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):
➤ accessible moral philosophy tools • rules vs discretion, accountability, bias • democracy, deliberation, lawbreaking, policing, immigration • technology ethics: algorithms, surveillance, trust, misinformation • climate justice, wildlife, reparations • emotions, forgiveness, offense, swearing, humor • care, disability, motherhood, gender, race, colonialism, reproduction • philanthropy, giving, ethics education games/bowlsThis podcast from the Prindle Institute for Ethics uses conversations with philosophers, scholars, and practitioners to explore how ethical ideas apply to everyday life and public policy. Rather than offering definitive answers, it aims to equip listeners with concepts and arguments from moral philosophy and related fields, presented in an accessible way.
Across episodes, the show returns to questions about how societies should be governed and how people should live together: the role of rules versus discretion, obedience and civil (or uncivil) disobedience, democratic participation and deliberation, and the influence of philanthropy and “humanitarian” market logics on public life. It also examines institutions that shape justice and safety—policing, victims’ rights, immigration systems, and the built environment—alongside broader concerns about equality, race, colonialism, and reproductive justice.
A recurring thread is how technology and information affect moral agency, including algorithmic bias, online misinformation, surveillance dynamics tied to “transparency,” and the kinds of trust people place in technological systems. The podcast also engages moral psychology and epistemology, asking how attention, emotion, rumination, and social practices influence what people believe and how they judge right and wrong.
Another theme is expanding moral consideration beyond typical boundaries, including debates about obligations to nonhuman animals, environmental ethics and climate justice, and even the possible moral standing of artificial intelligence. Alongside these large-scale issues, the show also addresses interpersonal and cultural ethics—swearing, taking offense, comedy, forgiveness, motherhood, disability, and gender norms—and regularly reflects on how ethics can be taught and discussed in educational settings.