#26 - Moral Philosophy Cage Match (with Dan Hageman)
06/08/21 • 93 min
In a rare turn of events, it just so happened that one or perhaps both of your charming co-hosts spewed a bit of nonsense about Derek Parfit in a previous episode, and we had to bring in a heavy hitter to sort us out. Today we're joined by friend of the podcast Mr. Dan Hageman, immuno-oncologist by day and aspiring ethicist by night, who gently takes us to task for misunderstanding Parfit and the role of ethical theorizing, and for ignoring the suffering of pigeons. The critiques land, and convince Vaden that we should dedicate our resources towards providing safe and affordable contraception for Apex predators.
We cover all sorts of ground in this episode, including:
- Mistakes we made in our thought experiments episode
- Is it possible to over-theorize?
- Wild animal suffering
- Don't fish eat other fish?!
- Feline family planning
- Antinatalism
- Moral Cluelessness
- Population ethics and the repugnant conclusion (Ha!)
- Similarities and differences between theoretical physics and theoretical philosophy
References:
- Organization for the Prevention of Intense Suffering (OPIS)
- Lukas Gloor's post on population ethics
- Wild Animal Initiative
- Pigeon Contraception (yes, really)
- Hilary Greaves on moral cluelessness (talk+transcript, paper)
- Better Never to Have Been by David Benatar.
Dan Hageman is a biomed engineer who works in immuno-oncology, but in his not-so-free time strives to sell himself as an amateur philosopher and aspiring 'Effective Altruist'. He spends much of this time trying to keep up with impactful charities focused on the reduction and/or prevention of extreme suffering, and in 2020 helped co-found a hopefully burgeoning side project called ‘Match for More’. He would like to note that the IPAs are to blame for any and all errors/misapprehensions made during his lively discussion with epic friends and podcast hosts, Ben and Vaden.
How many insect lives are morally equivalent to one human life? Send us your best guess at [email protected]. We'll reveal the correct answer in episode 1000.
Update 13/06/21: The original title of this episode was "Meta-ethics Cage Match (with Dan Hageman)"
Special Guest: Dan Hageman.
In a rare turn of events, it just so happened that one or perhaps both of your charming co-hosts spewed a bit of nonsense about Derek Parfit in a previous episode, and we had to bring in a heavy hitter to sort us out. Today we're joined by friend of the podcast Mr. Dan Hageman, immuno-oncologist by day and aspiring ethicist by night, who gently takes us to task for misunderstanding Parfit and the role of ethical theorizing, and for ignoring the suffering of pigeons. The critiques land, and convince Vaden that we should dedicate our resources towards providing safe and affordable contraception for Apex predators.
We cover all sorts of ground in this episode, including:
- Mistakes we made in our thought experiments episode
- Is it possible to over-theorize?
- Wild animal suffering
- Don't fish eat other fish?!
- Feline family planning
- Antinatalism
- Moral Cluelessness
- Population ethics and the repugnant conclusion (Ha!)
- Similarities and differences between theoretical physics and theoretical philosophy
References:
- Organization for the Prevention of Intense Suffering (OPIS)
- Lukas Gloor's post on population ethics
- Wild Animal Initiative
- Pigeon Contraception (yes, really)
- Hilary Greaves on moral cluelessness (talk+transcript, paper)
- Better Never to Have Been by David Benatar.
Dan Hageman is a biomed engineer who works in immuno-oncology, but in his not-so-free time strives to sell himself as an amateur philosopher and aspiring 'Effective Altruist'. He spends much of this time trying to keep up with impactful charities focused on the reduction and/or prevention of extreme suffering, and in 2020 helped co-found a hopefully burgeoning side project called ‘Match for More’. He would like to note that the IPAs are to blame for any and all errors/misapprehensions made during his lively discussion with epic friends and podcast hosts, Ben and Vaden.
How many insect lives are morally equivalent to one human life? Send us your best guess at [email protected]. We'll reveal the correct answer in episode 1000.
Update 13/06/21: The original title of this episode was "Meta-ethics Cage Match (with Dan Hageman)"
Special Guest: Dan Hageman.
Previous Episode
#25 - Mathematical Explanation with Mark Colyvan
We often talk of explanation in the context of empirical sciences, but what about explanation in logic and mathematics? Is there such a thing? If so, what does it look like and what are the consequences? In this episode we sit down with professor of philosophy Mark Colyvan and explore
- How mathematical explanation differs from explanation in the natural sciences
- Counterfactual reasoning in mathematics
- Intra versus extra mathematical explanation
- Alternate logics
- Mathematical thought experiments
- The use of probability in the courtroom
References:
- The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences by Eugene Wigner.
- Proofs and Refutations by Imre Lakatos.
Mark Colyvan is a professor of philosophy at the University of Sydney, and a visiting professor (and, previously, Humboldt fellow) at Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich. He has a wide array of research interests, including the philosophy of mathematics, philosophy of logic, decision theory, environmental philosophy, and ecology. He has authored three books: The Indispensability of Mathematics (Oxford University Press, 2001), Ecological Orbits: How Planets Move and Populations Grow (Oxford University Press, 2004, co-authored with Lev Ginzburg), and An Introduction to the Philosophy of Mathematics (Cambridge University Press, 2012).
Special Guest: Mark Colyvan.
Next Episode
#27 - A Conversation with Marianne
There are many overused internet keywords that could be associated with this conversation, but none of them quite seem right. So here's a poem instead:
The Ogre does what ogres can,
Deeds quite impossible for Man,
But one prize is beyond his reach:
The Ogre cannot master speech.
About a subjugated plain,
Among its desperate and slain,
The Ogre stalks with hands on hips,
While drivel gushes from his lips
Send us an email at [email protected]
Image from https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/the-august-1968-red-square-protest-and-its-legacy
Audio updated: 05/07/2021
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