18 episodes

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.

Practical Ethics Dr. David Perry

    • Society & Culture

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

    #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.

    • 9 min
    #17: Russia's War in Ukraine: Ethical and International Legal Perspectives

    #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.  

    • 24 min
    #16: Evaluating the Supreme Court’s Ruling on Abortion

    #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. 

    • 37 min
    #15: Animal Welfare and Rights

    #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.

    • 45 min
    #14: Human Rights Concerns in the Horn of Africa

    #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.)

    • 49 min
    #13: Biased Data, Killer Robots, and Other Issues in Artificial Intelligence (AI)

    #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.... 

    • 48 min

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