Thinking Out Loud: leading philosophers discuss topical global issues

Oct 04 2022 17 ep. 14 mins 1.4k

Thinking Out Loud: leading philosophers discuss topical global issues Podcast artwork

Thinking Out Loud provides audio-podcasts based on a series of videos produced by Katrien Devolder in which she talks to leading philosophers from around the world on topics related to practical ethics. The podcast and videos are meant for a non-specialist audience. You can watch the videos on the Practical Ethics Channel. Katrien is a Senior Research Fellow at the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics.

Copy RSS

Subscribe on Podcast Addict

When does (or did) the Covid-19 pandemic end?

Oct 04 2022 13 mins

Katrien Devolder interviews Erica Charters, Professor of the Global History of Medicine at the University of Oxford In this 'Thinking Out Loud' episode Professor Charters explains why the end as well as the beginning of a pandemic are murky, and what past pandemics can and can't teach us. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creati

How to understand, and interact with, AI

Oct 04 2022 21 mins

Professor Peter Railton presents his take on how to understand, and interact with, AI In this Thinking Out Loud interview with Katrien Devolder, Professor Railton talks about how AI can have moral obligations towards us, humans, and towards each other, and why we, humans, have moral obligations towards AI agents. He also stresses that the best way to tackle certain world problems,

Should we give COVID vaccines to young children?

May 10 2022 18 mins

Katrien Devolder and Dominic Wilkinson explore reasons why some parents are vaccine-hesitant Many who had no doubts whatsoever about getting a COVID-vaccine for themselves, are much more hesitant when it comes to vaccinating young children. Is such hesitation justified? In this Thinking Out Loud interview, Katrien Devolder (Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics) talks to Domini

Defending the selective restriction of liberty during pandemics

May 10 2022 16 mins

Katrien Devolder and Julian Savulescu discuss the ethics of lockdowns Should lockdowns and other restrictions of liberty during pandemics be imposed on part of the population only? Many people accept that, to protect public health, it is sometimes acceptable, or morally obligatory, to restrict people’s liberties. But there’s a lot of disagreement about how far these restriction

Is vaccine nationalism justified?

May 10 2022 16 mins

Katrien Devolder and Jonathan Pugh discuss vaccine nationalism High income countries have been criticised for hoarding covid-19 vaccines: they have been accused of 'vaccine nationalism'. But what exactly is vaccine nationalism? Is it really wrong to prioritise one's own citizens? How can we do better when the next pandemic strikes? In this Thinking Out Loud interview, philosopher D

Factory farms are breeding grounds for pandemics

Nov 09 2021 15 mins

Katrien Devolder and Aaron Gross discuss the link between factory farm and zoonotic diseases. In this interview with Dr Katrien Devolder (University of Oxford), Professor Aaron S. Gross (University of San Diego) explains why factory farms are breeding grounds for pandemics, and what we, as individuals, can do to help end factory farming (even if we don't feel ready yet to become a

Should we feed our pets a vegan diet?

Apr 08 2021 12 mins

Katrien Devolder and Josh Milburn discuss whether it's ethical - and possible - to feed our pets a vegan diet. There are plenty of good reasons to avoid consuming meat from factory farms. However, WE may well do so, but what about our pets? Should we feed our cat or dog a vegan diet? In this interview with Dr Katrien Devolder (Oxford) for @Practical Ethics Channel , Dr Josh Milb

How to prevent future pandemics

Feb 17 2021 14 mins

Katrien Devolder and Jeff Sebo on factory farms as breeding grounds for pandemics Covid-19 is very likely a zoonotic disease, which means that it was transmitted from animals to humans. Other dangerous infectious diseases, such as SARS, MERS, Ebola and HIV originated in animals too. In fact, of all emerging infectious diseases in humans, 75% are zoonotic. In this new interview seri

Covid-19: who should be vaccinated first?

Sep 24 2020 12 mins

Katrien Devolder interviews Alberto Giubilini. After healthcare and some other essential workers, it might seem the most obvious candidates for a Covid-19 vaccine (if we have one) are the elderly and other groups that are more vulnerable to the virus. But Alberto Giubilini argues that prioritising children may be a better option as this could maximise the benefits of indirect immun

The Risks of Coronavirus Contact Tracing Apps

Sep 24 2020 10 mins

Katrien Devolder interviews Associate Professor Carissa Véliz. Are contact tracing apps safe? Philosopher Carissa Véliz (University of Oxford), author of 'Privacy is Power', explains why we should think twice about using such apps. They pose a serious risk to our privacy, and this matters, even if you think you have nothing to hide!