
Majesty of Reason Philosophy Podcast
A podcast that explains, analyzes, and evaluates philosophical issues. Buckle up for philosophy of religion, metaphysics, and philosophy of time.
Latest episodes

Jul 1, 2023 • 31min
The Experience Machine | MoR No. 103
Would you plug in?
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Jul 1, 2023 • 47min
A New Solution to the Problem of Freedom and Foreknowledge | MoR No. 102
Today I'm joined by the illustrious Mike DeVito to discuss a new, gap-theoretic solution to the problem of divine foreknowledge and human freedom.
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Jul 1, 2023 • 1h 25min
Rebutting Trent Horn’s Rebuttal of Alex O’Connor | MoR No. 101
Today I discuss Trent Horn's (@TheCounselofTrent) responses to Alex O'Connor's (@CosmicSkeptic) and Drew McCoy's (@GeneticallyModifiedSkeptic) criticisms of the argument from change.
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Jul 1, 2023 • 57min
A New Argument Against Causal Finitism | MoR No. 100
Here I discuss a new companions in guilt argument against causal finitism. What do you make of it?
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May 10, 2023 • 2h 5min
Universalism and Eternal Hell with Josh Rasmussen Eric Reitan | MoR No. 99
I’m joined by philosophers Josh Rasmussen and Eric Reitan to discuss universalism and eternal hell. Buckle up for one hell of a discussion!
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Oct 2, 2022 • 2h 2min
The Ethics of Abortion with @The Counsel of Trent & @Dustin Crummett | (MoR No. 98)
I'm joined by Dr. Dustin Crummett and Trent Horn to discuss the ethics of abortion. And... enjoy the bonus soccer while you're here :)
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RESOURCES
(1) Dustin's PhilPeople profile: https://philpeople.org/profiles/dusti...
(2) Some of Dustin's papers on abortion: (a) https://philpapers.org/rec/CRUVDA and (b) https://philpapers.org/rec/CRUMDN
(3) Dustin's YouTube channel (@Dustin Crummett): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWPF...
(4) The physicalist view of personal identity that Dustin defended in the discussion is based on chapter 1 of Jeff McMahan's "The Ethics of Killing". Dustin doesn't actually hold the view because he's a mereological nihilist, which he defends here [ https://capturingchristianity.com/two... ] and which Kane B describes here [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07PZ1... ].
(5) Trent's YouTube channel (@The Counsel of Trent): https://www.youtube.com/c/TheCounselo...
(6) Many of Trent's articles on aborti

Sep 28, 2022 • 1h 31min
Moral Arguments for God: An Analysis (MoR No. 97)
"Without God, all things are permitted." Wrong. Here's why.
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ADDITIONS
Here are some additions bolstering my points pertaining to the standard, WLC-style moral argument.
First, I didn’t get into many specific theories or accounts as to what grounds the rightness or wrongness (or im/permissibility etc.) of certain actions in a way that doesn’t involve God, but there are boatloads of such accounts. This alone shows that God isn’t needed to ground moral properties like rightness and wrongness.
A small sampling:
(1) Utility: an act’s moral properties could be grounded facts about utility — i.e., facts about what would/wouldn’t maximize well-being [understood perhaps in terms of pain/pleasure, or desire dis/satisfaction, or flourishing/languishing, etc.]
(2) Kantian universalizability: an act’s moral properties could be grounded in facts about universalizability [e.g., whether one could, in performing the act, consistently will that everyone does the act]
(3) Kantian ends-in-themselves: an act’s moral properties could be grounded in whether the act treats someone as a mere means rather than an end in themself
(4) Contractualism: an act’s moral properties could be grounded in whether principles allowing the act would be justifiable to others in a fair decision situation. Put differently (and with a Scanlonian vibe): an act’s moral properties could be grounded in whether the norms or rules underpinning one’s behavior could reasonably be objected to if they were to be agreed upon from an informed and unbiased vantage point.
(5) Virtue ethics: an act’s moral properties could be grounded in whether the act is one a virtuous person would do (or in whether it expresses a virtuous/vicious disposition)
(6) Care ethics: an act’s moral properties could be grounded in whether the act is one a caring person would do
(7) Ideal observer: an act’s moral properties could be grounded in whether an ideally situated observer would approve of the act
(8) Railton’s naturalism: an act’s moral properties could be grounded in objective facts concerning the maximal fulfillment of idealized desires, which are what individuals would want themselves to desire if they had access to all the relevant information
(9) Discourse ethics: an act’s moral properties could be grounded in universalizable presuppositions that underpin discourse between persons (see William Rehg’s work)
(10) Pluralism: an act’s moral properties could be grounded in a plethora of the aforementioned potential grounds for morality OR in particular facts about actions on a case-by-case basis (e.g., gross power imbalances, infliction of pain without consent or benefits accrued to the victim, etc.)
(11) Natural law: an act's moral properties could be grounded in whether it contravenes the ends built into one's nature
More generally, as Kevin Scharp rightly note

Sep 28, 2022 • 1h 34min
Moral Realism with Dr. Michael Huemer & Dr. Don Loeb | (MoR No. 96)
I'm joined by philosophers Michael Huemer and Don Loeb to discuss whether moral realism is true.
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RESOURCES
(1) Huemer's book, "Ethical Intuitionism": https://www.amazon.com/Ethical-Intuit...
(2) Huemer's papers: http://www.owl232.net/papers.htm
(3) Loeb's papers: https://philpeople.org/profiles/don-loeb
(4) My PhilPapers Profile: https://philpeople.org/profiles/josep...
(5) My website: https://www.josephschmid.com/

Sep 28, 2022 • 1h 28min
A Crash Course in Philosophy of Religion | (MoR No. 95)
What is religion? What is philosophy of religion? Does God exist? What are some different models of ultimate reality? I discuss these questions and more in this philosophy of religion crash course.
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Original video from @LS Philosophy: https://youtu.be/1Ajm9SFxMzE
LINKS
My website: https://www.josephschmid.com
My PhilPapers Profile: https://philpeople.org/profiles/josep...

5 snips
Sep 28, 2022 • 3h 15min
Hilbert's Hotel: A Comprehensive Response | (MoR No. 94)
Dive into the intriguing world of Hilbert's Hotel and discover why it's time to stop using this paradox. Explore the distinctions between actual and potential infinities and their implications in philosophy and mathematics. The discussion tackles the Kalam cosmological argument, questioning our intuition about infinities. With deeper insights into set theory, the validity of mathematical induction, and the philosophical challenges surrounding infinite causal regressions, this episode offers a thought-provoking critique of familiar notions on infinity.