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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 for everyday dilemmas • justice, policing, law, civic life, democracy • discretion, rules, accountability • technology bias, surveillance, misinformation, trust • climate justice, reparations, wildlife, moral circle • emotions, forgiveness, offense, swearing, comedy • care ethics, disability, gender, race, reproductive justice • ethics education: bowls, games, deliberation, thinking skillsThis podcast uses accessible conversations with philosophers, scholars, and practitioners to explore ethical questions where ordinary intuitions and simple rules often break down. Across episodes, it draws on tools from moral philosophy, political theory, epistemology, and moral psychology to clarify what’s at stake in contemporary dilemmas without presenting itself as a source of final answers.
A recurring focus is public ethics and the design of social institutions: policing and public safety, victims’ rights, obedience and disobedience, democracy and deliberation, philanthropy’s influence, and how cities shape moral life. These discussions often emphasize tensions between power and accountability, reform and abolition, participation and reflective distance, and the tradeoffs involved in rule-following versus discretion.
The show also examines justice and identity in contexts such as racial and colonial histories, reparations, reproductive justice, disability, gender norms, and the ethical demands placed on individuals and communities. Several episodes connect ethical theory to lived experience—how negative emotions, forgiveness, taking offense, swearing, or humor can carry moral meaning beyond the surface act.
Technology and information ethics appear through topics like algorithmic bias, trust in technology, surveillance via transparency, and online misinformation. Environmental ethics is another thread, including climate responsibility, the burdens of demanding moral expectations, and human relationships to wildlife and conservation.
Finally, the podcast regularly turns to ethics education itself—through formats like the Ethics Bowl, research on whether philosophy cultivates intellectual virtues, and creative approaches such as using games to teach ethical reasoning.