8 Impossible Thought Experiments - Cosmic Skeptic

Alex O'Connor is a philosopher, podcaster & a YouTuber. Philosophy is hard. Ethics are hard. Working out what is moral is hard. Today we get to put our mental muscles to the test with some of the most challenging thought experiments in moral philosophy. Expect to learn why brain tumours might actually be a good way to learn what is actually moral, whether ethics is just an expression of emotion, whether we can kill someone to stop them nuking a city, why it might be best to just not have any more children, whether an expensive education is cheating, what it means to say that someone is morally responsible for their actions, why Alex wore a suit to a boat party and much more... Sponsors: Get my free Reading List of 100 books to read before you die → https://chriswillx.com/books/ Get 30% discount on your at-home testosterone test at https://trylgc.com/modernwisdom (use code: MODERN30) Get 15% discount on the amazing 6 Minute Diary at https://bit.ly/diarywisdom (use code MW15) (USA - search Amazon and use 15MINUTES) Get 5 Free Travel Packs, Free Liquid Vitamin D and Free Shipping from Athletic Greens at https://athleticgreens.com/modernwisdom (discount automatically applied) Extra Stuff: Watch Alex on YouTube - https://youtu.be/gcVR2OVxPYw Subscribe to Alex on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/CosmicSkeptic To support me on Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/modernwisdom #philosophy #ethics #thoughtexperiment - 00:00 Intro 01:35 What’s the Point of Discussing Ethics? 04:54 Rediscovering Ancient Truths 13:24 Is Ethics About Minimising Suffering? 24:46 Reductio Ad Absurdum 28:09 Is it Right to Harm People for the Greater Good? 41:50 Moral Responsibility Vs Ability to Act Differently 1:06:01 Unfairness of Imbalances in Wealth & Intelligence 1:17:28 Do Non-Smokers Deserve Medical Treatment More Than Smokers? 1:29:11 Where is the Source of Goodness? 1:33:37 Where to Find Alex - Join the Modern Wisdom Community on Locals - https://modernwisdom.locals.com/ Listen to all episodes on audio: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

Alex O'ConnorguestChris Williamsonhost

Jun 9, 20221h 35mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: June 9, 2022
Duration: 1h 35m
Channel: Modern Wisdom
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Alex O'Connor is a philosopher, podcaster & a YouTuber. Philosophy is hard. Ethics are hard. Working out what is moral is hard. Today we get to put our mental muscles to the test with some of the most challenging thought experiments in moral philosophy. Expect to learn why brain tumours might actually be a good way to learn what is actually moral, whether ethics is just an expression of emotion, whether we can kill someone to stop them nuking a city, why it might be best to just not have any more children, whether an expensive education is cheating, what it means to say that someone is morally responsible for their actions, why Alex wore a suit to a boat party and much more... Sponsors: Get my free Reading List of 100 books to read before you die → https://chriswillx.com/books/ Get 30% discount on your at-home testosterone test at https://trylgc.com/modernwisdom (use code: MODERN30) Get 15% discount on the amazing 6 Minute Diary at https://bit.ly/diarywisdom (use code MW15) (USA - search Amazon and use 15MINUTES) Get 5 Free Travel Packs, Free Liquid Vitamin D and Free Shipping from Athletic Greens at https://athleticgreens.com/modernwisdom (discount automatically applied) Extra Stuff: Watch Alex on YouTube - https://youtu.be/gcVR2OVxPYw Subscribe to Alex on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/CosmicSkeptic To support me on Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/modernwisdom #philosophy #ethics #thoughtexperiment - 00:00 Intro 01:35 What’s the Point of Discussing Ethics? 04:54 Rediscovering Ancient Truths 13:24 Is Ethics About Minimising Suffering? 24:46 Reductio Ad Absurdum 28:09 Is it Right to Harm People for the Greater Good? 41:50 Moral Responsibility Vs Ability to Act Differently 1:06:01 Unfairness of Imbalances in Wealth & Intelligence 1:17:28 Do Non-Smokers Deserve Medical Treatment More Than Smokers? 1:29:11 Where is the Source of Goodness? 1:33:37 Where to Find Alex - Join the Modern Wisdom Community on Locals - https://modernwisdom.locals.com/ Listen to all episodes on audio: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

SPEAKERS

Alex O'Connor
guest
Chris Williamson
host

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Modern Wisdom, featuring Alex O'Connor and Chris Williamson, 8 Impossible Thought Experiments - Cosmic Skeptic explores cosmic Skeptic Explores Ethics, Free Will, and Moral Responsibility Limits Chris Williamson and Alex O'Connor (Cosmic Skeptic) use thought experiments to probe whether ethical theories like utilitarianism, rights-based views, and divine command ethics can really guide action. They argue that much of moral judgment is rooted in emotion (emotivism) and that our intuitions often clash with tidy philosophical systems. O'Connor challenges ideas of moral responsibility by questioning free will, using brain tumor cases, criminal justice, and meritocracy to show how little control we have over traits and decisions. The conversation ends by touching on religious ethics and the Euthyphro dilemma, suggesting even God-based morality faces deep conceptual problems.

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