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?

in ,

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?

in ,

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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E46. "Sienna's Monster" - How do you escape the monster inside you?

in ,

Named “Top 20 Philosophy Podcast” for 2021!

STORY SUMMARY: Sienna is living with a “Monster,” in this case, her father. He does not hit her, but he does yell, and rant, and breaks things. Sienna grows up always on edge that the “monster” will lash out at her. Over time, she builds up equally toxic defense mechanisms. She learns to yell back and to be as hate-filled as her father. This all changes when she goes to college and meets her roommate Clara. Clara does not lash out. She does not accuse. She does not go into conversations prepared for battle. She listens, she is empathetic. She does not “keep score” in their friendship. Sienna assumes Clara has an alternative motive, and continues to be skeptical. Eventually, Sienna comes to see Clara for what she is, a decent human being. Armed with her new knowledge, Sienna heads home for Thanksgiving and confronts her father. Her father credits himself with “breaking the cycle” and being a good father by not physically abusing Sierra that way his father was to him. Sienna is frustrated, and resolves to never speak to him again. Over the Christmas holiday, Sienna decides to visit Clara’s family. Sienna’s mother asks if she, and only she, can come visit. Sienna reluctantly agrees. Her mother arrives, father in tow. The story ends with Sienna in jail, having killed her father.

DISCUSSION: Interesting story that brings up outstanding questions about the cycle of abuse and what is “getting better.” Sienna’s father is better than his father was to him, and it would be hard to expect much more from him outside of him independently deciding to get help. We already see Sienna taking on the horrible traits of her father and, were it not for her roommate, would probably end up just like her father. Perhaps everyone is the hero in their own story?

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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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E39. "The Crate" - Is it better to strip away judgment, or to be judged?

in ,

Named “Top 20 Philosophy Podcast” for 2021!

STORY SUMMARY: A college student lives in a society dedicated to removing prejudice and judgment. They do this, in part, by having citizens live in mobile crates. They rarely see each other in person and putting down others is sure to get you re-education training. The main character, along with her friend, escape to a nearby society that has no such restrictions. In fact, each person is put into a societal category. Our intelligent protagonist, looking forward to finally being able to shine, assumes she will be put in a higher category, but things don’t go as planned. Eventually, the government recruits her to bring down the fence that dividesthe two cultures.

DISCUSSION: Interesting story about the positive and negative place for prejudice and judgment. Which society is worse? If we had to chose, which would be pick? Is the problem with the judging society, not that they judge, but that we don’t like their criteria because it doesn’t play into our strengths? Which society would be the easier to fix? We can’t really ever expect the judging society to change as those in power rarely, if ever, are willing to give up their position of privilege without a violent revolution.

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

in ,

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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E35. "Sacrificing Mercy" - Would you let your spouse die for their faith?

in ,

Named “Top 15 Podcast” for 2020!

STORY SUMMARY: A woman is diagnosed with a heart condition and is offered the ability to grow a new heart to replace hers. She declines based on her religious beliefs. Her husband, who has medical power of attorney, waits until she is unconscious and near death, and goes against her wishes and orders the life saving procedure. When she wakes and finds out what he has done she divorces him. Even after the divorce and going out of jail, he does not regret his choice.

DISCUSSION: This seems like a very real possibility today, or in the near future. There might not be any bad guys in this story. Mad respect to the woman for having the conviction of her faith. Respect to the man for saving his wife in support of his own ethics. Interesting how the mother, who is also religious, came to the conclusion the transplant was fine. The man clearly loved his wife, enough to save her, and lose her. Maybe he should have told her he would be unable to fulfill her wishes and to give medical power to someone else? This might be different if it was about children.

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E34. "Performance" - Are you simply what you repeat?

in ,

Named “Top 15 Podcast” for 2020!

STORY SUMMARY: A weak spirited loser is contacted by the government and informed he has a twin that is the head of a powerful mafia organization. The government will pay him $1 million dollars if he goes through their program to learn the mannerisms and speech of his mafia twin and replace him in the organization. As the twin learns how to act like the mafia boss, he becomes more like him until he escapes the training program with the money and a new personality.

DISCUSSION: A story about nature vs nurture, and to the extent which the way we act effects are mood, as well as who we are. The group generally agreed that changing behavior can change personality and mood. Kolby was of the opinion this process could be “hacked” to help us create better versions of ourselves. Others suggested this was already being done by celebrity product endorsements selling a lifestyle as much as the product. Ashley thought this might be a time-travel story, where they are actually creating the mob boss. Everyone thought the story was interesting as a premise, but a bit confusing how the organization could have some much information on the mob boss, but needed this twin to get information before arresting him.

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E33. "Love Sounds" - How much should you let family with mental health issues into your life?

in ,

Named “Top 15 Podcast” for 2020!

STORY SUMMARY: The story is from the perspective of a mother and her interest in what she believes is her daughter’s pending marriage. She has mental health issues that lead her to be temporarily institutionalized after the birth of her child. The daughter meets with mother from time to time, but provides very little information about her life. The mother continues to get worse until she is picked up by the police after an episode at a perspective wedding venue. The daughter later informs her mother that she got married without inviting her to the “small” wedding.

DISCUSSION: The core question in this story is how much do you involve, or limit, a family member in your life who suffers from mental health issues? The mother isn’t a bad person, she just struggles. Is it more humane to simply cut her out of your life so as to limit the information and stress you cause her? Is it better to only interact with her on your own terms? Would you invite your mother to your wedding if you knew she might have an episode and become the center of attention? We are split, as podcasters, in what we would do. The story both plays into and mocks Jewish stereotypes, but at its core, deals directly with how we decide of level of support for family members with mental health issues.

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E32. "The Mind Reader" - Is it in our nature to be ruled by a Fascist?

in ,

Named “Top 15 Podcast” for 2020!

STORY SUMMARY: The story is a flashback of a man telling a story from the 1970’s that has always stuck with him. He is a psychology student learning about the “F Test” a test that supposedly allows you to gauge your fascist tendencies. He friend, a Vietnam Vet, disagrees with the simplicity of the test. To prove his point he talks to, and easily manipulates, a bohemian woman in the bar to change her life. The narrator watches and does nothing, but is horrified by how easily this happens. The incident ends their friendship.

DISCUSSION: The story of being a charismatic leader is all too common; they say things that “feel good” to our emotions but aren’t true. They lead us with persuasion and ask us to forgot our critical thinking skills. The vet shows the narrator how easy it is to manipulate others, including the narrator. This process of praying on the weak, or on everyone, happens every day, to almost everyone. The trick is to be aware you have these tendencies and to use logic to not allow your emotions to rule you.

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E31. "Idle Horns" - What do you do when it's punishment to punish?

in ,

Named “Top 15 Podcast” for 2020!

STORY SUMMARY: Set in hell, a demon, “Bub” asks the person he is torturing for eternity what he did to end up in hell. Turns out he stole a few bikes. This causes Bub to question his purpose and walk off the job. He climbs to limbo to take a break from it all. Eventually, Hermes comes to fetch him and bring him before Satan, who punishes him for eternity for walking off the job.

DISCUSSION: Wonderful story, both for the questions it asks, and the humor it brings to the situation. Brings up good questions about the “fairness” of eternal punishment for any temporary act. Also, brings up the question of a god who would is all good, all powerful, and all knowing, and yet allows people to be tortured. Nice twist on the concept in that Satan is hurting people, not because he cares about people, but because he knows it hurts God to see his children being hurt. Kolby wonders if walking off the job because of concerns about the morality of his actions should be enough to earn Bub a place in heaven.

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E30. "Farewell, Odysseus" - Would you get a human as a pet?

in ,

Named “Top 15 Podcast” for 2020!

STORY SUMMARY: Set in the future, the Dios are a group of super humans who, because of having the wealth over generations to make mental and physical enhancements, are a different, and superior, race. Humans on earth sometimes agree to go to live on Mars with the Dios as their pets. The narrator is one such person, that is, until he starts to ask too many questions.

DISCUSSION: Great world building. A longer and more complete story than we usually do. Perhaps this is a warning, not about keeping people as pets, but about the long term effects of the wealthy having access to technology that allows them to further separate themselves from the poor over generations. What level of difference in ability makes it okay to keep another species as a pet? Maybe the differences in the story aren’t as great as the Dios want them to seem? Is this slavery? Is it fair that those on earth are so poor this is their only way out? Is that the crime here? Is this different than having a “sugar-daddy” that takes care of you?

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E29. "All My Tomorrows" - How many tomorrows would you give up for a single yesterday?

in ,

Named “Top 15 Podcast” for 2020!

STORY SUMMARY: A sixteen year old girl is put in charge of her parents’ shop that sells memories of your past in exchange for a year of your future. The girl loves her job and all the memories she can feel leaking through the files. A sad man comes in and asks to have the memory of his “last good day.” She sells him the day at a discounted price for the remainder of the life he has left. It was, he says, the last day before he learned a terrible secret he never recovered from, one that caused his wife to leave him.

DISCUSSION: The story is so beautifully written. The energy of the young girl working alone, and the visuals of the memories and feelings as she walks by them draw you in so deeply to her joy. However, the story is terribly sad. Would you trade a year of your future for a past day? It means you think one year of your future can’t live up to one day of your past. It means you think your best days are behind you. It also means you are living in the past. Maybe would be worth doing it to see a dead parent again or to relive a past moment and provide forgiveness for past mistakes. The very fact that this is possible might make living for the future harder. It’s perfect that a young girl is working the shop, because she only sees the memories as positive, rather than in relation to the life people have today they compare those days to.

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E28. "The Seven Absent Sins" - Are all sentient species hard-wired to sin?

in ,

Named “Top 15 Podcast” for 2020!

STORY SUMMARY: A Jesuit Priest researches other sentient beings in the universe looking for species that are incapable of committing one of the cardinal sins. He finds six different species that, because of their biology, he says, cannot commit one of the sins. He is unable to find a species without the sin of Pride. He questions, but finally confirms, that this strengthens his belief in God.

DISCUSSION: Are there merits to the earth closing itself off from the universe for years in order to maintain its “cultural purity.” Is this a good idea or doomed to cause issues? Are there ways to preserve culture without bans on other cultures? Is sin automatic with choice? As soon as you have a sentient choice, does the fact you can make the wrong choice mean we are capable of sin? The examples for various species are tough, because it’s not like they aren’t capable of sin. The issue is that their biology or environment makes the sin impossible. So, with different choices available to different species, could there be different sins possible? Are the number of sins infinite?

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E27. "Two-Percenters" - Should we make everyone special?

in ,

Named “Top 15 Podcast” for 2020!

STORY SUMMARY: Set in the future, 2% of the population have a genetic makeup that allows them to be enhanced. The intelligent are very intelligent, the beautiful, like Greek gods. Because of their enhanced abilities, they run the world. An enhanced “Social” meets up with an enhanced “Rational” to tell him about a newly discovered drug that would allow the other 98% of the world to be able to be enhanced as well, but it would cause the 2% to regress to average, or worse. The Rational takes the vial and releases it into the world. The Social kills herself.

DISCUSSION: If things in this world are so amazing, why are the 98% causing civil unrest? Should the elite naturally be left to lead others? Does being super-human automatically make you super moral? Should the truly exception should lead the masses? if everyone is raised up, we are right back where we were, with people fighting to be on top and not enough to go around. Do we live in a meritocracy today? Doesn’t money allow those at the top to keep their children at the top today? The only ones with no choice are the 2% after the virus is released. Discussion about if we would release the virus.

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E26. "Snitch" - When doing a moral good, do the ends justify the means?

in ,

Named “Top 15 Podcast” for 2020!

STORY SUMMARY: A black pastor in New Orleans is trying to get a redevelopment project built for his poor community post Katrina. Things aren’t going well. A white person was robbed and beat up in the area, which scared off the banks from lending. The pastor goes to the local gang and pays them to keep white people safe. He also reaches out to another church group to help with protests. The white developer/partner comes and says he is going to make the project smaller and the church will get less. The pastor goes to the black mayor who also wants a cut of the development money for his re-election campaign. The pastor finally decides he’s had enough and calls the federal government to report corruption in the city.

DISCUSSION: Seems a very realistic portrayal of how things get done. There aren’t any clear good guys in this story, just people with codes that go with their social group. Which comes first, your code that pushes you into a group, or a group you get into that pushes their code on you? Maybe the pastor has finally decided to stop making moral compromises and live by better ethics, maybe not.

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E25. "Pneumadectomy" - Would you remove your soul, to save your life?

in ,

Named “Top 15 Podcast” for 2020!

STORY SUMMARY: A young boy heads to the park to play soccer with friends, they tease him and won’t let him play because he had his soul removed. Flash to the discovery of the soul. A doctor has modified a CAT Scan machine and found the soul in the appendix. When the appendix is inflamed, sometimes it is medically caused, sometimes it is because of an injured soul. Regardless of the cause, it can still be removed and the problem is fine. And the person with no soul seems no different. The mother comforts the boy when he gets home. Later, the boy goes to a friends house, his mother tells the boy her son died, because he was having appendix issues, and they refused to have it removed because they didn’t want to remove his soul.

DISCUSSION: You must first accept the premise of the story, that the people in the story found the soul in the appendix. Knowing that, what good is it to have a soul in the story? Seems like everyone stays basically the same. Would you write on a piece of paper selling your soul to another person? If so, you must believe in a soul, regardless of what you say. Otherwise, the paper means nothing and it’s free money. Would you be friends with someone without a soul? Is the soul tied to an afterlife, if so, maybe the mother who let her child die did the right thing. Should the government be allowed to impose a medically necessary procedure that a parent refuses? Courts in the US say parents can refuse treatment for their children, if they are under 12 years old, with a court order.

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