Dilemma Podcast

Latest Episodes:

S02E07: The Lessons of Black Panther - Chloe Valdary Aug 31, 2020

Show notes

Chloe Valdary, Coleman Hughes, and Jay Shapiro consider the analogies and lessons of Marvel's Black Panther.

Discussed in this episode: tensions with policing, Black Lives Matter, the original Black Panther movement of the 60's, the differing philosophies of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, and the eternal task of the superhero to resist our darkest impulses.

This conversation was recorded on August 18th, 2020, in New York City's Central Park, 10 days before the death of the star of Black Panther, Chadwick Boseman.

Subscribe to Jay's low key email reminders to keep up with when he writes something new, releases something new, appears as a guest on something, plans a live event, or has an urgent book or film recommendation at whatjaythinks.com

S02E06: Illusionism Part 2 : Finding Each Other - Keith Frankish Aug 25, 2020

Show notes

In part 2 of this conversation, Keith Frankish and Jay talk about the implications of the illusionists view of mind and consciousness. They forecast the moral, social, and political fallout of a world which would embrace illusionism while lamenting the confused state of conversations being exported to the public on this subject.

Jay recalls a depressing experience in Iceland with a Buddhist monk ill-equipped to handle deserving inquiries into the mysteries of mind and death.

Ultimately, Frankish and Jay explore how we can truly meld with the physical universe and find each other by dissolving the illusions of mind.

S02E05: Illusionism Part 1 : What Needs Explaining - Keith Frankish Aug 17, 2020

Show notes

“Illusionists deny that experiences have phenomenal properties and focus on explaining why they seem to have them”

In part 1 of this 2 part interview Jay discusses what exactly is meant by this statement from renowned philosopher of mind and author Keith Frankish.

What part of our conscious experience, if any, is real and demands an explanation? Does the idea of a philosophical zombie make any sense? Are we ready to throw out all science and understanding while we forever chase down an illusion? Are we hopelessly separated from physical reality by an indescribable philosophical barrier... or have we all just been stirred into an incredible effect of ineffable private experiences by a universe which works much like a magician convincing an audience of the reality of levitation?

Get ready for a wild ride through Jay's resistance, puzzlement, partial understanding, and finally full digestion of the argument in part 1.

S02E04: History Rhymes - Uyghur Genocide - Rahima Mahmut Aug 06, 2020

Show notes

An urgent episode about a genocide unfolding in China.

Rahima Mahmut is the U.K. Project Director, World Uyghur Congress. https://www.uyghurcongress.org/en/

Crowdfunding link here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/stop-Uyghur-genocide

www.stopuyghurgenocide.org.uk

Study about the global supply chains stained with Uyghur slave labor: Uyghurs for Sale https://www.aspi.org.au/report/uyghurs-sale

PBS’s Undercover China documentary: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/china-undercover/

S02E03: Virtual Afterlives - Candi Cann Aug 05, 2020

Show notes

Are virtual worlds any different than real worlds?

A mother is reunited with her deceased daughter in virtual reality for a South Korean TV show.

Jay Shapiro speaks with Associate Professor and author Candi Cann about the ways in which technology is intersecting with death and grief rituals. Professor Cann's book on the subject is available here.

Find a bonus conversation with Adelle Archer, the founder of eterneva diamonds at dilemmapodcast.com

S02E02: The Meaning of Travel - Emily Thomas Jul 20, 2020

Show notes

What does travel mean? Why has formal philosophy largely ignored the question? Just how strange is it to release a book on travel in the time of a global lock down and what exactly is the world missing right now? Jay introduces Frank Jackson's famous "Mary's Room" thought experiment to consider the notion of experience vs imagination in the context of travel.

Jay and Emily swap travel stories of giant Pringles cans in Ghana and Christmas villages in Alaska.

Jay ends by considering travel as a physical form of philosophy.

S02E01: Unattractive Discrimination - Francesca Minerva Jul 06, 2020

Show notes

We often hear about racism, sexism, classism, and other familiar kinds of discrimination. But there is a bias which might dwarf them all, discrimination against unattractive people.

Jay Shapiro speaks with philosopher, author, and researcher Francesca Minerva on the topic of "Lookism" and introduces John Rawls' famous "Veil of Ignorance" thought experiment to consider just how challenging this type of discrimination is. We ponder how evolution and society both shape our ideas of physical attraction and wonder if these can and should be altered and how one could even begin to do that.

S01E18: Can We Sue China? - William Burke-White Apr 10, 2020

Show notes

International law scholar and professor William Burke-White speaks with Jay Shapiro during the ongoing global COVID19 crises.

They discuss the philosophical foundations of international law, why globalism needs to re-brand itself to be more "local", the legal process of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the apparent absence of the United Nations in this pandemic, the rapidly changing role of China on the world stage, the potential for international legal and political retribution, and much more.

William Burke-White is the Richard Perry Professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. From 2009-12, Burke-White served in the Obama administration on the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff, where he was principal drafter of the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review, Secretary Clinton’s hallmark initiative to reform the Department of State and reshape U.S. foreign policy.

S01E17: Surviving a Slow Motion Disaster - Amanda Ripley Mar 30, 2020

Show notes

Amdana Ripley, best selling author of "The Unthinkable: Who Survives when Disaster Strikes and Why" talks with Jay Shapiro during coronavirus lock down.

Topics discussed: Ripley's work with ignored hurricane warnings, 9/11 rescues, stampedes at the Hajj, surviving plane crashes, what good risk communication sounds like, what personal resilience means for our collective safety, and the danger of "negative panic"

What habits are we learning now and what might we want to retain when this is over?

S01E16: Pandemic Special: Invisible Responsibility COVID-19 Mar 16, 2020

Show notes

Jay and Coleman discuss the giant trolley problem that we're all living through in the midst of the pandemic.

Topics discusses: The "worry-wart" paradox. Invisible responsibility of spreading a virus. Social media etiquette and how to deal with accounts with large follower totals in a time of crisis. The case for pure scientific research. Countries focused on how not "get" it versus countries focused on how not to "give it. And of course which movies, board games, shows, and books to enjoy while you're stuck inside.

Wash your hands.

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