TrueSciPhi

Podcast Profile: The Minefield

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238 episodes
2020 to 2024
Median: 54 minutes
Collection: Philosophy

Description (podcaster-provided):

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

This podcast delves into the multifaceted ethical dilemmas and puzzling moral questions of our contemporary world. It covers a wide range of complex topics, consistently engaging with themes that challenge societal norms and scrutinize political, cultural, and individual behaviors.

The episodes often explore political and social issues, such as the nature and influence of political rhetoric, the ethical implications of governmental policies, and the dynamics of international law and conflict. They question the roles and responsibilities of political systems and public figures, examining how propaganda, violence, and media shape democratic life and public perception.

Cultural and artistic expressions are also a significant focus. The podcast examines the moral and philosophical underpinnings of literature, music, and visual arts. Through these discussions, the podcast reflects on how cultural artifacts influence and mirror society's ethical and existential concerns. Topics range from the role of comedy and irony in societal critique to the enduring influence of historical works of art and literature.

Additionally, the podcast engages with personal and psychological themes, such as the importance of solitude, friendship, and the common good in an increasingly individualistic world. It looks at how contemporary technology and social trends impact human behavior and thought processes, discussing issues like digital communication's effects on literacy and the ethical challenges posed by AI and deepfakes.

Overall, this podcast offers a thorough investigation of the moral landscape of modern life, examining how historical, political, and cultural forces shape and challenge our ethical convictions and behaviors. It seeks to provoke reflection and dialogue on some of the most pressing moral questions of our time.

Episodes:

“Truths that lie too deep for taint”: Wilfred Owen’s war poetry in our blood-soaked present 2024-Sep-25 53 minutes

Can modern politics avoid propaganda? 2024-Sep-18 53 minutes

Will Australia’s proposed cap on international students do more harm than good? 2024-Sep-11 54 minutes

Festival of Dangerous Ideas: Is Australia breaking? 2024-Sep-04 54 minutes

“Freedom!”: Why can’t US politics agree on the meaning of its most basic principle? 2024-Aug-28 53 minutes

Coleman Hughes, “colourblindness”, and the contentious politics of race 2024-Aug-21 53 minutes

“We live in a society!”: Seinfeld’s “Bizarro” comedy of morals 2024-Aug-14 53 minutes

“I don’t want to join any club that would have me as a member”: How funny is irony meant to be? 2024-Aug-07 53 minutes

“Time now for just a bit of fun”: Shaun Micallef on the importance of being silly 2024-Jul-31 54 minutes

“And now for something completely different”: Why do surprises provoke laughter? 2024-Jul-24 53 minutes

Political violence — why is it so corrosive to democratic life? 2024-Jul-17 53 minutes

“There’s a crack in everything”: Richard Fidler on the art of absurdity 2024-Jul-10 53 minutes

In a bespoke and individualistic age, are we losing a sense of “the common”? 2024-Jul-03 53 minutes

Beatlemania at 60: Why was the band so popular before they were even great? 2024-Jun-26 54 minutes

Right verdict, wrong case? The political dangers of Trump’s felony conviction 2024-Jun-19 53 minutes

Is the rise of the far right in Europe inevitable? It’s complicated 2024-Jun-12 54 minutes

Is it wrong to "rank" works of art? 2024-Jun-05 54 minutes

Is international law powerless in the face of conflicts like Gaza? 2024-May-29 53 minutes

If chatbots are polluting the commons of human communication, what are the moral consequences? 2024-May-22 53 minutes

What are the ethical, and legal, limits of protests at Australian universities? 2024-May-15 53 minutes

The decency of everyday life — are unwritten rules enough to sustain a good society? 2024-May-08 54 minutes

What will endure? The ethics of “Groundhog Day” 2024-May-01 55 minutes

After the stabbings in Sydney — Grief? Anger? Revenge? 2024-Apr-24 53 minutes

What’s fueling the tension between the courts and the media? 2024-Apr-17 53 minutes

What would the moral obligation to avoid civilian deaths look like in Gaza? 2024-Apr-10 53 minutes

Ramadan — the rediscovery of society 2024-Apr-03 53 minutes

Ramadan — the importance of friendship 2024-Mar-27 53 minutes

Ramadan — the discipline of solitude 2024-Mar-20 53 minutes

Ramadan — the necessity of withdrawing 2024-Mar-13 54 minutes

Q+A on “the wisdom of crowds” 2024-Mar-06 53 minutes

How much credence should we give to “the wisdom of crowds”? 2024-Feb-28 52 minutes

When is it right to call some act – or someone – “evil”? 2024-Feb-21 53 minutes

From Beyoncé to Taylor Swift — what’s behind the mass appeal of live music events? 2024-Feb-14 54 minutes

What is the harm in “deepfakes” — and what are they doing to democracy? 2024-Feb-07 53 minutes

How can trust be cultivated in a time of pervasive suspicion? 2024-Jan-31 53 minutes

What do we lose by succumbing to conspiracy-mindedness? 2024-Jan-24 53 minutes

In a screen saturated age, is literacy under threat? 2024-Jan-17 53 minutes

What do we lose when we lose the capacity for boredom? 2024-Jan-10 53 minutes

Goya’s “Saturn” and its moral challenge 2024-Jan-03 53 minutes

Politics, farce ... and Fawlty Towers 2023-Dec-27 53 minutes

What are playlists doing to our ability to listen to music? 2023-Dec-20 53 minutes

Dickens’s philosophy of generosity: Revisiting “A Christmas Carol”, 180 years on 2023-Dec-13 53 minutes

How much should we expect from the state? 2023-Dec-06 53 minutes

Should drivers of electric vehicles be taxed more to use the roads? 2023-Nov-29 53 minutes

What is social cohesion, what cultivates it, and what undermines it? 2023-Nov-22 53 minutes

What is the moral case for a ceasefire in Gaza? 2023-Nov-15 52 minutes

What’s behind the anger? On Virginia Woolf’s “A Room of One’s Own” 2023-Nov-08 54 minutes

Do we know what the result of the Voice referendum means? 2023-Nov-01 54 minutes

Is it time to reconsider Australia’s bipartisan commitment to “stopping the boats”? 2023-Oct-25 54 minutes

Some deaths matter more to us than others — but should they? 2023-Oct-18 53 minutes

Can young people stay politically engaged without becoming disillusioned with democracy? 2023-Oct-11 54 minutes

Travel is bad for the climate — but what if it’s also bad for us? 2023-Oct-04 54 minutes

What’s the point of blame? When is it right to forgive? 2023-Sep-27 60 minutes

Can democracy withstand the strategic use of online confusion? 2023-Sep-20 53 minutes

In a critical age, are we losing the ability to say why we love what we love? 2023-Sep-13 53 minutes

Facing the darkness: The moral challenge of Goya’s “Saturn devouring his son” (1823) 2023-Sep-06 53 minutes

When is a referendum an unethical way of resolving a political question? 2023-Aug-30 53 minutes

Should climate change make us rethink the ethics of nuclear energy? 2023-Aug-23 54 minutes

1 May 1956: Was Elizabeth Anscombe right to charge Harry Truman with murder? 2023-Aug-16 53 minutes

8 September 1974: Was Gerald Ford right to pardon Richard Nixon? 2023-Aug-09 59 minutes

Is there any benefit to boredom? 2023-Aug-02 54 minutes

Does AI pose a threat to human life — and if so, what kind? 2023-Jul-26 54 minutes

Are cluster munitions a “lesser evil” in the war in Ukraine? 2023-Jul-19 53 minutes

Why do we distance ourselves from our age? 2023-Jul-12 53 minutes

What does it take to address a “wicked problem” like political corruption? 2023-Jul-05 53 minutes

What are playlists doing to our ability to listen to music? 2023-Jun-28 54 minutes

How to respond responsibly to the “cost of living crisis”? 2023-Jun-21 53 minutes

Does the Voice to Parliament undermine Australia’s political traditions? 2023-Jun-14 52 minutes

“Succession” — from tyranny to tragedy 2023-Jun-07 53 minutes

Are Labor’s “stage three” tax cuts unjust and unethical? 2023-May-31 53 minutes

Is Stan Grant’s decision the result of a broken media? 2023-May-24 54 minutes

What is the human cost of success? Revisiting HBO’s Succession 2023-May-17 52 minutes

What is the phenomenon of “bigness” doing to human agency? 2023-May-10 53 minutes

Is loneliness a problem that can be solved? 2023-May-03 53 minutes

Martial virtues, military conditioning, and moral damage 2023-Apr-26 53 minutes

“An eye that cannot weep” — What does compassion demand of us? 2023-Apr-19 54 minutes

“Knowledge that does not benefit” — On the uses and abuses of information 2023-Apr-12 53 minutes

“A soul that will not be satisfied” — The problem of human restlessness 2023-Apr-05 53 minutes

“A prayer that is not heard” — The dangers of ego-centric speech 2023-Mar-29 53 minutes

“A heart that cannot humble itself” — The virtue of intellectual humility 2023-Mar-22 60 minutes

Should Fawlty Towers’ farcical vision of Britain be “rebooted”? 2023-Mar-15 60 minutes

What does the failure of Robodebt tell us about the government’s “duty of care”? 2023-Mar-08 60 minutes

What does it mean to be a moral parent? 2023-Mar-01 60 minutes

Should early childhood education be compulsory? 2023-Feb-22 60 minutes

Sports betting: Is it corrupting what it means to be a fan? 2023-Feb-15 60 minutes

What is generative-AI doing to our capacity to write — and think? 2023-Feb-08 60 minutes

What does it mean to be “literate” — and is it under threat? 2023-Feb-01 60 minutes

What’s at stake in this year’s constitutional referendum? 2023-Jan-25 60 minutes

What’s the point of political comedy? 2023-Jan-19 60 minutes

The ethics of shame 2023-Jan-12 60 minutes

Is anger corrosive to the moral life? A conversation with Christos Tsiolkas 2023-Jan-05 60 minutes

Purification and the Moral Life: Disciplining the Eyes 2022-Dec-29 60 minutes

The Art of Living: Jane Austen's "Emma" 2022-Dec-22 60 minutes

Bonus episode: The 2022 Simone Weil Lecture on Human Value 2022-Dec-21 54 minutes

Should you avoid disagreements this Christmas or welcome them? 2022-Dec-15 60 minutes

The ethical demands of "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (1967) 2022-Dec-08 60 minutes

Is jealousy a moral emotion, or an immoral one? 2022-Dec-01 60 minutes

Is fashion remaking our bodies? 2022-Nov-24 60 minutes

Is civility a moral obligation in a democracy? 2022-Nov-17 60 minutes

Queen at Live Aid, 1985 2022-Nov-10 60 minutes

Disruption or continuity: What does climate change demand? 2022-Nov-03 60 minutes

Sports, sponsorship and solidarity 2022-Oct-27 60 minutes

What are the moral limits of compromise? 2022-Oct-20

Can Twitter be reformed, or should it be abandoned? 2022-Oct-13 60 minutes

Live from the Festival of Dangerous Ideas: Is contempt corroding democracy? 2022-Oct-06 60 minutes

How should the West respond to the threats of a wounded Putin? 2022-Sep-29 60 minutes

Can sport teach us anything about the shape of a fair society? 2022-Sep-22 60 minutes

Was Queen Elizabeth a “political” figure? 2022-Sep-15 60 minutes

Is nostalgia necessarily a bad thing? 2022-Sep-08 60 minutes

What do we owe our work? 2022-Sep-01 60 minutes

How much should we care about Scott Morrison’s “secret ministries”? 2022-Aug-25 60 minutes

How much polarisation can a democracy withstand? 2022-Aug-18

The ethics of shame 2022-Aug-11

Can constitutional recognition be an act of patriotic pride? 2022-Aug-04 53 minutes

Should voice assistants use the voices of our loved ones? 2022-Jul-28 54 minutes

What's the point of political "diversity"? 2022-Jul-21 54 minutes

Does standpoint epistemology undermine democratic politics? 2022-Jul-14 54 minutes

The Art of Living: Jane Austen's "Emma" 2022-Jul-07 54 minutes

Persuasion — is it possible, or even desirable? 2022-Jun-30 54 minutes

Is Julian Assange entitled to a “free speech” defence? 2022-Jun-23 54 minutes

What’s the point of political comedy? 2022-Jun-16 54 minutes

What would a First Nations Voice mean for Australia? 2022-Jun-09 54 minutes

The ethical dilemmas of crowd-funding platforms 2022-Jun-02 54 minutes

What is the significance of Australia’s federal election? 2022-May-26 54 minutes

How do you solve a problem like housing affordability? 2022-May-19 63 minutes

Is it ethical to be ambivalent? 2022-May-12 54 minutes

Sovereignty, security, and the Solomon Islands 2022-May-05 54 minutes

Purification and the Moral Life: The Ethics of Hunger and Eating 2022-Apr-28 60 minutes

Purification and the Moral Life: Disciplining the Eyes 2022-Apr-21 61 minutes

Purification and the Moral Life: Chastening Speech 2022-Apr-14 54 minutes

Purification and the Moral Life: Transforming Desire 2022-Apr-07 54 minutes

Is anger corrosive to the moral life? A conversation with Christos Tsiolkas 2022-Mar-31 54 minutes

Live from WOMADelaide: Should children get the vote? 2022-Mar-24 54 minutes

What's at stake in the conflict in Ukraine? 2022-Mar-17 54 minutes

What’s worse in politics — lying or hypocrisy? 2022-Mar-10 54 minutes

"Succession" — A Theatre of Cruelty 2022-Mar-03 62 minutes

Does Australia have a concept of “solidarity”? 2022-Feb-24 54 minutes

Was the Religious Discrimination Bill destined to fail? 2022-Feb-17 54 minutes

How essential is compulsory voting to Australia’s democratic culture? 2022-Feb-10 54 minutes

Are we suffering from too much moral language? 2022-Feb-03 54 minutes

Novak and Boris — why have they elicited such strong public emotions? 2022-Jan-27 54 minutes

Why don’t we talk more about class? 2022-Jan-20 54 minutes

What are we doing when we "quote"? 2022-Jan-13 54 minutes

Emojis: Universal language, or harbinger of an age of moral illiteracy? 2022-Jan-06 54 minutes

Should journalists stay away from social media? 2021-Dec-30 54 minutes

Is "opinion" doing more harm than good? 2021-Dec-23 54 minutes

“Prestige television” and the moral life 2021-Dec-16 54 minutes

Should wealthy nations be procuring booster doses? 2021-Dec-09 54 minutes

The ethics of “sh*t-stirring” 2021-Dec-02 54 minutes

Melbourne’s protests — last gasp or harbinger of things to come? 2021-Nov-25 54 minutes

The ethics of political U-turns 2021-Nov-18 54 minutes

Why don’t we talk more about class? 2021-Nov-11 54 minutes

Should we enjoy sports that ruin athletes' lives? 2021-Nov-04 54 minutes

What are we doing when we “quote”? 2021-Oct-28 54 minutes

How much should we care about climate change? 2021-Oct-21 54 minutes

Persuasion — is it possible, or even desirable? 2021-Oct-14 54 minutes

Has the pandemic shown the unassailability of utilitarianism — or its inherent limitations? 2021-Oct-07 54 minutes

Has democratic politics become too contemptuous of everyday life? 2021-Sep-30 54 minutes

Should we avoid humiliating the unvaccinated? 2021-Sep-23 54 minutes

PRESENTS — This Much Is True 2021-Sep-17 5 minutes

From Abu Ghraib to Nakhon Sawan — why does torture persist? 2021-Sep-16 54 minutes

Australian politics – is the divide geographical, not ideological? 2021-Sep-09 54 minutes

Should journalists stay away from social media? 2021-Sep-02 54 minutes

Was US failure in Afghanistan inevitable? 2021-Aug-26 54 minutes

The ethics of dobbing 2021-Aug-19 54 minutes

How much dissent is permissible in a public health emergency? 2021-Aug-12 54 minutes

Can national shame lead to political change? 2021-Aug-05 54 minutes

The ethics of space tourism 2021-Jul-29 54 minutes

Myanmar — what are the limits of political violence? 2021-Jul-22 54 minutes

Is COVID-19 bringing the worst out of Australian politics? 2021-Jul-15 54 minutes

Is nihilism compatible with the moral life? 2021-Jul-08 54 minutes

Has justice been done to George Floyd? 2021-Jul-01 54 minutes

What's so bad about laughter? 2021-Jun-24 54 minutes

What are we doing when we make promises? 2021-Jun-17 54 minutes

Are there ethical limits to vaccination incentives? 2021-Jun-10 54 minutes

Aged care: How do we honour our obligations to the elderly? 2021-Jun-03 54 minutes

Is it ever OK to abandon your team? 2021-May-27 54 minutes

What are the conditions of co-existence in Israel-Palestine? 2021-May-20 54 minutes

Fatigue – the emotional cost of the moral life? 2021-May-13 54 minutes

Neglected Practices: Solitude 2021-May-06 54 minutes

Neglected Practices: Fasting 2021-Apr-29 54 minutes

Neglected Practices: Not-Knowing 2021-Apr-22 54 minutes

Neglected Practices: Attentiveness 2021-Apr-15 54 minutes

What should become of the office? 2021-Apr-08 54 minutes

Can politics bring about the change women are demanding? 2021-Apr-01 54 minutes

Has COVID-19 undermined our commitment to civility? 2021-Mar-25 54 minutes

Does climate change challenge our concept of moral responsibility? 2021-Mar-18 54 minutes

What “justice” can an independent inquiry deliver? 2021-Mar-11 54 minutes

Emojis: Universal language, or harbinger of an age of moral illiteracy? 2021-Mar-04 54 minutes

Facebook and the news: should the divorce be permanent? 2021-Feb-25 54 minutes

What can our experience of art tell us about the moral life? 2021-Feb-18 54 minutes

What democracy needs to survive 2021-Feb-11 54 minutes

Is “opinion” doing more harm than good? 2021-Feb-04 54 minutes

Was Twitter right to suspend Trump? 2021-Jan-28 54 minutes

Is "cancel culture" really constricting free speech? 2021-Jan-20 51 minutes

What is AI doing to the moral life? 2021-Jan-13 47 minutes

After the fires, are we invited to moral community with trees? 2021-Jan-06 44 minutes

Ordinary vices: Impatience 2020-Dec-30 50 minutes

Ordinary vices: Is pride an affront to, or the basis of, dignity? 2020-Dec-23 42 minutes

The “great audit”: Taking stock of 2020 2020-Dec-16 47 minutes

Woke politics: The power of the disempowered? 2020-Dec-09 42 minutes

How much should we care about political corruption? 2020-Dec-02 50 minutes

War crimes, moral responsibility, and moral injury 2020-Nov-25 52 minutes

Can America’s post-election divisions be overcome? 2020-Nov-18 46 minutes

Can Aboriginal political philosophy and political liberalism be reconciled? 2020-Nov-11 42 minutes

Has Trump revealed democracy’s fragility or resilience? 2020-Nov-04 46 minutes

What is AI doing to the moral life? 2020-Oct-28 46 minutes

Could COVID-19 make inequality worse? 2020-Oct-21 47 minutes

The ethics of second chances 2020-Oct-14 38 minutes

Should we rejoice that Trump has COVID-19? 2020-Oct-07 48 minutes

Should we attempt to escape from “politics”? 2020-Sep-30 54 minutes

How far should courts push societies to change? 2020-Sep-23 48 minutes

Is it wrong to respond to arguments with allegations? 2020-Sep-16 49 minutes

Why does COVID-19 attract conspiracy theories? 2020-Sep-09 47 minutes

US president as "sufferer in chief"? 2020-Sep-02 48 minutes

Should a COVID-19 vaccine be mandatory? 2020-Aug-26 43 minutes

What if COVID-19 doesn’t go away? 2020-Aug-19 46 minutes

Ordinary vices: Ingratitude 2020-Aug-12 48 minutes

What is the “value” of philosophy? 2020-Aug-05 45 minutes

Is there a moral imperative to wear masks? 2020-Jul-29 50 minutes

Is COVID-19 the end of globalisation? 2020-Jul-22 45 minutes

Is "cancel culture" really constricting free speech? 2020-Jul-15 49 minutes

Can you enjoy sport without crowd noise? 2020-Jul-08 46 minutes

Should the police be abolished? 2020-Jul-01 39 minutes

How to acknowledge the debt of historical injustice? 2020-Jun-24 51 minutes

Democratic politics is being challenged, but is it changing? 2020-Jun-17 48 minutes

Ordinary vices: Impatience 2020-Jun-10 49 minutes

After the death of George Floyd 2020-Jun-03 49 minutes

Free riding: Why act, when acting is likely to make no difference? 2020-May-27 44 minutes

Ramadan and the reality of interdependence 2020-May-20 36 minutes

Is there a moral case against the COVID-19 “shutdown”? 2020-May-13 44 minutes

Is COVID-19 bringing the best, or worst, out of our politics? 2020-May-06 54 minutes

Is it time to end simulated sex on television and film? 2020-Apr-29 45 minutes

Ordinary vices: Is pride an affront to, or the basis of, dignity? 2020-Apr-22 41 minutes

Can we avoid cruelty in the face of COVID-19? 2020-Apr-15 37 minutes

How can we live with coronavirus uncertainty? 2020-Apr-08 38 minutes

Can we cultivate social solidarity in a time of physical distancing? 2020-Apr-01 45 minutes

What (new) forms of living might the coronavirus produce? 2020-Mar-25 38 minutes