Site • RSS • Apple PodcastsDescription (podcaster-provided):
Examining Ethics is an ethics podcast produced by The Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics at DePauw University. Everybody wrestles with questions about ethics. Some of those questions are easy to figure out. Should I murder someone? No! But other questions are more difficult to answer. Examining Ethics doesn’t provide answers to these ethical dilemmas, but instead leaves listeners with tools and ideas from some of the biggest names in moral philosophy and ethics. Academic philosophy and ethics can sometimes be difficult to understand, and our accessible, open-minded content bridges the gap between scholars and everyone else. Examining Ethics is hosted and produced by Christiane Wisehart.Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ Moral philosophy tools • Rules versus discretion, obedience, civil disobedience • Democracy, civic life, equality, policing • Climate ethics, wildlife, environmental justice • Technology bias, trust, surveillance, misinformation • Moral psychology, emotions, forgiveness, offense, swearing, comedy • Race, gender, disability, reproduction, immigration • Philanthropy, care ethics, institutions • Ethics education, ethics bowls, gamesThis podcast uses conversations with philosophers, ethicists, and adjacent scholars to explore everyday moral questions and larger social dilemmas without presenting definitive “right answers.” Instead, it aims to give listeners conceptual tools from moral philosophy and related fields, translating academic debates into accessible discussions that connect theory to contemporary life.
Across the episodes, a recurring theme is how societies should structure moral and political life: the value and danger of rules, the place of discretion and accountability, and the ethical tradeoffs involved in law, obedience, and civil disobedience. The show often examines democratic norms and institutions—deliberation, public space, civic participation, and the influence of philanthropy—alongside questions of social equality, policing, victims’ rights, and immigration. Several discussions focus on how power and injustice shape ethical obligations, including topics in racial justice, colonialism, reproductive justice, and reparations, sometimes linking these issues to climate justice.
Another strand centers on applied ethics in a changing world. Episodes address technology and epistemic life, including algorithmic bias, misinformation, surveillance and transparency, and how trust forms around digital tools. The podcast also revisits environmental and climate ethics from multiple angles, from individual responsibility and “demandingness” to ecological recovery and the framing of climate change as conflict and injustice. Expanding the scope of moral concern is also a focus, with attention to animals and possible future beings such as AI agents.
Interpersonal and cultural ethics appear frequently as well: forgiveness, taking offense and expressing disapproval, swearing and its social meaning, and the ethics of humor and roasting. The show also treats moral psychology and emotion—how negative feelings can contribute to a good life, how attention and rumination matter for wrongdoing, and why learning about psychological influences on moral judgment can be unsettling. Educational themes run through the podcast too, including how ethics is taught and practiced through activities like Ethics Bowl, philosophy instruction, and even games designed to teach ethical reasoning.