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Sep 2023
42m 5s

The good, the bad and the ignored | Pete...

Iai
About this episode

Is human agency a fantasy?

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes

We may not always agree on questions of morality, but whatever standards we adopt we apply them to human action. We are less inclined to take a moral stance on human inaction and failure to act. Many would argue that Putin's attack on the Ukrainian people is morally evil, but there is less outrage that we fail to save any of the estimated 5.4 million children under five who died last year from preventable causes.

Is our moral emphasis on human agency a mistake? If we applied morality equally to inaction would it help to mark a shift to a more caring and socially responsible society? Or is the application of morality to inaction an impossible burden for us to carry, and one that risks undermining morality as a whole as we all become culpable all of the time?

Legendary moral philosopher Peter Singer (joining us live from Australia), eminent philosopher Julian Baggini and provocative biographer Sophie Scott-Brown clash over morality. Hosted by author Robert Rowland Smith.

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