The Valmy

Bernard Williams, a renowned Professor of Philosophy, dives deep into human prejudice and speciesism. He contrasts traditional anthropocentrism with modern views on humanity's place in the universe. The discussion explores ethical implications of prioritizing human rights and critiques flawed reasoning behind speciesism. Williams challenges our understanding of personhood and suffering, while urging a reevaluation of moral responsibilities toward all sentient beings. Through this exploration, he raises compelling questions about our biases and ethical identity.

Adrian Moore, an Oxford professor, delves into the philosophical legacy of Bernard Williams, a leading figure in ethics. They discuss Williams' critiques of utilitarianism, using thought experiments to illustrate the complexities of moral decision-making. Moore highlights the distinction between ethics and morality, emphasizing a broader, more nuanced understanding of human existence. Additionally, they explore cultural relativism and the challenge of applying universal moral standards across diverse societies, underscoring the intricate nature of ethical evaluations.

Podcast: The Wright Show Episode: Robert Wright & Galen StrawsonRelease date: 2018-02-24Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationWhy scientific materialism is harder to define than you think … Galen explains panpsychism … What does “mind is all there is to reality” mean? … Is human consciousness epiphenomenal? … Do physical laws come from somewhere? … Is it like something to be a rock? (And is Galen saying it is?) … Galen: Discussion of the mind-body problem was better 100 years ago …

Podcast: Elucidations Episode: Episode 118: Tyler Cowen discusses Stubborn AttachmentsRelease date: 2019-09-12Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationIn this episode, Tyler Cowen lays out an interesting normative ethical theory according to which we should be utilitarians, but with a twist: we should be utilitarians who care just as much about the humans of the future as we care about people now. Re-emphasizing our commitment to future people, he argues, has the effect of allowing us to embrace utilitarianism wholeheartedly without having to feel like we aren't doing enough. Why? The best way to make life better for future generations is to help bring about economic growth, and we have good reason to think that a lot of what we're already doing is pretty good for economic growth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Podcast: Conversations with Tyler Episode: Rob Wiblin interviews Tyler on *Stubborn Attachments*Release date: 2018-10-16Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationIn this special episode, Rob Wiblin of 80,000 Hours has the super-sized conversation he wants to have with Tyler about Stubborn Attachments. In addition to a deep examination of the ideas in the book, the conversation ranges far and wide across Tyler's thinking, including why we won't leave the galaxy, the unresolvable clash between the claims of culture and nature, and what Tyrone would have to say about the book, and more. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links. Recorded September 21st, 2018 Other ways to connect Follow us on Twitter and Instagram Follow Tyler on Twitter  Follow 80,000 Hours on Twitter Email us: cowenconvos@mercatus.gmu.edu Subscribe at our newsletter page to have the latest Conversations with Tyler news sent straight to your inbox. 

Podcast: Future of Life Institute Podcast Episode: Sam Harris on Global Priorities, Existential Risk, and What Matters MostRelease date: 2020-06-01Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationHuman civilization increasingly has the potential both to improve the lives of everyone and to completely destroy everything. The proliferation of emerging technologies calls our attention to this never-before-seen power — and the need to cultivate the wisdom with which to steer it towards beneficial outcomes. If we're serious both as individuals and as a species about improving the world, it's crucial that we converge around the reality of our situation and what matters most. What are the most important problems in the world today and why? In this episode of the Future of Life Institute Podcast, Sam Harris joins us to discuss some of these global priorities, the ethics surrounding them, and what we can do to address them. Topics discussed in this episode include: -The problem of communication  -Global priorities  -Existential risk  -Animal suffering in both wild animals and factory farmed animals  -Global poverty  -Artificial general intelligence risk and AI alignment  -Ethics -Sam’s book, The Moral Landscape You can find the page for this podcast here: https://futureoflife.org/2020/06/01/on-global-priorities-existential-risk-and-what-matters-most-with-sam-harris/ You can take a survey about the podcast here: www.surveymonkey.com/r/W8YLYD3 You can submit a nominee for the Future of Life Award here: https://futureoflife.org/future-of-life-award-unsung-hero-search/ Timestamps:  0:00 Intro 3:52 What are the most important problems in the world? 13:14 Global priorities: existential risk 20:15 Why global catastrophic risks are more likely than existential risks 25:09 Longtermist philosophy 31:36 Making existential and global catastrophic risk more emotionally salient 34:41 How analyzing the self makes longtermism more attractive 40:28 Global priorities & effective altruism: animal suffering and global poverty 56:03 Is machine suffering the next global moral catastrophe? 59:36 AI alignment and artificial general intelligence/superintelligence risk 01:11:25 Expanding our moral circle of compassion 01:13:00 The Moral Landscape, consciousness, and moral realism 01:30:14 Can bliss and wellbeing be mathematically defined? 01:31:03 Where to follow Sam and concluding thoughts Photo by Christopher Michel: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cmichel67/ This podcast is possible because of the support of listeners like you. If you found this conversation to be meaningful or valuable consider supporting it directly by donating at futureoflife.org/donate. Contributions like yours make these conversations possible.

Podcast: Philosophy Bites Episode: Cheryl Misak on Frank Ramsey and Ludwig WittgensteinRelease date: 2020-05-30Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationCheryl Misak has recently published a biography of F.P. Ramsey, the great Cambridge thinker who died at the age of only 26, but who nevertheless made a significant impact in several different fields including philosophy, mathematics, and economics. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast she discusses Ramsey's interactions with Wittgenstein. The two thinkers had very different personal styles and their philosophies reflect this.

Podcast: Philosophy Bites Episode: Dan Sperber on the Enigma of Reasonhthttps://www.dan.sperber.fr/Release date: 2011-09-25Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationOur reasoning capacity sets us apart from other animals. But reason is frequently prone to error. Why then did we evolve with a capacity for reason at all?  This is a question that has vexed Dan Sperber - with Hugo Mercier he has been researching the topic. Dan Sperber discusses their research and conclusions with Nigel Warburton for this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. Philosophy Bites is made in assocation with the Institute of Philosophy.

Podcast: The Audio Long Read Episode: Why we need worst-case thinking to prevent pandemicsRelease date: 2020-03-23Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationThreats to humanity, and how we address them, define our time. Why are we still so complacent about facing up to existential risk? By Toby Ord. Help support our independent journalism at <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/longreadpod">theguardian.com/longreadpod</a>

Podcast: Rationally Speaking Podcast Episode: Rationally Speaking #232 - Tyler Cowen on "Defending big business against its critics"Release date: 2019-04-30Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationEconomist Tyler Cowen discusses his latest book, "Big Business: A love-letter to an American anti-hero." Why has anti-capitalist sentiment increased recently, and to what extent is it justified? How much are corporations to blame for wage stagnation, climbing cost of living, or the slow response to climate change? Tyler and Julia also explore their various disagreements: on how to communicate, whether people should bet on their beliefs, and whether we should increase public optimism about technology.