PODCAST · society
Practical Ethics
by Dr. David Perry
This podcast series explores a wide range of practical ethical questions, hosted by Dr. David Perry, Director of the Practical Ethics Institute. Dr. Perry earned a Ph.D. in ethics from the University of Chicago Divinity School, taught ethics in undergraduate and graduate schools for 24 years, and published a book and over 50 articles in the field.
Episodes
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#22: The Abuse and Misuse of the U.S. Military by Trump and Hegseth
This episode examines several significant concerns about the current civilian leadership of the U.S. military, including abuses of military culture and command climate, inappropriate deployment of troops domestically, undermining legal guardrails, threatening and directing military actions that...
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#21: Were Mass Casualties in Gaza Inevitable? Are They Acceptable under Just-War Principles?
An examination of the conduct of the Israel Defense Forces in the wake of the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023, and the question of whether it amounts to genocide. A philosophical argument in support of the ethical and legal principle of noncombatant immunity is also provided.
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#20: Capital Punishment: Yes in Theory, No in Practice
Assuming that people have a basic right not to be killed, is that an absolute right? Or can murderers forfeit that right? If capital punishment can be justified in theory, are there enough significant concerns about it in practice that it ought to be abolished?
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#19: Trump Is a Threat to National Security
Several concerns about Trump's character, actions that would preclude a security clearance, his handling of classified information, his fawning behavior toward Vladimir Putin, and his illegal attempts to overturn the 2020 election, all of which indicate his threat to national security.
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#18: In Vitro Fertilization and Genetic Testing
An argument supporting the use of IVF and genetic testing by prospective parents seeking to avoid passing on serious genetic diseases to their children.
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#17: Russia's War in Ukraine: Ethical and International Legal Perspectives
An interview of Dr. Martin L. Cook, one of our country's best experts on military ethics and just-war theory. He taught at the U.S. Army War College, the Naval War College, and the Air Force Academy. His extensive CV and several video recordings of his lectures are available at...
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#16: Evaluating the Supreme Court’s Ruling on Abortion
Geoffrey Stone, Distinguished Service Professor of Law at the University of Chicago, comments on the June 2022 decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson that overruled Roe v. Wade and declared that the U.S. Constitution does not guarantee women a right to abortion. Stone is the…
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#15: Animal Welfare and Rights
An interview of Dr. Daniel Dombrowski, Professor of Philosophy at Seattle University. His views on abortion are also summarized near the end.
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#14: Human Rights Concerns in the Horn of Africa
An interview of Dr. Charles Schaefer, Professor of History and International Studies at Valparaiso University. (Note that in the podcast I erroneously referred to him as Associate Professor, when he is actually a full professor.)
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#13: Biased Data, Killer Robots, and Other Issues in Artificial Intelligence (AI)
An interview of Dr. Shannon French, Director of the Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, where she is also a professor of both Philosophy and Law. She previously taught at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, and her publications include a...
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#12: Ethical Challenges in U.S. Foreign Policy
Interview of Dr. Joel Rosenthal, President of the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, based in New York. Topics discussed: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan; dealing with repressive regimes like Russia, China and Myanmar; root causes of...
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#11: On Bigotry and Aggressive Violence
Several books are recommended in regard to the problems of bigotry and aggressive violence in America and around the world.
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#10: The Ethics of Abortion
Examines an argument typically employed by vigorous opponents of abortion, but shows why it fails, and why a pro-choice view is most reasonable.
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#9: God and the Soul
Here I critically examine some traditional beliefs about God and the soul, and explain why I now have serious doubts about them.
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#8: War in the Islamic Tradition, and Some Conclusions
This is the fourth episode in a four-part series on the historical evolution of ethical perspectives on war in major religious traditions, adapted from my book, Partly Cloudy: Ethics in War, Espionage, Covert Action, and Interrogation, 2nd ed. (Rowman and Littlefield, 2016).
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#7: War in the Christian Tradition
This is the third episode in a four-part series on the historical evolution of ethical perspectives on war in major religious traditions, adapted from my book, Partly Cloudy: Ethics in War, Espionage, Covert Action, and Interrogation, 2nd ed. (Rowman and Littlefield, 2016).
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#6: War in the Jewish Tradition
This is the second episode in a four-part series on the historical evolution of ethical perspectives on war in major religious traditions, adapted from my book, Partly Cloudy: Ethics in War, Espionage, Covert Action, and Interrogation, 2nd ed. (Rowman and Littlefield, 2016).
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#5: War in Hindu and Buddhist Traditions
This is the first episode in a four-part series on the historical evolution of ethical perspectives on war in major religious traditions, adapted from my book, Partly Cloudy: Ethics in War, Espionage, Covert Action, and Interrogation, 2nd ed. (Rowman and Littlefield, 2016).
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#4: Are Any Moral Principles Absolute?
In cases where significant moral principles conflict, one possible way to resolve the conflict is if one of them is absolute and always overrides the others. Are there any such absolutes? Dr. Perry shows why religion is not helpful in that regard, and why it makes more sense to consider a cluster...
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#3: Are There Any Objectively True Moral Principles?
Considers several theories that deny objective morality, and why those theories all fail. Outlines some objective ethical principles, and how complex they can become in professional life. Provides some guidelines for ethical deliberation and action.
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#2: Critical Thinking
This podcast focuses on Critical Thinking, a deliberate effort to reason clearly by identifying and avoiding psychological biases, logical pitfalls, and other errors in judgment. The scope of Critical Thinking goes beyond ethics, but it's clearly essential to good ethical decision-making.
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#1: Why Is Ethical Reflection Important?
The host, Dr. David Perry, briefly introduces himself, and indicates why moral philosophy can be helpful in making sound decisions.
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
This podcast series explores a wide range of practical ethical questions, hosted by Dr. David Perry, Director of the Practical Ethics Institute. Dr. Perry earned a Ph.D. in ethics from the University of Chicago Divinity School, taught ethics in undergraduate and graduate schools for 24 years, and published a book and over 50 articles in the field.
HOSTED BY
Dr. David Perry
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Practical Ethics have?
Practical Ethics currently has 22 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Practical Ethics about?
This podcast series explores a wide range of practical ethical questions, hosted by Dr. David Perry, Director of the Practical Ethics Institute. Dr. Perry earned a Ph.D. in ethics from the University of Chicago Divinity School, taught ethics in undergraduate and graduate schools for 24 years, and...
How often does Practical Ethics release new episodes?
Practical Ethics has 22 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Practical Ethics?
You can listen to Practical Ethics on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Practical Ethics?
Practical Ethics is created and hosted by Dr. David Perry.
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