TrueSciPhi

Podcast Profile: Little Bad Thing

Site • RSS • Apple Podcasts
11 episodes
2020 to 2026
Median: 18 minutes
Collection: Philosophy

Description (podcaster-provided):

True stories each week of the things we wish we hadn't done. Smart, dark, wry, and surprising, this is a show for anyone who's made a big decision or regretted a small one. Hosted by philosopher Eleanor Gordon-Smith and produced by The Ethics Centre.

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

➤ True personal confessions • ethical dilemmas and regret • harm from following orders, inaction, vigilantism • deception, scams, theft, plagiarism • relationships and abrupt breakups • accountability, bystander responsibility • big-ideas festival crossovers: surveillance, climate, AI

This podcast shares weekly true stories about moments of wrongdoing, moral compromise, and hard-to-undo choices. Hosted by philosopher Eleanor Gordon-Smith and produced by The Ethics Centre, it focuses less on abstract ethics and more on lived experience: people recounting decisions they made under pressure, in ambition, in fear, or in the fog of everyday life, and then revisiting what those decisions cost.

Across the stories, a recurring theme is the gap between intention and outcome. Listeners hear about people who follow rules or orders and trigger harm they didn’t anticipate, as well as those who act decisively—sometimes trying to help, sometimes trying to win—and later struggle with regret. Many narratives turn on bystanderhood and intervention: when someone freezes, chooses not to act, or steps in with the wrong mindset. Others explore deception and self-deception, from scams and questionable business choices to taking credit for work that isn’t one’s own. Personal relationships and abrupt life changes also feature, highlighting how leaving, staying, or acting impulsively can remain psychologically unresolved years later.

The tone implied by the show description is smart, dark, wry, and surprising, with confessional storytelling that invites reflection on responsibility, justification, and accountability. Some episodes also point audiences toward recordings from the Festival of Dangerous Ideas, extending the show’s interest in provocative questions and uncomfortable conversations.

Episodes: