8 Impossible Thought Experiments - Cosmic Skeptic - #484

Modern Wisdom

06/09/22

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95m

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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 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...

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Timestamps:

(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

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Subscribe to Alex on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/CosmicSkeptic

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Episodes You Might Enjoy:

This Is How To Master Your Life - David Goggins - #577: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins⁠⁠⁠

How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs - Dr Jordan Peterson - #712: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson⁠⁠⁠

The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain - Dr Andrew Huberman - #700: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Huberman⁠⁠

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Previous Episode

Has Woke Taken Over Everything? - Dr Joanna Williams - #483

June 6, 2022

•

73m

Dr Joanna Williams is the Founder of Cieo, associate editor of Spiked and an author.

The last few years has seen progressive ideas capture institutions, academics and headlines. But how much has this ideology actually trickled down to making a real impact in the world? Is it just a moral panic about a moral panic or is there something to really be concerned about?

Expect to learn why police officers are being told to actively refer to themselves as woke, how 3 month old babies can be racist, why air conditioning is a tool of the patriarchy, whether the people pushing these narratives actually believe this stuff, what the future of progressive messaging has in store and much more...

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro (00:23) Woke Policing (05:52) What Minorities Really Want (14:36) Origin of ‘Woke’ (20:05) How the Left is Demonised (26:22) The Shift from Class to Identity (36:52) Does the Woke Movement Impact Women’s Rights? (52:06) Adversarial Nature of Current Society (59:28) The Right’s Moral Panic (1:07:04) Is the Panic Justified? (1:12:50) Where to Find Dr Williams

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Episodes You Might Enjoy:

This Is How To Master Your Life - David Goggins - #577: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins⁠⁠⁠

How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs - Dr Jordan Peterson - #712: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson⁠⁠⁠

The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain - Dr Andrew Huberman - #700: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Huberman⁠⁠

Get in touch.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx

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Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

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Next Episode

Why Sensitive People Enjoy Feeling Sad - Susan Cain - #485

June 11, 2022

•

68m

Susan Cain is a best-selling author and speaker.

There’s a tyranny of positivity in the modern world. Talking about emotions like longing and sorrow are not usually encouraged. And yet tons of people feel like this and hearing others tell us about their melancholy brings us closer to them, so how can we integrate bittersweet emotions into our lives and what can they teach us about ourselves?

Expect to learn whether the world has become better for introverts, why sad music seems to make us happy, whether people are genetically predisposed to feeling bittersweet emotions, how to deal with impermanence in life when everyone we love is going to die, why I felt sad after looking at the moon and much more...

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro (00:19) Is the World More Introvert-Friendly? (03:34) The Need to Embrace Joy & Sorrow (09:48) Experiences of Awe & Dread (17:00) Where Creativity Comes From (26:48) Struggling to Accept Being Introverted (36:38) The Tyranny of Positivity (41:01) Witnessing a Lunar Eclipse (47:31) Being Open in Competitive Environments (55:44) How to Accept Death (1:08:01) Where to Find Susan

Extra Stuff:

Buy Bittersweet - https://amzn.to/3xjy9AE

Get my free Reading List of 100 books to read before you die → https://chriswillx.com/books/

To support me on Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/modernwisdom

Episodes You Might Enjoy:

This Is How To Master Your Life - David Goggins - #577: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins⁠⁠⁠

How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs - Dr Jordan Peterson - #712: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson⁠⁠⁠

The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain - Dr Andrew Huberman - #700: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Huberman⁠⁠

Get in touch.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcast