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Episode 152: Ruthlessness, Public and Private
FromVery Bad Wizards
ratings:
Length:
81 minutes
Released:
Nov 20, 2018
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
Tamler and David continue their Nagel-gazing by discussing another essay from Mortal Questions: "Ruthlessness in Public Life." Why do we treat the immorality of politicians, military leaders, and others in power differently than the immorality of individuals? Why does it seem less aversive to shake the hand of someone responsible for the death of thousands of civilians through military action than it does to shake the hand of a serial killer who has merely killed dozens? Are the rules we use to judge the moral atrocities of public officials different from the ones we use to judge private atrocities? Do they have the same basic foundations? Plus, we satisfy our listeners bloodlust by arguing about the new "Journal of Controversial Ideas" (because it would be cowardly not to).
This episode is brought to you by Givewell.org (http://www.givewell.org), and by the private morality of our generous supporters.
This episode is brought to you by Givewell.org (http://www.givewell.org), and by the private morality of our generous supporters.
Released:
Nov 20, 2018
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
Episode 8: Dishonesty, Character, and Dan Ariely: In a very special episode of Very Bad Wizards, Dan Ariely joins David to chat about cheating, character, and the importance of moral rules. Tamler and David sandwich the chat with a discussion about the US Presidential election, the irony of moral psychologists making people do bad things, and end with a full-blown argument about what it means to say that something is morally wrong. by Very Bad Wizards