E52. "Guilt-Edge Security" - How would you live your life, if you lived forever?

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Named “Top 20 Philosophy Podcast” for 2021!

STORY SUMMARY: A traveling salesman sits at the bar after a long day drinking bourbon. He is approached and cleverly pitched a new product he has discovered on a distant rim planet, Life. The product stops the aging process. The first batch is free, and the salesman returns eight years later to get into the distribution business.

DISCUSSION: There are really three things going on in the story. First, how would you live your life differently if you knew you were going to live forever? Would you value other lives more, or less? Would you take a different review of risk? Second, there is the idea in the story that your soul exists because you have choices, and if you have your ability to make choices taken away, you have had your soul taken away. In the story, arguably, in order to continue to get the elixir, you have to get other people into the pyramid scheme, which means you have no choice, and have no soul. The third minor point of the story is about countries (or a planet in this case) with a single valuable resource can best leverage that resource for prosperity and power without risking being conquered by others to secure the resource supply.

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E51. "A Wolf On The Bus" - How do you know if you’ll protect others?

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Named “Top 20 Philosophy Podcast” for 2021!

STORY SUMMARY: The narrator is simply going about her life riding the bus home from work. A few stops later, a wolf gets on the bus, pays the bus ticket, and has a seat. The woman has heard about wolves and is apprehensive. At the next stop a few teenagers get on the bus. They see the wolf and immediately begin teasing it. The wolf refuses to fight back until, eventually, the narrator stands up for the wolf. The teenagers get off and the woman speaks to the wolf. Police, having been notified of a disturbance, get on the bus and begin the process of arresting the wolf based on the call received. The narrator, and the other bus patrons, stand up for the wolf and explain it was the teenagers who initiated the altercation. The police leave. The wolf explains to the narrator that if he defends himself, he will be confirming the stereotypes about wolves and that it is only through others standing up on his behalf, that opinions can change.

DISCUSSION: Clearly an allegory related to racism, this is a story suited for adults, but would also work very well as a children’s story. One of our shortest podcast discussions, but just an amazing story to read and discuss. Brings up an interesting question about who are the ones able to end racism, those in power observing, or those the actions are against? Is passive resistance to show the brutality of your attackers the only way to bring moderates to your side? It’s the MLK vs. Malcolm X question regarding resistance. The story also forces us to wonder what kind of person we are? Have we ever been the person watching others be discriminated against and did nothing? What would we do if we were on the bus?

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E49. "Take-em!" - When is a request from a loved one emotional manipulation?

in ,

Named “Top 20 Philosophy Podcast” for 2021!

STORY SUMMARY: The narrator is invited by his father to go duck hunting as part of their bonding time. The narrator wants to spend time with his father, but expresses ethical concerns about hunting ducks. The father asserts hunting is a natural part of human evolution. The debate continues as the narrator decides to go on the hunt, but is undecided if he will pull the trigger. The story ends with father and son in the blind just at the moment before the narrator must decide if he is going to pull the trigger.

DISCUSSION: This isn’t really a story about sport killing or not, at least to us. The really interesting part of the story is about how family, and those emotional ties, and those we need to be loved by and respect, might cause us to do things that we find personally morally objectionable. Here, the father gives the son several chances to not participate in the duck hunt, but it’s clear he will be disappointed, and that it might limit their future ability to have father/son time. This sort of unintentional (or intentional) manipulation happens not just with family members, but those in authority, or those who we respect and want approval from.

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E48. "Reach" - Should we know "the story" of the people behind the products we purchase?

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Named “Top 20 Philosophy Podcast” for 2021!

STORY SUMMARY: Jack Benson gives his child a prototype toy from his company as a Christmas present. When they check the toy battery compartment, they find a sad poem written in Chinese. Jack decides to fly to China and visit the factory where the toy is produced. He pays an employee to read the poem over the factory floor loudspeaker. A woman on the factory line stands up in acknowledgement, then humbly returns to her work. Later, after the shift, she slips him a book of her writings, presumably, expressing more thoughts and emotions about her life.

DISCUSSION: The obvious question for this story is, of course, do we have an obligation to know more about where our products are sourced and the labor that is being used to build them? His child shows the very disposable way we look at products of cheap labor. Also, it may have been irresponsible on the part of the narrator to put the poem writer at risk. What if she had been fired? She didn’t specifically ask for help. In some ways he seems trapped in his wealthy life as well, just trapped in a different way.

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E47. "Echo" - What natural rights does a human in an artificial body deserve?

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Named “Top 20 Philosophy Podcast” for 2021!

STORY SUMMARY: Martha dies. She wakes up three years later with her consciousness put into the body of an android. She did not ask for this, it simply happened. She is forced to accept that Martha is dead, and that she must live out her new life as Echo. As an android, she has limited rights. She cannot see her former family or friends. She can only work for minimum wage. She cannot interact with any technology. She cannot go to the same location more than twice in a week. She cannot meet other androids for prolonged periods of time. She is not even allowed to terminate her own existence. Her only friend is a journalist who is trying to get the “android story” out. He does this by using an override switch that paralyzes Echo and allows him to download her complete data set since her inception.

DISCUSSION: Story brings up wonderful points about what rights you are born with and what it is about you that earns you those rights. Is it your body, or something else? Is it inevitable that there are always lower class people to do the hard work and have limited rights? She was perfectly happy to take rights away from the androids until she was one. Even the person that is helping her takes her memories without her permission. The question we are wholly not qualified to answer is, when is AI “alive?”

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E45. "Bill And The Tooth Fairy" - When is it wrong to have a sincerely held belief?

in ,

Named “Top 20 Philosophy Podcast” for 2021!

STORY SUMMARY: (Not suitable for children.) Bill believes in the Tooth Fairy. He is 28 years old. His girlfriend finds this odd, and sometimes socially awkward, but otherwise harmless. This changes, however, when Bill has his wisdom teeth removed and places them under his pillow with the expectation that the Tooth Fairy will accept his offering and provide him her payment as her showing of appreciation. To appease his belief system, Bill’s girlfriend decides to take the teeth and leave Bill some money, but unknowingly does not leave him payment in the “right” amount. Bill interprets this to mean the Tooth Fairy is unhappy with his offering of teeth and tries leaving a tooth from a denture. The tooth fairy never comes. Frustrated, Bill knocks out his own teeth so as to make another, and what he sees as proper, offering.

DISCUSSION: Interesting story about how we decide what belief systems are acceptable, and unacceptable. Why is a belief in the tooth fairy more or less valid than one in God, the Devil, or that professional wrestling is real. Do we have a duty to be permissible of all other beliefs? Should we work to actively dispel them? Is it enabling a belief when we say nothing or simply say all ideas have value?

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E44. "Simon" - What would happen if you killed the devil?

in ,

Named “Top 20 Philosophy Podcast” for 2021!

STORY SUMMARY: Simon is on trial for, literally, killing the devil. He did it by telling everyone he was going to kill the devil. Of course, the devil found out and came to visit him. Simon told the devil he was a cheap peddler of a product, fear, he had never personally experienced. To prove he feared nothing, the devil removed his immortality. When he did that, Simon shot and killed him. However, nothing changed in the world. Evil didn’t go away, or even get less.

DISCUSSION: The story asks the important question where does evil reside? Are we tempted to evil, or is there simply evil inside all of us. Conversely, if our evil is from our own thoughts and actions, does that also mean our grace comes, not from God, but from inside us as well? Do we simply create an external person to relive ourselves of the burden of understanding we are the evil of the world? How can we create less evil in the world? Does anyone think they are evil? Aren’t we all the hero in our own stories? Should the killed of Satan be put in jail?

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E43. "Season Three Recap - Listener Questions"

Named “Top 20 Philosophy Podcast” for 2021!

STORY SUMMARY: After Dinner Conversation Editor, Kolby, answers questions from readers and recaps Season Three.

DISCUSSION: Kolby answer reader mail and recaps Season Three. What are his favorite stories from Season Three? What does he consider to be the most quintessential stories After Dinner Conversation has published? Why did we switch from publishing short stories to a monthly magazine? How do you judge stories for publication, and what are the best ways to increase my changes of getting published? How can I help out/support the publication?

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E42. "People Used To Die Every Day" - Is sleep a waste of time?

Named “Top 20 Philosophy Podcast” for 2021!

STORY SUMMARY: Peter finds out his partner Samir has been sneaking around behind his back to “try out dreaming.” According to Samir, he likes the way sleeping, and dreaming, makes him feel. And besides, he argues, it doesn’t do any harm; his work will never find out. Peter decides to break the law in support of their relationship and to stop taking the drug that makes sleep and dreams unnecessary, in order to better understand his partner. However, after one try Peter decides he doesn’t like the feeling of losing control and that sleep isn’t for him.

DISCUSSION: The main question of the story is, are biological functions a necessary evil to be gotten rid of by science and, is sleeping one of those biological functions? Are cutting your nails, and going to the bathroom things we gain value from, or simple biological acts to be removed if possible? Does sleep service a purpose or is it just a biological act? If the ability to go without sleep was available, wouldn’t it eventually become necessary to stay competitive in a workplace? We all agree the government should not make sleeping illegal, but if given the chance, many of the group would do away with sleep for the extra time it provides. Would you be willing to do something illegal that your partner was doing, as in the story? What if the illegal thing went against your own values, would you still do it if your partner was? Is there a minimum age whereby you should not be allowed to made to go without sleep?

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E41. "Teddy And Roosevelt" - Do role models really matter?

Named “Top 20 Philosophy Podcast” for 2021!

STORY SUMMARY: Roosevelt is a young black child who is obsessed with the life and philosophies of President “Teddy” Roosevelt. He is new at the school and due to an issue with other students is forced into the “Friends Group;” a social adjustment group for students the school have deemed at-risk. While in the group he meets Teddy, an overweight boy who has been in the group for years because he pulled an X-ACTO knife in art class on a fellow student who continued to bully him about his weight. The two misfit boys develop a friendship. Roosevelt teaches Teddy how to fight, as well as imparting bits of wit and wisdom from his hero, Teddy Roosevelt. Things go awry when they are caught swimming naked in Teddy’s pool. The school rumor mill spreads that they are gay. This leads to the school forcing the two boys to fight after school. Roosevelt decides that Teddy has more to lose and is less prepared to deal with the consequences of the altercation, so he allows himself to lose the fight. As Teddy Roosevelt said, “No man is worth his salt who is not ready at all times to risk his body – to risk his well-being – to risk his life – in a great cause.” This story was the runner-up of the Fall 2020 After Dinner Conversation Writing Competition.

DISCUSSION: This story is one of the most expertly crafted stories we have ever discussed. It perfectly portrays the prejudice and attitudes of the early 1980’s. Of course, the interesting question in the story is the role that Teddy Roosevelt plays in influencing the main character that has lost his father. A book, and a long dead President, are serving the position of role model in his life. And, in turn, this is influencing his friendship with others. Is this a good thing? Are role models in sports, business, or history, a good thing? Some don’t want to be role models. Some are showing idealized versions of flawed real people. What role should role models have in crafting our personalities? Should we, as a society, be more careful, or put more controls in place, about the role models that have the ability to influence the opinions of children?

BOOK LINK: Download the accompanying short story here.

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E38. "In Their Image" - What happens when a Teddy can't find its purpose?

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Named “Top 20 Philosophy Podcast” for 2021!

STORY SUMMARY: A preacher arrives on an off-world planet inhabited by 7 foot tall, multi-colored, bears, aka “Teddies.” Her mission is to run her church and, if possible, convert the local Teddies to Christianity. Over time she makes no progress and her church is at risk of being shut down by those funding it. She heads to the local Teddy church and learns that, according to their faith, God can only return when everyone alive is fulfilling their “Purpose” and, if you cannot find your purpose, you should volunteer to die so that you can re-enter the wheel of life and try again. Appalled by this doctrine, the preacher turns her focus to feeding the hungry. This is a violation of the culture as the Teddies believe that those that starve do so because it as their purpose to starve.

DISCUSSION: Really fascinating story and world building, and a wonderful springboard for a discussion about free will and choice. Is “Purpose” just another version of a Zen discussion about “the way?” Can your purpose change? Do people really have a single purpose? And yet, teachers, and others, refer to their careers as a “calling.” The wealthy have also, historically, told those without that they are hungry because it is God’s will. Is this a caste system, of sorts at work?

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E37. "Externalities" - While facts are unchanging, is 'truth' contextual?

in ,

Named “Top 20 Philosophy Podcast” for 2021!

STORY SUMMARY: Set in the 1600’s, a traveling man of knowledge comes into town with his young assistant and assortment of books. Various townspeople come to visit him, paying to ask questions. Why do my gums bleed? Why does is steel I forge brittle? Finally, a wealthy man comes and asks if he should allow his daughter to marry the local guard. The traveling man says yes, that love is always a thing to respect. The wealthy man comes back later with his daughter and attempts to bribe the traveling man to have him say they should call the relationship off. The traveling man refuses and, in the process, gives his assistant an important lesson about positive externalities.

DISCUSSION: Like all of our stories, this one is very well written and has the feel of being written by a very wise person, who just happens to also be a writer. It’s interesting the way each person who comes to pay for advice has a different question that allows the traveling man to expound upon a life lesson. Also, it seems like each question relates to the subtext of the thing going on in that person’s life as well. The story brings up an interesting point about the rare case of positive externalities. While they are typically associated with businesses pushing costs off to society, it can just as well be about a couple in love getting the benefit of the price paid for by their father.

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E22. "An Infinite Game" - Is everyone selfish, when death is on the line?

in ,

Named “Top 15 Podcast” for 2020!

STORY SUMMARY: Four prisoners are made to draw straws for the order they stand in a row. Their prison guard plans to push his bayonet into the first person and see how far back it goes in the line of men. The first man in line panics, runs, and is shot. The narrator talks to the man in front of him and tries to convince him not to run so he might slow down the thrust. The heavy set man in the back thinks he is safe, but the guard changes his mind and stabs him instead. In the end, only the narrator survives.

DISCUSSION: Story focuses on morality, game theory, value theory, and infinite game theory. Should the heavy set man have volunteered to be first in line to slow down the blade for everyone else? Is it selfish to run and, thus, cause those behind you to be more likely to die? Should the four men have simply tried to rush the guard? Does everyone find God when they are about to die? Game theory seems to only work when dealing with large numbers, not individuals. Value theory seems to state that, at the end of the day, nothing is worth more than your own life. This is an infinite, not a finite, game. The guard seems like an arm-chair philosopher.

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E19. "The Orphan's Dilemma" - Is getting a future worth forgetting the past?

in ,

Named “Top 15 Short Story Podcast” for 2020!

STORY SUMMARY: The story takes place in the thoughts of a 16 year old boy waiting to have his memory erased for his adoption. He thinks about going on his first date, and about being teased by others. He wonders about the family that is adopting him and having new memories implanted in him. It’s finally his turn, he has decided if he is getting his memory replaced, and he heads in to the room to tell them his decision.

DISCUSSION: Wonderful story about a “hero’s journey” of death and rebirth. Brings up good questions about how our pain, as well as our joy, creates our personality. What kind of family would want a kid only on the condition of cleaning his memories? But, isn’t the goal a successful adoption, and maybe having a clean slate would make that more possible. Don’t people avoid adopting dogs with “issues?” Is there a screening process? Should a family be able to select a child who isn’t “broken?” What if a free college education is included? How much are memories worth?

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