Just Questions

It’s been a year since starting JQ, so to celebrate, we’re going to look back on two of my favorite questions. On today’s episode: * Tourism, from Japan to Hawaii * Elective cosmetic surgery and the illusion of choice Thanks again for a year of tuning in and over 2,500 downloads! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, vis...

Artificial intelligence is now everywhere. And with the ease of AI and the difficulties of human relationships, a growing population is forgoing human relationships to instead develop relationships with AI. What’s going on here, philosophically: Are these relationships legitimate? Is the love mutual? Can it ever be? Today’s episode, we consider the second half of these relationships—can humans lov...

Artificial intelligence is now everywhere. And with the ease of AI and the difficulties of human relationships, a growing population is forgoing human relationships to instead develop relationships with AI. What’s going on here, philosophically: Are these relationships legitimate? Is the love mutual? Can it ever be? Today’s episode, we consider just one half of these relationships—can AI love huma...

In today’s hustle culture, taking a break can feel like a guilty pleasure. But leisure has its own valuable role to play in our mental and physical health. That’s why today, we’re talking about why leisure matters just as much as (and maybe a bit more than!) work. Today’s episode, we consider: * The benefits of work and leisure * Theories on why work is overvalued and leisure undervalued * What “g...

So many New Year’s resolutions are rooted in health goals. Healthy habits are so highly praised that trying to be healthy is practically seen as a moral obligation. Should it be? Today’s episode, we consider: * What’s at stake when we’re deciding whether being healthy should be a moral duty * The arguments in favor of health as a duty * Potential consequences of living in a world where health real...

Cosmetic surgery is all around us, but is the “choice” to get cosmetic surgery ever really a choice? Sources: Ethical Issues in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Informed Consent | AMA-Code Medical Ethics in Plastic Surgery: A Mini Review - PMC Persuasive advertising, autonomy, and the creation of desire The Ethics and Responsibilities of Social Media Usage by Plastic Surgeons: A Literature Revie...

Practicing gratitude is widely encouraged, and its benefits have been enumerated in scientific studies. But, what is the nature of gratitude, and in what way does gratitude lead us to a good life? Sources: Philosophical Perspectives on Gratitude | SpringerLink Gratitude (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy/Winter 2021 Edition) Gratitude, freedom and refusal Gratitude and Human Flourishing Giving t...

Donating extra food to food banks is commonly regarded as a solution to food waste, but is it that simple? And, is it ethical? Sources: Towards a circular economy in food consumption: Food waste reduction practices as ethical work - Taru Lehtokunnas, Malla Mattila, Elina Närvänen, Nina Mesiranta, 2022 The Circular Economy | Definition & Model Explained | Ellen MacArthur Foundation Wasted Food Scal...

Jimmy Kimmel might be back from suspension, but debates over comedy’s boundaries continue to arise. This episode, we’ll bring in differing philosophical views to explore what the limits of comedy really are. Sources: Jimmy Kimmel taken off air over Charlie Kirk comments Jimmy Kimmel’s full comments on Charlie Kirk which led to his show being taken off air : r/Fauxmoi Young conservatives argue Jimm...

For today’s bonus episode, we’re going to talk about all that’s been going on with gerrymandering. We’ll examine how the fiery debate on California’s new gerrymandering bill is ultimately philosophical in nature, look at reasons for why gerrymandering is bad, and debate circumstances where the practice could be justified. Sources: Full article: Fighting fire with fire: the ethics of retaliatory ge...

Today, we’re talking about change, big and small, and how philosophy can help us better handle it when it comes. Timestamps: Heraclitus – 1:59 Epictetus – 7:46 L.A. Paul – 14:12 Sources: The fragments of the work of Heraclitus of Ephesus on nature The Internet Classics Archive | The Enchiridion by Epictetus What You Can't Expect When You're Expecting This is a public episode. If you would like to...

FOMO, or fear of missing out, pervades modern life. But does constantly creating, experiencing, and doing actually create a fulfilled life? In this episode, we look at all the ways missing out can actually be the best thing we can do for ourselves.  Timestamps: Seneca – 3:29 Berlin – 9:49 Agamben – 15:37 Sources: “On the Shortness of Life” Seneca, On the Shortness of Life Isaiah Berlin (Stanford E...

Reviewing everything we’ve explored over the past season of episodes. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit justquestionspod.substack.com

Traveling is informative, relaxing, and fun. But there’s a dark side to the tourism industry, that’s rife with opportunities for abuse – how can we then make sure to be good tourists? In this episode, we examine what moral responsibilities people have while traveling, and we question what role businesses should play in tourism ethics. Timestamps: Henry Shue — 3:14 Holmes Rolston III — 15:42 David...

Classic summer blockbusters like Jaws, ET, and Stand by Me are a great way to kick off summer — but underneath the summer fun, these movies illustrate fascinating philosophy concepts. This episode, we’ll analyze clips from these movies and use them as a jumping off point to talk about three philosophical concepts. No need to watch them beforehand, and each portion of this episode is self-contained...

What does it mean to watch real-life suffering for entertainment? In this episode, we examine the ethics of true crime to determine when true crime is justice, and when it veers into voyeurism. Timestamps: Nussbaum — 6:25 Catharsis — 13:00 Sontag — 17:26 Sources: The True Crime Consumer Report by Edison Research and audiochuck JonBenet Ramsey's dad hopes for answers as new documentary puts pressur...

Virtue signaling is a term that continues to be thrown around in a variety of contexts — from people’s bumper stickers to companies’ social media logos — but what really is virtue signaling, and is it something worth critiquing? We take a pause to look closer at virtue signaling, from unpacking definitions of virtue signaling and virtue to evaluating whether virtue signaling is a virtue or a vice....

From doctors to lawyers, nearly every profession has an ethical code—but what about influencers? This week, we look at the philosophical literature out there on influencers to see if there’s any limit to what an influencer can post. Along the way, we’ll build the beginnings of an ethical code for influencers, and we’ll get a better idea of who we want to follow — and even how we want to lead — on...

Tax season is officially behind us, but was the government just doing its job, or were the taxes you paid theft? In this episode of Just Questions, we dive into the ethics of taxation to answer this question. Using John Rawls’ veil of ignorance and Robert Nozick’s Wilt Chamberlain argument, we explore a famous philosophical debate on taxation and cover two radically different views on fairness, ow...

As self-driving cars take over our roadways, a pressing question still remains: when a crash is unavoidable, who should they protect? In this episode, we’ll navigate the toughest ethical dilemmas autonomous vehicles face in life-or-death scenarios, exploring the leading philosophical theories on how these cars should be programmed to react. Timestamps: Minimizing harm — 4:22 Protecting the passeng...

Today’s bonus episode is inspired by the hit show Severance ! In it, we’ll unpack why the severance procedure is unethical from a philosophical perspective. This episode is spoiler-free and open to anyone interested in tough thought experiments, regardless of if you haven’t even heard of the show or if you’ve just finished the latest season finale. Sources: Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals...

Is mercy a sign of strength or weakness? Of justice or injustice? Today’s episode tackles what mercy is and when we should show it. We’ll explore views from Seneca the Younger, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Jeffrie Murphy to examine whether mercy is a virtue or a vice. Timestamps: Seneca — 3:47 Nietzsche — 10:44 Murphy — 16:14 Sources: Special counsel slams Biden for pardoning son Hunter Biden Biden fa...

In today’s episode, we’ll ask ourselves: why does privacy matter? Unpacking ideas from philosophers Shoshana Zuboff, Michel Foucault, and Hannah Arendt, we’ll look at three different answers to this question, and by the end, we’ll gain a greater understanding of what we lose when we give up our privacy. Sources for this episode: The Instagram Video:  @hayleybaylee The Tik-Tok Ban:  https://www.cnn...