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The Minefield 

English, Social, 1 season, 560 episodes, 2 days, 15 hours, 38 minutes
About
In a world marked by wicked social problems, The Minefield helps you negotiate the ethical dilemmas, contradictory claims and unacknowledged complicities of modern life.
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Should revenge have any place in our politics?

There is something undeniably satisfying about revenge. When we feel we have been aggrieved, harmed or humiliated, it is natural to want payback. In ancient Greece, to inflict such an injury was conceived of as incurring a debt — and the only way to make the perpetrator “whole” was to have the injury repaid in kind.The paradox — as Socrates, Sophocles and Euripides all knew — is that revenge, though it is desired, is never satisfying, because it gives rise to a perpetual cycle of hit-and-retaliation. The future is thereby foreclosed by the need to repay the past. As Martin Luther King, Jr. put it: “Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.”In democratic politics and geopolitical conflict, the language and logic of revenge have begun to reassert themselves. What can be done to break out of its hold?
10/23/202454 minutes, 19 seconds
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Can democracy survive the perfect storm of disinformation?

Just weeks before a US presidential election, a combination of political mendacity, the perverse incentives offered by social media platforms, and opportunism on the part of content creators/consumers, have come together to form a perfect storm.The tragic irony is that the devastating consequences of these forces have become apparent in the aftermath of two hurricanes which hit the American south-east in quick succession.With state and federal elections around the corner, and little more than a year after the failed Voice referendum, can anything be done in Australia to stem the tide of online mis/disinformation? Legislative attempts to hold social media platforms to account are undoubtedly important — but the more urgent task may be addressing democracy’s current “trust deficit”.
10/16/202453 minutes, 22 seconds
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What is “populism” – and what kind of problem does it pose?

After the election of Donald Trump in 2016 and the outcome of the Brexit referendum, “populism” became the catch-all diagnosis for everything the ails democratic politics. But its polemical use has tended to obscure rather than clarify the meaning of the term.
10/9/202454 minutes, 8 seconds
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What is it that makes “negative gearing” such a divisive tax policy?

The policy of negative gearing — which gives the owners of investment properties an unlimited ability to deduct losses from their overall taxable income — has come to symbolise the disparity between the different ways Australians see home ownership: for some, it is a means of wealth creation; for others, it represents the ever-receding promise of shelter, stability, security.It is unsurprising, then, that the policy would evoke such strong feelings whenever it re-enters public debate.Will changes to negative gearing solve Australia’s housing affordability crisis? No. But inquiring into why it elicits such powerful emotions can help us think more clearly about the moral dimensions of our relationship to housing and home ownership.
10/3/202453 minutes, 30 seconds
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“Truths that lie too deep for taint”: Wilfred Owen’s war poetry in our blood-soaked present

The war poetry of Wilfred Owen refuses the comfort of hollow consolation in response to the mass loss of life — it also urges the sacrifice of the kind of bellicose pride that sees nothing but territorial gain and national self-interest, and is prepared to offer up the lives of the young to these ends. In a time of heightened violence and bloodshed, Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens – along with acclaimed concert pianist and award-winning writer Simon Tedeschi – attempt to recover the rhetorical power and moral significance of two of Owen’s best-known poems, “Strange Meeting” and “The Parable of the Old Man and the Young”. 
9/25/202453 minutes, 18 seconds
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Can modern politics avoid propaganda?

With the US presidential election on the horizon, to say nothing of a number of Australian elections, our airwaves, news sites and social media feeds are filled with political rhetoric.Many of us have come to accept political rhetoric — with its obfuscations, generalisations, exaggerations and outright evasions — as the price of doing business with democratic politics.Is there a meaningful difference anymore between political rhetoric and propaganda? What disciplines and constraints must political rhetoric adopt in order to keep itself free of the propagandistic temptation?
9/18/202453 minutes, 38 seconds
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Will Australia’s proposed cap on international students do more harm than good?

Given the dependence of many Australian universities on international student fees, a significant drop in enrolments with no corresponding increase in government funding will likely yield a decline in the quality of teaching and research, a reduction in academic staff, and a precipitous tumble down the world university rankings. This would do considerable damage to Australia's fourth largest "export". If the forecasts are accurate, why would the federal government embark on legislation that amounts to an act of national self-harm?
9/11/202454 minutes, 12 seconds
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Festival of Dangerous Ideas: Is Australia breaking?

One of Australia’s greatest strengths has been the remarkable diversity of its multicultural society. But is this also a potential source of weakness? In this live recording at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas, Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens, along with guest Stan Grant, explore the internal and external forces that risk undermining our sense of social unity.
9/4/202454 minutes, 5 seconds
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“Freedom!”: Why can’t US politics agree on the meaning of its most basic principle?

Even for a nation obsessed with the concept of “freedom” — or perhaps it would be better to say, concepts, not all of them easily reconciled, some of them utterly incommensurable — the prominence it was given during the recent Democratic National Convention was arresting.It was as though the Democratic Party vaulted the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush alike — both of which used “freedom” as a mantra, a talisman, a point of vital differentiation over against communism and terrorism — and return to the muscular wartime rhetoric of Franklin Roosevelt, with his vision of domestic or civic freedom.But are these competing visions of freedom not doomed to remain in an untenable tension without a mediating or underlying conception of freedom’s nature and limits?
8/28/202453 minutes, 57 seconds
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Coleman Hughes, “colourblindness”, and the contentious politics of race

In democracies with a history of racial injustice, are “colourblindness” and recognition of a “common humanity” — which were at the heart of the moral philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr. — desirable as expressions of our commitment to justice as equality?
8/21/202453 minutes, 24 seconds
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“We live in a society!”: Seinfeld’s “Bizarro” comedy of morals

When the first episode of Seinfeld went to air in 1989, it faced stiff competition from a packed field of American sitcoms. By its finale in 1998, the “show about nothing” had redefined the sitcom genre and conquered comedy. Critical to its success was the unlikely alchemy of the four central characters — their navigation of the interpersonal conflicts and petty irritations of New York City life, and their heedless disregard for conventions of morality.That was the trick: the situations they found themselves in had to be relatable, but the characters themselves could not be sympathetic. They had to be superficial, selfish, inconstant, immature, monstrous — which is to say, “Bizarro” — versions of themselves. As co-creator and executive producer Larry David put it, the guiding philosophy was “no hugging, no learning”.But, as it turns out, there may just be a kind of moral seriousness lurking beneath the mania.
8/14/202453 minutes, 48 seconds
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“I don’t want to join any club that would have me as a member”: How funny is irony meant to be?

Humour can often be a response to the sense of being ill-at-home in society — perhaps even ill-at-home in the world. But whether it takes the form of fatalism or self-deprecation, all such forms of ironic self-distancing have a sting in the tail.
8/7/202453 minutes, 21 seconds
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“Time now for just a bit of fun”: Shaun Micallef on the importance of being silly

In one form or another, comedy often proceeds from a certain exaggeration of life — exaggerated bodily movements, or facial expressions, or scenarios, or reactions. These exaggerations have an unreality to them, but still maintain an uncanny relationship to more “normal” life. Put another way: sometimes comedy is just plain silly, the art of relishing the fun of suspending our expectations and upending our social conventions.What is happening when performers give free reign to the silly? Does it cut the cords of empathy and invite the audience to become mere spectators — whose enjoyment is vicarious, but not really participatory? Or does silliness bind performer and spectator together, inviting them to see reality in a different light?
7/31/202454 minutes, 1 second
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“And now for something completely different”: Why do surprises provoke laughter?

Immanuel Kant called laughter a form of the disappointment of the understanding — which is to say, surprise — for which the body then compensates: “Whatever is to arouse lively, convulsive laughter must contain something absurd … Laughter is an affect that arises if a tense expectation is transformed into a nothing.”But surprises, it turns out, come in many shapes and sizes — from a slip or a fall, to a near-miss when you expected an accident, to an uncanny coincidence where you expected randomness. Does our laughter, then, express delight at the surprise, or a desire to set things straight?
7/24/202453 minutes, 34 seconds
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Political violence — why is it so corrosive to democratic life?

The attempted assassination of former US President Donald Trump, while undeniably shocking, was not altogether surprising. It was just the latest blow in a steady drumbeat of political violence that has only grown louder over the last decade. This reflects the fact that political violence is “in the air”, and is increasingly being regarded by many Americans — and citizens of nations around the worlds — as a justifiable response to political disagreement. What does it take for such violence to become thinkable? Do we possess the democratic antibodies to resist the contagion of violence?
7/17/202453 minutes, 49 seconds
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“There’s a crack in everything”: Is absurdity central to comedy?

Comedy happens when something occurs that makes visible just how futile are our most earnest efforts, and how superficial are our solemnities, our moments of greatest seriousness and decorum — hence the deep connection between comedy, absurdity and tragedy.
7/10/202453 minutes, 21 seconds
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In a bespoke and individualistic age, are we losing a sense of “the common”?

Because our lives are increasingly tailor-made, we are constantly seeking ways of distinguishing ourselves from others. What is being lost through is our sense of a humanity whose inherent vulnerability to misfortune, malfeasance and violence makes us dependent on one another.
7/3/202453 minutes, 35 seconds
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Beatlemania at 60: Why was the band so popular before they were even great?

The Beatles composed their best music in the years after 1965 — so what could account for the ecstatic response the band received in the United States and Australia in 1964? Why were they “big” before they were “good”?
6/26/202454 minutes, 1 second
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Right verdict, wrong case? The political dangers of Trump’s felony conviction

On 30 May 2024, after two days of deliberation following a five-week trial and hearing the testimony of 22 witnesses, a jury of 12 New Yorkers found former President Donald Trump guilty of 34 felony charges. But do the facts of the case brought against him, and the overriding fact it was brought in an election year, present insurmountable political risks?
6/19/202453 minutes, 59 seconds
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Is the rise of the far right in Europe inevitable? It’s complicated

The results of the recent European Parliament elections have only fuelled the growing concern across the member nations of the European Union that far-right, radical right, Eurosceptic and otherwise anti-immigrant parties are, once again, on the rise.
6/12/202454 minutes, 30 seconds
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Is it wrong to “rank” works of art?

Apple Music recently released its list of the “100 Best Albums”. It was, without question, a clever marketing technique — but one that raises the problem of whether it’s appropriate to rank works of high human achievement in the first place.
6/5/202454 minutes, 30 seconds
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Is international law powerless in the face of conflicts like Gaza?

At a time when so many eyes are on international courts, is their apparent failure to protect civilians in Gaza — or to punish the perpetrators of 7 October — further damaging an already shaky public confidence in the concept of international law?
5/29/202453 minutes, 50 seconds
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If chatbots are polluting the commons of human communication, what are the moral consequences?

It’s 18 months since the technology company OpenAI made its wildly popular interface with an advanced large language model — GPT-4 — available to the public. What has ChatGPT done to the habits of thought and consideration that produce distinctly human expression?
5/22/202453 minutes, 45 seconds
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What are the ethical, and legal, limits of protests at Australian universities?

Protests are, by their nature, unequivocal and univocal. They tend to avoid nuance or fine distinctions, and most often do not invite dialogue. They make demands. Does the particular vocation of universities place ethical limits on the forms of expression available to protestors?
5/15/202453 minutes, 42 seconds
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The decency of everyday life — are unwritten rules enough to sustain a good society?

Reciprocity, cooperation, kindness, turn-taking, forbearance, empathy, experimentation — can these counter the decidedly illiberal, impatient, anti-pluralistic, well-nigh apocalyptic energies that now seem resurgent in parts of the West?
5/8/202454 minutes, 7 seconds
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What will endure? The ethics of “Groundhog Day”

During the pandemic, there was a sudden renewal of interest in Harold Ramis’s 1993 film “Groundhog Day” — especially its bleaker aspects. But this missed its sophistication and humanity, to say nothing of its acute depiction of moral growth.
5/1/202455 minutes, 15 seconds
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After the stabbings in Sydney — Grief? Anger? Revenge?

Residents of Sydney have found themselves understandably overwhelmed by the compound traumas of two stabbing attacks in three days. How are we to make sense of the cycling-through of emotions in response to shocking public violence?
4/24/202453 minutes, 13 seconds
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What’s fueling the tension between the courts and the media?

There has been an odd confluence of events over the past couple weeks that has managed to intensify the sense of a conflict between two of our most important democratic institutions: the law and the media.
4/17/202453 minutes, 56 seconds
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What would the moral obligation to avoid civilian deaths look like in Gaza?

Does the failure on the part of Israel to enable the provision of humanitarian aid or to do everything in its power to prevent civilian casualties suggest “a blameworthy indifference to Palestinian lives”?
4/10/202453 minutes, 13 seconds
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PRESENTS — Ideas, "Our Bodies, Our Cells"

This isn't a bonus episode of The Minefield. Instead, we wanted to introduce you to a podcast we think of as a kind of kindred spirit to ours. Given the rapid increase in the number of podcasts over the last 7 years or so, it can be difficult to find offerings of real quality, intellectual curiosity, and genuine depth.IDEAS from the CBC is a rich and wide-ranging exploration of contemporary thought and intellectual history. In the age of clickbait and superficial headlines, this is unapologetically a program for people who like to think and have their horizons expanded.The clip you're going to hear from a documentary called "Our Bodies, Our Cells", which examines the microscopic cosmos of the body. The closer the IDEAS team zoomed in, the closer they got to some of the fundamental truths about life … and found it even stranger, more wondrous, and more paradoxical than they could have imagined.If it manages to pique your curiosity, you can find more episodes of IDEAS wherever you get your podcasts.
4/8/20243 minutes, 40 seconds
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Ramadan — the rediscovery of society

It is important to remember that Thoreau’s motivation for withdrawing was neither escapism nor apolitical quietism. The fact that he departed on 4 July signals an invitation to discover a different way of living together.
4/3/202453 minutes, 54 seconds
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Ramadan — the importance of friendship

If Thoreau regards withdrawal and solitude as means by which we learn to escape self-deception, then they may well be little more than preparation for the moral demands friends make of one another.
3/27/202453 minutes, 25 seconds
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Ramadan — the discipline of solitude

Solitude is neither alone-ness nor idleness. It is strenuous and takes practice. Solitude does not simply happen in the way that isolation or loneliness does — it must be inhabited.
3/20/202453 minutes, 27 seconds
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Ramadan — the necessity of withdrawing

Are periodic bouts of withdrawal from life’s urgent demands and heated debates necessary to regain a sense of our shared humanity, and to renew the commitments that sustain the moral life?
3/13/202454 minutes, 1 second
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Q+A on “the wisdom of crowds”

Waleed Aly, Scott Stephens and philosopher Stephanie Collins field questions from a live studio audience on crowd-behaviour, conformity and the importance of dissent.
3/6/202453 minutes, 19 seconds
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How much credence should we give to “the wisdom of crowds”?

Ever since Plato, “crowds” have been associated with irrationality, emotivism, conformism, short-term thinking, and herd-like behaviour. But what if it turns out that crowds are collectively more intelligent than their individual members?
2/28/202452 minutes, 47 seconds
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When is it right to call some act – or someone – “evil”?

What are we trying to convey when we reach for a word like “evil”? Is it something about a person’s actions or character? Is it what they do or the manner in which they do it?
2/21/202453 minutes, 34 seconds
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From Beyoncé to Taylor Swift — what’s behind the mass appeal of live music events?

It is worth reflecting, not just on what is singular about Taylor Swift at this particular cultural moment — why she attracts both the loyalty and the animus that she does — but on what it is about live music events that now draw millions of people to them.
2/14/202454 minutes, 21 seconds
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What is the harm in “deepfakes” — and what are they doing to democracy?

Over the last 18 months, enormously powerful generative AI tools have been placed in the hands of anyone who wants them; as a consequence, the internet and our social media feeds have been inundated with wholly or partially synthetic content.
2/7/202453 minutes, 31 seconds
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How can trust be cultivated in a time of pervasive suspicion?

Because it is sustained by nothing more substantial than a weave of trusted institutions, shared habits and moral commitments, democracies are highly susceptible to the corrosive effects of distrust; Jedediah Purdy joins Waleed and Scott to discuss the necessary conditions for democratic life.
1/31/202453 minutes, 48 seconds
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What do we lose by succumbing to conspiracy-mindedness?

Ours is a time when institutional distrust, digital disinformation and mutual suspicion have become pervasive — but can democracy withstand epistemic and social fragmentation of this kind?
1/24/202453 minutes, 28 seconds
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In a screen saturated age, is literacy under threat?

Professor Maryanne Wolf joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to discuss whether we are entering an age of widespread moral illiteracy — an incapacity to engage in the processes that make up the habit of deep reading.
1/17/202453 minutes, 30 seconds
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What do we lose when we lose the capacity for boredom?

It is fair to say that boredom is a distinctly modern terror. But, as Stan Grant discusses with Waleed and Scott, what if existential boredom points us to our deeper need?
1/10/202453 minutes, 54 seconds
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Goya’s “Saturn” and its moral challenge

Spanish painter Francisco de Goya’s depiction of Saturn eating his son is a haunting portrait of lust and the fear of one’s own finitude. Christos Tsiolkas joins Waleed and Scott to look into that darkness, and discover what looks back.
1/3/202453 minutes, 32 seconds
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Politics, farce ... and Fawlty Towers

Now that John Cleese has announced that the iconic series will return, it’s worth examining what made Fawlty Towers a masterpiece — and whether its interaction with the political climate of the 1970s had anything to do with it.
12/27/202353 minutes, 25 seconds
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What are playlists doing to our ability to listen to music?

Platforms like Spotify have transformed the way people listen to music through their use of recommendation algorithms and customised playlists designed to cater to either a particular activity or a particular mood.
12/20/202353 minutes, 20 seconds
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A philosophy of generosity: Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol” (1843)

Despite the fact that it has none of his trademark surprises and neatly unexpected resolutions, Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol” is powerfully affecting, even transformative, due to the way it overwhelms the senses and appeals to the sentiments.
12/13/202353 minutes, 54 seconds
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How much should we expect from the state?

What is a state for? How does its nature, actions, and limits differ from other corporate bodies? Is the relationship of a state to its citizens fundamentally that of a service provider to its clients?
12/6/202353 minutes, 30 seconds
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Should drivers of electric vehicles be taxed more to use the roads?

If we are not careful, the use of incentives to encourage people to purchase electric vehicles could backfire by offending our sense of fairness.
11/29/202353 minutes, 41 seconds
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What is social cohesion, what cultivates it, and what undermines it?

The latest Mapping Social Cohesion report from the Scanlon Foundation paints a complex picture that helps us understand the conditions within which social cohesion is able to strengthen, and those factors which cause it to become brittle and even break down.
11/22/202353 minutes, 37 seconds
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What is the moral case for a ceasefire in Gaza?

Calls for an end to the devastation of Gaza, and the death and displacement of its residents, reached a crescendo on Remembrance Day. While the moral case is compelling, it raises questions that are complex and consequential.
11/15/202352 minutes, 21 seconds
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What’s behind the anger? On Virginia Woolf’s “A Room of One’s Own”

Nearly a century after its publication, Australian novelist Charlotte Wood joins Waleed and Scott to discuss what Virginia Woolf’s essay tell us about egotism, contempt, creative freedom and the possibility of moral transformation.
11/8/202354 minutes, 10 seconds
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Do we know what the result of the Voice referendum means?

Because referenda are zero-sum contests, the message they convey is paradoxically both obscure and unambiguous — which is to say, their meaning is open to interpretation and unintentionally harsh.
11/1/202354 minutes, 21 seconds
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Is it time to reconsider Australia’s bipartisan commitment to “stopping the boats”?

Australia recently marked ten years since the introduction of Operation Sovereign Borders — a policy whereby refugees entering Australian waters by boat were met with unwavering, military-led deterrence.
10/25/202354 minutes, 1 second
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Some deaths matter more to us than others — but should they?

The civilian massacres in Israel on 7 October and the devastation inflicted on residents of Gaza both make claims on our humanity, on our capacity to recognise and respond to the deaths of others — but some find these claims mutually exclusive.
10/18/202353 minutes, 43 seconds
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Can young people stay politically engaged without becoming disillusioned with democracy?

One of the great paradoxes of democracy is that those who will have to bear the consequences of the political decisions we make now have little-to-no say in the decision-making process itself.
10/11/202354 minutes, 20 seconds
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Travel is bad for the climate — but what if it’s also bad for us?

Most of us are aware of the environmental costs associated with international tourism. But have we considered whether travel enhances or diminishes our moral lives? 
10/4/202354 minutes, 23 seconds
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What’s the point of blame? When is it right to forgive?

Blame and forgiveness are two of the most natural responses to wrongdoing — and yet, increasingly, these responses are viewed with a degree of suspicion, if not outright hostility, due to the myriad ways they can go wrong.
9/27/202340 seconds
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Can democracy withstand the strategic use of online confusion?

Is there any way of retrieving the deliberative conditions under which democratic life is possible, when the social media cacophony makes hearing one another so hard?
9/20/202353 minutes, 49 seconds
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In a critical age, are we losing the ability to say why we love what we love?

We’ve reached the point in mass culture, to say nothing of the “higher culture” of academia, when criticism is the norm. To the point that we increasingly define ourselves by what we hate.
9/13/202353 minutes, 12 seconds
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Facing the darkness: The moral challenge of Goya’s “Saturn devouring his son” (1823)

Spanish painter Francisco de Goya’s depiction of Saturn eating his son is a haunting portrait of lust and the fear of one’s own finitude. Christos Tsiolkas joins Waleed and Scott to look into that darkness, and discover what looks back.
9/6/202353 minutes, 27 seconds
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When is a referendum an unethical way of resolving a political question?

Now that the PM has announced the date of the referendum, it’s worth remembering that the zero-sum nature of referenda can unleash the kind of bruising rhetoric that does lasting damage to a political community, no matter the outcome.
8/30/202353 minutes, 20 seconds
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Should climate change make us rethink the ethics of nuclear energy?

Opposition leader Peter Dutton has recently reintroduced the prospect of nuclear power as part of Australia’s commitment to decarbonisation. But what is behind the push for nuclear, and does it make sense in a nation like this?
8/23/202354 minutes, 21 seconds
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1 May 1956: Was Elizabeth Anscombe right to charge Harry Truman with murder?

When Oxford University proposed to confer an honorary degree on the man who ordered an atomic bomb to be dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, philosopher Elizabeth Anscombe condemned the decision as “shar[ing] in the guilt of a bad action by praise and flattery”.
8/16/202353 minutes, 47 seconds
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8 September 1974: Was Gerald Ford right to pardon Richard Nixon?

When US President Gerald Ford pardoned Nixon of his crimes, did he thereby place the presidency above the law — or did he understand a hard reality about democratic politics that should inform the multiple prosecutions of Donald Trump?
8/9/202359 minutes, 9 seconds
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8 September 1974: Was Gerald Ford right to pardon Richard Nixon?

When US President Gerald Ford pardoned Nixon of his crimes, did he thereby place the presidency above the law — or did he understand a hard reality about democratic politics that should inform the multiple prosecutions of Donald Trump?
8/9/202359 minutes, 9 seconds
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Is there any benefit to boredom?

It is fair to say that boredom is a distinctly modern terror. But, as Stan Grant discusses with Waleed and Scott, what if existential boredom points us to our deeper need?
8/2/202354 minutes, 8 seconds
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Is there any benefit to boredom?

It is fair to say that boredom is a distinctly modern terror. But, as Stan Grant discusses with Waleed and Scott, what if existential boredom points us to our deeper need?
8/2/202354 minutes, 8 seconds
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Does AI pose a threat to human life — and if so, what kind?

Are the doomsday scenarios associated with Artificial “Super” Intelligence distracting us from the ways that the pervasive use of AI is already corrupting our use of language and the transmission of knowledge?
7/26/202354 minutes, 3 seconds
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Does AI pose a threat to human life — and if so, what kind?

Are the doomsday scenarios associated with Artificial “Super” Intelligence distracting us from the ways that the pervasive use of AI is already corrupting our use of language and the transmission of knowledge?
7/26/202354 minutes, 3 seconds
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Are cluster munitions a “lesser evil” in the war in Ukraine?

Earlier this month, US President Joe Biden made the surprising decision to supply Ukraine with cluster munitions. Does the threat posed by Russia outweigh the moral considerations that place such weapons beyond the pale for many other nations?
7/19/202353 minutes, 31 seconds
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Are cluster munitions a “lesser evil” in the war in Ukraine?

Earlier this month, US President Joe Biden made the surprising decision to supply Ukraine with cluster munitions. Does the threat posed by Russia outweigh the moral considerations that place such weapons beyond the pale for many other nations?
7/19/202353 minutes, 31 seconds
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Why do we distance ourselves from our age?

Western culture’s association of ageing with decline and obsolescence fuels (and is fuelled by) a desire to dissociate ourselves from our age — but such forms of subtle and overt ageism express contempt for something that is essentially human.
7/12/202353 minutes, 54 seconds
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Why do we distance ourselves from our age?

Western culture’s association of ageing with decline and obsolescence fuels (and is fuelled by) a desire to dissociate ourselves from our age — but such forms of subtle and overt ageism express contempt for something that is essentially human.
7/12/202353 minutes, 54 seconds
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What does it take to address a “wicked problem” like political corruption?

The newly formed National Anti-Corruption Commission faces both unrealistic expectations and a potentially fraught political climate. Professor A.J. Brown joins Waleed and Scott to discuss how it can restore popular faith in democratic politics.
7/5/202353 minutes, 36 seconds
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What does it take to address a “wicked problem” like political corruption?

The newly formed National Anti-Corruption Commission faces both unrealistic expectations and a potentially fraught political climate. Professor A.J. Brown joins Waleed and Scott to discuss how it can restore popular faith in democratic politics.
7/5/202353 minutes, 36 seconds
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What are playlists doing to our ability to listen to music?

Platforms like Spotify have transformed the way people listen to music through their use of recommendation algorithms and customised playlists designed to cater to either a particular activity or a particular mood.
6/28/202354 minutes, 13 seconds
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What are playlists doing to our ability to listen to music?

Platforms like Spotify have transformed the way people listen to music through their use of recommendation algorithms and customised playlists designed to cater to either a particular activity or a particular mood.
6/28/202354 minutes, 13 seconds
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How to respond responsibly to the “cost of living crisis”?

The tendency over the past four decades has been for governments to try to shield their populations from energy shocks and their associated “cost of living” crises — but is such a response truly sustainable?
6/21/202353 minutes, 18 seconds
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How to respond responsibly to the “cost of living crisis”?

The tendency over the past four decades has been for governments to try to shield their populations from energy shocks and their associated “cost of living” crises — but is such a response truly sustainable?
6/21/202353 minutes, 18 seconds
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Does the Voice to Parliament undermine Australia’s political traditions?

The proposed Voice to Parliament is particularly susceptible to two arguments: that it violates the principle of equal citizenship; and that it will enshrine a divisive form of “identity politics” in Australian public life. Whether these arguments hold depends on our understanding of the meaning of democratic equality.
6/14/202352 minutes, 51 seconds
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Does the Voice to Parliament undermine Australia’s political traditions?

The proposed Voice to Parliament is particularly susceptible to two arguments: that it violates the principle of equal citizenship; and that it will enshrine a divisive form of “identity politics” in Australian public life. Whether these arguments hold depends on our understanding of the meaning of democratic equality.
6/14/202352 minutes, 51 seconds
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“Succession” — from tyranny to tragedy

The final season of HBO’s prestige television series Succession confirms that the various characters’ willingness to betray, deceive, manipulate and enact an unrelenting cruelty upon one another has all but assured that, in the end, everyone loses.
6/7/202353 minutes, 40 seconds
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“Succession” — from tyranny to tragedy

The final season of HBO’s prestige television series Succession confirms that the various characters’ willingness to betray, deceive, manipulate and enact an unrelenting cruelty upon one another has all but assured that, in the end, everyone loses.
6/7/202353 minutes, 40 seconds
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Are Labor’s “stage three” tax cuts unjust and unethical?

It’s been a long time since a policy adopted by the federal government has presented such a knot of party-political, parliamentary, social and ethical problems — Professor Miranda Stewart joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to try to untangle it.
5/31/202353 minutes, 55 seconds
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Are Labor’s “stage three” tax cuts unjust and unethical?

It’s been a long time since a policy adopted by the federal government has presented such a knot of party-political, parliamentary, social and ethical problems — Professor Miranda Stewart joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to try to untangle it.
5/31/202353 minutes, 55 seconds
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Is Stan Grant’s decision the result of a broken media?

At the end of Monday’s Q+A, Wiradjuri man and journalist Stan Grant stated: “We in the media must ask if we are truly honouring a world worth living in.” Why aren’t more taking him seriously?
5/24/202354 minutes, 8 seconds
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Is Stan Grant’s decision the result of a broken media?

At the end of Monday’s Q+A, Wiradjuri man and journalist Stan Grant stated: “We in the media must ask if we are truly honouring a world worth living in.” Why aren’t more taking him seriously?
5/24/202354 minutes, 8 seconds
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What is the human cost of success? Revisiting HBO’s Succession

As the fourth and final series of the HBO television show “Succession” approaches its finale, Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens revisit the first three seasons. Why does this show matter? What does it tell us, despite its opulence and obscenity, about what is of greatest value in human life?
5/17/202352 minutes, 56 seconds
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What is the human cost of success? Revisiting HBO’s Succession

As the fourth and final series of the HBO television show “Succession” approaches its finale, Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens revisit the first three seasons. Why does this show matter? What does it tell us, despite its opulence and obscenity, about what is of greatest value in human life?
5/17/202352 minutes, 56 seconds
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What is the phenomenon of “bigness” doing to human agency?

We live in an era dominated by vast digital platforms, what David Auerbach calls “meganets” – the sheer volume of data they trade in and numbers they produce seem to render them unassailable, irresistable.
5/10/202353 minutes, 31 seconds
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What is the phenomenon of “bigness” doing to human agency?

We live in an era dominated by vast digital platforms, what David Auerbach calls “meganets” – the sheer volume of data they trade in and numbers they produce seem to render them unassailable, irresistable.
5/10/202353 minutes, 31 seconds
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Is loneliness a problem that can be solved?

Hyperconnectivity has coincided with an epidemic of loneliness — but is loneliness simply part of the human condition? Samantha Rose Hill joins The Minefield to discuss whether we can counter its harmful effects while nurturing genuine solitude.
5/3/202353 minutes, 35 seconds
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Is loneliness a problem that can be solved?

Hyperconnectivity has coincided with an epidemic of loneliness — but is loneliness simply part of the human condition? Samantha Rose Hill joins The Minefield to discuss whether we can counter its harmful effects while nurturing genuine solitude.
5/3/202353 minutes, 35 seconds
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Is loneliness a problem that can be solved?

Hyperconnectivity has coincided with an epidemic of loneliness — but is loneliness simply part of the human condition? Samantha Rose Hill joins The Minefield to discuss whether we can counter its harmful effects while nurturing genuine solitude.
5/3/202353 minutes, 35 seconds
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Martial virtues, military conditioning, and moral damage

Can soldiers be trained to kill their fellow human beings without that training doing irreparable damage to the moral lives of the soldiers themselves?
4/26/202353 minutes, 46 seconds
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Martial virtues, military conditioning, and moral damage

Can soldiers be trained to kill their fellow human beings without that training doing irreparable damage to the moral lives of the soldiers themselves?
4/26/202353 minutes, 46 seconds
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“An eye that cannot weep” — What does compassion demand of us?

In the final episode of our Ramadan series, we explore the roots of our occasional heedlessness when confronted by the plight and pleas of another person: What could make us callous to their suffering, and how should we respond?
4/19/202354 minutes, 1 second
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“An eye that cannot weep” — What does compassion demand of us?

In the final episode of our Ramadan series, we explore the roots of our occasional heedlessness when confronted by the plight and pleas of another person: What could make us callous to their suffering, and how should we respond?
4/19/202354 minutes, 1 second
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“Knowledge that does not benefit”: On the uses and abuses of information

In the fourth instalment of our Ramadan series, we discuss whether “knowledge” which is wielded in a way that demeans others, or which is accumulated as a form of vanity, can really be considered beneficial?
4/12/202353 minutes, 39 seconds
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“Knowledge that does not benefit” — On the uses and abuses of information

In the fourth instalment of our Ramadan series, we discuss whether “knowledge” which is wielded in a way that demeans others, or which is accumulated as a form of vanity, can really be considered beneficial?
4/12/202353 minutes, 39 seconds
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“A soul that will not be satisfied”: The problem of human restlessness

For this third show in our Ramadan series, we’re asking what it is about the human condition that seems to drive it to perpetual discontentment? What is the virtue of repose, and when does “contentment” become indolence or conformity, a chronic lack of curiosity?
4/5/202353 minutes, 53 seconds
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“A soul that will not be satisfied” — The problem of human restlessness

For this third show in our Ramadan series, we’re asking what it is about the human condition that seems to drive it to perpetual discontentment? What is the virtue of repose, and when does “contentment” become indolence or conformity, a chronic lack of curiosity?
4/5/202353 minutes, 53 seconds
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“A prayer that is not heard”: The dangers of ego-centric speech

Ego-centrism is a form of inattentiveness, a failure to be responsive to the moral reality of another person. In this second instalment in our Ramadan series, we explore how such inattentiveness can corrupt our words and actions.
3/29/202353 minutes, 34 seconds
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“A prayer that is not heard” — The dangers of ego-centric speech

Ego-centrism is a form of inattentiveness, a failure to be responsive to the moral reality of another person. In this second instalment in our Ramadan series, we explore how such inattentiveness can corrupt our words and actions.
3/29/202353 minutes, 34 seconds
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“A heart that cannot humble itself”: The virtue of intellectual humility

What does it mean to be intellectually humble? How might such humility be cultivated? What are its benefits — both to ourselves and to those around us?
3/22/20230
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“A heart that cannot humble itself” — The virtue of intellectual humility

What does it mean to be intellectually humble? How might such humility be cultivated? What are its benefits — both to ourselves and to those around us?
3/22/20230
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Should Fawlty Towers’ farcical vision of Britain be “rebooted”?

Now that John Cleese has announced that the iconic series will return, it’s worth examining what made Fawlty Towers a masterpiece — and whether its interaction with the political climate of the 1970s had anything to do with it.
3/15/20230
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Should Fawlty Towers’ farcical vision of Britain be “rebooted”?

Now that John Cleese has announced that the iconic series will return, it’s worth examining what made Fawlty Towers a masterpiece — and whether its interaction with the political climate of the 1970s had anything to do with it.
3/15/20230
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What does the failure of Robodebt tell us about the government’s “duty of care”?

What made the Online Compliance Initiative — better known as the Robodebt scheme — so egregious is the way it was designed to treat those purported to be “welfare cheats” with utter contempt.
3/8/20230
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What does the failure of Robodebt tell us about the government’s “duty of care”?

What made the Online Compliance Initiative — better known as the Robodebt scheme — so egregious is the way it was designed to treat those purported to be “welfare cheats” with utter contempt.
3/8/20230
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What does it mean to be a moral parent?

Even though we rarely frame it in these terms, it is hardly inappropriate to refer to the relationship between a parent and a child as a moral relationship. Professor Luara Ferracioli joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to explore the nature, and limits, of that relationship.
3/1/20230
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What does it mean to be a moral parent?

Even though we rarely frame it in these terms, it is hardly inappropriate to refer to the relationship between a parent and a child as a moral relationship. Professor Luara Ferracioli joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to explore the nature, and limits, of that relationship.
3/1/20230
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Should early childhood education be compulsory?

There are good political and philosophical reasons for seeing free and equal access to early childhood education as an expression of our shared commitment to justice.
2/22/20230
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Should early childhood education be compulsory?

There are good political and philosophical reasons for seeing free and equal access to early childhood education as an expression of our shared commitment to justice.
2/22/20230
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Sports betting: Is it corrupting what it means to be a fan?

Dr Lauren Gurrieri joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to discuss the sophisticated ways sports gambling operators are targeting new clientele — through targeted ads and by parasitising existing social media technologies.
2/15/20230
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Sports betting: Is it corrupting what it means to be a fan?

Dr Lauren Gurrieri joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to discuss the sophisticated ways sports gambling operators are targeting new clientele — through targeted ads and by parasitising existing social media technologies.
2/15/20230
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What is generative-AI doing to our capacity to write — and think?

Professor Naomi Baron joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to discuss whether ChatGPT and its soon-to-be-released competitors, with their lure of efficiency and ease, are threatening the human ability to write.
2/8/20230
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What is generative-AI doing to our capacity to write — and think?

Professor Naomi Baron joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to discuss whether ChatGPT and its soon-to-be-released competitors, with their lure of efficiency and ease, are threatening the human ability to write.
2/8/20230
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What does it mean to be “literate” — and is it under threat?

Professor Maryanne Wolf joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to discuss whether we are entering an age of widespread moral illiteracy — an incapacity to engage in the processes that make up the habit of deep reading.
2/1/20230
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What does it mean to be “literate” — and is it under threat?

Professor Maryanne Wolf joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to discuss whether we are entering an age of widespread moral illiteracy — an incapacity to engage in the processes that make up the habit of deep reading.
2/1/20230
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What’s at stake in this year’s constitutional referendum?

Professor Mark McKenna discusses with Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens why any proposal to change the Australian Constitution must navigate Australians’ conservative disposition and underlying sense of national pride.
1/25/20230
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What’s at stake in this year’s constitutional referendum?

Professor Mark McKenna discusses with Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens why any proposal to change the Australian Constitution must navigate Australians’ conservative disposition and underlying sense of national pride.
1/25/20230
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What’s the point of political comedy?

While political comedy has long been a distinguishing feature of truly democratic cultures, one of the more notable shifts over the past two decades has been the merger of comedy into political commentary. What has this done to the conditions of our common life?
1/19/20230
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What’s the point of political comedy?

While political comedy has long been a distinguishing feature of truly democratic cultures, one of the more notable shifts over the past two decades has been the merger of comedy into political commentary. What has this done to the conditions of our common life?
1/19/20230
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The ethics of shame

Perhaps no “moral emotion” in our time is more reviled than shame. It is regarded, certainly in the West, as uniquely destructive to a healthy sense of self, as psychologically damaging and socially abusive, and to be avoided at all costs. Professor Owen Flanagan joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to discuss whether shame has been given a bad rap, and why we might need more of it.
1/12/20230
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The ethics of shame

Perhaps no “moral emotion” in our time is more reviled than shame. It is regarded, certainly in the West, as uniquely destructive to a healthy sense of self, as psychologically damaging and socially abusive, and to be avoided at all costs. Professor Owen Flanagan joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to discuss whether shame has been given a bad rap, and why we might need more of it.
1/12/20230
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Is anger corrosive to the moral life? A conversation with Christos Tsiolkas

There is no doubt that emotions like anger can be a proper response to the persistence of injustice or inequality or prejudice or cruelty in the world. But it can also be exhausting and insatiable in its desire for retribution, or to impose one’s will upon the world. Should we, then, seek to renounce anger?
1/5/20230
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Is anger corrosive to the moral life? A conversation with Christos Tsiolkas

There is no doubt that emotions like anger can be a proper response to the persistence of injustice or inequality or prejudice or cruelty in the world. But it can also be exhausting and insatiable in its desire for retribution, or to impose one’s will upon the world. Should we, then, seek to renounce anger?
1/5/20230
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Purification and the Moral Life: Disciplining the Eyes

There are habits of seeing which can corrupt our moral lives, or clutter our vision, or defile our imaginations. Just as there is a “contemptuous gaze”, as Iris Murdoch puts it, there are also “eyes tempered by grace”. So what might it mean to undergo a “fast for the eyes” in order to see the world more clearly?
12/29/20220
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Purification and the Moral Life: Disciplining the Eyes

There are habits of seeing which can corrupt our moral lives, or clutter our vision, or defile our imaginations. Just as there is a “contemptuous gaze”, as Iris Murdoch puts it, there are also “eyes tempered by grace”. So what might it mean to undergo a “fast for the eyes” in order to see the world more clearly?
12/29/20220
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The Art of Living: Jane Austen's "Emma"

In Jane Austen’s novel Emma, we find an abiding concern with the demands, not just of propriety, but of morality, an attentiveness to the dangers of self-deception, and vivid reminders of the importance of friendship to progress in the moral life.
12/22/20220
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The Art of Living: Jane Austen's "Emma"

In Jane Austen’s novel Emma, we find an abiding concern with the demands, not just of propriety, but of morality, an attentiveness to the dangers of self-deception, and vivid reminders of the importance of friendship to progress in the moral life.
12/22/20220
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Bonus episode: The 2022 Simone Weil Lecture on Human Value

In November 2022, Scott Stephens delivered the 20th annual Simone Weil Lecture on Human Value hosted by the Australian Catholic University. His topic was the moral conditions of democratic life.
12/21/202254 minutes, 23 seconds
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Bonus episode: The 2022 Simone Weil Lecture on Human Value

In November 2022, Scott Stephens delivered the 20th annual Simone Weil Lecture on Human Value hosted by the Australian Catholic University. His topic was the moral conditions of democratic life.
12/21/202254 minutes, 23 seconds
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Should you avoid disagreements this Christmas or welcome them?

Over the next few weeks, we are bound to be in the same space with some most disagreeable company. Is this a prospect we should dread?
12/15/20220
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Should you avoid disagreements this Christmas or welcome them?

Over the next few weeks, we are bound to be in the same space with some most disagreeable company. Is this a prospect we should dread?
12/15/20220
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The ethical demands of "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (1967)

Does Stanley Kramer's 1967 film, "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner", have to make too many sacrifices in order to be morally palatable to its white audience?
12/8/20220
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The ethical demands of "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (1967)

Does Stanley Kramer's 1967 film, "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner", have to make too many sacrifices in order to be morally palatable to its white audience?
12/8/20220
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Is jealousy a moral emotion, or an immoral one?

Jealousy is one of those rare emotions whose presence or evidence is almost always looked down upon, but whose total absence is also viewed with a certain suspicion, even disdain. So how does it differ from envy? Can jealousy ever be "moral"?
12/1/20220
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Is jealousy a moral emotion, or an immoral one?

Jealousy is one of those rare emotions whose presence or evidence is almost always looked down upon, but whose total absence is also viewed with a certain suspicion, even disdain. So how does it differ from envy? Can jealousy ever be "moral"?
12/1/20220
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Is fashion remaking our bodies?

Ever since the advent of “ready-to-wear” mass-produced clothing, the brands and prevailing fashions they establish hold out a kind of “idealised” body to which wearers must conform.
11/24/20220
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Is fashion remaking our bodies?

Ever since the advent of “ready-to-wear” mass-produced clothing, the brands and prevailing fashions they establish hold out a kind of “idealised” body to which wearers must conform.
11/24/20220
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Is civility a moral obligation in a democracy?

In our time, civility has gotten a bad name — usually by being reduced to something like politeness or courtesy. But is that all there is to civility?
11/17/20220
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Is civility a moral obligation in a democracy?

In our time, civility has gotten a bad name — usually by being reduced to something like politeness or courtesy. But is that all there is to civility?
11/17/20220
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Queen at Live Aid, 1985

There is no denying that Queen’s set at Live Aid on 13 July 1985 was one of the most electrifying live performances ever captured. But did Queen simply pull out their “greatest hits”, or were they attuned to the ethical demands of the occasion? Guest: Shane Homan is the Head of the School of Media, Film and Journalism at Monash University.
11/10/20220
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Queen at Live Aid, 1985

There is no denying that Queen’s set at Live Aid on 13 July 1985 was one of the most electrifying live performances ever captured. But did Queen simply pull out their “greatest hits”, or were they attuned to the ethical demands of the occasion? Guest: Shane Homan is the Head of the School of Media, Film and Journalism at Monash University.
11/10/20220
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Disruption or continuity: What does climate change demand?

Movements like Extinction Rebellion and Effective Altruism both regard the fact of climate change and the impending threat of climate catastrophe as moral realities that cannot be ignored. Which is the more fitting response?
11/3/20220
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Disruption or continuity: What does climate change demand?

Movements like Extinction Rebellion and Effective Altruism both regard the fact of climate change and the impending threat of climate catastrophe as moral realities that cannot be ignored. Which is the more fitting response?
11/3/20220
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Sports, sponsorship and solidarity

How far should clubs be expected to go when it comes to accommodating the ethical or religious objections of their players to wear sponsor logos?
10/27/20220
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Sports, sponsorship and solidarity

How far should clubs be expected to go when it comes to accommodating the ethical or religious objections of their players to wear sponsor logos?
10/27/20220
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What are the moral limits of compromise?

Politics is sometimes called the “art of the possible”, which entails sacrificing what is ideal for the sake what is tolerable and achievable. But when are such compromises virtuous, and when are they a form of consent to injustice?
10/20/20220
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What are the moral limits of compromise?

Politics is sometimes called the “art of the possible”, which entails sacrificing what is ideal for the sake what is tolerable and achievable. But when are such compromises virtuous, and when are they a form of consent to injustice?
10/20/20220
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Can Twitter be reformed, or should it be abandoned?

What are we to make of Elon Musk’s claims about “free speech” and about a private company functioning as a “de facto public town square”?
10/13/20220
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Can Twitter be reformed, or should it be abandoned?

What are we to make of Elon Musk’s claims about “free speech” and about a private company functioning as a “de facto public town square”?
10/13/20220
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Live from the Festival of Dangerous Ideas: Is contempt corroding democracy?

Because of the pervasiveness of contempt, we no longer see those with whom we radically disagree as members of a common moral community, and therefore as participants in a shared political project.
10/6/20220
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Live from the Festival of Dangerous Ideas: Is contempt corroding democracy?

Because of the pervasiveness of contempt, we no longer see those with whom we radically disagree as members of a common moral community, and therefore as participants in a shared political project.
10/6/20220
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How should the West respond to the threats of a wounded Putin?

Ukraine has enjoyed remarkable military success against Russian invaders — thanks, in no small part, to the financial support and weaponry provided by Western nations. In response, President Vladimir Putin has raised the possibility of nuclear retaliation. Does such a prospect change the moral calculus of the West’s support of and solidarity with Ukraine?
9/29/20220
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How should the West respond to the threats of a wounded Putin?

Ukraine has enjoyed remarkable military success against Russian invaders — thanks, in no small part, to the financial support and weaponry provided by Western nations. In response, President Vladimir Putin has raised the possibility of nuclear retaliation. Does such a prospect change the moral calculus of the West’s support of and solidarity with Ukraine?
9/29/20220
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Can sport teach us anything about the shape of a fair society?

Are the more deleterious tendencies of economy and culture moulding sport after its own image?
9/22/20220
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Can sport teach us anything about the shape of a fair society?

Are the more deleterious tendencies of economy and culture moulding sport after its own image?
9/22/20220
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Was Queen Elizabeth a “political” figure?

In a time when everything is politicised, it is worth noting that so many people have such evident affection for a figure who stood above the political fray. Does democratic politics require apolitical institutions in order to be healthy?
9/15/20220
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Was Queen Elizabeth a “political” figure?

In a time when everything is politicised, it is worth noting that so many people have such evident affection for a figure who stood above the political fray. Does democratic politics require apolitical institutions in order to be healthy?
9/15/20220
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Is nostalgia necessarily a bad thing?

Over the last century, we’ve seen the profound longing for a way of life that has seemingly been “lost” — or, more insidiously, “stolen” — be weaponised by cunning politicians and turned against members of a political community. But should nostalgia simply be dismissed?
9/8/20220
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Is nostalgia necessarily a bad thing?

Over the last century, we’ve seen the profound longing for a way of life that has seemingly been “lost” — or, more insidiously, “stolen” — be weaponised by cunning politicians and turned against members of a political community. But should nostalgia simply be dismissed?
9/8/20220
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What do we owe our work?

For many people, burning-out is taken as proof of our dedication to our jobs. Have we finally reached the point where we can re-envision the relationship between work and life?
9/1/20220
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What do we owe our work?

For many people, burning-out is taken as proof of our dedication to our jobs. Have we finally reached the point where we can re-envision the relationship between work and life?
9/1/20220
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How much should we care about Scott Morrison’s “secret ministries”?

For the last two weeks, Australian political coverage has been consumed by a series of decisions undertaken by the former Prime Minister. What made them so serious? How far should we go to ensure they can't happen again?
8/25/20220
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How much should we care about Scott Morrison’s “secret ministries”?

For the last two weeks, Australian political coverage has been consumed by a series of decisions undertaken by the former Prime Minister. What made them so serious? How far should we go to ensure they can't happen again?
8/25/20220
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How much polarisation can a democracy withstand?

Democracies assume that there will be a high level of disagreement among its members. But what happens when those disagreements become incommensurable, when the parties become unintelligible to one another?
8/18/20220
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How much polarisation can a democracy withstand?

Democracies assume that there will be a high level of disagreement among its members. But what happens when those disagreements become incommensurable, when the parties become unintelligible to one another?
8/18/20220
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The ethics of shame

Perhaps no “moral emotion” in our time is more reviled than shame. It is regarded, certainly in the West, as uniquely destructive to a healthy sense of self, as psychologically damaging and socially abusive, and to be avoided at all costs. Professor Owen Flanagan joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to discuss whether shame has been given a bad rap, and why we might need more of it.
8/11/20220
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The ethics of shame

Perhaps no “moral emotion” in our time is more reviled than shame. It is regarded, certainly in the West, as uniquely destructive to a healthy sense of self, as psychologically damaging and socially abusive, and to be avoided at all costs. Professor Owen Flanagan joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to discuss whether shame has been given a bad rap, and why we might need more of it.
8/11/20220
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Can constitutional recognition be an act of patriotic pride?

In his speech to the Garma Festival, PM Anthony Albanese put it to the nation that constitutionally enshrining a First Nations Voice would not undermine Australia’s national identity, but more fully express it. Professor Tim Soutphommasane joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to discuss the nature and moral limits of patriotism, and whether it can co-exist with an appropriate sense of national remorse, even shame.
8/4/202253 minutes, 44 seconds
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Can constitutional recognition be an act of patriotic pride?

In his speech to the Garma Festival, PM Anthony Albanese put it to the nation that constitutionally enshrining a First Nations Voice would not undermine Australia’s national identity, but more fully express it. Professor Tim Soutphommasane joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to discuss the nature and moral limits of patriotism, and whether it can co-exist with an appropriate sense of national remorse, even shame.
8/4/202253 minutes, 44 seconds
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Should voice assistants use the voices of our loved ones?

Amazon recently unveiled its plans for an update to Alexa that will enable the device to sound like someone you love — even someone who has died. Professor Yolande Strengers joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to unpack why this is such a bad idea, and how to understand the ethical limits of our relationship with technology.
7/28/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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Should voice assistants use the voices of our loved ones?

Amazon recently unveiled its plans for an update to Alexa that will enable the device to sound like someone you love — even someone who has died. Professor Yolande Strengers joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to unpack why this is such a bad idea, and how to understand the ethical limits of our relationship with technology.
7/28/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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What's the point of political "diversity"?

Following the ignominious resignation of Boris Johnson, the Tories are looking for a new leader — and the UK a new Prime Minister. The cast of contenders is the most diverse we’ve seen, but that hasn’t yielded a notably different political vision. Why? ANU political scientist Marija Taflaga joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to discuss the significance of and constraints on diversity in political representation.
7/21/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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What's the point of political "diversity"?

Following the ignominious resignation of Boris Johnson, the Tories are looking for a new leader — and the UK a new Prime Minister. The cast of contenders is the most diverse we’ve seen, but that hasn’t yielded a notably different political vision. Why? ANU political scientist Marija Taflaga joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to discuss the significance of and constraints on diversity in political representation.
7/21/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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Does standpoint epistemology undermine democratic politics?

Democratic politics is more than a matter of power. It is predicated on the possibility of discovering common ground through practices of mutual recognition, exchange, attentiveness, and understanding.
7/14/202254 minutes, 5 seconds
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Does standpoint epistemology undermine democratic politics?

Democratic politics is more than a matter of power. It is predicated on the possibility of discovering common ground through practices of mutual recognition, exchange, attentiveness, and understanding.
7/14/202254 minutes, 5 seconds
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The Art of Living: Jane Austen's "Emma"

In Jane Austen’s novel Emma, we find an abiding concern with the demands, not just of propriety, but of morality, an attentiveness to the dangers of self-deception, and vivid reminders of the importance of friendship to progress in the moral life.
7/7/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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The Art of Living: Jane Austen's "Emma"

In Jane Austen’s novel Emma, we find an abiding concern with the demands, not just of propriety, but of morality, an attentiveness to the dangers of self-deception, and vivid reminders of the importance of friendship to progress in the moral life.
7/7/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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Persuasion — is it possible, or even desirable?

Far too much debate today is more like a play of competing monologues, or self-promotion designed to perform for one’s tribe. Should we give up on the fantasy of persuasion through argumentation and cascading theses altogether?
6/30/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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Persuasion — is it possible, or even desirable?

Far too much debate today is more like a play of competing monologues, or self-promotion designed to perform for one’s tribe. Should we give up on the fantasy of persuasion through argumentation and cascading theses altogether?
6/30/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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Is Julian Assange entitled to a “free speech” defence?

Julian Assange’s defenders claim that the free speech protections afforded to news organisations should apply to Assange as well — and that his impending extradition to the US therefore poses a threat to democracy. Professor Katharine Gelber joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to discuss whether the free speech argument holds.
6/23/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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Is Julian Assange entitled to a “free speech” defence?

Julian Assange’s defenders claim that the free speech protections afforded to news organisations should apply to Assange as well — and that his impending extradition to the US therefore poses a threat to democracy. Professor Katharine Gelber joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to discuss whether the free speech argument holds.
6/23/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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What’s the point of political comedy?

While political comedy has long been a distinguishing feature of truly democratic cultures, one of the more notable shifts over the past two decades has been the merger of comedy into political commentary. What has this done to the conditions of our common life?
6/16/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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What’s the point of political comedy?

While political comedy has long been a distinguishing feature of truly democratic cultures, one of the more notable shifts over the past two decades has been the merger of comedy into political commentary. What has this done to the conditions of our common life?
6/16/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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What would a First Nations Voice mean for Australia?

Five years after the historic gathering at the red centre, Anthony Albanese used his election night victory speech to “commit to the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full”. Professor Megan Davis joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens on The Minefield to discuss some of the obstacles that stand in the way of a constitutional referendum, and how a First Nations Voice might transform the moral fabric of our politics.
6/9/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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What would a First Nations Voice mean for Australia?

Five years after the historic gathering at the red centre, Anthony Albanese used his election night victory speech to “commit to the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full”. Professor Megan Davis joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens on The Minefield to discuss some of the obstacles that stand in the way of a constitutional referendum, and how a First Nations Voice might transform the moral fabric of our politics.
6/9/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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The ethical dilemmas of crowd-funding platforms

Social media platforms have been the objects of unrelenting public and political scrutiny over the past decade. Rather less attention has been paid to their more benign cousins — so called “crowd-funding platforms” like GoFundMe. Until now. For what happens when one person’s worthy cause is another’s moral abomination?
6/2/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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The ethical dilemmas of crowd-funding platforms

Social media platforms have been the objects of unrelenting public and political scrutiny over the past decade. Rather less attention has been paid to their more benign cousins — so called “crowd-funding platforms” like GoFundMe. Until now. For what happens when one person’s worthy cause is another’s moral abomination?
6/2/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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What is the significance of Australia’s federal election?

Does the 2022 federal election tell us anything about the future of Australian democracy? We know that the Coalition was resoundingly defeated. But does Australia’s new patchwork parliament hold out a surprising model for how some of the inherent limits of representative politics can be overcome?
5/26/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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What is the significance of Australia’s federal election?

Does the 2022 federal election tell us anything about the future of Australian democracy? We know that the Coalition was resoundingly defeated. But does Australia’s new patchwork parliament hold out a surprising model for how some of the inherent limits of representative politics can be overcome?
5/26/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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How do you solve a problem like housing affordability?

There is an inescapable conflict that any policy meant to address housing affordability must contend with: in order to make home-ownership more achievable for some, the value of houses must decrease — thereby offending the way we have been urged to see houses as an instrument of financial accumulation. Professor Victoria Ong ViforJ joins The Minefield to discuss whether there is a solution.
5/19/20223 minutes, 42 seconds
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How do you solve a problem like housing affordability?

There is an inescapable conflict that any policy meant to address housing affordability must contend with: in order to make home-ownership more achievable for some, the value of houses must decrease — thereby offending the way we have been urged to see houses as an instrument of financial accumulation. Professor Victoria Ong ViforJ joins The Minefield to discuss whether there is a solution.
5/19/20223 minutes, 42 seconds
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Is it ethical to be ambivalent?

We live in a time when “hot” emotions prevail. It could be that an alternative sentiment, in some ethically complex circumstances, is ambivalence — which is to say, a willingness to withhold judgment, to linger in the interval between two options.
5/12/202254 minutes, 8 seconds
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Is it ethical to be ambivalent?

We live in a time when “hot” emotions prevail. It could be that an alternative sentiment, in some ethically complex circumstances, is ambivalence — which is to say, a willingness to withhold judgment, to linger in the interval between two options.
5/12/202254 minutes, 8 seconds
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Sovereignty, security, and the Solomon Islands

By turning the Solomon Islands into a federal election “issue”, Australia has emphasised the national security implications of their agreement with China. PM Manasseh Sogavare has, in response, asserted their right to “manage our sovereign affairs”. ANU’s Terence Wood joins The Minefield to discuss the tension between security and sovereignty, and what it all means for Solomon Island’s democratic culture.
5/5/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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Sovereignty, security, and the Solomon Islands

By turning the Solomon Islands into a federal election “issue”, Australia has emphasised the national security implications of their agreement with China. PM Manasseh Sogavare has, in response, asserted their right to “manage our sovereign affairs”. ANU’s Terence Wood joins The Minefield to discuss the tension between security and sovereignty, and what it all means for Solomon Island’s democratic culture.
5/5/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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Purification and the Moral Life: The Ethics of Hunger and Eating

Few of life’s activities are as morally complicated as eating. If food has become, in our time, a source of nourishment for what Iris Murdoch calls the “fat relentless ego”, what might it mean to transform food into a means of achieving companionability with others?
4/28/202219 seconds
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Purification and the Moral Life: The Ethics of Hunger and Eating

Few of life’s activities are as morally complicated as eating. If food has become, in our time, a source of nourishment for what Iris Murdoch calls the “fat relentless ego”, what might it mean to transform food into a means of achieving companionability with others?
4/28/202219 seconds
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Purification and the Moral Life: Disciplining the Eyes

There are habits of seeing which can corrupt our moral lives, or clutter our vision, or defile our imaginations. Just as there is a “contemptuous gaze”, as Iris Murdoch puts it, there are also “eyes tempered by grace”. So what might it mean to undergo a “fast for the eyes” in order to see the world more clearly?
4/21/20221 minute, 25 seconds
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Purification and the Moral Life: Disciplining the Eyes

There are habits of seeing which can corrupt our moral lives, or clutter our vision, or defile our imaginations. Just as there is a “contemptuous gaze”, as Iris Murdoch puts it, there are also “eyes tempered by grace”. So what might it mean to undergo a “fast for the eyes” in order to see the world more clearly?
4/21/20221 minute, 25 seconds
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Purification and the Moral Life: Chastening Speech

Of all the ways we interact with the world and with the moral reality of other persons, none is as fundamental as speech. In a time when we are saturated with words, what might it mean to purify our language?
4/14/202254 minutes, 5 seconds
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Purification and the Moral Life: Chastening Speech

Of all the ways we interact with the world and with the moral reality of other persons, none is as fundamental as speech. In a time when we are saturated with words, what might it mean to purify our language?
4/14/202254 minutes, 5 seconds
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Purification and the Moral Life: Transforming Desire

What if the impediments to moral growth are not purely or even primarily external to us? During the month of Ramadan, we explore the inner tension between our tendency toward egotism, craving, and self-deception, and the task of cultivating the virtues of humility, self-restraint, and moral clarity.
4/7/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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Purification and the Moral Life: Transforming Desire

What if the impediments to moral growth are not purely or even primarily external to us? During the month of Ramadan, we explore the inner tension between our tendency toward egotism, craving, and self-deception, and the task of cultivating the virtues of humility, self-restraint, and moral clarity.
4/7/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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Is anger corrosive to the moral life? A conversation with Christos Tsiolkas

There is no doubt that emotions like anger can be a proper response to the persistence of injustice or inequality or prejudice or cruelty in the world. But it can also be exhausting and insatiable in its desire for retribution, or to impose one’s will upon the world. Should we, then, seek to renounce anger?
3/31/202254 minutes, 8 seconds
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Is anger corrosive to the moral life? A conversation with Christos Tsiolkas

There is no doubt that emotions like anger can be a proper response to the persistence of injustice or inequality or prejudice or cruelty in the world. But it can also be exhausting and insatiable in its desire for retribution, or to impose one’s will upon the world. Should we, then, seek to renounce anger?
3/31/202254 minutes, 8 seconds
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Live from WOMADelaide: Should children get the vote?

The question of whether the franchise should be extended to children has become an increasingly pressing topic in political theory. But why would we want them to vote? Is it in the interests of political equality? It is to achieve a specific outcome — say, more future-oriented, climate friendly policies? Or is it to cultivate the necessary democratic virtues?
3/24/202254 minutes, 6 seconds
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Live from WOMADelaide: Should children get the vote?

The question of whether the franchise should be extended to children has become an increasingly pressing topic in political theory. But why would we want them to vote? Is it in the interests of political equality? It is to achieve a specific outcome — say, more future-oriented, climate friendly policies? Or is it to cultivate the necessary democratic virtues?
3/24/202254 minutes, 6 seconds
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What's at stake in the conflict in Ukraine?

It is hardly surprising that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been met by fierce, swift, and unified opposition on the part of the West and their allies — who have offered strategic support to the Ukrainian military, and isolated Russia through an unprecedented regime of economic, diplomatic, and cultural sanctions. What might this mean for international responses to other such atrocities elsewhere?
3/17/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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What's at stake in the conflict in Ukraine?

It is hardly surprising that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been met by fierce, swift, and unified opposition on the part of the West and their allies — who have offered strategic support to the Ukrainian military, and isolated Russia through an unprecedented regime of economic, diplomatic, and cultural sanctions. What might this mean for international responses to other such atrocities elsewhere?
3/17/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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What’s worse in politics — lying or hypocrisy?

Lying has become so commonplace in politics that it has almost become expected — if not quite accepted. Many politicians who are notoriously promiscuous with the truth even remain relatively popular. Whereas few things infuriate voters like hypocrisy. Should hypocrisy bother us as much as it does? Should we be quite as blasé about political lying as we seem to be?
3/10/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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What’s worse in politics — lying or hypocrisy?

Lying has become so commonplace in politics that it has almost become expected — if not quite accepted. Many politicians who are notoriously promiscuous with the truth even remain relatively popular. Whereas few things infuriate voters like hypocrisy. Should hypocrisy bother us as much as it does? Should we be quite as blasé about political lying as we seem to be?
3/10/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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"Succession" — A Theatre of Cruelty

Works of art, both high and low, can inform and inflect a moral vision of the world. It makes sense to approach works of art with an attentiveness to the light they shed on our lives and our life together. But does this still apply to the award-winning HBO series “Succession”, with its evident delight in cruelty, cunning, and almost virtuosic vulgarity?
3/3/20222 minutes, 50 seconds
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"Succession" — A Theatre of Cruelty

Works of art, both high and low, can inform and inflect a moral vision of the world. It makes sense to approach works of art with an attentiveness to the light they shed on our lives and our life together. But does this still apply to the award-winning HBO series “Succession”, with its evident delight in cruelty, cunning, and almost virtuosic vulgarity?
3/3/20222 minutes, 50 seconds
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Does Australia have a concept of “solidarity”?

Two years ago Scott Morrison raised the drawbridge, effectively sealing “Fortress Australia” off from the rest of the world. What effect has the act of separating Australian citizens and residents from the world and from each other had on our sense of national life, identity, and solidarity? “We” may be “all in this together” — but who, exactly, can be said to count among this “we”?
2/24/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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Does Australia have a concept of “solidarity”?

Two years ago Scott Morrison raised the drawbridge, effectively sealing “Fortress Australia” off from the rest of the world. What effect has the act of separating Australian citizens and residents from the world and from each other had on our sense of national life, identity, and solidarity? “We” may be “all in this together” — but who, exactly, can be said to count among this “we”?
2/24/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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Was the Religious Discrimination Bill destined to fail?

The debate over the Religious Discrimination Bill has exposed a tension at the heart of the liberal vision of a pluralistic society, in which citizens commit to living together despite their profound disagreement over matters of highest importance. What happens when disagreement becomes a cause of harm?
2/17/202254 minutes, 5 seconds
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Was the Religious Discrimination Bill destined to fail?

The debate over the Religious Discrimination Bill has exposed a tension at the heart of the liberal vision of a pluralistic society, in which citizens commit to living together despite their profound disagreement over matters of highest importance. What happens when disagreement becomes a cause of harm?
2/17/202254 minutes, 5 seconds
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How essential is compulsory voting to Australia’s democratic culture?

The practice of compulsory voting, along with the two other pillars of Australia’s electoral system — preferential voting and non-partisan election administration — have kept Australian democracy remarkably stable over the past hundred years. But just how much can we rely on these formal elements of Australian democracy to safeguard Australia’s democratic culture?
2/10/202254 minutes, 6 seconds
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How essential is compulsory voting to Australia’s democratic culture?

The practice of compulsory voting, along with the two other pillars of Australia’s electoral system — preferential voting and non-partisan election administration — have kept Australian democracy remarkably stable over the past hundred years. But just how much can we rely on these formal elements of Australian democracy to safeguard Australia’s democratic culture?
2/10/202254 minutes, 6 seconds
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Are we suffering from too much moral language?

The misuse of moral language in public debate is nothing new. But in our social-media saturated age, this misuse has taken on a distinct and rather perfidious form. Morally weighted language is regularly used to grant excessive or abusive claims, and personal or categorical insults, an air of moral seriousness. This kind of language marks the end of conversation. Are we better off without it?
2/3/202254 minutes, 5 seconds
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Are we suffering from too much moral language?

The misuse of moral language in public debate is nothing new. But in our social-media saturated age, this misuse has taken on a distinct and rather perfidious form. Morally weighted language is regularly used to grant excessive or abusive claims, and personal or categorical insults, an air of moral seriousness. This kind of language marks the end of conversation. Are we better off without it?
2/3/202254 minutes, 5 seconds
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Novak and Boris — why have they elicited such strong public emotions?

Over the past two months, the conduct of two prominent figures have evoked fierce expressions of public emotion. What explains the intensity of feeling? Have these emotions distorted the public’s judgment, or have they granted that judgment a certain moral clarity?
1/27/202254 minutes, 5 seconds
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Novak and Boris — why have they elicited such strong public emotions?

Over the past two months, the conduct of two prominent figures have evoked fierce expressions of public emotion. What explains the intensity of feeling? Have these emotions distorted the public’s judgment, or have they granted that judgment a certain moral clarity?
1/27/202254 minutes, 5 seconds
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Why don’t we talk more about class?

It’s become a sad commonplace in our time to hear the lines along which democratic societies are now divided. What is often absent, however, is mention of class. Why? Do Korean films like Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, or Hwang Dong-hyuk’s smash hit Squid Game, have anything to teach us? Atlantic staff writer George Packer joins us.
1/20/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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Why don’t we talk more about class?

It’s become a sad commonplace in our time to hear the lines along which democratic societies are now divided. What is often absent, however, is mention of class. Why? Do Korean films like Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, or Hwang Dong-hyuk’s smash hit Squid Game, have anything to teach us? Atlantic staff writer George Packer joins us.
1/20/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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What are we doing when we "quote"?

How might we avoid bad faith quotations, served up in vain interests, and locate ourselves, our hearers, our readers, in a community of mutual interest and intellectual wonder — not so much using quotations, as exposing ourselves to their provocation?
1/13/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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What are we doing when we "quote"?

How might we avoid bad faith quotations, served up in vain interests, and locate ourselves, our hearers, our readers, in a community of mutual interest and intellectual wonder — not so much using quotations, as exposing ourselves to their provocation?
1/13/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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Emojis: Universal language, or harbinger of an age of moral illiteracy?

They seem innocuous, but since their invention more than two decades ago, emojis have come to permeate our forms of online communication. Indeed, they are the perfect expression of what communication has become in a social-media saturated age.
1/6/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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Emojis: Universal language, or harbinger of an age of moral illiteracy?

They seem innocuous, but since their invention more than two decades ago, emojis have come to permeate our forms of online communication. Indeed, they are the perfect expression of what communication has become in a social-media saturated age.
1/6/202254 minutes, 7 seconds
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Should journalists stay away from social media?

Over the last year, there have been a number of high-profile cases where journalists have either landed themselves in legal trouble, or have sparked fierce backlash, due to their conduct on social media. This raises complex problems, not just for the public’s perception of journalists, their impartiality and credibility, but also of the news organisations to which they belong.
12/30/202154 minutes, 8 seconds
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Should journalists stay away from social media?

Over the last year, there have been a number of high-profile cases where journalists have either landed themselves in legal trouble, or have sparked fierce backlash, due to their conduct on social media. This raises complex problems, not just for the public’s perception of journalists, their impartiality and credibility, but also of the news organisations to which they belong.
12/30/202154 minutes, 8 seconds
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Is "opinion" doing more harm than good?

Opinion writing plays a disproportionate role in our media eco-system: it drives online traffic, fuels emotion, feeds the forces of polarisation, and promotes an incapacity to understand one another. But is there a different way to think about opinion?
12/23/202154 minutes, 8 seconds
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Is "opinion" doing more harm than good?

Opinion writing plays a disproportionate role in our media eco-system: it drives online traffic, fuels emotion, feeds the forces of polarisation, and promotes an incapacity to understand one another. But is there a different way to think about opinion?
12/23/202154 minutes, 8 seconds
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“Prestige television” and the moral life

One of the most notable cultural changes to have taken place over the past two decades is the emergence of “prestige television” — which is to say, television as the visual equivalent of literature, and with similar ambitions. What has this shift done to our moral sensibilities, or to our understanding of the shape and demands and limits and possibilities of the moral life?
12/16/202154 minutes, 7 seconds
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“Prestige television” and the moral life

One of the most notable cultural changes to have taken place over the past two decades is the emergence of “prestige television” — which is to say, television as the visual equivalent of literature, and with similar ambitions. What has this shift done to our moral sensibilities, or to our understanding of the shape and demands and limits and possibilities of the moral life?
12/16/202154 minutes, 7 seconds
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Should wealthy nations be procuring booster doses?

Now that vaccines are enjoying widespread coverage among wealthy nations, and with the recent emergence of the Omicron variant and rapidly rising rates of infection in the United States and throughout Europe, many states have begun implementing domestic booster campaigns. But this presents thorny ethical problems involving vaccine distribution and global equity.
12/9/202154 minutes, 7 seconds
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Should wealthy nations be procuring booster doses?

Now that vaccines are enjoying widespread coverage among wealthy nations, and with the recent emergence of the Omicron variant and rapidly rising rates of infection in the United States and throughout Europe, many states have begun implementing domestic booster campaigns. But this presents thorny ethical problems involving vaccine distribution and global equity.
12/9/202154 minutes, 7 seconds
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The ethics of “sh*t-stirring”

In a time when so many opinions are clamouring for views in our debauched attention economy, “sh*t-stirring” has become an irresistible strategy to get oneself noticed. But it does so at a cost, not least to the reputational cost of those who practice it — including moral philosophers. So what is the difference between “sh*t-stirring” and something like virtuous provocation?
12/2/202154 minutes, 7 seconds
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The ethics of “sh*t-stirring”

In a time when so many opinions are clamouring for views in our debauched attention economy, “sh*t-stirring” has become an irresistible strategy to get oneself noticed. But it does so at a cost, not least to the reputational cost of those who practice it — including moral philosophers. So what is the difference between “sh*t-stirring” and something like virtuous provocation?
12/2/202154 minutes, 7 seconds
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Melbourne’s protests — last gasp or harbinger of things to come?

Over the last two weeks, we’ve seen a new wave public protests grow in both size and palpable anger in Victoria. With politicians already trying to make the most of these demonstrations in the lead-up to next year’s federal election, what are their implications for representative politics in Australia?
11/25/202154 minutes, 6 seconds
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Melbourne’s protests — last gasp or harbinger of things to come?

Over the last two weeks, we’ve seen a new wave public protests grow in both size and palpable anger in Victoria. With politicians already trying to make the most of these demonstrations in the lead-up to next year’s federal election, what are their implications for representative politics in Australia?
11/25/202154 minutes, 6 seconds
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The ethics of political U-turns

How much leeway should we give politicians to change, if not their minds, then at least their positions? Under what circumstances are political “U-turns” not liable to condemnation or censure? When should they be met with suspicion, and when should they be received as a reflection of the hard realities of representative politics itself?
11/18/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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The ethics of political U-turns

How much leeway should we give politicians to change, if not their minds, then at least their positions? Under what circumstances are political “U-turns” not liable to condemnation or censure? When should they be met with suspicion, and when should they be received as a reflection of the hard realities of representative politics itself?
11/18/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Why don’t we talk more about class?

It’s become a sad commonplace in our time to hear the lines along which democratic societies are now divided. What is often absent, however, is mention of class. Why? Do Korean films like Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, or Hwang Dong-hyuk’s smash hit Squid Game, have anything to teach us? Atlantic staff writer George Packer joins us.
11/11/202154 minutes, 8 seconds
Episode Artwork

Why don’t we talk more about class?

It’s become a sad commonplace in our time to hear the lines along which democratic societies are now divided. What is often absent, however, is mention of class. Why? Do Korean films like Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, or Hwang Dong-hyuk’s smash hit Squid Game, have anything to teach us? Atlantic staff writer George Packer joins us.
11/11/202154 minutes, 8 seconds
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Should we enjoy sports that ruin athletes' lives?

Every so often, fans are forced to reckon with the high price that sports can exact on the lives of athletes. In such moments, we are compelled to ask: Is our enjoyment worth the cost?
11/4/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Should we enjoy sports that ruin athletes' lives?

Every so often, fans are forced to reckon with the high price that sports can exact on the lives of athletes. In such moments, we are compelled to ask: Is our enjoyment worth the cost?
11/4/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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What are we doing when we “quote”?

How might we avoid bad faith quotations, served up in vain interests, and locate ourselves, our hearers, our readers, in a community of mutual interest and intellectual wonder — not so much using quotations, as exposing ourselves to their provocation?
10/28/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
Episode Artwork

What are we doing when we “quote”?

How might we avoid bad faith quotations, served up in vain interests, and locate ourselves, our hearers, our readers, in a community of mutual interest and intellectual wonder — not so much using quotations, as exposing ourselves to their provocation?
10/28/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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How much should we care about climate change?

There is a growing evidence that people have accepted the reality of climate change and the need for action. But there is significant divergence in attitudes toward the salience of the problem — which is to say, how big a problem it is, how much it should matter to us, and where to rank climate change in a list of national priorities.
10/21/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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How much should we care about climate change?

There is a growing evidence that people have accepted the reality of climate change and the need for action. But there is significant divergence in attitudes toward the salience of the problem — which is to say, how big a problem it is, how much it should matter to us, and where to rank climate change in a list of national priorities.
10/21/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Persuasion — is it possible, or even desirable?

Far too much debate today is more like a play of competing monologues, or forms of self-promotion designed to perform for one’s tribe. Should we give up on the fantasy of persuasion through argumentation and cascading theses, as some philosophers have, or do we need to rethink the conditions of persuasion altogether?
10/14/202154 minutes, 7 seconds
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Persuasion — is it possible, or even desirable?

Far too much debate today is more like a play of competing monologues, or forms of self-promotion designed to perform for one’s tribe. Should we give up on the fantasy of persuasion through argumentation and cascading theses, as some philosophers have, or do we need to rethink the conditions of persuasion altogether?
10/14/202154 minutes, 7 seconds
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Has the pandemic shown the unassailability of utilitarianism — or its inherent limitations?

As the philosopher Bernard Williams anticipated, utilitarianism has largely disappeared from public view, not because it is no longer adhered to, but because it has become the “operating system” that governs most of our public decision-making. What the COVID-19 pandemic has done is make that hidden calculus explicit.
10/7/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Has the pandemic shown the unassailability of utilitarianism — or its inherent limitations?

As the philosopher Bernard Williams anticipated, utilitarianism has largely disappeared from public view, not because it is no longer adhered to, but because it has become the “operating system” that governs most of our public decision-making. What the COVID-19 pandemic has done is make that hidden calculus explicit.
10/7/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Has democratic politics become too contemptuous of everyday life?

In modern politics and moral philosophy, what is most meaningfully human is regularly ignored in the interests of solving “real problems”. While this is often understandable, it also points to a certain debility, a malaise at the heart of the way forms of both representative politics and moral philosophy are often practiced: an inattention to the “everyday”.
9/30/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Has democratic politics become too contemptuous of everyday life?

In modern politics and moral philosophy, what is most meaningfully human is regularly ignored in the interests of solving “real problems”. While this is often understandable, it also points to a certain debility, a malaise at the heart of the way forms of both representative politics and moral philosophy are often practiced: an inattention to the “everyday”.
9/30/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Should we avoid humiliating the unvaccinated?

If levels of strident “vaccine hesitancy” in Australia are extremely low, and the push to help the population reach the necessary vaccination threshold is more logistical than it is ideological, should we continue publicly to use language and to employ punitive measures which effectively humiliate or ostracise the unvaccinated?
9/23/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Should we avoid humiliating the unvaccinated?

If levels of strident “vaccine hesitancy” in Australia are extremely low, and the push to help the population reach the necessary vaccination threshold is more logistical than it is ideological, should we continue publicly to use language and to employ punitive measures which effectively humiliate or ostracise the unvaccinated?
9/23/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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PRESENTS — This Much Is True

Even in a scientifically enlightened, media-savvy age, conspiracy theories have proven strangely resilient. They just don’t seem to want to go away, and many people seemingly can’t get their fill. We’ve touched on the odd persistence of conspiracy theories on this show in the past, but now RN has devoted an entire series to what makes conspiracies attractive, how people find themselves swallowed up by them, and, perhaps most importantly, how people have found their way out.
9/17/20215 minutes, 55 seconds
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PRESENTS — This Much Is True

Even in a scientifically enlightened, media-savvy age, conspiracy theories have proven strangely resilient. They just don’t seem to want to go away, and many people seemingly can’t get their fill. We’ve touched on the odd persistence of conspiracy theories on this show in the past, but now RN has devoted an entire series to what makes conspiracies attractive, how people find themselves swallowed up by them, and, perhaps most importantly, how people have found their way out.
9/17/20215 minutes, 55 seconds
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From Abu Ghraib to Nakhon Sawan — why does torture persist?

The events of 9/11 are inseparable from the horrors of what was subsequently revealed about the use of torture against detainees in locations like Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo Bay. What does the persistence of torture say about political communities that continue to countenance its use?
9/16/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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From Abu Ghraib to Nakhon Sawan — why does torture persist?

The events of 9/11 are inseparable from the horrors of what was subsequently revealed about the use of torture against detainees in locations like Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo Bay. What does the persistence of torture say about political communities that continue to countenance its use?
9/16/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Australian politics – is the divide geographical, not ideological?

In the face of the latest COVID-19 outbreaks, there is little that has differentiated the governing strategies of Liberal and Labor state governments — certainly not at the level of practice. Are we witnessing a more long-term scrambling of Australia’s already unclear political divisions?
9/9/202154 minutes, 6 seconds
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Australian politics – is the divide geographical, not ideological?

In the face of the latest COVID-19 outbreaks, there is little that has differentiated the governing strategies of Liberal and Labor state governments — certainly not at the level of practice. Are we witnessing a more long-term scrambling of Australia’s already unclear political divisions?
9/9/202154 minutes, 6 seconds
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Should journalists stay away from social media?

Over the last year, there have been a number of high-profile cases where journalists have either landed themselves in legal trouble, or have sparked fierce backlash, due to their conduct on social media. This raises complex problems, not just for the public’s perception of journalists, their impartiality and credibility, but also of the news organisations to which they belong.
9/2/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Should journalists stay away from social media?

Over the last year, there have been a number of high-profile cases where journalists have either landed themselves in legal trouble, or have sparked fierce backlash, due to their conduct on social media. This raises complex problems, not just for the public’s perception of journalists, their impartiality and credibility, but also of the news organisations to which they belong.
9/2/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Was US failure in Afghanistan inevitable?

Does the swift collapse of the US-backed Afghan government suggest that places like Afghanistan are ungovernable by anything other than brute force and unimpeded corruption — or does it suggest that the ultimate folly of the post-9/11 wars was the conceit of “nation building” itself?
8/26/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Was US failure in Afghanistan inevitable?

Does the swift collapse of the US-backed Afghan government suggest that places like Afghanistan are ungovernable by anything other than brute force and unimpeded corruption — or does it suggest that the ultimate folly of the post-9/11 wars was the conceit of “nation building” itself?
8/26/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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The ethics of dobbing

Snitching, ratting, dobbing, grassing — these are all words for behaviour that we are taught, at a very young age, to find reprehensible. Is our reticence to “dob” an expression of a worrying disposition toward non-intervention, or is it an expression, even if a perverse one, of a deeper moral principle?
8/19/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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The ethics of dobbing

Snitching, ratting, dobbing, grassing — these are all words for behaviour that we are taught, at a very young age, to find reprehensible. Is our reticence to “dob” an expression of a worrying disposition toward non-intervention, or is it an expression, even if a perverse one, of a deeper moral principle?
8/19/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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How much dissent is permissible in a public health emergency?

The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in a wave of “emergency politics”, in which the normal processes of democratic deliberation and public accountability have been suspended. In a public health crisis, is democratic dissent a problem to be solved, or a resource for a more sustainable, mutually beneficial outcome?
8/12/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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How much dissent is permissible in a public health emergency?

The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in a wave of “emergency politics”, in which the normal processes of democratic deliberation and public accountability have been suspended. In a public health crisis, is democratic dissent a problem to be solved, or a resource for a more sustainable, mutually beneficial outcome?
8/12/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Can national shame lead to political change?

Could the full acknowledgement of the extent of our complicity in the injustices of the past, constitute a galvanising principle, the basis upon which a new political community is formed? Is shame really inimical to national pride, or is it rather one of its expressions?
8/5/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Can national shame lead to political change?

Could the full acknowledgement of the extent of our complicity in the injustices of the past, constitute a galvanising principle, the basis upon which a new political community is formed? Is shame really inimical to national pride, or is it rather one of its expressions?
8/5/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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The ethics of space tourism

A new “space race” is underway – except this time, it’s not between the United States and Russia, or even China and India. Instead, billionaires Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Richard Branson are spearheading the lucrative “space tourism” industry. Should this be seen as a source of hope, or simply one more expression of capitalism’s dogma of infinite growth.
7/29/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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The ethics of space tourism

A new “space race” is underway – except this time, it’s not between the United States and Russia, or even China and India. Instead, billionaires Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Richard Branson are spearheading the lucrative “space tourism” industry. Should this be seen as a source of hope, or simply one more expression of capitalism’s dogma of infinite growth.
7/29/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Myanmar — what are the limits of political violence?

The military coup, which overturned the results of last November’s national election, has plunged Myanmar into a cycle of escalating violence. This poses quite specific questions about the legitimacy and limits of revolutionary violence, and the kind of political community that might be left in its wake.
7/22/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Myanmar — what are the limits of political violence?

The military coup, which overturned the results of last November’s national election, has plunged Myanmar into a cycle of escalating violence. This poses quite specific questions about the legitimacy and limits of revolutionary violence, and the kind of political community that might be left in its wake.
7/22/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Is COVID-19 bringing the worst out of Australian politics?

What is the prolonged experience of the pandemic showing us about the nature of Australian politics, the limits of executive power, the role of experts in the administration of public life, and the fault-lines that continue to undermine our sense of common purpose?
7/15/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Is COVID-19 bringing the worst out of Australian politics?

What is the prolonged experience of the pandemic showing us about the nature of Australian politics, the limits of executive power, the role of experts in the administration of public life, and the fault-lines that continue to undermine our sense of common purpose?
7/15/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Is nihilism compatible with the moral life?

In moral philosophy and mass culture alike, “nihilism” has a bad name. And little wonder. It is most often associated with meaninglessness, pessimism, and amoralism. At its heart, nihilism is a view of the world in which progress is not assured, a world without overarching meaning. Does that present a problem to the moral life?
7/8/202154 minutes, 7 seconds
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Is nihilism compatible with the moral life?

In moral philosophy and mass culture alike, “nihilism” has a bad name. And little wonder. It is most often associated with meaninglessness, pessimism, and amoralism. At its heart, nihilism is a view of the world in which progress is not assured, a world without overarching meaning. Does that present a problem to the moral life?
7/8/202154 minutes, 7 seconds
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Has justice been done to George Floyd?

Is the conviction and sentencing of Derek Chauvin something to be celebrated as an indication of moral progress? Can the shared horror over George Floyd’s murder, and the solidarity that followed it, galvanise a fresh commitment to justice and a preparedness to sacrifice existing privileges?
7/1/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Has justice been done to George Floyd?

Is the conviction and sentencing of Derek Chauvin something to be celebrated as an indication of moral progress? Can the shared horror over George Floyd’s murder, and the solidarity that followed it, galvanise a fresh commitment to justice and a preparedness to sacrifice existing privileges?
7/1/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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What's so bad about laughter?

Philosophy’s concern with laughter is as old as philosophy itself. The association of laughter with derision and contempt runs through the concerns of philosophers from Plato and Aristotle to Hobbes and Nietzsche. But is there laughter beyond ridicule and derision? Can laughter be transformative or liberating?
6/24/202154 minutes, 4 seconds
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What's so bad about laughter?

Philosophy’s concern with laughter is as old as philosophy itself. The association of laughter with derision and contempt runs through the concerns of philosophers from Plato and Aristotle to Hobbes and Nietzsche. But is there laughter beyond ridicule and derision? Can laughter be transformative or liberating?
6/24/202154 minutes, 4 seconds
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What are we doing when we make promises?

Should we be bound by the constraints of our former self, and the promises we have made in the past? Is moral progress a matter of consistency with one’s previous self, away from one’s previous self, or toward ever-enriching relationships with others?
6/17/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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What are we doing when we make promises?

Should we be bound by the constraints of our former self, and the promises we have made in the past? Is moral progress a matter of consistency with one’s previous self, away from one’s previous self, or toward ever-enriching relationships with others?
6/17/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Are there ethical limits to vaccination incentives?

Should certain privileges be afforded to those who have received a COVID-19 vaccine (from international travel to attending sports venues and restaurants)? Could such privileges act as incentives (and if so, under what conditions), or are they more likely to produce deep feelings of inequity and resentment?
6/10/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Are there ethical limits to vaccination incentives?

Should certain privileges be afforded to those who have received a COVID-19 vaccine (from international travel to attending sports venues and restaurants)? Could such privileges act as incentives (and if so, under what conditions), or are they more likely to produce deep feelings of inequity and resentment?
6/10/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Aged care: How do we honour our obligations to the elderly?

The Royal Commission into Aged Care and the ravages of COVID-19 within aged care facilities have thrown a spotlight on the adequacy, the ethics and the dignity of our ongoing care of the elderly. To what extent have entrenched patterns of ageist prejudice created the conditions within which certain forms of abuse and neglect could take place? And what can we do to challenge and change these prejudices?
6/3/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Aged care: How do we honour our obligations to the elderly?

The Royal Commission into Aged Care and the ravages of COVID-19 within aged care facilities have thrown a spotlight on the adequacy, the ethics and the dignity of our ongoing care of the elderly. To what extent have entrenched patterns of ageist prejudice created the conditions within which certain forms of abuse and neglect could take place? And what can we do to challenge and change these prejudices?
6/3/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Is it ever OK to abandon your team?

Attachment to sporting clubs is one of our deepest and most emotionally charged forms of prejudice. But what about those moments when a fan decides she can no longer support her team? Has she betrayed her team? Alternatively, in what ways can clubs betray their fans?
5/27/202154 minutes, 4 seconds
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Is it ever OK to abandon your team?

Attachment to sporting clubs is one of our deepest and most emotionally charged forms of prejudice. But what about those moments when a fan decides she can no longer support her team? Has she betrayed her team? Alternatively, in what ways can clubs betray their fans?
5/27/202154 minutes, 4 seconds
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What are the conditions of co-existence in Israel-Palestine?

The incommensurability of the claims in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict produces a kind of moral absolutism, whereby one side is entirely to blame and another is entirely justified. But are there moral resources that can be brought to bear which grant the legitimacy of the maximal claims of both sides, and then set about exploring the conditions of mutual recognition?
5/20/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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What are the conditions of co-existence in Israel-Palestine?

The incommensurability of the claims in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict produces a kind of moral absolutism, whereby one side is entirely to blame and another is entirely justified. But are there moral resources that can be brought to bear which grant the legitimacy of the maximal claims of both sides, and then set about exploring the conditions of mutual recognition?
5/20/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Fatigue – the emotional cost of the moral life?

Fatigue is a fascinating moral phenomenon. It can be a consequence of attentiveness, a willingness to face the realities of the world. But it can also be a form of avoidance, of “moral laziness”, the symptom of an active desire not to confront matters that seem to call for our attention. What are the dangers of fatigue, and how are we to respond to it when it overtakes us?
5/13/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Fatigue – the emotional cost of the moral life?

Fatigue is a fascinating moral phenomenon. It can be a consequence of attentiveness, a willingness to face the realities of the world. But it can also be a form of avoidance, of “moral laziness”, the symptom of an active desire not to confront matters that seem to call for our attention. What are the dangers of fatigue, and how are we to respond to it when it overtakes us?
5/13/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Neglected Practices: Solitude

How do we practice solitude in a time rich with distractions and which exhibits peculiar aversion to (and fear of) loneliness? And when we are alone with ourselves, how do we avoid the dangers of self-deception such that solitude becomes genuinely transformative — for us, and for others?
5/6/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Neglected Practices: Solitude

How do we practice solitude in a time rich with distractions and which exhibits peculiar aversion to (and fear of) loneliness? And when we are alone with ourselves, how do we avoid the dangers of self-deception such that solitude becomes genuinely transformative — for us, and for others?
5/6/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Neglected Practices: Fasting

While fasting is an observance associated with Ramadan, versions the practice are broadly familiar to us — from the forms of “self-restraint” that are bound up with physical fitness, to advice commending the health benefits of a regular 14-hour fast. But are these forms of “self-care” just further preoccupations with “the self”, rendering us forgetful of the needs of the moral life?
4/29/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Neglected Practices: Fasting

While fasting is an observance associated with Ramadan, versions the practice are broadly familiar to us — from the forms of “self-restraint” that are bound up with physical fitness, to advice commending the health benefits of a regular 14-hour fast. But are these forms of “self-care” just further preoccupations with “the self”, rendering us forgetful of the needs of the moral life?
4/29/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Neglected Practices: Not-Knowing

One of the defining features of our time is the overproduction of what could be called “useless knowledge” — ranging from gossip and empty speculation, to undeniably important “news” which makes no claim on our moral lives other than that we have an opinion about it. In a world full of competing distractions, could it be that one of the greatest moral challenges is how to limit what we know?
4/22/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Neglected Practices: Not-Knowing

One of the defining features of our time is the overproduction of what could be called “useless knowledge” — ranging from gossip and empty speculation, to undeniably important “news” which makes no claim on our moral lives other than that we have an opinion about it. In a world full of competing distractions, could it be that one of the greatest moral challenges is how to limit what we know?
4/22/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Neglected Practices: Attentiveness

With the proliferation of digital distractions and addictive technologies, many of us live in a state of perpetual half-attention. We tend to move from one “sugar-hit” to the next — stimuli which elicit strong if transitory emotions, but discourage us from being present, entirely, to one person, one text, one idea. What is the lack of attentiveness doing to our moral lives?
4/15/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Neglected Practices: Attentiveness

With the proliferation of digital distractions and addictive technologies, many of us live in a state of perpetual half-attention. We tend to move from one “sugar-hit” to the next — stimuli which elicit strong if transitory emotions, but discourage us from being present, entirely, to one person, one text, one idea. What is the lack of attentiveness doing to our moral lives?
4/15/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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What should become of the office?

Will the experience of working-from-home make employees reluctant to resume the daily struggle with traffic or public transportation, or to put up with irritating co-workers and unproductive work environments? Or will we discover that we’ve missed something precious in being deprived of interactions with others?
4/8/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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What should become of the office?

Will the experience of working-from-home make employees reluctant to resume the daily struggle with traffic or public transportation, or to put up with irritating co-workers and unproductive work environments? Or will we discover that we’ve missed something precious in being deprived of interactions with others?
4/8/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Can politics bring about the change women are demanding?

It’s understandable that so much anger should be directed at the federal government, and that the federal government’s numerous missteps and failures to respond appropriately to what this moment demands have added insult to injury. But if the problem is culture-wide, can federal politics be the solution?
4/1/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Can politics bring about the change women are demanding?

It’s understandable that so much anger should be directed at the federal government, and that the federal government’s numerous missteps and failures to respond appropriately to what this moment demands have added insult to injury. But if the problem is culture-wide, can federal politics be the solution?
4/1/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Has COVID-19 undermined our commitment to civility?

One of the perhaps underappreciated aspects of COVID-19 is the way the pandemic has dealt a blow to these daily interactions which reinforce our commitment to a common life. What is ‘civility’? What is the regulative role it plays in our common life?
3/25/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Has COVID-19 undermined our commitment to civility?

One of the perhaps underappreciated aspects of COVID-19 is the way the pandemic has dealt a blow to these daily interactions which reinforce our commitment to a common life. What is ‘civility’? What is the regulative role it plays in our common life?
3/25/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Does climate change challenge our concept of moral responsibility?

Does our limited conception of moral responsibility stem from a profound failure to recognise our interconnectedness, the extent to which our lives are implicated in the suffering and wellbeing of others – human and nonhuman?
3/18/202154 minutes, 4 seconds
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Does climate change challenge our concept of moral responsibility?

Does our limited conception of moral responsibility stem from a profound failure to recognise our interconnectedness, the extent to which our lives are implicated in the suffering and wellbeing of others – human and nonhuman?
3/18/202154 minutes, 4 seconds
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What “justice” can an independent inquiry deliver?

In the absence of a police investigation into an historical allegation of sexual assault against the Attorney-General, many Australians have pinned their hopes on an independent, arms-length, confidential inquiry. Professor Rosalind Dixon joins us to discuss the legal and moral grounds for such an inquiry.
3/11/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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What “justice” can an independent inquiry deliver?

In the absence of a police investigation into an historical allegation of sexual assault against the Attorney-General, many Australians have pinned their hopes on an independent, arms-length, confidential inquiry. Professor Rosalind Dixon joins us to discuss the legal and moral grounds for such an inquiry.
3/11/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Emojis: Universal language, or harbinger of an age of moral illiteracy?

They seem innocuous, but since their invention more than two decades ago, emojis have come to permeate our forms of online communication. Indeed, they are the perfect expression of what communication has become in a social-media saturated age.
3/4/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Emojis: Universal language, or harbinger of an age of moral illiteracy?

They seem innocuous, but since their invention more than two decades ago, emojis have come to permeate our forms of online communication. Indeed, they are the perfect expression of what communication has become in a social-media saturated age.
3/4/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Facebook and the news: should the divorce be permanent?

The measures Facebook has taken over the past week have precipitated a long-overdue reckoning. Now that the “social network” has lifted the veil on its ambitions and civic disdain, how can news media companies continue, in good conscience, with their Faustian pact?
2/25/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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Facebook and the news: should the divorce be permanent?

The measures Facebook has taken over the past week have precipitated a long-overdue reckoning. Now that the “social network” has lifted the veil on its ambitions and civic disdain, how can news media companies continue, in good conscience, with their Faustian pact?
2/25/202154 minutes, 5 seconds
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What can our experience of art tell us about the moral life?

Professor Rita Felski joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to explore whether a better understanding of the nature of aesthetic experience – of what art does to us, and why – can give us a better sense of the nature of moral disagreement, and of how it is that we might come to discover a shared world.
2/18/202154 minutes, 3 seconds
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What can our experience of art tell us about the moral life?

Professor Rita Felski joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to explore whether a better understanding of the nature of aesthetic experience – of what art does to us, and why – can give us a better sense of the nature of moral disagreement, and of how it is that we might come to discover a shared world.
2/18/202154 minutes, 3 seconds
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What democracy needs to survive

Do Republicans have an obligation to convict and impeach Trump, for the sake of the health of the body politic? Can democracy itself survive when each “side” casts its electoral success as necessary to the survival of the nation, and the “other side” as an existential threat?
2/11/202154 minutes, 4 seconds
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What democracy needs to survive

Do Republicans have an obligation to convict and impeach Trump, for the sake of the health of the body politic? Can democracy itself survive when each “side” casts its electoral success as necessary to the survival of the nation, and the “other side” as an existential threat?
2/11/202154 minutes, 4 seconds
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Is “opinion” doing more harm than good?

Opinion writing plays a disproportionate role in our media eco-system: it drives online traffic, fuels emotion, feeds the forces of polarisation, and promotes an incapacity to understand one another. But is there a different way to think about opinion?
2/4/202154 minutes, 8 seconds
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Is “opinion” doing more harm than good?

Opinion writing plays a disproportionate role in our media eco-system: it drives online traffic, fuels emotion, feeds the forces of polarisation, and promotes an incapacity to understand one another. But is there a different way to think about opinion?
2/4/202154 minutes, 8 seconds
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Was Twitter right to suspend Trump?

Perhaps the most consequential event over the last two months was decision of social media companies to ban Donald Trump — permanently or indefinitely — from their platforms “due to the risk of further incitement of violence”. Why are some vaguely uneasy about this move? Are there valid ethical objections?
1/28/202154 minutes, 4 seconds
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Was Twitter right to suspend Trump?

Perhaps the most consequential event over the last two months was decision of social media companies to ban Donald Trump — permanently or indefinitely — from their platforms “due to the risk of further incitement of violence”. Why are some vaguely uneasy about this move? Are there valid ethical objections?
1/28/202154 minutes, 4 seconds
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Is "cancel culture" really constricting free speech?

How does liberal democracy manage incommensurable disagreement? Do the moral and political demands for justice and inclusion trump the principles of free expression and open debate? What is the moral status of "opinion"?
1/20/202151 minutes, 3 seconds
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Is "cancel culture" really constricting free speech?

How does liberal democracy manage incommensurable disagreement? Do the moral and political demands for justice and inclusion trump the principles of free expression and open debate? What is the moral status of "opinion"?
1/20/202151 minutes, 3 seconds
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What is AI doing to the moral life?

It is the nature of technology to insinuate itself into our daily lives, and to convince us that it is both benevolent by design and utterly indispensable. Little wonder that we have invited digital domestic assistants into our homes and lives at an alarming rate — but at what cost?
1/13/202147 minutes, 4 seconds
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What is AI doing to the moral life?

It is the nature of technology to insinuate itself into our daily lives, and to convince us that it is both benevolent by design and utterly indispensable. Little wonder that we have invited digital domestic assistants into our homes and lives at an alarming rate — but at what cost?
1/13/202147 minutes, 4 seconds
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After the fires, are we invited to moral community with trees?

Over summer last year, Australia witnessed the devastation of forests and the immolation of wildlife on an unimaginable scale. The emotional or even the tragic content of the bushfires has been — understandably — reserved for the loss of human life and home and livelihood, and for the loss of some non-human animals. But why do we grieve fauna and not flora? What if these fires present to us an invitation we refuse to heed: an invitation to rediscover moral companionship, moral community with trees?
1/6/202144 minutes, 6 seconds
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After the fires, are we invited to moral community with trees?

Over summer last year, Australia witnessed the devastation of forests and the immolation of wildlife on an unimaginable scale. The emotional or even the tragic content of the bushfires has been — understandably — reserved for the loss of human life and home and livelihood, and for the loss of some non-human animals. But why do we grieve fauna and not flora? What if these fires present to us an invitation we refuse to heed: an invitation to rediscover moral companionship, moral community with trees?
1/6/202144 minutes, 6 seconds
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Ordinary vices: Impatience

The vice of impatience reflects a particular relationship to time: the notion that time is a finite commodity that ‘must be made the most of’, not an opportunity for encounter or an invitation to attentiveness and mutual discovery. Better put, impatience is ultimately about control.
12/30/202050 minutes, 35 seconds
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Ordinary vices: Impatience

The vice of impatience reflects a particular relationship to time: the notion that time is a finite commodity that ‘must be made the most of’, not an opportunity for encounter or an invitation to attentiveness and mutual discovery. Better put, impatience is ultimately about control.
12/30/202050 minutes, 35 seconds
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Ordinary vices: Is pride an affront to, or the basis of, dignity?

Can pride be ‘redeemed’, and form the basis of human dignity, or is pride as such a form of moral corruption, a debased form of moral vision?
12/23/202042 minutes, 5 seconds
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Ordinary vices: Is pride an affront to, or the basis of, dignity?

Can pride be ‘redeemed’, and form the basis of human dignity, or is pride as such a form of moral corruption, a debased form of moral vision?
12/23/202042 minutes, 5 seconds
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The “great audit”: Taking stock of 2020

This is a year that has thrown up a sometimes dizzying series of crises and moral conundrums. On this, our last show of 2020, we try to take stock of the major events and try to discern the underlying themes that come to light. What have we learned — about us, about our world, about our common life?
12/16/202047 minutes, 16 seconds
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The “great audit”: Taking stock of 2020

This is a year that has thrown up a sometimes dizzying series of crises and moral conundrums. On this, our last show of 2020, we try to take stock of the major events and try to discern the underlying themes that come to light. What have we learned — about us, about our world, about our common life?
12/16/202047 minutes, 16 seconds
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Woke politics: The power of the disempowered?

Is "woke politics" really a form of moral judgment, or is it merely a brand of moralism that seeks to side-step the hard work needed for genuine moral and political transformation?
12/9/202042 minutes, 24 seconds
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Woke politics: The power of the disempowered?

Is "woke politics" really a form of moral judgment, or is it merely a brand of moralism that seeks to side-step the hard work needed for genuine moral and political transformation?
12/9/202042 minutes, 24 seconds
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How much should we care about political corruption?

Have we come to accept a degree of corruption as part of the price we pay for democracy? Is administrative competence more important to us than political incorruptibility?
12/2/202050 minutes, 19 seconds
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How much should we care about political corruption?

Have we come to accept a degree of corruption as part of the price we pay for democracy? Is administrative competence more important to us than political incorruptibility?
12/2/202050 minutes, 19 seconds
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War crimes, moral responsibility, and moral injury

The Brereton Report compels us to reflect on what it might mean to say that soldiers express a nation’s “values and laws” – which is to say, that soldiers and civilians belong to the same moral community.
11/25/202052 minutes, 11 seconds
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War crimes, moral responsibility, and moral injury

The Brereton Report compels us to reflect on what it might mean to say that soldiers express a nation’s “values and laws” – which is to say, that soldiers and civilians belong to the same moral community.
11/25/202052 minutes, 11 seconds
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Can America’s post-election divisions be overcome?

While Trump’s conduct, cruelty, and incompetence disqualified him in the eyes of a majority of Americans, very nearly half of the nation voted for and remain fiercely devoted to the president. America is divided, but so is the Democratic party. What does this mean for the future?
11/18/202046 minutes, 33 seconds
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Can America’s post-election divisions be overcome?

While Trump’s conduct, cruelty, and incompetence disqualified him in the eyes of a majority of Americans, very nearly half of the nation voted for and remain fiercely devoted to the president. America is divided, but so is the Democratic party. What does this mean for the future?
11/18/202046 minutes, 33 seconds
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Can Aboriginal political philosophy and political liberalism be reconciled?

Should we think about the story of Australia’s halting “recognition” of its First Peoples as an expression of the ongoing conflict between political philosophies and conceptions of what properly constitutes the common life of a people?
11/11/202042 minutes, 35 seconds
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Can Aboriginal political philosophy and political liberalism be reconciled?

Should we think about the story of Australia’s halting “recognition” of its First Peoples as an expression of the ongoing conflict between political philosophies and conceptions of what properly constitutes the common life of a people?
11/11/202042 minutes, 35 seconds
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Has Trump revealed democracy’s fragility or resilience?

During the week in which American voters cast their verdict on Trump’s term in office, it makes sense to ask: To what extent is Trump to blame for America’s political malaise? In what ways might Joe Biden’s nomination be a sign of democratic hopefulness?
11/4/202046 minutes, 32 seconds
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Has Trump revealed democracy’s fragility or resilience?

During the week in which American voters cast their verdict on Trump’s term in office, it makes sense to ask: To what extent is Trump to blame for America’s political malaise? In what ways might Joe Biden’s nomination be a sign of democratic hopefulness?
11/4/202046 minutes, 32 seconds
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What is AI doing to the moral life?

It is the nature of technology to insinuate itself into our daily lives, and to convince us that it is both benevolent by design and utterly indispensable. Little wonder that we have invited digital domestic assistants into our homes and lives at an alarming rate – but at what cost?
10/28/202046 minutes, 11 seconds
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What is AI doing to the moral life?

It is the nature of technology to insinuate itself into our daily lives, and to convince us that it is both benevolent by design and utterly indispensable. Little wonder that we have invited digital domestic assistants into our homes and lives at an alarming rate – but at what cost?
10/28/202046 minutes, 11 seconds
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Could COVID-19 make inequality worse?

The coronavirus pandemic has exposed, rather than alleviated, the nature and extent of inequality in many modern societies. As the recent federal budget demonstrated, Australia is a case in point. What is ‘inequality’, and why is it problematic?
10/21/202047 minutes, 23 seconds
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Could COVID-19 make inequality worse?

The coronavirus pandemic has exposed, rather than alleviated, the nature and extent of inequality in many modern societies. As the recent federal budget demonstrated, Australia is a case in point. What is ‘inequality’, and why is it problematic?
10/21/202047 minutes, 23 seconds
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The ethics of second chances

We have become increasingly interpersonally punitive and unforgiving, believing this to be a sign of our moral seriousness or our commitment to justice. But perhaps Shakespeare’s late plays — especially Cymbeline and Winter’s Tale — hold out a different moral vision.
10/14/202038 minutes, 16 seconds
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The ethics of second chances

We have become increasingly interpersonally punitive and unforgiving, believing this to be a sign of our moral seriousness or our commitment to justice. But perhaps Shakespeare’s late plays — especially Cymbeline and Winter’s Tale — hold out a different moral vision.
10/14/202038 minutes, 16 seconds
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Should we rejoice that Trump has COVID-19?

What should our reaction be to the news of that Trump tested positive to COVID-19? It is wrong to feel glad, or to hope that he experiences severe symptoms, or that he dies?
10/7/202048 minutes, 34 seconds
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Should we rejoice that Trump has COVID-19?

What should our reaction be to the news of that Trump tested positive to COVID-19? It is wrong to feel glad, or to hope that he experiences severe symptoms, or that he dies?
10/7/202048 minutes, 34 seconds
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Should we attempt to escape from “politics”?

“Politics” is, it seems, inescapable. Christos Tsiolkas joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to discuss whether we should preserve ways — in literature, in art, in comedy, in sport — to escape the limits of political conflict.
9/30/202054 minutes
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Should we attempt to escape from “politics”?

“Politics” is, it seems, inescapable. Christos Tsiolkas joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to discuss whether we should preserve ways — in literature, in art, in comedy, in sport — to escape the limits of political conflict.
9/30/202054 minutes
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How far should courts push societies to change?

The conflict and partisan positioning that followed the recent death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg reflects the role played by the US Supreme Court in adjudicating matters of intense social and political disagreement. What matters should be left to the messy process of political deliberation, contestation, and compromise? Professor Adrienne Stone joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to discuss when, and how, the courts should negotiate politics and public opinion.
9/23/202048 minutes, 31 seconds
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How far should courts push societies to change?

The conflict and partisan positioning that followed the recent death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg reflects the role played by the US Supreme Court in adjudicating matters of intense social and political disagreement. What matters should be left to the messy process of political deliberation, contestation, and compromise? Professor Adrienne Stone joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to discuss when, and how, the courts should negotiate politics and public opinion.
9/23/202048 minutes, 31 seconds
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Is it wrong to respond to arguments with allegations?

Disagreements these days are often met with claims that an argument is “offensive, harmful, unhelpful, or divisive.” What consideration should be given to the likely consequences of an argument? How is this open to abuse?
9/16/202049 minutes, 28 seconds
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Is it wrong to respond to arguments with allegations?

Disagreements these days are often met with claims that an argument is “offensive, harmful, unhelpful, or divisive.” What consideration should be given to the likely consequences of an argument? How is this open to abuse?
9/16/202049 minutes, 28 seconds
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Why does COVID-19 attract conspiracy theories?

The COVID-19 pandemic has proven particularly conducive for those intent on discerning an insidious plot behind both the emergence of the virus and the political response. To what extent are these conspiracies part of a wider culture of pervasive distrust and mutual suspicion?
9/9/202047 minutes, 31 seconds
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Why does COVID-19 attract conspiracy theories?

The COVID-19 pandemic has proven particularly conducive for those intent on discerning an insidious plot behind both the emergence of the virus and the political response. To what extent are these conspiracies part of a wider culture of pervasive distrust and mutual suspicion?
9/9/202047 minutes, 31 seconds
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US president as "sufferer in chief"?

Joe Biden has presented himself as a person who knows pain and loss, a tragic figure of uncommon empathy and compassion. Does this tell us anything about how political leadership may be changing under the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic?
9/2/202048 minutes, 2 seconds
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US president as "sufferer in chief"?

Joe Biden has presented himself as a person who knows pain and loss, a tragic figure of uncommon empathy and compassion. Does this tell us anything about how political leadership may be changing under the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic?
9/2/202048 minutes, 2 seconds
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Should a COVID-19 vaccine be mandatory?

Before walking it back, Scott Morrison said he expected a COVID-19 vaccine "to be as mandatory as you can possibly make [it]". The Prime Minister thereby brought to the fore a series of complicated, but fundamental, ethical questions.
8/26/202043 minutes, 54 seconds
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Should a COVID-19 vaccine be mandatory?

Before walking it back, Scott Morrison said he expected a COVID-19 vaccine "to be as mandatory as you can possibly make [it]". The Prime Minister thereby brought to the fore a series of complicated, but fundamental, ethical questions.
8/26/202043 minutes, 54 seconds
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What if COVID-19 doesn’t go away?

What if the hoped for COVID-19 vaccine is delayed by months – or years? Do we have the emotional and interpersonal resources to bear up under the strain? Alda Balthrop-Lewis joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to discuss the habits and practices which might help us cultivate the kind of inner life, and life with others, that could see us through the pandemic.
8/19/202046 minutes, 2 seconds
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What if COVID-19 doesn’t go away?

What if the hoped for COVID-19 vaccine is delayed by months – or years? Do we have the emotional and interpersonal resources to bear up under the strain? Alda Balthrop-Lewis joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to discuss the habits and practices which might help us cultivate the kind of inner life, and life with others, that could see us through the pandemic.
8/19/202046 minutes, 2 seconds
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Ordinary vices: Ingratitude

Many of us are prone to express our sense of having hardship inflicted upon us by the COVID-19 pandemic — only to be reminded that someone else, somewhere else, has it much worse than we do. Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens discuss when we are permitted to complain, without being guilty of ingratitude.
8/12/202048 minutes, 24 seconds
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Ordinary vices: Ingratitude

Many of us are prone to express our sense of having hardship inflicted upon us by the COVID-19 pandemic — only to be reminded that someone else, somewhere else, has it much worse than we do. Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens discuss when we are permitted to complain, without being guilty of ingratitude.
8/12/202048 minutes, 24 seconds
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What is the “value” of philosophy?

The fee changes to university degrees announced by the federal government are designed to produce “job ready graduates” by funnelling students into “job-relevant” courses — but at the expense of the Humanities and Social Sciences. Professor Moira Gatens joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to discuss what society loses when philosophy is devalued.
8/5/202045 minutes, 57 seconds
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What is the “value” of philosophy?

The fee changes to university degrees announced by the federal government are designed to produce “job ready graduates” by funnelling students into “job-relevant” courses — but at the expense of the Humanities and Social Sciences. Professor Moira Gatens joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to discuss what society loses when philosophy is devalued.
8/5/202045 minutes, 57 seconds
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Is there a moral imperative to wear masks?

The COVID-19 pandemic presents us with an all-too concrete situation in which seemingly minor, individual actions can have dire consequences for thousands of others. Is the pandemic an extreme situation that makes unusual demands of us, or does it simply make visible the kinds of moral demands which are upon us even in more 'normal' times?
7/29/202050 minutes, 4 seconds
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Is there a moral imperative to wear masks?

The COVID-19 pandemic presents us with an all-too concrete situation in which seemingly minor, individual actions can have dire consequences for thousands of others. Is the pandemic an extreme situation that makes unusual demands of us, or does it simply make visible the kinds of moral demands which are upon us even in more 'normal' times?
7/29/202050 minutes, 4 seconds
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Is COVID-19 the end of globalisation?

COVID-19 has reversed the dynamics and inner-logic of globalisation. As we begin imagining a world after COVID-19, will things go back to “normal”? Should things go back to “normal”
7/22/202045 minutes, 7 seconds
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Is COVID-19 the end of globalisation?

COVID-19 has reversed the dynamics and inner-logic of globalisation. As we begin imagining a world after COVID-19, will things go back to “normal”? Should things go back to “normal”
7/22/202045 minutes, 7 seconds
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Is "cancel culture" really constricting free speech?

How does liberal democracy manage incommensurable disagreement? Do the moral and political demands for justice and inclusion trump the principles of free expression and open debate? What is the moral status of "opinion"?
7/15/202049 minutes, 37 seconds
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Is "cancel culture" really constricting free speech?

How does liberal democracy manage incommensurable disagreement? Do the moral and political demands for justice and inclusion trump the principles of free expression and open debate? What is the moral status of "opinion"?
7/15/202049 minutes, 37 seconds
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Can you enjoy sport without crowd noise?

Teams across codes and countries are facing the prospects of competing in empty or largely empty stadiums. Whatever that might mean for the players themselves, the lack of crowd noise is proving too off-putting for fans watching from home. Kasey Symons from Swinburne University joins us to discuss why.
7/8/202046 minutes, 47 seconds
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Can you enjoy sport without crowd noise?

Teams across codes and countries are facing the prospects of competing in empty or largely empty stadiums. Whatever that might mean for the players themselves, the lack of crowd noise is proving too off-putting for fans watching from home. Kasey Symons from Swinburne University joins us to discuss why.
7/8/202046 minutes, 47 seconds
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Should the police be abolished?

Following the deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks, there are serious calls to defund or even "abolish" the police in the United States. It’s a serious proposal, and it deserves to be taken seriously. But what does it mean, and how can it be done? Yale Law School Professor Tracey Meares joins us to discuss what police abolition looks like.
7/1/202039 minutes, 54 seconds
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Should the police be abolished?

Following the deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks, there are serious calls to defund or even "abolish" the police in the United States. It’s a serious proposal, and it deserves to be taken seriously. But what does it mean, and how can it be done? Yale Law School Professor Tracey Meares joins us to discuss what police abolition looks like.
7/1/202039 minutes, 54 seconds
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How to acknowledge the debt of historical injustice?

What does it mean for a nation - whether it be the United States, Germany, or Australia - fully to acknowledge the truth of its past, to drag its moral debts into the light of day? Should a sense of guilt play any role in that acknowledgement?
6/24/202051 minutes, 55 seconds
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How to acknowledge the debt of historical injustice?

What does it mean for a nation - whether it be the United States, Germany, or Australia - fully to acknowledge the truth of its past, to drag its moral debts into the light of day? Should a sense of guilt play any role in that acknowledgement?
6/24/202051 minutes, 55 seconds
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Democratic politics is being challenged, but is it changing?

What are we to make of the fact that, in a time when democratic politics is being radically challenged by a series of seismic shocks, and when ideas or options once thought impossible are now squarely back ‘on the table’, our political leaders and their opponents have rarely seemed more conventional? David Runciman, Professor of Politics at Cambridge University and host of the Talking Politics podcast, joins us to dissect this political moment.
6/17/202048 minutes, 5 seconds
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Democratic politics is being challenged, but is it changing?

What are we to make of the fact that, in a time when democratic politics is being radically challenged by a series of seismic shocks, and when ideas or options once thought impossible are now squarely back ‘on the table’, our political leaders and their opponents have rarely seemed more conventional? David Runciman, Professor of Politics at Cambridge University and host of the Talking Politics podcast, joins us to dissect this political moment.
6/17/202048 minutes, 5 seconds
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Ordinary vices: Impatience

The vice of impatience reflects a particular relationship to time: the notion that time is a finite commodity that ‘must be made the most of’, not an opportunity for encounter or an invitation to attentiveness and mutual discovery. Better put, impatience is ultimately about control.
6/10/202049 minutes, 42 seconds
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Ordinary vices: Impatience

The vice of impatience reflects a particular relationship to time: the notion that time is a finite commodity that ‘must be made the most of’, not an opportunity for encounter or an invitation to attentiveness and mutual discovery. Better put, impatience is ultimately about control.
6/10/202049 minutes, 42 seconds
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After the death of George Floyd

The death of 46-year-old George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police was both shocking and sickeningly familiar. What are the protesters communicating about the moral content of the police-killing of black men and women?
6/3/202049 minutes, 21 seconds
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After the death of George Floyd

The death of 46-year-old George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police was both shocking and sickeningly familiar. What are the protesters communicating about the moral content of the police-killing of black men and women?
6/3/202049 minutes, 21 seconds
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Free riding: Why act, when acting is likely to make no difference?

Are there reasons to act in a particular way, to willingly make some sacrifice, do something which may be good, and which we may even be committed to, when our actions (or lack of action) are likely to be of no consequence? Is size detrimental to democratic community? Professor Roger Crisp joins us to discuss whether the free rider problem highlights the limitation of moral philosophy.
5/27/202044 minutes, 16 seconds
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Free riding: Why act, when acting is likely to make no difference?

Are there reasons to act in a particular way, to willingly make some sacrifice, do something which may be good, and which we may even be committed to, when our actions (or lack of action) are likely to be of no consequence? Is size detrimental to democratic community? Professor Roger Crisp joins us to discuss whether the free rider problem highlights the limitation of moral philosophy.
5/27/202044 minutes, 16 seconds
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Ramadan and the reality of interdependence

Much like the month of Ramadan, the COVID-19 pandemic presents an intense reminder of a reality we most often ignore: the fact of the limits we inhabit, and our dependence on others.
5/20/202036 minutes, 49 seconds
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Ramadan and the reality of interdependence

Much like the month of Ramadan, the COVID-19 pandemic presents an intense reminder of a reality we most often ignore: the fact of the limits we inhabit, and our dependence on others.
5/20/202036 minutes, 49 seconds
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Is there a moral case against the COVID-19 “shutdown”?

Calls are mounting for an end to the “shutdown” that has been imposed by governments throughout the world in response to the COVID-19 pandemic – including from some highly regarded philosophers. Are there more humane, more democratic ways of responding to the threat of the virus?
5/13/202044 minutes, 55 seconds
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Is there a moral case against the COVID-19 “shutdown”?

Calls are mounting for an end to the “shutdown” that has been imposed by governments throughout the world in response to the COVID-19 pandemic – including from some highly regarded philosophers. Are there more humane, more democratic ways of responding to the threat of the virus?
5/13/202044 minutes, 55 seconds
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Is COVID-19 bringing the best, or worst, out of our politics?

Is the pandemic having a chastening effect on our politics, bringing voters back to the real-world consequences of political decisions, or is the pandemic in fact playing right into the hands of populist politicians, creating ideal conditions in which to fan the flames or fear, resentment and mutual suspicion?
5/6/202054 minutes, 5 seconds
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Is COVID-19 bringing the best, or worst, out of our politics?

Is the pandemic having a chastening effect on our politics, bringing voters back to the real-world consequences of political decisions, or is the pandemic in fact playing right into the hands of populist politicians, creating ideal conditions in which to fan the flames or fear, resentment and mutual suspicion?
5/6/202054 minutes, 5 seconds
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Is it time to end simulated sex on television and film?

Why, in the light of the #MeToo movement, have we not questioned the aesthetic, much less moral, justification for the disproportionate amount of nudity and simulated sex required of female actors? Do we really need to prolong this puerile reliance on sex to attract viewers?
4/29/202045 minutes, 34 seconds
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Is it time to end simulated sex on television and film?

Why, in the light of the #MeToo movement, have we not questioned the aesthetic, much less moral, justification for the disproportionate amount of nudity and simulated sex required of female actors? Do we really need to prolong this puerile reliance on sex to attract viewers?
4/29/202045 minutes, 34 seconds
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Ordinary vices: Is pride an affront to, or the basis of, dignity?

Can pride be ‘redeemed’, and form the basis of human dignity, or is pride as such a form of moral corruption, a debased form of moral vision?
4/22/202041 minutes, 17 seconds
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Ordinary vices: Is pride an affront to, or the basis of, dignity?

Can pride be ‘redeemed’, and form the basis of human dignity, or is pride as such a form of moral corruption, a debased form of moral vision?
4/22/202041 minutes, 17 seconds
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Can we avoid cruelty in the face of COVID-19?

As societies, we are having to grapple with the question of whether some will be made to bear a disproportionate amount of the cost of our collective response to COVID-19.
4/15/202037 minutes, 24 seconds
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Can we avoid cruelty in the face of COVID-19?

As societies, we are having to grapple with the question of whether some will be made to bear a disproportionate amount of the cost of our collective response to COVID-19.
4/15/202037 minutes, 24 seconds
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How can we live with coronavirus uncertainty?

In little more than a month, the coronavirus has exploded the sense of certainty, confidence, optimism and control on which so much of modern life, the economy and politics are predicated. Were these always just illusions?
4/8/202038 minutes, 19 seconds
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How can we live with coronavirus uncertainty?

In little more than a month, the coronavirus has exploded the sense of certainty, confidence, optimism and control on which so much of modern life, the economy and politics are predicated. Were these always just illusions?
4/8/202038 minutes, 19 seconds
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Can we cultivate social solidarity in a time of physical distancing?

Any meaningful recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic will require imagination, risk, solidarity and vulnerability; it will mean refusing to ‘free-ride’ and a willingness to sacrifice. How can we cultivate this capacity for social solidarity in our time of social fragmentation and mutual distancing?
4/1/202045 minutes, 3 seconds
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Can we cultivate social solidarity in a time of physical distancing?

Any meaningful recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic will require imagination, risk, solidarity and vulnerability; it will mean refusing to ‘free-ride’ and a willingness to sacrifice. How can we cultivate this capacity for social solidarity in our time of social fragmentation and mutual distancing?
4/1/202045 minutes, 3 seconds
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What (new) forms of living might the coronavirus produce?

What new forms of life together — of modesty, prudence, simplicity, mutuality, sociality and cooperation — might we discover under the conditions of scarcity and social isolation imposed by the coronavirus, that perhaps we didn’t envision in more 'normal' times?
3/25/202038 minutes, 49 seconds
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What (new) forms of living might the coronavirus produce?

What new forms of life together — of modesty, prudence, simplicity, mutuality, sociality and cooperation — might we discover under the conditions of scarcity and social isolation imposed by the coronavirus, that perhaps we didn’t envision in more 'normal' times?
3/25/202038 minutes, 49 seconds
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What does the coronavirus reveal about us?

Is there a way of responding to the coronavirus that is both effective and ethical? That contributes to the tasks of social cohesion and mutual concern?
3/18/202040 minutes, 58 seconds
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What does the coronavirus reveal about us?

Is there a way of responding to the coronavirus that is both effective and ethical? That contributes to the tasks of social cohesion and mutual concern?