6 min listen
Friendly Debate w/ Ben Burgis - Do ethical thought experiments have any value in philosophy?
FromWalden Pod
Friendly Debate w/ Ben Burgis - Do ethical thought experiments have any value in philosophy?
FromWalden Pod
ratings:
Length:
75 minutes
Released:
Apr 20, 2022
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
Ben Burgis recently invited me on his Callin show to speak about the value of “science fiction” thought experiments in applied ethics. I argue that in the realm of applied ethics, thought experiments often confuse more than they clarify. They don’t map on to the real world cases they’re intended to help with (for various reasons), and we shouldn’t be informing action with scenarios that differ in ethically relevant respects.
Applied ethics is about what we should do – it’s a uniquely practical subfield of philosophy. Ethical thought experiments commonly provide us with both too much and too little information: they exclude morally relevant detail that we would possess in the real world, and they include morally relevant detail that we would not possess in the real world. So even though we may come to the same conclusion regarding an action or principle in a thought experiment doesn’t mean we’d agree in the real world case, since these two cases differ in morally relevant respects. Consequently, I think it’s often a mistake to inform action in the real world with conclusions drawn from a thought experiment.
Ben Burgis - The Joe Rogan Experience
Canceling Comedians While the World Burns
The Left Should Oppose Censorship by Big Tech Companies
Callin - Friendly Debate w/Emerson Green—Do “Science Fiction” Thought Experiments Have Any Value in Philosophy?
James Wilson - Philosophy Bites Interview on the value of thought experiments in applied ethics
Subscribe on YouTube
Consider supporting the show on Patreon here or Counter Apologetics here
Listen to our sister show, Counter Apologetics here
Follow me on Twitter @waldenpod
linktr.ee/emersongreen
Applied ethics is about what we should do – it’s a uniquely practical subfield of philosophy. Ethical thought experiments commonly provide us with both too much and too little information: they exclude morally relevant detail that we would possess in the real world, and they include morally relevant detail that we would not possess in the real world. So even though we may come to the same conclusion regarding an action or principle in a thought experiment doesn’t mean we’d agree in the real world case, since these two cases differ in morally relevant respects. Consequently, I think it’s often a mistake to inform action in the real world with conclusions drawn from a thought experiment.
Ben Burgis - The Joe Rogan Experience
Canceling Comedians While the World Burns
The Left Should Oppose Censorship by Big Tech Companies
Callin - Friendly Debate w/Emerson Green—Do “Science Fiction” Thought Experiments Have Any Value in Philosophy?
James Wilson - Philosophy Bites Interview on the value of thought experiments in applied ethics
Subscribe on YouTube
Consider supporting the show on Patreon here or Counter Apologetics here
Listen to our sister show, Counter Apologetics here
Follow me on Twitter @waldenpod
linktr.ee/emersongreen
Released:
Apr 20, 2022
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (87)
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