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Moral Minority is a podcast on moral philosophy and the problem of moral foundations. Why does morality matter? What grounds the moral principles to which we appeal when making judgments about right and wrong, justice and injustice? Do we have good grounds for making the judgments we do make–in our everyday lives, our relationships, our work, or in politics? And if not, where does that leave us?Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ Moral philosophy and foundations • ethical theory and metaethics • existentialism and phenomenology • Marxism and critical theory • Enlightenment, fascism, antisemitism • moral psychology, agency, responsibility • literature/film criticism through moral-political lensesThis podcast explores moral philosophy with an emphasis on the problem of moral foundations: what morality is, why it matters, and how (or whether) our judgments about right and wrong can be justified. Across episodes, conversations move between metaethics and normative theory—questions about moral realism, the sources of normativity, and the persistence of deep moral and political disagreement in modern life—while also treating morality as something embedded in history, social practices, and forms of life.
A significant strand is close, guided reading of major philosophical works in the existentialist, Enlightenment, and post-Enlightenment traditions, including inquiries into agency, responsibility, freedom, faith, shame, and the role of “the Other” in self-understanding. Alongside this, the podcast often engages traditions of social and political critique, especially Marxism and critical theory, examining how ideology, mass culture, antisemitism, fascism, and modern rationalized institutions shape moral experience and political possibility. Modernity appears repeatedly as a setting marked by instrumental reason, disenchantment, and contested ideals of equality, solidarity, and individual freedom.
Another recurring focus is the ethical and political dimension of art and literary form. Interviews and discussions treat novels, essays, film, and memoir as sites where moral psychology, identity, alienation, celebrity, and media environments can be analyzed. Attention to genre and narrative strategy connects aesthetic questions to moral and political concerns, highlighting how cultural works both reflect and reorganize the vocabularies through which people interpret their lives and obligations.
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Moral of the Story: Hannah Smart on Meat Puppets 2026-May-05 62 minutes |
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Content of the Form: Hannah Smart on David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest 2026-Apr-01 118 minutes |
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Contemporary Conversations: Jonathan B. Fine on Gotthold Ephraim Lessing and the German Enlightenment 2026-Feb-06 90 minutes |
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Nota Bene: The Moral Passion of David Foster Wallace’s The Pale King with Hannah Smart 2026-Jan-09 99 minutes |
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Contemporary Conversations: Eleanor Russell on Simone Weil's Gravity & Grace 2026-Jan-01 91 minutes |
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Contemporary Conversations: A.V. Marraccini on Susan Sontag’s Fascinating Fascism & Notes on Camp 2025-Nov-20 123 minutes |
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Content of the Form: Grace Byron on Annie Ernaux’s The Years & Herculine 2025-Nov-05 68 minutes |
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Moral of the Story: Sebastian Castillo on Fresh, Green Life 2025-Oct-28 65 minutes |
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Contemporary Conversations: Ross Wolfe on Domenico Losurdo's Neo-Stalinist Revival and the Future of Marxism 2025-Oct-22 112 minutes |
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Contemporary Conversations: Alina Stefanescu on Derrida's The Politics of Friendship and My Heresies 2025-Jul-04 116 minutes |
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Being & Nothingness, Part 2 2025-May-10 137 minutes |
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Nota Bene: The Metaphysics and Moral Vision of David Lynch with Jon Repetti 2025-Apr-02 163 minutes |
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Contemporary Conversations: Matt McManus on The Political Theory of Liberal Socialism 2024-Dec-24 85 minutes |
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Contemporary Conversations: Ryan Ruby on Fredric Jameson's The Political Unconscious and Context Collapse 2024-Nov-28 121 minutes |
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Being & Nothingness, Part 1 2024-Nov-23 101 minutes |
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Repetition 2024-Sep-27 93 minutes |
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Contemporary Conversations: Vanessa Christina Wills on Marx's Ethical Vision 2024-Sep-10 119 minutes |
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Fear and Trembling 2024-Aug-22 104 minutes |
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Dialectic of Enlightenment, Part 3: The Culture Industry 2024-Jul-22 104 minutes |
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Dialectic of Enlightenment, Part 2 2024-Jun-19 89 minutes |
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Dialectic of Enlightenment, Part 1 2024-May-14 75 minutes |
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Vocation Lectures 2024-Apr-04 83 minutes |
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Shame & Necessity 2024-Mar-09 75 minutes |
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Sources of Normativity 2024-Feb-26 74 minutes |
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After Virtue 2024-Feb-18 88 minutes |
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Moral Realism 2024-Feb-06 86 minutes |
Dawn2024-Jan-30 95 minutes |