Podcasts by The Morality of Everyday Things: An Everyday Philosophy Podcast

Replay: Is it wrong to have children in an era of climate change? Is it unfair to have babies? from 2023-11-23T15:55:15

Old description: In this episode, Jake and Ant look at the ethics of having children in the context of climate change. Is it ok to birth a child into a doomed circumstance...is this circumstance qu...

Replay: Is it wrong to keep pets? Why is keeping a pet different to keeping a slave? from 2023-11-09T12:16:08

Old Description: In this episode, Jake and Ant look at the ethics of pet care. Is it ok to keep any sentient living being as property, free to be made infertile if their incessant humping annoys us...

Replay: Can we enjoy art even if it was made by a paedophile or anti-semite? from 2023-10-25T10:39:49

Old description: In this episode, Jake and Ant look at the ethics of art. Well, a very small sub-section, enjoying the works of artists who are themselves immoral. In considering this, we consider ...

Replay: Is it wrong to send your children to private school? Should all education be free? from 2023-10-20T15:45:27

Old episode description: In this episode, Jake and Ant look at the ethics of private education. Education is so important - and so formative - that it's important to ask whether it is fair for some...

Replay: Are you a bad person if you work at Facebook? What are the moral implications of your career choices? from 2023-10-12T13:27:58

Old episdoe description: In this episode, Jake and Ant explore what it means to be a bad person, briefly revisit the distinction between good/bad and right/wrong and discuss in some more depth why ...

Replay: Is it immoral to eat meat? Should you be a vegetarian if you want to be a good person? from 2023-10-05T10:58:45

Old Description: In this episode, Jake and Ant consider whether the consumption of meat - and specifically the production and slaughter of animals to that end - is immoral. This includes an explora...

Replay: Is it ok to punch a nazi? from 2023-09-28T16:08:21

Old Description: In this second episode, Jake and Ant explore the circumstances in which we may be justified in doing something we'd typically class as wrong. Are we ever justified in using violenc...

Replay: Should billionaires exist? from 2023-09-20T14:47:05

NOTE: we'll be doing replays and occassional hot-take updates between now and January next year, when we will release our next season! The episode that started it all...Should billionaires exist? W...

How do we know we're not living in the matrix? Solipsism and another classic philosophy film from 2023-09-06T12:13:41

The season finale....we bring it back to films we love which are loaded with philosophical ideas and we dive into a little bitof Latin - Cogito Ergo Sum! We discuss the classic questions of, how do...

How should we decide what makes the news? Imploding submarines and manufacturing consent. from 2023-08-30T15:18:32

In this episode, we use the recent nautical disaster of the imploding submarine to explore how we determine what makes the news, and what should make the news? We examine the model of "newsworthyne...

INTERVIEW: Life Is Hard, with Kieran Setiya - part 2 from 2023-08-23T11:28:53

Following our episode discussing his book and the concepts within, we speak with the author himself! Kieran is a professor in Philosophy from MIT and author of several books around philosophy and i...

INTERVIEW: Life Is Hard, with Kieran Setiya - part 1 from 2023-08-17T17:16

Excuse posting this episode 1 day late. This week, following our episode discussing his book and the concepts within, we speak with the author himself! Kieran is a professor in Philosophy from MIT ...

Is it wrong to increase the price of medicine? from 2023-08-09T16:22:53

Some of you may remember "The Pharma Bro" who raised the cost of medicine 1000%. He recently appeared on a podcast and it led us to consider the question. Should medicine be sacrasanct? Is it reall...

Life is hard, but can philosophy help deal with our suffering and the meaning of life? A discussion of Kieran Setiya's book from 2023-08-02T11:01:31

In this episode, we discuss Kieran Setiya's book "life is hard" and discuss the place of philosophy in our everyday lives. Can philosophy be a guide to a life well lived, and actually educate us to...

Universal Basic Income with Professor Guy Standing (part 2) - how do we practically make it happen, and what will the impact be? from 2023-07-26T15:28:14

A follow on to last episode where we discuss Basic Income with Guy Standing. Last episode we talked about the moral basis for Basic Income, this week we follow on with a moral practical approach. H...

Universal Basic Income with Professor Guy Standing - what is the moral justification for giving everyone free money? from 2023-07-19T12:43:31

After having previously said over and over that we'll "do UBI properly at some point", the time has come, and what better way to approach this question than including the man who quite literally wr...

Money in sports - is it wrong to support Newcastle United now they have Saudi money? from 2023-07-12T10:36:21

We've previously discussed footballers being overpaid...but where is that money coming from? With our beloved clubs being increasingly funded by authoritarian regimes with spotty human rights recor...

SEASON 3 teaser trailer - out this wednesday! from 2023-07-03T17:02

What to expect this season, each wednesday. Support the show:Here's the link to our new community whatsapp. Please leave us a review! Spotify even let's you do it - see the little star icon? Go on,...

Is it unfair to overpay footballers? REPLAY from 2023-06-28T16:54:02

The final episode in our mid-season hiatus - which means season 3 will launch next week! This replay also relates to an upcoming episode in the new season....little teaser for you there. Old episod...

Is 'God' a good thing? Part 3 - what's the source of religious moral authority? REPLAY from 2023-06-20T17:04:07

The third in 3 parts which will relate to the first episode in our next season - absurdism! Old Description:In this episode, we finish our series (of 3 episodes) exploring the intersection of 'God'...

Is 'God' a good thing? Part 2 - has religion been a net benefit to society? REPLAY from 2023-06-15T14:44:31

The second in 3 parts which will relate to the first episode in our next season - absurdism! Old Description:In this episode, we begin a series (of 3 episodes) exploring the intersection of 'God' a...

Community whatsapp group - link in description from 2023-06-08T15:57

As the audio explains, here's the link to our new community whatsapp, to discuss upcoming episodes and engage generally! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is God a good thing? Classic arguments for belief - Replay from 2023-06-05T20:20:12

The first in 3 parts which will relate to the first episode in our next season - absurdism! Old Description:In this episode, we begin a series (of 3 episodes) exploring the intersection of 'God' an...

Are NFTs a Scam? - Replay from 2023-05-31T16:59:59

This episode is an inter-season replay - enjoy! Old intro:Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are all the rage - at time of posting. Should we all be rushing to buy digital images of gorillas wearing sungla...

Is it wrong to ghost someone? from 2023-02-10T23:56

If you're a fan of the show, we'd love to chat to you! Book a call with us here and it'll feel like being on one of our episodes: https://calendly.com/jacob-stasher/user-research And if you want to...

Should it be a legal requirement to vote? Can I sell my vote? from 2023-01-11T10:39

If you're a fan of the show, we'd love to chat to you! Book a call with us here and it'll feel like being on one of our episodes: https://calendly.com/jacob-stasher/user-research And if you want to...

Am I a bad person if I don't vote? from 2023-01-06T09:44

Do you have a moral duty to vote? Are you letting down your country if you don't make the effort to ballot? Last episode, we looked at whether voting was rational. This episode we shift focus and a...

Should we have a death tax? - part 2 - Why have an inheritance tax and does it work? from 2022-11-08T12:06

The second in a two-parter where we discuss taxes and specifically inheritance tax. The series explores why taxes make sense at all, and then apply this thinking to inheritance tax - both whether i...

Should we have a death tax? - part 1 - Why do we have taxes? from 2022-10-31T14:28

The first in a two-parter where we discuss taxes and specifically inheritance tax. The series explores why taxes make sense at all, and then apply this thinking to inheritance tax - both whether it...

Are landlords evil? Part 2 from 2022-10-24T17:24

The second in a two-parter where we discuss whether landlords are evil. In a world where more and more urban centers in the western world are becoming unlivably expensive, should we be permitting p...

Are landlords evil? Part 1 from 2022-10-17T11:11

The first in a two-parter where we discuss whether landlords are evil. In a world where more and more urban centers in the western world are becoming unlivably expensive, should we be permitting pe...

Replay - Is it time to get rid of the royals? from 2022-09-19T15:21

REPLAY - in light of the queen's death and power transfering to Charles III, whilst we offer our condolensces it's more pertinent than ever to ask during these lavish ceremonies and high air-time e...

Are luxuries immoral? Part 2 from 2022-09-15T17:33

The second in a two-parter where we discuss whether luxury goods are immoral. In a true return to form, this is a specific argument we have literally had over the office lunch table, originating fr...

Are luxuries immoral? Part 1 from 2022-09-05T11:36

The first in a two-parter where we discuss whether luxury goods are immoral. In a true return to form, this is a specific argument we have literally had over the office lunch table, originating fro...

When is it ok to put down a human being? Part 3 from 2022-07-19T15:28

The third in our series on euthanasia and assisted suicide - later named with the much more provocative title, 'When is it ok to put down a human being?'. In this series we explore how much control...

When is it ok to put down a human being? Part 2 from 2022-07-14T09:54

The second in our series on euthanasia and assisted suicide - later named with the much more provocative title, 'When is it ok to put down a human being?'. In this series we explore how much contro...

When is it ok to put down a human being? from 2022-07-05T17:09

The first in our series on euthanasia and assisted suicide - later named with the much more provocative title, 'when is it ok to put down a human being?'. In this series we explore how much control...

Should we legalize (part 2)...Sex Work from 2022-06-01T10:42

Second in our series (of 3 episodes) exploring the intersection of morality and public policy; generally of the form 'should X be made legal?'. We'll be exploring both the ethical arguments and som...

Should we legalize (part 1)....Recreational Drugs from 2022-05-24T12:33

In this episode, we begin a series (of 3 episodes) exploring the intersection of morality and public policy; generally of the form 'should X be made legal?'. We'll be exploring both the ethical arg...

Is 'God' a good thing? Part 3 - the source of religious moral authority from 2022-04-28T09:29

In this episode, we finish our series (of 3 episodes) exploring the intersection of 'God' and morality. You'll note the use of quotation marks, this is because we explore the moral implications of ...

Is 'God' a good thing? Part 2 - has religion been a net good for society? from 2022-04-20T11:01

In this episode, we continue our series (of 3 episodes) exploring the intersection of 'God' and morality. You'll note the use of quotation marks, this is because we explore the moral implications o...

Is 'God' a good thing? Part 1 - classic arguments for belief/non-belief from 2022-04-11T12:46

In this episode, we begin a series (of 3 episodes) exploring the intersection of 'God' and morality. You'll note the use of quotation marks, this is because we explore the moral implications of the...

NFTs: the future of art or a pyramid scheme? from 2022-02-22T12:07:44

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are all the rage - at time of posting. Should we all be rushing to buy digital images of gorillas wearing sunglasses? Or are there better ways of supporting struggling...

CROSSOVER EPISODE - Is Liberal Democracy The Best We Can Do? from 2022-02-08T18:42:05

This is a crossover with the Good in Theory podcast. We discuss with Clif what liberal democracy is, the arguments in...

Is trophy hunting really wrong? from 2022-01-25T12:34

Hunting endangered animals for sport. Everyone knows it’s bad. But is it really? In this episode, Jake and Ant talk about trophy hunting and whether a moral society can permit it. They begin with a...

Is it bad to lie to your kids about Santa Claus? from 2021-12-22T13:36

Is the Santa myth just harmless fun, or should we be honest to our kids about Saint Nick? In this very festive episode, Jake and Ant discuss the morality of lying to children about Santa Claus. The...

Are you a bad person if you buy gifts from Amazon this X-mas? from 2021-12-08T12:00

Does buying gifts from Amazon make you a bad person? This week, Jake and Ant tackle the very festive topic of the morality of buying gifts from Amazon. They start by going over the pros and cons of...

Do you have to keep unreasonable promises? from 2021-11-24T14:24

Can you break a promise if it was an unreasonable one to make? In this episode, Jake and Ant go in depth, discussing several philosophical frameworks and what they have to say about promises. Using...

Here's why cyclists who skip red lights aren't bad people from 2021-11-10T14:00

Is it justifiable to blatantly break one of the most basic rules of the road? In this episode, Jake and Ant discuss the morality of skipping red lights on a bike. They begin by chatting about unexp...

Was Joe Biden wrong to pull out of Afghanistan? from 2021-10-14T10:44

In this episode, Jake and Ant look at the ethics of the Western abandonment of Afghanistan after decades of support. We begin by chatting about some necessary context on the history of Afghanistan...

Is the death penalty ever justified? from 2021-09-13T17:04

In this episode, Jake and Ant look at the ethics of murdering a murderer. We begin by chatting about the point of punishment - if we can't work out a justified aim of punishment, it's certainly ha...

Should you give money directly to homeless people? from 2021-08-05T14:39

In this episode, Jake and Ant look at the ethics of giving cold hard cash to street beggars (who we typically assume are homeless). We begin by exploring a bit around how people end up in the situ...

Should we abolish the monarchy? from 2021-06-15T15:45

In this episode, Jake and Ant look at the ethics of abolishing the monarchic institutions that are present in the UK and several other EU countries (but really focusing on the UK as a specific exam...

Is it wrong to have children in an era of climate change? from 2021-05-14T21:55

In this episode, Jake and Ant look at the ethics of having children in the context of climate change. Is it ok to birth a child into a doomed circumstance...is this circumstance quite so doomed...e...

Is it wrong to keep pets? from 2021-03-29T15:12

In this episode, Jake and Ant look at the ethics of pet care. Is it ok to keep any sentient living being as property, free to be made infertile if their incessant humping annoys us and even to be p...

Can we enjoy the music of problematic artists? from 2021-03-06T21:31

In this episode, Jake and Ant look at the ethics of art. Well, a very small sub-section, enjoying the works of artists who are themselves immoral. In considering this, we consider the difference be...

Can entrepreneurship be a force for good? - w/ beyond binary thinking podcast from 2021-02-12T14:45

In this episode (another guest-episode digression from our usual format, which we'll return to next episode), Jake and Ant look at whether entrepreneurship can be a force for good, with Chris and C...

Was Twitter right to ban Trump? w/ Peter Suciu and Alex Kantrowitz from 2021-01-25T16:48

In this episode, Jake and Ant look at whether banning Trump was the right thing to do for social media platforms. With our guests, Peter Suciu (Twitter: @PeterSuciu) and Alex Kantrowitz (twitter: @...

Would it be ethically justifiable to make the covid vaccine mandatory? from 2021-01-07T11:09

In this episode, Jake and Ant look at the ethics of mandatory vaccination, particularly in the context of covid and the year of mandatory lockdowns we've just been through. Arguably, vaccines have ...

Is it wrong to send your children to private school? from 2020-11-19T12:50

In this episode, Jake and Ant look at the ethics of private education. Education is so important - and so formative - that it's important to ask whether it is fair for some people to access a highe...

Are footballers paid too much? from 2020-11-04T09:43

In this episode Jake and Ant explore what it means to be overpaid - both from an economic and moral perspective. Particularly, footballers are considered in the context of essentially being enterta...

Are you a bad person if you work at Facebook? from 2020-10-17T09:04

In this episode, Jake and Ant explore what it means to be a bad person, briefly revisit the distinction between good/bad and right/wrong and discuss in some more depth why they specifically chose F...

Is it immoral to eat meat? from 2020-10-02T14:13

In this episode, Jake and Ant consider whether the consumption of meat - and specifically the production and slaughter of animals to that end - is immoral. This includes an exploration of the moral...

Should we segregate sports by sex? from 2020-09-23T17:40

In this episode, Jake and Ant consider how and why we segregate sports and, ultimately, what the point of sports might be? This includes an exploration of current issues of segregating by sex, give...

When is lockdown justified? from 2020-08-20T10:16

In this episode, Jake and Ant consider the circumstances where restricting personal freedoms in the interest of public health may be morally justified. This includes an exploration of whether this ...

Should you have shared #BlackoutTuesday? from 2020-07-04T05:52

In this episode, Jake and Ant explore why those who are able may have a duty to help disadvantaged groups and whether the motives of our actions matter to their moral worth. We revisit the question...

Is it OK to punch a nazi? from 2020-06-16T08:44

In this second episode, Jake and Ant explore the circumstances in which we may be justified in doing something we'd typically class as wrong. Are we ever justified in using violence, particularly a...

Should billionaires exist? from 2020-06-10T16:42:15

In this first episode, Jake and Ant explore the moral implications of extreme wealth inequality. Can billionaires co-exist with a population in poverty? When, if ever, is it right to takeaway so...

Should billionaires exist? from 2020-06-10T16:42

In this first episode, Jake and Ant explore the moral implications of extreme wealth inequality. Can billionaires co-exist with a population in poverty? When, if ever, is it right to takeaway someo...

The Trailer - The Morality of Everyday Things from 2020-06-10T08:36:19

"...and it's live!" 

Welcome, everybody, to the morality of everyday things. This is a 1 minute intro to Ant and Jake and what this podcast is all about. 

We'll tackle ev...