Practical Ethics
Practical Ethics
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.
#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.
Sep 25, 2023
9 min
#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 https://sites.google.com/view/martinlcook.  
Jan 16, 2023
24 min
#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 author of Sex and the Constitution: Sex, Religion, and Law from America’s Origins to the Twenty-first Century. See his CV at https://www.law.uchicago.edu/faculty/stone-g.  In a postscript, the host Dr. Perry reads portions of the dissenting opinion written by justices Breyer, Sotomayor and Kagan.
Jun 27, 2022
37 min
#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.
Nov 22, 2021
45 min
#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.)
Nov 22, 2021
49 min
#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 great book entitled The Code of the Warrior: Exploring Warrior Values Past and Present.  Dr. French has also done quite a bit of research and writing on ethical issues in AI, especially but not exclusively in military contexts. Dr. French also recommends the following books that she didn't have time to mention during this episode: - Cathy O'Neil, Weapons of Math Destruction - Safiya Noble, Algorithms of Oppression - Ruja Benjamin, Race Against Technology - Shannon Vallor, Technology and the Virtues - Patrick Lin, Robot Ethics 2.0 - and the work of Elsa Kania, Elke Schwartz, and Bruce Schneier. Near the end of the podcast, Dr. French's dogs Bert and Maple offer a bit of canine commentary.... 
Jun 28, 2021
48 min
#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 migration from Mexico and Central America; and two of the speakers previously hosted at CCEIA by Dr. Rosenthal whom he recalls as among the most profound.
May 17, 2021
37 min
#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.
Mar 24, 2021
7 min
#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.
Mar 14, 2021
9 min
#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.
Feb 23, 2021
13 min
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