Philosophically Speaking: Morality and Things that Matter

Original Air Date Wednesday, November 10, 2021

The last few years have been topsy-turvy as far as human moral evolution is concerned. The global pandemic and civil unrest in many countries around the world have given rise to more questions than answers. The morality fabric of society was torn politically and at the same time mended philosophically as we came to understand our interdependence. In the US, we took to our tribes, during the worst and the best of times.

To discover the positives and negatives of our going tribal and how we might gain a better understanding of our place in the world and the things that matter, Harvesting Happiness Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two Philosophy professors and authors.

Allen Buchanan recounts key chapters from his book, Our Moral Fate: Evolution and the Escape from Tribalism and discusses the shaky ground on which democracy sits.

Simon Critchley shares philosophical takeaways from his book, Bald: 35 Philosophical Short Cuts, and what he thinks humans gained and lost during the pandemic, philosophically speaking.

Tune in:

Meet Our Guests:

Allen Buchanan is a Professor of philosophy at the University of Arizona and also a professor of the Philosophy of International Law at the Dickson Poon School of Law at King’s College, London. He received his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1975. He now researches at The University of Arizona.

Book: Our Moral Fate: Evolution and the Escape from Tribalism

Allen Buchanan — Morality and Things that Matter:

Simon Critchley is the Hans Jonas Professor of Philosophy at the New School for Social Research and the moderator of the New York Times’ Stone column. He is the author or editor of many books, including the recent book, Tragedy, the Greeks, and Us; a novella, Memory Theatre; a book-length essay, Notes on Suicide; and studies of David Bowie and association football.

Book: Bald: 35 Philosophical Short Cuts

Simon Critchley — Philosophically Speaking:

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