Brain in a Vat

Latest Episodes:

The Truth About Honesty, Lies, and Deception | Christian Miller Sep 23, 2026

Show notes

Christian Miller, author of The Honesty Crisis, joins to explore the nature and ethics of honesty. He examines what it means to be honest, when lying can be morally justified, and the difference between honesty and simply telling the truth. Miller considers these questions through cases involving deepfakes, delusion, infidelity, and our obligations to tell the truth.

Chapters:

[00:00] Introducing Christian Miller

[00:29] The Nazi at the Door

[07:17] Honesty or Compassion

[14:24] The Importance of Honesty

[18:26] Deepfakes and the Erosion of Trust

[23:03] Honest Falsehoods and Dishonest Truths

[32:30] The “Honest Liar”

[37:22] Delusion, The Matrix, and Honesty

[41:40] Relationships and Infidelity

[52:38] Duties to Disclose Affairs

The Costs of Open Borders | Lionel Shriver Aug 25, 2026

Show notes

Lionel Shriver returns to discuss her new novel, 'A Better Life,' and the philosophical debate over immigration and open borders.

Inspired by a proposed New York City program to pay residents to house migrants, the novel turns one family's home into a thought experiment about immigration and humanitarian obligations.

Shriver examines the arguments for and against open borders, as well as challenges surrounding assimilation and national identity. She also considers what happens when abstract commitments to helping others require bearing the costs and responsibilities yourself in practice.

Read Shriver’s book, ‘A Better Life’, here: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/a-better-life-lionel-shriver?variant=43823065432098

Chapters:

[00:00] Introduction to Shriver

[00:15] The Premise of A Better Life

[03:31] Immigration Under Biden and Trump

[09:09] The Home as a Metaphor for the Country

[10:06] Arguments for Open Borders

[15:03] Immigration and Declining Fertility

[34:53] Assimilation and National Identity

[40:56] America vs. Asia on Immigration

[45:06] The Limits of Mass Deportation

The Man Who Exposed Jason Arday: Cancelled at Cambridge | Nathan Cofnas Aug 10, 2026

Show notes

Nathan Cofnas, the academic who recently drew widespread attention for exposing plagiarism allegations against Cambridge professor Jason Arday, returns to Brain in a Vat to discuss academic freedom, institutional conformity, and his own controversial departure from Cambridge.

Cofnas argues that universities create incentives for academics to conform, particularly when scholarship challenges prevailing political and moral assumptions. He recounts the backlash to his writing on race and intelligence, including student petitions, protests, complaints, and the lengthy Cambridge investigation that followed.

Can universities remain committed to free inquiry when students and administrators find certain conclusions offensive? Cofnas contends that academic institutions must distinguish between social norms and punishment, and that protecting truly open inquiry requires tolerating ideas many people find objectionable.

Chapters:

[00:00] Introduction to Nathan Cofnas

[00:15] Philosophy Outside the University

[04:40] Universities and the Limits of Free Inquiry

[11:35] How Academia Selects for Conformity

[13:30] Cofnas’s Cambridge Free Speech Controversy

[27:25] Student Veto Power in Academia

[30:49] Race, IQ, and the Harm Objection

[34:22] The Case for Discussing Offensive Truths

[38:27] Race, Group Differences, and Wokeism

[50:03] Academic Freedom and Social Taboos

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Free Speech, Schools, and Children | Jimmy Mullen Aug 04, 2026

Show notes

Former Brain in a Vat producer Jimmy Mullen returns to discuss free speech in schools, exploring how educational institutions should balance student expression with their responsibility to maintain an environment conducive to learning.

Drawing on constitutional law and landmark cases on student free speech, the conversation explores viewpoint neutrality, the role of political disagreement in education, and the limits of school authority.

It ultimately considers how schools can prepare children to think independently while participating in a democratic society.

Chapters:

[00:00] Two Cases of School Censorship

[05:00] Tinker v. Des Moines

[10:25] The Case for Apolitical Schools

[16:10] Education or Indoctrination?

[23:07] The Culture of Self-Censorship

[26:01] Student Speech After Tinker v. Des Moines

[30:33] The Anarchist Challenge

[38:59] Learning Through Disagreement

[43:14] Schools as Democratic Training Grounds

[49:56] Public and Private Schools

[55:24] The Coddling of the American Mind

Sexual Ethics on Campus: Consent and Power | Colin McGinn Jul 28, 2026

Show notes

Colin McGinn joins to discuss sexual ethics on campus. Drawing on thought experiments and his own experiences in academia, McGinn argues that universities too often conflate harassment with consensual relationships while overstating the role of power imbalances. He explains why he believes current policies can undermine academic freedom, due process, and the proper limits of institutional authority.

Chapters:

[00:00] Introduction

[00:16] A Thought Experiment

[08:19] Microenticements

[12:09] Harassment vs. Consensual Relationships

[22:38] Reporting Relationships

[36:06] The Power Imbalance

[45:06] MeToo, Cancellation, and Academia

[49:53] Devil's Advocate

[1:00:17] Should Universities Regulate Romance?

[1:10:58] Final Reflections

The Philosophy of Pluribus | Spencer Case Jun 28, 2026

Show notes

Spencer Case returns to discuss Pluribus, one of the most philosophically ambitious science fiction series in recent years. The conversation explores whether individuality is worth preserving if giving it up would create a happier and more peaceful world, raising questions about personal identity, autonomy, and the ethics of a hive mind.

Chapters:

[00:00] Welcome

[00:58] Pluribus Explained

[03:09] The Hive Mind Thought Experiment

[04:34] Do You Survive the Joining?

[12:05] Personal Identity and Point of View

[16:58] Unjoining and Consent

[21:04] Autonomy or Happiness?

[30:30] Utilitarianism Versus Individual Rights

[34:07] Cannibalism

[43:41] Love in a Hive Mind

[51:58] Why "Pluribus"?

Visit Spencer's channel, Micro-Digressions: https://www.buzzsprout.com/956725

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The Time-Meaning Conundrum | Rivka Weinberg Jun 14, 2026

Show notes

Rivka Weinberg returns to argue that time is both the source of meaning and its greatest threat, making meaningful lives possible while also guaranteeing loss and impermanence. The conversation explores the relationship between suffering and meaning, whether ultimate meaning is attainable, and why temporary achievements may remain valuable even if nothing lasts forever.

Chapters:

[00:00] Introduction

[04:44] The Time-Meaning Conundrum

[06:35] Religion, Suffering, and Meaning

[16:13] Immortality and the Afterlife

[21:06] Why Ultimate Meaning Is Impossible

[28:06] Cosmic Purpose and Heaven

[33:54] Hedonism and Long-Term Commitment

[48:36] Meaning Beyond the Self

[52:26] Debating Benatar's Cosmic Perspective

Should You Need Permission to Take Medicine? | Jessica Flanigan Jun 14, 2026

Show notes

Do adults have a right to decide what goes into their own bodies, even when experts believe they're making a mistake?

Jessica Flanigan returns to defend a radical idea: competent adults should have the freedom to access pharmaceuticals without needing permission from doctors or government regulators. Flanigan argues that the same principles underlying informed consent also support a right to self-medicate.

The conversation explores medical paternalism through debates over prescription requirements, addiction, public health, gender-affirming care, and assisted dying. We scrutinize the limits of state authority and whether doctors are ever truly better judges of our interests than we are ourselves.

Chapters:

[00:00] Introduction to Jessica Flanigan

[00:21] The Case for Pharmaceutical Freedom

[04:08] Medical Paternalism and Informed Consent

[07:06] Are Doctors Better Judges of Our Interests?

[14:33] When Is Paternalism Justified?

[17:27] Addiction, Autonomy, and Self-Control

[21:43] Socialized Healthcare and Personal Risk

[28:06] Third-Party Harms: Antibiotics and Public Health

[34:22] Vaccine Mandates and Individual Liberty

[38:37] Adderall, Neuroenhancement, and Fairness

[43:51] Gender-Affirming Care and Medical Autonomy

[57:20] The Right to Die and Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID)

[01:01:33] Closing Thoughts

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Can Torture Be Justified? | Stephen Kershnar May 17, 2026

Show notes

We welcome back Stephen Kershnar to discuss the ethics of torture. Kershnar argues that some criminals deserve torture because severe wrongdoing can cause a person to forfeit protections against extreme punishment. He critiques the idea that there are moral constraints the state must never cross.

The dialogue also examines objections to torture concerning human dignity, bodily integrity, and the dangers of granting the state such power.

Chapters

[00:00] Introduction

[00:43] Why Punitive Torture?

[04:57] Defining Torture

[08:22] Solitary Confinement Today

[10:15] Deterrence versus Retribution

[19:19] Can Rights Be Forfeited?

[29:54] Contracts You Cannot Exit

[34:30] Consent, Punishment, and Efficiency

[37:28] Demographics and Equality

[45:48] Punitive Rape Debate

[48:05] Side Constraints on Torture

[53:40] Third Party Harms

[58:06] Closing Remarks

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A World Without Scarcity | Steven Kotler May 06, 2026

Show notes

What happens to human beings in a world without scarcity? If all our needs were met, would we actually be better off? Will technological progress lead to utopia or collapse?

Humans are living through massive improvements in material conditions. More people have access to food, energy, and technology than ever before. Steven Kotler examines what this kind of abundance does to us. It may support a more comfortable life, but it can also erode the conditions that sustain a sense of purpose.

We also discuss how attention and identity are being affected by technological progress. As AI systems take on more optimization and decision-making, the role of human thought may change, raising questions about what remains distinctly human in how we engage with the world.

Read Peter Diamandis' and Kotler's book, 'We Are as Gods,' here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/We-Are-as-Gods/Peter-H-Diamandis/Exponential-Technology-Series/9781668099544

Chapters:

[00:00] Introduction to Steven Kotler

[00:15] Universe 25 and the Problem of Abundance

[03:06] Mouse Dynamics and Human Parallels

[10:30] Abundance, Individuality, and Meaning

[17:18] Tradeoffs of Abundance

[27:31] The Impact of Overload and Burnout

[32:59] Skepticism About AI and Technology

[46:53] Population and Ecological Pressures

[54:52] Human Creativity in an AI World