Monthly Archives: February 2020

Is Privilege Real? by Gregory Salmieri

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Many people believe that privilege—the idea that special rights or advantages are available only to a particular person or group—is a problem. While there are advantages, such as the wealth and location of one’s parents, that are not a choice, there are reasons to be skeptical about whether or not privilege is a problem. For example, many United States immigrants start with nothing, but succeed through hard work.

Does the concept of privilege only apply in a specific context? How does it apply to issues of race?

Join David Birnbaum as he interviews philosopher Gregory Salmieri on the question: Is privilege real?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:06:19 — 60.7MB)

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Is Abortion Immoral? by Ben Bayer

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Abortion is an important issue consistently in the public discourse. What makes it so persistent? Should there be any legal limit on abortion? Much of the discussion about abortion revolves around differing views of when life begins. Is there something significantly different about an entity before and after it’s born?

Join David Birnbaum as he interviews philosopher Ben Bayer on the question: Is abortion immoral?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:04:28 — 59.0MB)

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Is Doing Drugs Wrong? by Onkar Ghate

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On the issue of legal, non-medical drugs, there are at least two common perspectives at odds in our culture today: one camp contends that some drugs can beneficially “expand” one’s mind—increasing creativity, decreasing anxiety, and otherwise providing benefits that should be explored. Another side regards using mind-altering “recreational” drugs as immoral or at least morally suspicious.

Join David Birnbaum as he interviews philosopher Onkar Ghate on the question: Is doing drugs wrong?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:01:58 — 56.8MB)

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Why Should I care About Israel? with Elan Journo

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Israel is talked about often in the media, but many Americans don’t understand why we are so preoccupied with this country.

Often Israel is spoken of in a negative context: boycotts at universities, condemnations by the United Nations, and so on. What makes Israel worse than other countries? On the flip side, good defenses of Israel are scant. Is Israel important to U.S. foreign policy? If so, why?

Join David Birnbaum as he interviews foreign policy expert Elan Journo on the question: Why should I care about Israel?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:07 — 55.0MB)

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