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Can Torture Be Justified? | Stephen Kershnar
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…
A World Without Scarcity | Steven Kotler
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…
Living with Adversity | David Benatar
What does it mean to live with adversity? How ought we respond to the suffering of others? How can we adapt to hardship?Adversity is a universal experience. Nearly everyone, at some point, faces…
Risky Storytelling | Kevin Allison
Kevin Allison, creator of the RISK! podcast, recounts a high school prank at an all-boys Jesuit school in 1986. After a crush teased him by repeatedly spitting on him, Kevin later mailed him a sealed…
Free Speech, Hate Speech, and Mental Health | Chloe Carmichael
Clinical psychologist Chloe Carmichael, author of "Can I Say That?," examines how free expression relates to psychological well-being and social trust. Carmichael argues that suppressing disagreement…
The Bias against Conservatism in Higher Education | Amy Wax
Amy Wax joins us to discuss the ideological landscape of higher education. Wax reflects on her conflict with the University of Pennsylvania and argues that universities have become increasingly…
The Nature of the Sexes | Tomás Bogardus (with Stephen Kershnar)
Tomás Bogardus joins to discuss his book "The Nature of the Sexes" and argues for a reproductive-functional account of biological sex. According to Bogardus, males and females are defined by the…
God Is Not Praiseworthy | Stephen Kershnar and Nathan Bray
Brain in a Vat is back from hiatus with a deep dive into the philosophy of religion. Stephen Kershnar and Nathan Bray join us to ask whether God can be morally responsible and whether worship makes…
Facial Distortions and Prosopometamorphopsia | Brad Duchaine (Rebroadcast)
In this special episode of Brain in a Vat, Brad Duchaine from the Psychological and Brain Sciences Department at Dartmouth discusses prosopometamorphopsia (PMO) – a condition where individuals see…
Should We Stay or Should We Go | Lionel Shriver (Rebroadcast)
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.
Parental Licensing | Connor Kianpour (Rebroadcast)
Should you be required to get a parental license from the State before you can raise your own children? Do the wishes of parents matter at all – or should we only care about the best interests of…
Can AI Bring Our Loved Ones Back? Inside Reflekta AI’s Digital Afterlife | Miles Spencer
In this special episode of Brain in a Vat, we step outside our usual format to interview Miles Spencer, founder of Reflekta — a company using cutting-edge AI to recreate digital reflections of loved…
Cultural Appropriation | Stephen Kershnar (Rebroadcast)
Is it permissible for members of one group to appropriate the cultural practices of another? Is there anything wrong with cultural appropriation at all, or are there benefits to cultural…
Aztec Philosophy: What the Aztecs Knew About Life | Sebastian Purcell
How did the Aztecs understand life, morality, and human purpose? What can Aztec philosophy teach us about living well? Sebastian Purcell guides us through Aztec thought, beginning with a thought…
The Assassination of Charlie Kirk
In this special episode of Brain in a Vat, Mark and Jasondiscuss the tragic assassination of political commentator, Charlie Kirk. The episode discusses Kirk's commitment to open dialogue and civil…
Using AI to Fight Crime | David Boonin (Rebroadcast)
Is racial profiling always wrong, even if used by an AI to decrease crime? Should we use AI to judge criminal cases, recommend sentences for the guilty, or decide parole for…
Are We Free at Work? Marx on Capitalism Today | Brian Leiter
In this episode of Brain in a Vat, we’re joined by Brian Leiter, co-author (with Jamie Edwards) of a new book on Marx. We explore whether workers in contemporary capitalism are truly free—or trapped…
The Possible Worlds of David Lewis | Barry Lam (Rebroadcast)
What are possible worlds? Could you have been born to different parents, and could an object be both completely green and completely red? Barry Lam explains how David Lewis’s views on possible worlds…
Procreative Ethics | Rivka Weinberg (Rebroadcast)
Is it wrong to bring new life into the world? Is adopting a child a moral obligation? Is parenting meaningful?
Imagine There’s No Gender | Holly Lawford-Smith [with Raja Halwani] (Rebroadcast)
Would the world be better if we didn’t recognize genders?In such a world, there would be males and females, but nothing associated with what it means to be male or female other than biological facts.…
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Brain in a Vat has published 286 episodes since April 2020, covering topics in Philosophy, Society & Culture.
Brain in a Vat is currently declining with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 59m.
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