Dilemma Podcast

Jay and Coleman discuss the giant trolley problem that we're all living through in the midst of the  pandemic.  Topics discusses: The "worry-wart" paradox. Invisible responsibility of spreading a virus. Social media etiquette and how to deal with accounts with large follower totals in a time of crisis. The case for pure scientific research. Countries focused on how not "get" it versus countries focused on how not to "give it. And of course which movies, board games, shows, and books to enjoy while you're stuck inside. Wash your hands.

Jay reviews Season 1 with the help of his girlfriend, a piano, and a glass of wine. Submit your Season 2 Dilemma Ideas to DilemmaIdeas@gmail.com

In the finale of Dilemma Season 1 famed author of "The Fabric of Reality" and "The Beginning of Infinity", David Deutsch, sits down with Jay Shapiro to discuss the ethics of a situation where deaf parents wish to use genetic selection techniques to intentionally choose having a deaf child. Deutsch lays out his intricately developed theories on knowledge, creativity, explanation, persons, and moral realism in order to address this complex question. Co-Hosts Jay Shapiro and Coleman Hughes juggle these topics while comparing which generational references the other won't understand. Get ready, this one is a real brain twister.

The best selling author of Shop Class As Soulcraft and The World Beyond Your Head has a new book coming out entitled Why We Drive. He sits down with Jay Shapiro to ponder the philosophical and psychological transformations afoot in a future world of automated driving. "Human Intelligent Action", "Deskilling", "Mass Infantilization", The Luddites, London taxi drivers, speed limits on the Autobahn, and what happens when the traffic lights go out.  These topics and more are explored in this deep dive. Co-Hosts Coleman Hughes and Jay Shapiro also share their experiences in the High School Ethics Bowl and discuss the notions of "Play" as a central feature of sentience as first laid out by Johan Huizinga.

"If I lose my mind, just kill me." Co-Hosts Jay Shapiro and Coleman Hughes discuss the philosophical borders and ethical complications of Medically Assisted Dying with Steven Pinker, cognitive psychologist, linguist, and best selling author of Enlightenment Now.

Jay Shapiro is joined by a very special guest... his mother, Sally. They speak about Jay's moral upbringing, Judaism, Atheism, Africa, and giving thanks.

In the depths of a brutal famine in Sudan in 1993, Kevin Carter took a photo of a starving child and a perched vulture which appeared on the front page of newspapers all over the world. Readers bombarded the editors with the question "What happened to the child?" Co-Hosts Jay Shapiro and Coleman Hughes discuss this difficult ethical case with Larissa MacFarquar, best selling author of Strangers Drowning 

A battlefield of wounded and dying soldiers in front of you. You hover over a mortally wounded man. You have medicine in one pocket and water in another. The soldier looks into your eyes and asks if you can help him with some medicine... You reach for the water... Meta-ethicist, philosophy professor, and author Stephen Finlay joins Jay Shapiro for a conversation through the complex dilemma of placebo usage.

Do you have hill worth dying on? Jay Shapiro reflects on Dilemma Episode 9: Hurricane at a Hospital with Lisa Tessman

When the power went out, the flood waters rose, and supplies dwindled in Memorial Hospital in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, Dr. Pau and her nurses faced the awful choice of what to do with the remaining patients when evacuation looked hopeless. Philosopher Lisa Tessman argues that this case and others like this are true philosophical dilemmas where doing the right thing is impossible. Jay Shapiro and Coleman Hughes tackle this difficult question and discuss the if doing the "right" thing and doing the "better" thing mean something different.