64 min listen
Replay: Should you lie to your kids about Santa Claus? When is a white lie ok?
FromThe Morality of Everyday Things: An Everyday Philosophy Podcast
Replay: Should you lie to your kids about Santa Claus? When is a white lie ok?
FromThe Morality of Everyday Things: An Everyday Philosophy Podcast
ratings:
Length:
57 minutes
Released:
Dec 24, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
Old description:
Is the Santa myth just harmless fun, or should we be honest to our kids about Saint Nick?
In this very festive episode, Jake and Ant discuss the morality of lying to children about Santa Claus. They start with a brief history of the character's origins, including Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas and even Odin. Then they go over the origins of the tradition of teaching children of Santa's literal existence and the reasons for doing it.
After that, they discuss the potential benefits of the fiction, as well as the potential harms, before bringing up several philosophical frameworks and what they have to say about lying to children in addition to lying in general. They end the discussion by talking about the lessons that the Santa myth may inadvertently teach children, as well as alternatives to lying to children that don't deprive kids of the fun of the Santa story.
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Please leave us a review! Spotify even now let's you do it - see that little star icon - go on, give it a click. Reviews are a great way to help others find the show, and it makes us feel all warm inside.
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If you’re a fan of the show, please consider signing up to our Patreon. A small subscription goes a long way towards supporting the show - and it makes us feel all warm inside too.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Is the Santa myth just harmless fun, or should we be honest to our kids about Saint Nick?
In this very festive episode, Jake and Ant discuss the morality of lying to children about Santa Claus. They start with a brief history of the character's origins, including Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas and even Odin. Then they go over the origins of the tradition of teaching children of Santa's literal existence and the reasons for doing it.
After that, they discuss the potential benefits of the fiction, as well as the potential harms, before bringing up several philosophical frameworks and what they have to say about lying to children in addition to lying in general. They end the discussion by talking about the lessons that the Santa myth may inadvertently teach children, as well as alternatives to lying to children that don't deprive kids of the fun of the Santa story.
Support the show:
Please leave us a review! Spotify even now let's you do it - see that little star icon - go on, give it a click. Reviews are a great way to help others find the show, and it makes us feel all warm inside.
Know anyone who likes to think about or debate the kind of topics we cover? Spread the word - and you’ll have our gratitude.
Here's the link to our new community whatsapp, where we'll discuss episodes and ask our most engaged listeners what sort of topics/formats they most enjoy.
If you’re a fan of the show, please consider signing up to our Patreon. A small subscription goes a long way towards supporting the show - and it makes us feel all warm inside too.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Released:
Dec 24, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (90)
Would it be ethically justifiable to make the covid vaccine mandatory?: <p>In this episode, Jake and Ant look at the ethics of mandatory vaccination, particularly in the context of covid and the year of mandatory lockdowns we've just been through. Arguably, vaccines have clearer benefits and fewer trade-offs than lockdowns, but precedent over the last few decades has been to enshrine people's freedom of choice on the matter (even if their opinions are based on debunked conspiracy theories). <br><br>Does the covid crisis make for a different circumstance, particularly given all the recent, mandatory lockdowns? They do after all represent another example of restricting personal freedoms in the interest of public health. We consider the similarities and differences between these interventions which either support or detract from this analogy, exploring concepts of bodily autonomy and human dignity, as well as a brief 'ground-up' view from consequentialist and deontological perspectives.<b by The Morality of Everyday Things: An Everyday Philosophy Podcast