PHILOSOPHY - Epistemology: Analyzing Knowledge #2 (No-False-Lemma and No-Defeater Approaches) Wireless Philosophy 2026-09-23 | PHILOSOPHY - Epistemology: Analyzing Knowledge #2 (No-False-Lemma and No-Defeater Approaches)
PHILOSOPHY - BIOETHICS 9: What, If Anything, Is Wrong with “Doping” in Competitive Sports? Wireless Philosophy 2023-05-12 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, we discuss the ethics of performance-enhancing drug use in competitive sports. To what extent is the opposition to such “doping” really based on safety concerns? Why are athletes who use performance-enhancing drugs thought to be cheaters who don’t deserve to win? If these drugs were safe, legal, and widely accessible, would they still diminish the value of athletic achievements?View our Bioethics learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com/modules/bioethics
PHILOSOPHY - BIOETHICS 8: Three Cheers for Enhancement Wireless Philosophy 2023-05-11 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, we consider the potential effects of the unrestricted development and proliferation of biomedical enhancement technologies. By enabling us to transcend our physical limitations, are these technologies also eroding the very conditions that ground the value and dignity of human life? We celebrate the human capacity for self-improvement, but might certain enhancements transform us into something essentially post-human – and would this too be worth celebrating?View our Bioethics learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com/modules/bioethics
PHILOSOPHY - BIOETHICS 5: Why Do People Disagree About The Ethics Of Euthanasia? Wireless Philosophy 2023-05-10 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, we’ll survey the debate over euthanasia. Our exploration will be guided by four core questions that shape persistent disagreement over when, if ever, healthcare providers should be allowed to assist a patient in dying.View our Bioethics learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com/modules/bioethics
PHILOSOPHY - BIOETHICS 7: What Is Biomedical Enhancement? Wireless Philosophy 2023-05-10 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, we consider various biomedical tools and techniques for improving our bodies or capacities, asking why certain improvements are welcomed as medical “treatments” while others, usually generating more ethical controversy, are classified as “enhancements.” What grounds this distinction, and does it give us good reason to worry about the growing development and use of technologies for the purposes of biomedical enhancement? View our Democracy learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com
PHILOSOPHY - BIOETHICS 6: Is Lethal Injection Worse Than Pulling the Plug? Wireless Philosophy 2023-05-10 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, we consider a central disagreement in the euthanasia debate: if a terminally-ill patient asks for help in dying, does it make a real ethical difference whether this request is carried out “actively” or “passively”?View our Bioethics learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com/modules/bioethics
PHILOSOPHY - BIOETHICS 4: Is It Ethical to Pay Subjects for Their Participation in Research Studies? Wireless Philosophy 2023-05-09 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, we’ll consider how scientific progress in medicine depends on subject participation in research studies and ask whether subjects should be monetarily compensated for these essential and risky contributions.View our Bioethics learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com/modules/bioethics
PHILOSOPHY - BIOETHICS 3: Should Healthcare Providers Have the Right to Conscientious Objection? Wireless Philosophy 2023-05-09 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, we ask whether doctors and other health care professionals should be allowed to refuse to provide a standard service when providing it would conflict with their moral convictions. View our Bioethics learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com/modules/bioethics
PHILOSOPHY - BIOETHICS 2: Should Healthcare Decisions Be Up to the Patient Wireless Philosophy 2023-05-09 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, we’ll investigate why the ultimate decision about a patient’s care should be up to the patient themselves, despite the medical expertise of their healthcare provider.View our Bioethics learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com/modules/bioethics
PHILOSOPHY - BIOETHICS 1: How to Start Thinking Like an Ethical Doctor Wireless Philosophy 2023-05-08 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, we’ll reflect on the ethical atrocities committed by Nazi doctors, drawing lessons about several core ethical principles that ought to guide healthcare clinicians when working with their patients.View our Bioethics learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com/modules/bioethics
PHILOSOPHY - EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES 10: What If Robots Did All the Work? Wireless Philosophy 2023-05-08 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, Ryan Jenkins (professor of Philosophy at Cal Poly) asks us to reflect on the increasing role of advanced technologies in producing the goods and services we consume as a society. How might it increasingly affect us, particularly as workers? And should we welcome that?
PHILOSOPHY - EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES 9: Does Predictive Policing Make Us All Safer? Wireless Philosophy 2023-05-08 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, Ryan Jenkins (professor of Philosophy at Cal Poly) examines law enforcement’s increased use of artificial intelligence for predictive policing. How should we balance the efficiency and safety benefits of this technology with concerns about its tendency to perpetuate historical biases and place unfair burdens on historically marginalized populations?
PHILOSOPHY - EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES 8: Should We Worry about Our Diminishing Sphere of Privacy? Wireless Philosophy 2023-05-08 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, Ryan Jenkins (professor of Philosophy at Cal Poly) asks whether the proliferation of surveillance technologies such as cameras are a cause for concern. How do we define privacy, and why do we value it? Does a world in which we are being watched all the time have a “chilling effect” on our ability to express ourselves, explore our identities, and grow as people?
PHILOSOPHY - EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES 7: Will Autonomous Vehicles Live Up to Their Promise? Wireless Philosophy 2023-05-08 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, Ryan Jenkins (professor of Philosophy at Cal Poly) discusses some of the ethical considerations regarding the use of autonomous vehicles (AVs), otherwise known as self-driving cars. Who will benefit, and who will be harmed by AVs? Are there ways to enjoy the benefits of AVs fairly, without taking on the burdens they may cause or pushing them onto others who are less fortunate?
PHILOSOPHY - EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES 6: Do Drones Make Wars Too Easy? Wireless Philosophy 2023-05-08 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, Ryan Jenkins (professor of Philosophy at Cal Poly) considers how the increased use of military drones might affect not just how wars are fought, but also their frequency. Do drones represent just another advancement in our tools of war, or will they more fundamentally change our relationship to warfare?
PHILOSOPHY - EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES 5: Should We Use Killer Robots to Fight Our Wars? Wireless Philosophy 2023-05-05 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, Ryan Jenkins (professor of Philosophy at Cal Poly) asks whether the use of lethal autonomous weapons is ethically justifiable. Would the various military advantages of these weapons make them an effective force for good, or would creating rule-following soldiers that entirely lack empathy and moral judgment be a bridge too far?
PHILOSOPHY - EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES 4: Are There Hidden Dangers in Robots That Look Like Us? Wireless Philosophy 2023-05-05 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, Ryan Jenkins (professor of Philosophy at Cal Poly) examines the ethical problems raised by the use of anthropomorphic “framing” in the design of robots and other AI technologies. How might unconscious biases end up shaping these supposedly neutral designs, and what responsibilities do engineers have to ensure that their designs don’t perpetuate certain kinds of marginalization and injustice?
PHILOSOPHY - EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES 3: Should Online Platforms Censor Hate Speech? Wireless Philosophy 2023-05-05 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, Ryan Jenkins (professor of Philosophy at Cal Poly) asks how social media companies should deal with users who express or promote hateful views online. Should even viciously intolerant voices be tolerated, or should restrictions on hate speech be imposed so that marginalized and oppressed voices are also able to flourish? And what counts as “hate speech,” anyway?
PHILOSOPHY-EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES 2: Should Online Platforms Prevent the Spread of False Information? Wireless Philosophy 2023-05-04 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, Ryan Jenkins (professor of Philosophy at Cal Poly) asks whether there is any role for censorship in creating an environment of healthy and productive speech online. How should companies that operate online platforms balance the value of encouraging and protecting free speech with concerns about the spread of falsehoods and unreliable information?
PHILOSOPHY - EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES 1: Is Technology as “Neutral” as We Think It Is? Wireless Philosophy 2023-05-04 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, Ryan Jenkins (professor of Philosophy at Cal Poly focuses on the illustrative example of online search engines to consider whether the technologies we use in our everyday lives really are the “value-neutral” tools we often take them to be. Should ethical concerns and other values be given a role in determining which results a search engine “chooses” to show us? If so, which values, how much of a role, and–perhaps most importantly–who decides?
PHILOSOPHY - NEUROSCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY 7: Eliminative Materialism Wireless Philosophy 2023-05-04 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, we ask whether our familiar “folk psychological” ways of explaining and predicting human behavior could and should eventually be replaced by the more scientifically-grounded accounts being developed by neuroscientists. If neuroscience ends up giving us a more precise and reliable understanding of human behavior, will we still have any reason to believe in things like desires, beliefs, emotions, or any of the other mental states posited by folk psychology?View our Neuroscience and Philosophy learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com
PHILOSOPHY - NEUROSCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY 6: Folk Psychology Wireless Philosophy 2023-05-03 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, we explore the phenomenon known as “folk psychology” – a framework or “theory” that virtually all humans use to explain and predict each other’s behaviors and mental states with a seemingly high degree of reliability. What is the nature of folk psychology, and where does it come from? Are we born with it? Do we learn it and pass it on through our cultural practices? And how plausible is it to claim, as some researchers do, that folk psychology qualifies as a truly scientific theory?View our Neuroscience and Philosophy learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com
PHILOSOPHY - NEUROSCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY 5: The Basis of Fear Wireless Philosophy 2023-05-03 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, we examine what goes on in our brains when we experience fear. What does it mean when scientists say that the amygdala is “the hub of fear,” and is that accurate? Is there a distinction between the changes our bodies undergo when exposed to threatening stimuli and the processes behind the “phenomenal character” of fear?View our Neuroscience and Philosophy learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com
PHILOSOPHY - NEUROSCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY 4: Basic Emotions Wireless Philosophy 2023-05-02 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, we examine the idea that certain basic emotions are shared and experienced similarly by all human beings, regardless of differences in factors like language and culture. Are there mechanisms or modules in our brains that are devoted to specific emotional responses, such as fear, anger, or joy? If not, how can we be sure that people from very different cultures truly understand each other’s experiences?View our Neuroscience and Philosophy learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com
PHILOSOPHY - NEUROSCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY 2: The Hard Problem of Consciousness Wireless Philosophy 2023-05-02 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, we explore the hard problem of consciousness. Will science ever be able to explain how and why there is something it is like to be a bat, dolphin, or human, but nothing it is like to be a piece of cheese.View our Neuroscience and Philosophy learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com
PHILOSOPHY - NEUROSCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY 3: Animal Minds Wireless Philosophy 2023-05-02 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, we question what is possible for us to know about the mind and consciousness of an animal that has 9 brains: the octopus.View our Neuroscience and Philosophy learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com
PHILOSOPHY - NEUROSCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY 1: The Neural Correlates of Consciousness Wireless Philosophy 2023-05-01 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, we consider what neuroscience can tell us about how events in your brain are related to your particular conscious experiences. When neuroscientists explain your visual experience of movement in terms of activity in certain parts of your brain, for example, are they saying that this experience is identical to this brain activity? If not, how should we understand this relationship?View our Neuroscience and Philosophy learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com
PHILOSOPHY - DEMOCRACY 14: Deliberative Democracy Wireless Philosophy 2023-05-01 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, Geoff Pynn (Elgin Community College) examines the idea known as deliberative democracy, which says that deliberation and discussion are the heart of democracy, much more than the elections that signal an end to deliberation. But is meaningful deliberation possible in complex and diverse modern societies?
PHILOSOPHY - DEMOCRACY 13: Public Reason Wireless Philosophy 2023-04-30 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, Geoff Pynn (Elgin Community College) examines the idea of public reason in relation to the legitimacy of state authority. A legitimate state is based on “the consent of the governed,” but what counts as consent? And how can it be obtained in a large complex society? One idea is that hypothetical consent can be obtained through the development of public justifications for laws that all reasonable people could accept. The "public reason" standard is promising. But can it really work?
PHILOSOPHY - DEMOCRACY 11: The Jury Theorem Wireless Philosophy 2023-04-30 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, Geoff Pynn (Elgin Community College) examines Nicolas de Condorcet's jury theorem, a mathematical discovery which provides an argument that democratic elections are the best way to make decisions that are good for society. But can the argument’s assumptions be accepted without reasonable doubt?
PHILOSOPHY - DEMOCRACY 12: Do You Have a Duty to Vote? Wireless Philosophy 2023-04-30 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, Geoff Pynn (Elgin Community College) examines some arguments around the question of whether democratic citizens have a duty to vote. As the odds of a single citizen casting the determining vote are so low, and your resources could be better spent elsewhere, why should you even bother voting at all? Are there ethical reasons to vote, even if your vote alone almost certainly won’t make a difference?View our Democracy learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com
PHILOSOPHY - DEMOCRACY 10: Must Voters Be Knowledgeable? Wireless Philosophy 2023-04-29 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, Geoff Pynn (Elgin Community College) considers the idea of making your right to vote conditional on how much you know. One of the main reasons children aren’t allowed to vote is that they’re thought to lack the knowledge needed to make an informed choice. Knowledge requirements on voting have a notorious history in the US, since so-called “literacy tests” were a powerful weapon in the arsenal of segregationists. But are there philosophical reasons to reserve voting rights for those who can demonstrate sufficient political knowledge? View our Democracy learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com
PHILOSOPHY - DEMOCRACY 9: Representative Democracy Wireless Philosophy 2023-04-29 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, Geoff Pynn (Elgin Community College) talks about the idea of representative democracy, a system in which democratic citizens vote for representatives who make complex policy decisions on their behalf. But how democratic is a representative democracy, really? One of John Stuart Mill’s arguments in defense of representative democracy vs. direct democracy is that it addresses Plato’s concern about the qualifications of ordinary citizens to make wise policy decisions, but still promotes democratic citizenship, which benefits society as a whole. How then can we ensure that elected representatives really do serve the public interest?View our Democracy learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com
PHILOSOPHY - DEMOCRACY 8: Promoting Positive Liberty Wireless Philosophy 2023-04-28 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, Geoff Pynn (Elgin Community College) contrasts negative liberty, the freedom from coercion, with positive liberty, the ability of individuals to pursue their goals and advance their own interests through rational deliberation and action. Promoting positive liberty through democracy may involve imposing certain types of restrictions that are assumed to be in our best interests, but does this infringe on our negative liberty? If promoting positive liberty justifies coercion, might democracy risk hurting the interests of minorities?View our Democracy learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com
PHILOSOPHY - DEMOCRACY 7: Liberty and the Harm Principle Wireless Philosophy 2023-04-28 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, Geoff Pynn (Elgin Community College) discusses liberalism, the idea that the protection and promotion of liberty is the state’s fundamental job. According to John Stuart Mill’s Harm Principle, this means that the only basis for state coercion is the prevention of harm to others. But do modern liberal states respect the Harm Principle? View our Democracy learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com
PHILOSOPHY - DEMOCRACY 6: Liberalism Wireless Philosophy 2023-04-28 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, Geoff Pynn (Elgin Community College) questions how liberty can be reconciled with the state’s authority, and explains John Stuart Mill’s “Harm Principle.”
PHILOSOPHY - DEMOCRACY 5: Rousseau’s Defense of Democracy Wireless Philosophy 2023-04-27 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, Geoff Pynn (Elgin Community College) examines Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s argument for democracy and the concept of “the general will,” and questions whether Rousseau truly reconciles state authority with individual freedom. View our Democracy learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com
PHILOSOPHY - DEMOCRACY 4: Justifying Democracy Wireless Philosophy 2023-04-27 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, Geoff Pynn (Elgin Community College) examines some of the most common pro-democracy arguments, and identifies different types based on which aspects of democracy they point to as its justifying feature. These arguments explore how the degree and nature of democracy within a state is linked to its legitimacy. Is it related to individual and societal well-being, the quality of decision-making in its systems, and its influence on the character of its citizens?View our Democracy learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com
PHILOSOPHY - DEMOCRACY 3: Can Democracy Survive? Wireless Philosophy 2023-04-26 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, Geoff Pynn (Elgin Community College) contemplates Plato’s argument against democracy and questions what the alternatives are. View our Democracy learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com
PHILOSOPHY - DEMOCRACY 2: The Basis of State Authority Wireless Philosophy 2023-04-26 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, Geoff Pynn (Elgin Community College) explains two different accounts of the basis of state authority: first, that the state is founded on a contract among its citizens, and second, that the state is justified by considerations of fairness. View our Democracy learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com
PHILOSOPHY - DEMOCRACY 1: The Anarchist’s Challenge Wireless Philosophy 2023-04-24 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, Geoff Pynn (associate professor of Philosophy at Elgin Community College) presents the anarchist’s challenge to the state by asking whether we have a moral duty to obey the law and, if so, why? View our Democracy learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com
PHILOSOPHY - Punishment 10: Should There Be Permanent Punishments? Wireless Philosophy 2022-10-17 | In this wireless philosophy video, Barry Lam (Vassar College, Hi-Phi Nation podcast) discusses how offenders should be treated after they have finished serving their prison sentences and have been released back into society.View our punishment learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com/modules/punishment
PHILOSOPHY - Punishment 9: Rule of Law for Discretion in Sentencing Wireless Philosophy 2022-10-10 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, Barry Lam (Vassar College, Hi-Phi Nation podcast) asks whether a convicted defendant’s punishment should be determined by laws that apply uniformly to anyone convicted of a similar crime or by the individual trial judge, who might give different punishments for similar crimes.
PHILOSOPHY - Punishment 8: Proportionality in Punishment Wireless Philosophy 2022-10-03 | In this wireless philosophy video, Barry Lam (Vassar College, Hi-Phi Nation podcast) discusses several alternative approaches to determining how severely offenders should be punished for the crimes they commit. View our punishment learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com/modules/punishment
PHILOSOPHY - Punishment 7: Guilt and the Excuses Wireless Philosophy 2022-09-26 | In this Wireless Philosophy video, Barry Lam (Vassar College, Hi-Phi Nation podcast) explores possible grounds for excusing someone from punishment when they’ve committed a crime.View our Punishment learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com/modules/punishment
PHILOSOPHY - Punishment 6: Non-Retributivist Justifications of Punishment Wireless Philosophy 2022-09-19 | In this wireless philosophy video, Barry Lam (Vassar College, Hi-Phi Nation podcast) explores the plausibility of justifying legal punishment either in terms of what criminal offenders have somehow consented to or in terms of what best promotes the social good -- rather than focusing on what offenders deserve.View our punishment learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com/modules/punishment
PHILOSOPHY - Punishment 5: Retributivist Justifications of Punishment Wireless Philosophy 2022-09-12 | In this wireless philosophy video, Barry Lam (Vassar College, Hi-Phi Nation podcast) examines the claim that the reason the state is justified in punishing people who commit crimes is simply that this gives the offenders what they deserve.View our punishment learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com/modules/punishment
PHILOSOPHY - Punishment 4: Proportioning Verdicts and Punishments to Evidence Wireless Philosophy 2022-09-05 | In this wireless philosophy video, Barry Lam (Vassar College, Hi-Phi Nation podcast) considers whether jurors in criminal cases should be able to choose from a range of verdicts, rather than just between Guilty and Not Guilty.View our punishment learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com/modules/punishment
PHILOSOPHY - Punishment 3: Mens Rea Requirements in Criminalization Wireless Philosophy 2022-08-29 | In this wireless philosophy video, Barry Lam (Vassar College, Hi-Phi Nation podcast) asks whether the criminality of a person’s action should depend on the person’s state of mind as they carry out the action. View our punishment learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com/modules/punishment
PHILOSOPHY - Punishment 2: What Should We Criminalize: The Common Good Wireless Philosophy 2022-08-22 | In this wireless philosophy video, Barry Lam (Vassar College, Hi-Phi Nation podcast) investigates the idea that the criminal law should be designed to best harness its potential to promote the common good.View our punishment learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com/modules/punishment
PHILOSOPHY - Punishment 1: What Should We Criminalize: Moral Wrongs Wireless Philosophy 2022-08-15 | In this wireless philosophy video, Barry Lam (Vassar College, Hi-Phi Nation podcast) examines the intuitive claim that criminal law should directly reflect our moral judgments of right and wrong. View our punishment learning module and other videos in this series here: wi-phi.com/modules/punishment
