On two short (very early?) Platonic dialogues, written perhaps around a decade after Socrates' death in 399 BCE. Featuring Mark, Wes, and Seth. This half of the discussion focuses on Hippias Minor, where Hippias is (like many of Socrates' interlocutors, e.g. Gorgias and Protagoras) a Sophist. In this case, this means that Hippias presents himself as an expert in all sorts of Continue Reading …
Ep. 395: C.S. Lewis Argues for Christianity (Part Two)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content. Continuing from part one on Mere Christianity (1952), starting with book 2, "What Christians Believe." Lewis argues that the problem of evil, far from showing that there is no good God, shows that we are endowed with that moral sense that judges the world to be evil, which was Lewis' proof for Continue Reading …
Ep. 395: C.S. Lewis Argues for Christianity (Part Two for Supporters)
Continuing from part one on Mere Christianity (1952), starting with book 2, "What Christians Believe." Lewis argues that the problem of evil, far from showing that there is no good God, shows that we are endowed with that moral sense that judges the world to be evil, which was Lewis' proof for God. Many of Lewis' arguments are still common among Christian apologists today. Continue Reading …
Ep. 390: Diderot Debates a Cynic (Part Two)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content. Continuing from part one on Rameau's Nephew, getting further into Rameau's philosophy and practices and trying to figure out what this anti-hero can tell us about ethics, given that he displays the virtue of being candid about his own vices. Sponsors: Don’t get caught running yesterday’s Continue Reading …
Ep. 390: Diderot Debates a Cynic (Part One)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content. On Denis Diderot's Rameau's Nephew, a dialogue written in the 1760s, published posthumously in 1805. Featuring Mark, Wes, and Dylan. Diderot was a key figure in the Enlightenment, and this dialogue was discovered right when philosophers like Hegel were criticizing the Enlightenment, Continue Reading …
Ep. 390: Diderot Debates a Cynic (Part Two for Supporters)
Continuing from part one on Rameau's Nephew, getting further into Rameau's philosophy and practices and trying to figure out what this anti-hero can tell us about ethics, given that he displays the virtue of being candid about his own vices. Rameau bemoans the fact that he's not a greater villain: he is fascinated and apparently admiring of the greatness of certain Continue Reading …
Ep. 390: Diderot Debates a Cynic (Part One for Supporters)
On Denis Diderot's Rameau's Nephew, a dialogue written in the 1760s, published posthumously in 1805. Featuring Mark, Wes, and Dylan. Diderot was a key figure in the Enlightenment, and this dialogue was discovered right when philosophers like Hegel were criticizing the Enlightenment, pointing out that even though dispelling superstitious religion and the piety that went with Continue Reading …
Ep. 381: Aquinas on Ethical Psychology (Part Three for Supporters)
We discuss the first six questions from the "Moral Action" section in the Summa Theologica (1268), which we read in Thomas Aquinas: Selected Philosophical Writings (1993). Aquinas is working with a "theodicy" position, which means that everything in existence must be good, since God is perfect and so would never make something bad. So how can some human actions be bad? Continue Reading …
Ep. 381: Aquinas on Ethical Psychology (Part Two)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content, including a supporter-exclusive part three. Continuing to discuss the virtue and moral action from the Summa Theologica (1268). Part One only covered the first two questions about virtue (Is it a disposition? Is it a disposition to act?), so we now move on to the actual definition of virtue Continue Reading …
Ep. 381: Aquinas on Ethical Psychology (Part Two for Supporters)
Continuing to discuss the virtue and moral action from the Summa Theologica (1268). Part One only covered the first two questions about virtue (Is it a disposition? Is it a disposition to act?), so we now move on to the actual definition of virtue and some subsequent questions about what parts of us the term virtue properly applies to. One important point that comes out Continue Reading …
Ep. 373: Michael Walzer on Just Wars (Part Two)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content. Continuing from part one on Just and Unjust Wars (1977), ch. 5-6. Sponsors: Visit functionhealth.com/PEL to get the data you need to take action for your health. Get a $1/month e-commerce trial at shopify.com/pel. Ch. 5, "Anticipations" discusses times when it might be morally Continue Reading …
Ep. 373: Michael Walzer on Just Wars (Part One)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content. On Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument With Illustrations (1977, updated in 2006), ch. 4-6 on "jus ad bellum," which refers to moral justifications for going to war, as opposed to "jus in bello," which refers to how war is conducted. Featuring Mark, Wes, Dylan, and Seth. Sponsors: Visit Continue Reading …
Ep. 373: Michael Walzer on Just Wars (Part Two for Supporters)
Continuing from part one on Just and Unjust Wars (1977), ch. 5-6. Ch. 5, "Anticipations" discusses times when it might be morally permissible to strike first, even when no immanent incoming attack is anticipated. These cases will be rare, and depending on what counts as a credible ongoing threat. If war is inevitable, and not attacking first would result in disaster, then Continue Reading …
Ep. 373: Michael Walzer on Just Wars (Part One for Supporters)
On Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument With Illustrations (1977, updated in 2006), ch. 4-6 on "jus ad bellum," which refers to moral justifications for going to war, as opposed to "jus in bello," which refers to how war is conducted. Featuring Mark, Wes, Dylan, and Seth. The short answer is that self-defense is OK, while aggression is not. But of course, this can be Continue Reading …
Ep. 372: Kant’s Ethics Lectures (Part Two)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus a supporter-exclusive part 3. Listen to a preview. Continuing from part one on the 1785 course lecture notes by Georg Ludwig Collins, as collected in the Cambridge edition. Sponsors: Visit functionhealth.com/PEL to get the data you need to take action for your health. Visit IDOU.com/PEL for 15% off online courses Continue Reading …
Ep. 372: Kant’s Ethics Lectures (Part Three for Supporters)
Concluding our treatment of these 1785 lectures, focusing now on "Of Duties Towards Other People," including some discussion of friendship, lying, distributive justice, and liberal/moral education. Start with part one. Thanks for supporting PEL! Transcript 0:00 Seth: Good night. 0:01 Dylan: Good night. 0:01 Wes: Night. 0:15 Mark: You are listening to the Partially Continue Reading …
Ep. 372: Kant’s Ethics Lectures (Part One)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content. On the 1784-1785 course lectures given in Konigsberg, via notes from Georg Ludwig Collins. We used the Cambridge edition (2013) picked what sections to read via a syllabus we found online. Featuring Mark, Wes, Seth, and Dylan. Sponsor: Visit functionhealth.com/PEL to get the data you need Continue Reading …
Ep. 372: Kant’s Ethics Lectures (Part Two for Supporters)
Continuing from part one on the 1785 course lecture notes by Georg Ludwig Collins, as collected in the Cambridge edition. We cover "Of Duties to Oneself," which are actually the primary ethical duties. This is not a matter of pursuing your desires, but recognizing your inherent dignity, and respecting that. When you do this, you'll have integrity, and will be in a good Continue Reading …
Ep. 372: Kant’s Ethics Lectures (Part One for Supporters)
On the 1784-1785 course lectures given in Konigsberg, via notes from Georg Ludwig Collins. We used the Cambridge edition (2013) picked what sections to read via a syllabus we found online. Featuring Mark, Wes, Seth, and Dylan. We originally discussed Kant's ethics via his Groundwork (also 1785) back in our ep. 10 and wanted to revisit the ideas given our recent work on Continue Reading …
Ep. 371: Christine Korsgaard on Normativity (Part Two)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content including a supporter-exclusive Nightcap with more Korsgaard discussion. Concluding our treatment of The Sources of Normativity. Listen to part one first, or better yet, start with ep. 370. Sponsors: Visit functionhealth.com/PEL to get the data you need to take action for your health. Get a Continue Reading …
Ep. 371: Christine Korsgaard on Normativity (Part One)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content. On lectures 3 and 4 of The Sources of Normativity (1996), continuing our discussion of the book from ep. 370. Sponsors: Don’t wait until the next bite—protect your home with Bzigo. Go to bzigo.com/discountBUZZ10 for 10% off. Visit functionhealth.com/PEL to get the data you need to take Continue Reading …
Ep. 371: Christine Korsgaard on Normativity (Part Two for Supporters)
Concluding our treatment of The Sources of Normativity. Listen to part one first, or better yet, start with ep. 370. We start by conveying Korsgaard's interpretation of Kant, by which the categorical imperative (act such that your maxim can be a law) and the moral law (treat everyone as an end in themselves) aren't actually the same, since the former could conceivably have a Continue Reading …
Ep. 371: Christine Korsgaard on Normativity (Part One for Supporters)
On lectures 3 and 4 of The Sources of Normativity (1996), continuing our discussion of the book from ep. 370. Why is morality obligatory on us? According to Korsgaard, it's because we have a primary need for an identity (multiple identities, actually, or rather multiple roles that make up our identity), and this identity involves obligations. If I were to cross some ethical Continue Reading …
Ep. 370: Christine Korsgaard on the History of Ethics (Part Two)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content. We dive further into the text of lectures 1 and 2 of The Sources of Normativity (1996). Start with part one. Sponsor: Visit functionhealth.com/PEL to get the data you need to take action for your health. Learn more about Mark's fall online political philosophy class at Continue Reading …
Ep. 370: Christine Korsgaard on the History of Ethics (Part One)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content. On The Sources of Normativity, lectures 1 and 2, which were delivered in 1992, published 1996. Featuring Mark, Wes, Seth, and Dylan. Sponsor: Don’t wait until the next bite—protect your home with Bzigo. Go to bzigo.com/discount/BUZZ10 to save 10%. How are facts related to obligations? Continue Reading …
Ep. 370: Christine Korsgaard on the History of Ethics (Part Two for Supporters)
We dive further into the text of lectures 1 and 2 of The Sources of Normativity (1996). Start with part one. Her test for reflective endorsement, which is a method that starts with Hume, goes through Bernard Williams and to Korsgaard's ultimate view, asks us to explain the origins of our moral sentiments, and asks us, knowing the origins now of your own sentiments, do you Continue Reading …
Ep. 370: Christine Korsgaard on the History of Ethics (Part One for Supporters)
On The Sources of Normativity, lectures 1 and 2, which were delivered in 1992, published 1996. Featuring Mark, Wes, Seth, and Dylan. How are facts related to obligations? Korsgaard's own view is a tweaked view of Kantianism, and we'll be laying that out in ep. 371, but she presents this view as the result and synthesis of a progression of previous views starting with Thomas Continue Reading …
Ep. 369: Philippa Foot’s Naturalistic Ethics (Part Two)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this ad-free, plus a supporter-exclusive part 3. Listen to a preview. Continuing from part one on Natural Goodness, getting more into concrete cases of moral reasoning. How and why do we decide to keep promises, even in cases where violating them would produce more utility? How do we take into account different kinds of grounds in moral Continue Reading …
Ep. 369: Philippa Foot’s Naturalistic Ethics (Part Three for Supporters)
Mark and Seth return to talk through the last three chapters of Natural Goodness, examining Foot's alleged difference between animal and plant goods on the one hand and specifically human good on the other. She locates the latter in our rational will, in our ability to make choices, though at the same time she does not share Kant's insistence that the only way in which we are Continue Reading …
Ep. 369: Philippa Foot’s Naturalistic Ethics (Part One)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content. On Natural Goodness (2001), Foot's only book (she died in 2010), which summed up her thoughts on ethics after publishing many influential papers in that area going back to 1959. Featuring Mark, Wes, and Seth. Sponsor: Get a $1/month e-commerce trial at shopify.com/pel. Can we base ethics Continue Reading …
Ep. 369: Philippa Foot’s Naturalistic Ethics (Part Two for Supporters)
Continuing from part one on Natural Goodness, getting more into concrete cases of moral reasoning. How and why do we decide to keep promises, even in cases where violating them would produce more utility? How do we take into account different kinds of grounds in moral reasoning? We also refine Foot's account of specifically human goodness. To give one example: For most Continue Reading …
Ep. 369: Philippa Foot’s Naturalistic Ethics (Part One for Supporters)
On Natural Goodness (2001), Foot's only book (she died in 2010), which summed up her thoughts on ethics after publishing many influential papers in that area going back to 1959. Featuring Mark, Wes, and Seth. Can we base ethics on the model of biology? Foot channels Aristotle in arguing that just as we understand what a healthy specimen of a plant or animal is that fulfills Continue Reading …
Ep. 368: Hume on Reason in Ethics (Part Two)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content. We conclude our discussion of A Treatise of Human Nature (1739): Book III, "Of Morals," plus a bit more discussion of An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals (1751). Listen to part one first, or better yet, start with ep. 367. How do moral sentiments fit into Hume's overall Continue Reading …
Ep. 368: Hume on Reason in Ethics (Part One)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content. Continuing our treatment from ep. 367, we talk a bit more about David Hume's An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals (1751), specifically on the conclusion and Appendix I, "Concerning Moral Sentiment," and add some parts of A Treatise of Human Nature (1739): sec. 3 "Of the Influencing Continue Reading …
Ep. 368: Hume on Reason in Ethics (Part Two for Supporters)
We conclude our discussion of A Treatise of Human Nature (1739): Book III, "Of Morals," plus a bit more discussion of An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals (1751). Listen to part one first, or better yet, start with ep. 367. How do moral sentiments fit into Hume's overall philosophy of mind? Hume famously our conscious experience to be composed solely of impressions Continue Reading …
Ep. 368: Hume on Reason in Ethics (Part One for Supporters)
Continuing our treatment from ep. 367, we talk a bit more about David Hume's An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals (1751), specifically on the conclusion and Appendix I, "Concerning Moral Sentiment," and add some parts of A Treatise of Human Nature (1739): sec. 3 "Of the Influencing Motives of the Will" within the third part of Book II, "Of the Passions," and the first Continue Reading …
Ep. 367: Hume on the Foundations of Ethics (Part Two)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content. Continuing from part one on An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals (1751). We dive into ch. 2 on justice: Hume says that the idea of property is not natural, but is an artificial construct created for utilitarian purposes. This means that property laws will be different in different Continue Reading …
Ep. 367: Hume on the Foundations of Ethics (Part One)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content. On David Hume's An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals (1751), featuring Mark, Wes, Dylan, and Seth. What is morality, and how can we know it? Sponsor: Get a $1/month e-commerce trial at shopify.com/pel. We've been discussing the bases of morality of late: Are fundamental Continue Reading …
Ep. 367: Hume on the Foundations of Ethics (Part Two for Supporters)
Continuing from part one on An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals (1751). We dive into ch. 2 on justice: Hume says that the idea of property is not natural, but is an artificial construct created for utilitarian purposes. This means that property laws will be different in different societies based on what is scarce enough to require regulation and protection. Hume's Continue Reading …
Ep. 367: Hume on the Foundations of Ethics (Part One for Supporters)
On David Hume's An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals (1751), featuring Mark, Wes, Dylan, and Seth. What is morality, and how can we know it? We've been discussing the bases of morality of late: Are fundamental principles revealed to us by reason (perhaps "rational intuition"), or by sentiment (e.g. our feelings of empathy with others. Hume is a chief voice in the Continue Reading …
The Life of the Volunteer
David Hume said, "Be a philosopher; but amidst all your philosophy, be still a man." The thing is, studying philosophy may or may not have an effect on your life. Even if it does, people usually follow Hume's advice to compartmentalize. Meta-ethics is typical of philosophy here. Moral skeptics often clarify that they're motivated by all the right ethical principles, but Continue Reading …
Ep. 358: Max Stirner’s Egoism (Part One for Supporters)
Continuing our trip through Marx and his influences, Wes, Dylan, and Seth read The Ego and its Own (1844), also translated as The Unique and its Property. Max Stirner was the pen name of Johann Kaspar Schmidt, and he went farther than Feuerbach in rejecting the status quo of a society driven by religion and traditional morality, prefiguring Nietzsche (though Nietzsche was aware Continue Reading …
Closereads: Peter Railton’s “Moral Realism” (Part One)
Sign up for Closereads at patreon.com/closereadsphilosophy to get future parts on this reading, as well as our previous and future installments of this podcast. We're reading a 1984 essay by Mark's U. of Michigan undergrad advisor, included among the most cited philosophy papers in some list that Wes found. Railton's goal is to give a naturalistic account of ethics (i.e. Continue Reading …
Closereads: Hegel on Jesus and Kant (Audio Part Five + Reflections on Recent PEL Episodes)
Sign up for Closereads at patreon.com/closereadsphilosophy to get the previous four parts on this reading, as well as our previous and future installments of this new podcast. Hey, PEL supporters: Since there's no part three for Fear and Trembling (nor will there be one for our next episode on Marcel, we thought we'd share with you the conclusion of our Closereads Continue Reading …
Ep. 319: Schiller on Experiencing Beauty (Part Two)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this ad-free, plus a supporter-exclusive part three. Listen to a preview.. Starting with letter 20 in On the Aesthetic Education of Man (1795), we tell more of the story of how art is supposed to get us from sensation to thinking. This continues from part one and ultimately from ep. 318. As a Romantic, Schiller's aesthetic theory is Continue Reading …
Ep. 315: Mengzi (Mencius) on Virtuous Leaders (Part One)
Subscribe to get this ad-free, plus a supporter-exclusive final part to this discussion. Following up on our previous discussion, we go further into the collected teachings of this early Confucian (aka Ruhist) from the late 4th century BCE. What's the best way to be a virtuous person and hence (on the ancient Chinese view, contra someone like Machiavelli) an effective Continue Reading …
Ep. 315: Mengzi (Mencius) on Virtuous Leaders (Part Two for Supporters)
To conclude our treatment of this seminal Confucian text, we consider a particularly puzzling passage about ethics and then move to politics and economics. Start with part one, or better yet, with part one of ep. 314. The passage 7A17 says only "Do not do what you would not do. Do wish what you would not wish. Only be like this," and we found an article by David Nivison (p. Continue Reading …
Ep. 313: Mozi’s Political Ethics (Part Two)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus a supporter-exclusive part three. Listen to a preview.. Continuing from part one on the central Mohist text, with guest Tzuchien Tho. Sponsors: Check out the Continuing the Conversation web series by St. John's College at sjc.edu. Check out the Hermitix podcast at hermitix.net. Was Mozi really only concerned Continue Reading …
Ep. 313: Mozi’s Political Ethics (Part One)
Subscribe to get parts 1 and 2 of this now, ad-free, plus tons of bonus content including including a new Nightcap discussion relevant to this episode about tributes to the dead. On the central Mohist text, collecting the teachings of Mozi (aka Mo Tzu), from the Chinese Warring States period around 430 B.C.E., with guest Tzuchien Tho joining Mark, Wes, Dylan, and Seth. The Continue Reading …
Ep. 313: Mozi’s Political Ethics (Part Two for Supporters)
Continuing from part one on the central Mohist text, with guest Tzuchien Tho. Was Mozi really only concerned with material well-being? Is the lack of this well-being why people act badly? We talk more about Mozi's arguments against elaborate funerals and music (and art in general). Plus, we look at Mozi's words against war and whether his defense of some past wars makes Continue Reading …