55 minutes
|
End of the Year Special: A Look Back
2022-Dec-18
48 minutes
|
David Benatar: The Meaning of Life [Remastered]
2022-Dec-11
64 minutes
|
The Right to Sex | Raja Halwani
2022-Dec-04
59 minutes
|
Lionel Shriver on Abominations
2022-Nov-27
57 minutes
|
We Should Be More Pragmatic about Ethics | Andrew Sepielli
2022-Nov-20
42 minutes
|
Do the guilty deserve punishment? | John Martin Fischer
2022-Nov-13
60 minutes
|
African Ethics: A Superior Moral Framework? | Thaddeus Metz
2022-Nov-06
59 minutes
|
Putnam on the Brain in a Vat | David Macarthur
2022-Oct-30
55 minutes
|
Hillary Putnam on Morality | Mario de Caro
2022-Oct-23
44 minutes
|
Using AI to Fight Crime | David Boonin
2022-Oct-16
74 minutes
|
Freedom of the Press | Toby Young
2022-Oct-09
50 minutes
|
Why it's okay to eat meat - or is it? | Dan Shahar
2022-Oct-02
53 minutes
|
Is Your Gender Up to You? | Shaun Stanley
2022-Sep-26
51 minutes
|
The Supreme Court and Abortion | Brian Leiter
2022-Sep-18
51 minutes
|
Martha Nussbaum on Disgust
2022-Sep-11
58 minutes
|
Should we silence defectors? | Connor Kianpour
2022-Sep-04
51 minutes
|
Trans Sports | Jon Pike
2022-Aug-28
64 minutes
|
The Problem with Democracy | Jason Brennan
2022-Aug-21
61 minutes
|
Immortality | John Martin Fischer
2022-Aug-14
60 minutes
|
Is Hate Speech Free Speech? | Nadine Strossen
2022-Aug-07
63 minutes
|
Science and The Big Questions | Alexander Arnold
2022-Jul-31
50 minutes
|
Music and Philosophy | Mark Linsenmayer
2022-Jul-24
51 minutes
|
Effective Altruism | Theron Pummer
2022-Jul-17
56 minutes
|
The Philosophy of Apology | Jeff Helmreich
2022-Jul-10
56 minutes
|
The Philosophy of Everything Everywhere All at Once | Taylor Cyr
2022-Jul-03
51 minutes
|
Lionel Shriver on Should We Stay or Should We Go
2022-Jun-26
55 minutes
|
The Philosophy of Severance | Travis Timmerman
2022-Jun-19
60 minutes
|
The Ethics of Killing in War | Jeff McMahan
2022-Jun-12
58 minutes
|
Eureka! Why epiphanies matter | Sophie Grace Chappell
2022-Jun-05
58 minutes
|
David Chalmers on Virtual Reality and The Simulation Argument
2022-May-29
63 minutes
|
The Value of Truth | Simon Blackburn
2022-May-22
69 minutes
|
The Creative Life | Theresa Hardman
2022-May-15
44 minutes
|
The Kalam Cosmological Argument | Majesty of Reason
2022-May-09
65 minutes
|
Trans women in sport: Is it fair? | Stephen Kershnar
2022-May-01
73 minutes
|
Evolutionary Psychology | Justin Garson
2022-Apr-24
53 minutes
|
The Philosophy of Dune | Adam Taylor
2022-Apr-17
47 minutes
|
How to discover TRUTH | Galen Barry
2022-Apr-10
47 minutes
|
Sex, Gender and Sexual Orientation | Raja Halwani
2022-Apr-03
59 minutes
|
Hidden Motives| Elena Garadja
2022-Mar-20
42 minutes
|
Dignity and Society | Colin Bird
2022-Mar-20
63 minutes
|
Gun Control | Eric Sampson
2022-Mar-13
53 minutes
|
Should we save animals? | Jeffrey Sebo
2022-Mar-06
57 minutes
|
Near-Death Experiences | John Martin Fischer
2022-Feb-27
64 minutes
|
The Philosophy of Squid Game | Travis Timmerman
2022-Feb-20
56 minutes
|
Free Will and Moral Responsibility | John Fischer
2022-Feb-13
54 minutes
|
Abortion | Stephen Kershnar
2022-Feb-06
58 minutes
|
The Kershnar Controversy | Brain in a Vat
2022-Feb-03
7 minutes
|
Sexual Taboos | Stephen Kershnar
2022-Jan-30
58 minutes
|
Parfit's view of personal identity | Jeff McMahan
2022-Jan-25
58 minutes
|
Do you have a character? | Iskra Fileva
2022-Jan-16
56 minutes
|
End of Year Surprise
2021-Dec-13
6 minutes
|
The Fall of UCT | David Benatar
2021-Dec-05
54 minutes
|
The Possible Worlds of David Lewis | Barry Lam
2021-Nov-28
52 minutes
|
Can Hope Save Your Life? | Jack Kwong
2021-Nov-21
38 minutes
|
Moral Disagreement | Eric Sampson
2021-Nov-14
53 minutes
|
Ballenesque | Roger Ballen
2021-Nov-07
61 minutes
|
Pandemic Ethics | Peter Singer
2021-Oct-31
74 minutes
|
Michael Huemer on Disobeying the Law
2021-Oct-24
52 minutes
|
Is Nuclear War Ever Justified? | Eron Fasser
2021-Oct-17
53 minutes
|
Plato’s problem with Democracy | Clif Mark
2021-Oct-10
49 minutes
|
Is it wrong to enjoy good films made by bad people? | Travis Timmerman
2021-Oct-03
59 minutes
|
The Power of Imagination | Amy Kind
2021-Sep-26
52 minutes
|
Where is my mind? | Shaun Stanley
2021-Sep-19
56 minutes
|
Should You Trust Experts? | Oliver Traldi
2021-Sep-12
56 minutes
|
How To End Global Poverty | Andy Kuper
2021-Sep-05
56 minutes
|
Cryonics: who wants to live forever? | Francesca Minerva
2021-Aug-29
45 minutes
|
Addiction | Daniel Hochman
2021-Aug-22
65 minutes
|
Death | Travis Timmerman
2021-Aug-15
56 minutes
|
When should you forgive? | Brandon Warmke
2021-Aug-08
63 minutes
|
John Rawls: Justice as Fairness | Paul Weithman
2021-Aug-01
57 minutes
|
Do the ends justify the means? | Alastair Norcross
2021-Jul-25
80 minutes
|
What Is Madness? | Justin Garson
2021-Jul-18
53 minutes
|
Is it okay to be a slacker? | Alison Suen
2021-Jul-11
56 minutes
|
What Offends You? | Mark Oppenheimer
2021-Jul-04
52 minutes
|
Is evil real? | Spencer Case
2021-Jun-27
48 minutes
|
What if? | Peg Tittle
2021-Jun-20
54 minutes
|
What Is Happiness? | Shane Gronholz
2021-Jun-13
59 minutes
|
Trans, Sex, and Gender | Kathleen Stock
2021-Jun-06
65 minutes
|
Do Social Groups Exist? | Jason Werbeloff
2021-May-30
66 minutes
|
12 Mind Blowing Thought Experiments
2021-May-23
29 minutes
|
The Dangers of Thought Experiments | Roy Sorensen
2021-May-16
46 minutes
|
Is Morality Real? | Shaun Stanley
2021-May-09
64 minutes
|
The Danger of Wokeness | Helen Zille
2021-May-02
55 minutes
|
The Second Sexism | David Benatar
2021-Apr-25
60 minutes
|
Wittgenstein's Poker | David Edmonds
2021-Apr-18
43 minutes
|
Hate Speech and Pornography | Mari Mikkola
2021-Apr-11
60 minutes
|
Animal Welfare | Bob Fischer
2021-Apr-04
54 minutes
|
Who should you believe? | Chris Ranalli
2021-Mar-28
53 minutes
|
Can God Right Past Wrongs? | Sam Lebens
2021-Mar-21
62 minutes
|
Anarchy & Socialism | Mark Lance
2021-Mar-14
61 minutes
|
What is the Value of Philosophy? | Justin Weinberg
2021-Mar-07
48 minutes
|
So You've Been Publicly Shamed | Rebecca Tuvel
2021-Feb-28
61 minutes
|
Nietzsche: Morality is Dead | Brian Leiter
2021-Feb-21
51 minutes
|
Stephen King and Philosophy | Jacob Held
2021-Feb-14
54 minutes
|
Is Academic Freedom Under Threat? | Spencer Case
2021-Feb-07
46 minutes
|
Which God Should You Believe in? | Eron Fasser
2021-Jan-31
63 minutes
|
Is Abortion Immoral? | Nathan Nobis
2021-Jan-24
52 minutes
|
The Argument for Anarchism
2021-Jan-17
65 minutes
|
Face Blindness with Jeff Waters
2021-Jan-10
66 minutes
|
Tenet Explained
2021-Jan-03
51 minutes
|
The Future of Brain in a Vat
2020-Dec-07
16 minutes
|
Brian Leiter: The Supreme Court
2020-Nov-29
66 minutes
|
Thad Metz: Meaning in Life
2020-Nov-22
57 minutes
|
Do You Have Free Will? With Mark Leon
2020-Nov-15
48 minutes
|
Does Your Vote Count? With Jacob Bauer
2020-Nov-05
60 minutes
|
Black Mirror, Virtual Sex and Trans with Rebecca Tuvel
2020-Nov-01
64 minutes
|
#2000andlate in 2020 Hindsight
2020-Oct-25
35 minutes
|
Do You Have a Soul? With Tyron Goldschmidt
2020-Oct-18
47 minutes
|
Should Robots Have Rights? With Rob Sparrow
2020-Oct-11
70 minutes
|
Should We Save The Polar Bears? With Yolandi Coetzee
2020-Oct-04
54 minutes
|
[Bonus] Mark Oppenheimer²
2020-Sep-27
8 minutes
|
Mark Oppenheimer²: The Limits Of Free Speech?
2020-Sep-27
63 minutes
|
Let's Talk About Sex With Raja Halwani
2020-Sep-20
59 minutes
|
David Benatar: The Meaning of Life
2020-Sep-13
64 minutes
|
Should You Volunteer To Get Covid? With Dustin Crummett
2020-Sep-06
52 minutes
|
Gorgeous or Grotesque? With Amanda Ballen
2020-Sep-02
67 minutes
|
Crime and Punishment With Doug Husak
2020-Aug-23
64 minutes
|
Is Cultural Relativism Racist? With Justin Kalef
2020-Aug-16
49 minutes
|
What is Love? With Raja Halwani
2020-Aug-09
65 minutes
|
Are You Evil?
2020-Aug-02
57 minutes
|
What's Wrong with Moral Grandstanding? With Brandon Warmke
2020-Jul-26
62 minutes
|
Is it wrong to eat meat? With Dustin Crummet
2020-Jul-19
78 minutes
|
Graham Oppy: Does God Exist?
2020-Jul-12
75 minutes
|
Should Offensive Art be Banned? With Elisa Galgut
2020-Jul-05
55 minutes
|
Peter Boghossian: How to Have Impossible Conversations
2020-Jun-28
66 minutes
|
Do You Live in a Simulation? With Kenny Pearce
2020-Jun-21
57 minutes
|
Does Race Exist? With Shaun Stanley
2020-Jun-14
59 minutes
|
Does Tuvix Deserve to Die?
2020-Jun-07
59 minutes
|
Is the Lockdown Lawful? With Martin van Staden
2020-May-31
56 minutes
|
Time Travel and The Grandfather Paradox with Helen Robertson
2020-May-24
62 minutes
|
Belief, Faith, and Hope with Liz Jackson
2020-May-17
60 minutes
|
Lost in Translation with Shaun Stanley
2020-May-10
56 minutes
|
The Value of Human Life with Eron Fasser
2020-May-03
60 minutes
|
The Veil of Ignorance and Justice in a Lockdown
2020-Apr-26
58 minutes
|
Lockdown: A Trolley Problem
2020-Apr-22
60 minutes
|