Ethics Talk: Philosophy, Flourishing and The Good Life

This week we will continue our discussion of violence, focusing specifically on violence used for so called “humanitarian efforts”. We will consider whether or not there are circumstances in which violence is acceptable. We will also discuss a phenomenon known as the “silent majority” and its implications for international conflicts. Lastly, we will address current “tools” available to governments to enforce humanitarian standards on states.

In this week's show, we discuss the relationship between violence and power.  To do so, we will focus on Hannah Arendt's work "On Violence."  What is the nature of power? And is violence ever a legitimate means to obtain power?  When is the state justified in using violence? We will explore these questions and Arendt's answers to them on this week's episode of Ethics Talk.  

Next Show: September 18, 2011, 7:00 pm NYC Time In this week's show, we discuss Andrew Carnegie's work "The Gospel of Wealth".  In our own day, billionaires such as Warren Buffet and Bill & Melinda Gates have not only pledged to donate the majority of their wealth to charity, but also encourage their billionare colleagues to do the same.  We will not only discuss the extent to which today's billionaire philanthropists are following the Carnegie gospel, but will also focus on how The Carnegie Gospel connects to Carnegie's peace activism at the end of his life.

After a 3 month long hiatus, EthicsTalk is back with a new season.  In our last show (broadcasted live from The Netherlands!), we discussed  our emerging transformational experience with the International Criminal Court - that show was aptly titled "The Intellectual Criminal Court: Our Awakening".  Back then, we were just beginning our journey.  After that show, many adventures ensued - including personally witnessing the historic ICC proceedings in which arrest warrants for Ghaddafi & co were issued.   We returned to the U.S. in July (some of us in August), and have resumed our lives in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.  In tonight's show, we discuss the ways in which our time abroad affects our beliefs and actions here and now.  In his famous work, 'Existentialism is a Humanism,' the philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre explains that one's ACTIONS reveal just how strong are one's commitments to one's VALUES: "I can only estimate the strength of an affection of I have performed an action by which it is defined and ratified," he writes. This show is gloss on Sartre's important claim and will highlight the specific actions that are defining and ratifying our respect for international justice and the respect for human rights.  If you are interested in how an intense, first-hand experience with the International Criminal Court can help us all to define and ratify our respect for universal values, this show is for you.  

In this special show, broadcasted from both The Hague (Den Haag) Netherlands, as well as Leiden, Netherlands, five students from Central Michigan reflect on their experience with the International Criminal Court in Den Haag.  These students are enrolled in a special course focused on the amazing and important work of the International Criminal Court, a young court which is empowered with prosecuting individuals for committing genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.  In fact, is was exactly a week ago today, when the students saw the Court for the first time.  It was a Sunday, amd the Court was closed, but it was moving nonetheless.  But the students have since visited the Court and seen it "in action".  To learn about the court first hand is transformational, and to witness its work is transformational.  In this special show, the students discuss what has struck them in day 10 of this Netherlands adventure which ends on June 30.  Follow us on our blog at http://www.romestatute.com

"Travaux Prepartories" is a term used to refer to the "preparatory works", specifically the preliminary works leading up to a treaty.   Sometimes the Travaux are used to determine the intent and purpose of a treaty.  Don't worry, this is not a show on the law of treaties!  Rather five students reflect on their first week of an intensive course on the International Criminal Court (ICC), which will soon be transported from our classroom in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan to The Hague, Netherlands.  While in the Hague, students will attend trial proceedings at the ICC and interact with scholars and personnel from the ICC, in the end learning about the court as a "human rights" operation.   In this show, we will engage in a substantive discussion about what we have all learned about international criminal law.  Additionally, we will discuss our expectations for the time that we will soon spend abroad.  This show is entitled "travaux preparatories" because it is also functioning as a preparatory show for the shows that we will be broadcasting from The Hague in the weeks to come!

Slaves to Passion: The Sequel Two weeks ago, we attempted to discuss the extent to which liberty is, in fact, related to the body and one's physical confinement.  The leading question was: can one still be a a slave although one is not subject to external constraints?  We turned to some passages from Sartre, Hume, Aristotle and Plato (see the PDF in our 'show resources' page).We had a rich philosophical discussion about the role that consciousness, interpretation and culture are related to freedom.  This week, we take a second pass at this topic and those passages.  The guiding questions are these:  1) can one be enslaved by one's own body and bodily passions; and 2) to what extent does culture and society affect one's freedom.  Big questions indeed, but, following Sartre, "nothing ventured, nothing gained".  

Article 7 of the Rome Statute (the governing document of the International Criminal Court) identifies "severe deprivation of physical liberty in violation of fundamental rules of international law" as a crime against humanity.   In last week's show, we explore the extent to which slavery may NOT involve a "severe deprivation of physical liberty."  Can one to be a slave to one's passions?  If so, does this imply that others have a duty to help us guard against such "affective slavery"?   To focus our discussion, we will concentrate on some passages from both Plato and Aristotle that are available in the "show resources" section of our website.

What was it to be a slave in antiquity? How did ancient societies view their slaves, and how does this compare with antebellum slavers? What did Aristotle mean when he said some men were natural slaves? To discuss these and other questions, the ethicstalk team welcomes Dr. Greg Smith, professor in CMU's History Department, for this Human Rights Month special on Slavery.  

Where did your dinner come from? Where should it come from? Who is impacted in what way when I eat? Are the ethical dimensions of food so grave as to implicate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? These are just a few of the questions that will be addressed on this week's episode of Ethics Talk. In this show, we continue our conversation about the Ethics of Eating with special guests Campus Grow. In last week's show, we focused on some facts about the U.S. food system. This week, we aim to discuss the ethical dimension of those facts. This show will be simulcast on ModernRock 91.5. Listen in HD at http://ethicstalk.cmich.edu.

This show will be simulcast on ModernRock 91.5. Listen in HD at http://ethicstalk.cmich.edu. Join us tonight on Ethics Talk as we sit down with our friends from Campus Grow. We will discuss the current state of our global food system. We will take a look at the impacts of subsidies, GMOs (genetically modified organisms), and the global dependence on imports/exports. Consider: Where did your dinner come from? Where should it come from? Who is impacted in what way when I eat? Are the ethical dimensions of food so grave as to implicate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? These are just a few of the questions that will be addressed on this week's episode of Ethics Talk.

Ever wondered why Division 1 College Football has the Bowl Championship System instead of a true playoff series? Can you explain why some students athletes (Terrelle Pryor, Jeremy Bloom) seem to get the short end of the stick while others (Cam Newton, Tom Zbikowski) are treated like royalty? On this show, ethicstalk welcomes Dr. Adam Epstein live on 91.5 to discuss the NCAA as a 501(c)(3) tax exempt corporation, it's role in collegiate America, and it's legislative history in U.S. courts.

Universities Allied for Essential Medicine: Global Health as a Responsibility of Universities In this show, special guests Pratik Chhetri and Samik Upadhaya will discuss mission of Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM) and most importantly, its core values. Our discussion will also revolve around some of UAEM's projects and their relevance and importance. We will talk about social justice regarding health equity globally. We will also discuss neglected diseases also known as "diseases of poverty" and UAEM's fight to promote access to essential medicines and health related technologies to help eliminate these diseases. Surrounding this premise, we will talk about a conference that UAEM Central Michigan University (CMU) chapter is organizing entitled "Improving Global and Local Healthcare Disparities: A Collaboration across Disciplines" and will be held on April 2nd and 3rd at CMU. The conference aims to raise awareness regarding global and some local healthcare disparities. We will also discuss about identifying and exploring resources available at CMU and beyond to tackle global issues such as healthcare.

This special episode of Ethics Talk will be airing from The Hague, Netherlands, home to many international courts of law. The International Criminal Court (ICC), a relatively new court, has officially decided to investigate the situation in Libya. This show will have special guests from the ICCSN (The International Criminal Court Student Network). Our aim in this show is to help our listeners understand the ICC's investigation of Libya and its significance.

Note: This show is simulcast on an old fashioned radio station - for the best listening experience - go to: http://www.wmhw.org/modernrock/home.html (or click on the link for Modern Rock under our "links" section to the right) We continue our Modern Rock 91.5 format with a show that is fitting for the debauchery in which college students engage during Spring Break. Dr. Michael Sandstrom, of the CMU neuroscience department, will join the discussion about the neuroscientific dimensions of partying. Among the questions to be addressed will be the neuroscientfic definition of "addiction", and the relationship between the "drunken self" and the "true self." Our objective is to arm you with enabling knowledge in order make your Spring Break memorable, rather than something that you cannot even remember.