Brain in a Vat

Latest Episodes:

Music and Philosophy | Mark Linsenmayer Jul 24, 2022

Show notes

Can music be objectively good (or bad)? How should we understand fundamental disagreement about preferences and values? And should philosophical discussion be theory driven or should we use another methodology?

Effective Altruism | Theron Pummer Jul 17, 2022

Show notes

Are we obligated to save strangers? Does it matter whether those strangers are in different countries or our in own? And even if we are not obligated, have we done something wrong if we help but not in the most efficient way possible?

Theron's book: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-rules-of-rescue-9780190884147?q=pummer&lang=en&cc=us

Hosted by Mark Oppenheimer and Jason Werbleoff

Produced by Jimmy Mullen

The Philosophy of Apology | Jeff Helmreich Jul 10, 2022

Show notes

What makes a good apology? Are we ever obligated to apologize even though we did nothing wrong? And how should we deal with apologies in this highly politicized landscape?

Hosted by Mark Oppenheimer and Jason Werbeloff

Edited and produced by James Mullen

The Philosophy of Everything Everywhere All at Once | Taylor Cyr Jul 03, 2022

Show notes

Everything Everywhere All at Once is a magnificent mess. The film raises questions around the meaning of life, the nature of the multiverse, and how we should understand free will in a world filled with counterfactuals.

Presenters: Mark Oppenheimer and Jason Werbeloff

Editor and Producer: Jimmy Mullen

Brain in a Vat bookshop (Shopify): https://smarturl.it/BrainShop Brain in a Vat bookshop (Amazon): https://smarturl.it/BrainAmazonShop

Lionel Shriver on Should We Stay or Should We Go Jun 26, 2022

Show notes

When is death preferable to living? Are there fates worse than death? And what sort of future society should we build?

Lionel Shriver discusses her latest novel, Should We Stay or Should We Go

Hosted by Mark Oppenheimer and Jason Werbeloff

Edited and Produced by James Mullen

The Philosophy of Severance | Travis Timmerman Jun 19, 2022

Show notes

Ben Stiller's superb series, Severance, raises fascinating questions about the nature of personal identity. Are we minds or brains? Is it possible for two persons to inhabit the same body? And can a person survive gaps in their existence?

Hosted by Mark Oppenheimer and Jason Werbeloff

Edited and Produced by James Mullen

The Ethics of Killing in War | Jeff McMahan Jun 12, 2022

Show notes

As Russia wages an unjust war against Ukraine, questions around the ethics of war abound. Are soldiers fighting for the wrong side ever justified in killing? Should we punish these soldiers even if they were coerced by their State to fight? And is it ever justified to kill civilians?

Read Jeff's book here: amazon.com/Killing-War-Uehiro-Practical-Ethics/dp/019960357X

Hosted by Mark Oppenheimer and Jason Werbeloff

Edited and Produced by James Mullen

Eureka! Why epiphanies matter | Sophie Grace Chappell Jun 05, 2022

Show notes

What is an "Aha" moment, and why does it matter for our lives? Sophie Grace Chappel argues that our ethics and value system should be formed around our epiphanies.

Hosted by Mark Oppenheimer and Jason Werbeloff

Edited and Produced by James Mullen

Brain in a Vat bookshop (Shopify): https://smarturl.it/BrainShop

Brain in a Vat bookshop (Amazon): https://smarturl.it/BrainAmazonShop

Podcast: https://anchor.fm/braininavat

David Chalmers on Virtual Reality and The Simulation Argument May 29, 2022

Show notes

Could you be a brain in a vat, or be living in a simulated or virtual reality? Could you live a meaningful, valuable existence even if you were?

Presenters: Mark Oppenheimer and Jason Werbeloff

Editor and Producer: Jimmy Mullen

The Value of Truth | Simon Blackburn May 22, 2022

Show notes

Why is the truth important? Who decides what the truth is? Is there such a thing as objective, eternal truth, or is truth simply a matter of perspective, of linguistic or cultural vantage point?

Simon's Book: https://www.amazon.com/Truth-Simon-Blackburn/dp/0190867213

Brain in a Vat bookshop (Shopify): https://smarturl.it/BrainShop

Brain in a Vat bookshop (Amazon): https://smarturl.it/BrainAmazonShop

Mark.Oppenheimer[at]gmail and Jwerbe[at]gmail

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