21 December 2024
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MeaningofLife.tv videos
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Jul 1, 2016 — Robert Wright & Jack Tsonis
Karl Jaspers and the “Axial Age” theory of history
The “world religions” paradigm
Jack: The Axial Age theory has racist vibes
Does it make sense to talk about “progress” in history?
Jack avoids vapid moral relativism
Does the Axial Age theory find unity where none exists?
TAGS
colonialism
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ethics
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history
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race
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religion
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social science
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tribalism
Jun 29, 2016 — Robert Wright & Daniel Kaufman
Bob’s love for the supercosmic
“Design” and “purpose”: Bob explains…
…and Dan objects
Is there a direction to natural selection?
Nobody understands consciousness
Is humanity making moral progress?
TAGS
consciousness
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ethics
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evolution
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philosophy
Jun 24, 2016 — Robert Wright & Daniel Kaufman
Understanding Saddam Hussein ≠ sympathy for Saddam Hussein
The ethics of punishing bad people
Dan vs. evolutionary psychology
Is religion really behind Sunni-Shia conflict?
The good side of tribalism
What does “mindfulness” actually mean?
TAGS
Christianity
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ethics
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Islam
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meditation
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mindfulness
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moral imagination
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philosophy
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psychology
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religion
Jun 1, 2016 — David Kyuman Kim & Brian McLaren
What is an “evangelical progressive Christian”?
Tribal tendencies in the evangelical community
The urge to annihilate the “other”
Do right beliefs lead to right actions?
The upside of despair
Our toxic political system
TAGS
Christianity
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compassion
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ethics
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love
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politics
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psychology
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tribalism
May 2, 2016 — Robert Wright & Anne Klaeysen
New Atheists focus on belief, religious humanists on behavior
Origins of the Ethical Culture movement
Why do atheists and agnostics join congregations?
What does a non-theistic Sunday service look like?
What is the demographic of humanist churches?
Filling the void of lost religion
TAGS
agnosticism
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atheism
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ethics
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New Atheists
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religion
May 1, 2016 — Daniel Kaufman & Massimo Pigliucci
The ethics of eating
Why Massimo changed his eating habits
The problem with utilitarianism
Morality from a virtue-ethics perspective
Considering ethical obligations
Are some virtues more important than others?
TAGS
ancient philosophy
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ethics
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Peter Singer
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philosophy
Apr 26, 2016 — David Masciotra & William Irwin
Is hell other people?
Would a libertarian society leave the neediest behind?
Betting on the charity of the private citizen
Bill’s new novel,
Free Dakota
David’s book about the existentialism of Metallica
“Consume and create”
TAGS
ethics
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music
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philosophy
Mar 25, 2016 — Daniel Kaufman & Daniel Tippens
Rationalism, its virtues and ideals
Manifestations of rationalism in epistemology …
… in ethics …
… and in political philosophy
Critique of rationalism: It can’t be reasons all the way down
Dan K. claims rational ethicists don’t really exist …
… and if they did, you wouldn’t like them
How philosophy turned to rationalism, and Dan K. turned away from it
TAGS
ethics
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philosophy
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politics
Feb 16, 2016 — Robert Wright & Melanie Brewster
Melanie Brewster and other
Atheists in America
Can atheism be a source of community?
What about hope, consolation and wonder?
Melanie’s book and why it was originally titled
The Other Closet
Why do New Atheists tend to be white, male and angry?
Are atheists understudied?
TAGS
atheism
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Christianity
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ethics
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Islam
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psychology
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religion
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spirituality
Feb 9, 2016 — Robert Wright & Daniel Kaufman
A “higher purpose” that doesn’t involve spooky forces
What does it matter whether a higher purpose exists?
What does the “meaning” in “meaning of life” mean?
Pondering the trajectory of human development
The importance of understanding other perspectives
Debating whether we’ve made moral progress
TAGS
ethics
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evolution
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moral imagination
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religion
Feb 2, 2016 — Massimo Pigliucci & Daniel Fincke (moderated by Daniel Kaufman)
Stoicism: a philosophical alternative to religion
Adapting an ancient philosophy of life to modern times
Accepting harsh truths
Confronting regret, fear, and death
Applying Stoicism to the social sphere
Interpreting the concept of radical self-sufficiency
TAGS
ancient philosophy
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death
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ethics
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fear
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philosophy
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religion
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sadness
Jan 10, 2016 — Aryeh Cohen-Wade & Jason Eberl
Star Wars Philosophy 101
St. Augustine on why people join the Dark Side
What makes Jedi better than terrorists, and the Empire worse than the U.S.
Midi-chlorians and the mind-body problem
The Lucas Empire v. the Fan Alliance: battle for the imaginary universe
The Force Awakens:
spoilers and speculations
TAGS
ethics
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free will
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human nature
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mind-body problem
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philosophy
Nov 30, 2015 — Robert Wright & Steven Pinker
Why humans are becoming less violent
The dark side of our moral sense
Just how deluded are we?
Bob tries to get Steve to say something nice about religion
How science gives Steve’s life meaning
The problem with “evil”
TAGS
altruism
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Buddhism
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empathy
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ethics
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evil
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psychology
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spirituality
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violence
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war
Oct 31, 2015 — Daniel Kaufman & Daniel Tippens
What guides our moral decision-making?
Dealing with conflicting moral obligations
Distinguishing feelings from beliefs
What makes an expert?
What a moral theory does
Why “effective altruism” isn’t compelling
TAGS
altruism
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ethics
Oct 3, 2015 — Daniel Kaufman & Massimo Pigliucci
“Virtue ethics” vs. typical modern understandings of morality
What do you need to live a “flourishing” life?
How to tell the difference between a Cynic and a Stoic
When our moral intuitions and our moral systems conflict
What Massimo finds appealing about a Stoic lifestyle
Why you shouldn’t focus on external outcomes
TAGS
ancient philosophy
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ethics
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technology
Jul 30, 2015 — Robert Wright & Paul Bloom
Paul is pro-“compassion” but anti-“empathy”
Different types of empathy: emotional vs. cognitive
Two examples of the damage done by empathy
The myth of pure evil
Are humans naturally moral?
The unconscious biases that inform our sense of justice
TAGS
Barack Obama
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Buddhism
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empathy
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ethics
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evil
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justice
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meditation
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moral imagination
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Peter Singer
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psychology
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war
Jul 11, 2015 — Daniel Kaufman & Massimo Pigliucci
Defining moral realism—it’s harder than you’d think!
Why Massimo is not a moral realist
Are utilitarians moral realists? Are Kantians?
Why we’ll never arrive at a single ethical theory
Human nature and why there’s no Marxist utopia
What happens to those who refuse to play the “moral game”?
TAGS
ancient philosophy
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ethics
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mathematics
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philosophy
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religion
Nov 1, 2014 — Daniel Kaufman & Massimo Pigliucci
Stoic Week is almost here—get that catering order in!
Wrestling philosophy out of the ivory tower and onto the street
Neo-Stoicism: Like the ancient kind, but with less Zeus
A day in the life of a practicing modern Stoic
Can Stoicism be a secular replacement for traditional religion?
That guy who always cries at weddings? Probably a philosopher
TAGS
ancient philosophy
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ethics
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meditation
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philosophy
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religion
May 6, 2014 — Jonathan Phillips & Nina Strohminger
The psychology of “you’re not the same person anymore”
Jim gets a microchip in his brain. Is he still Jim?
When Grandma starts getting nicer
Why morality matters to identity
The psychopathic difference
Memory loss and moral responsibility
TAGS
ethics
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identity
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memory
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psychology
May 4, 2013 — Joshua Knobe & Molly Crockett
Drink this and become more vengeful!
Selfish acts with altruistic results
Oxytocin: The amoral molecule?
Imagining a pill that makes you more moral
Would taking a morality pill be immoral?
In praise of “I don’t know”
TAGS
altruism
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cognitive science
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ethics
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mental health
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psychology
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