The Bad Philosopher Podcast

Episode 14: Better never to have been? On Anti-Natalism

On this episode, we talk about a controversial idea: anti-natalism. Anti-natalism is the ethical view that the act of having children is morally impermissible, largely because of the consent issue: nobody who's born is capable of consenting to being born. In a sense, we're all just thrust into this world, which is full of suffering. We inherit a life that may or may not be worth living, and yet we didn't get a choice in the matter. Listen in your browser or click to download (Save as) [https://audio.badphilosopher.com/podcast/bp-ep-014-anti-natalism.mp3?ref=badphilosopher.com] This episode is also available on Spotify [https://badphilosopher.com/spotify], Apple Podcasts [https://badphilosopher.com/apple], and just about anywhere else you get your podcasts from. If you like this episode, consider supporting the show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/badphilosopher?ref=badphilosopher.com]. TIMESTAMPS: * 0:00 - Introduction to Anti-natalism * 4:23 - Optimists vs Pessimists * 10:36 - Unjustifiable harm and the problem of consent * 15:57 - The bias of the living * 19:09 - Our natural inclination towards procreation * 23:57 - Cautious reproduction and the ethics of being born * 34:27 - An argument against anti-natalism RECAP: * We kick off talking about anti-natalist viewpoints by pondering a few questions around procreation. For example: Is child-bearing and parenthood really a good thing for society? Is life worth living, or would we be better off not having come into existence at all? Is it morally permissible to bring new human lives into the world? * An Anti-natalist might answer no to all of the above questions. Since life is inherently filled with suffering, anytime we bring a new human life into the world, we're imposing the suffering of life onto a new being. By this token, anti-natalists would say that non-existence is preferable to a life that involves suffering. * A key problem for the pro-natalist vs anti-natalist debate is that as human beings, we're naturally inclined towards optimism. We tend to look on the bright side of life. And as living beings, we naturally have a built-in bias towards thinking that living this human existence is valuable in and of itself, despite all of the suffering it entails. Despite this, it's not morally permissible to impose the suffering of life on another being. * Humans also have a built-in inclination towards procreation. All of us are the beneficiaries of a long and unbroken chain of thousands of generations of our human ancestors procreating. As a result of this evolutionary pressure, we're genetically wired towards having offspring of our own (ie. all of the anti-natalists in human history have failed to pass on their genes, so only pro-natalists are left). * We discuss the idea of 'cautious' reproduction, and the ethical issues around imposing existence on any children we do bring into the world. Call this a 'weak' anti-natalist view: that unconsciously having children because that's just what everyone else does may itself be an immoral act because we're not thinking through the ethical implications of reproduction. In adopting the mindset of 'cautious reproduction', we do think through all of the moral implications of our choice to have children. * I end with an argument against anti-natalism, which either shows that there is an inherent value to living a human existence, or simply reveals our built-in bias towards believing that our lives have value.

Episode 13: The Ideology of Bitcoin

On this episode, we talk about the ideas behind Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. This is not financial advice, and I'm not trying to hype crypto or anything. My goal here is simply to give a balanced overview of the ideology (or the philosophy) at work behind Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency protocols, as this is a space I've been following for a few years now. Listen in your browser or click to download (Save as) [https://audio.badphilosopher.com/podcast/bp-ep-013-bitcoin-ideology.mp3?ref=badphilosopher.com] This episode is also available on Spotify [https://badphilosopher.com/spotify], Apple Podcasts [https://badphilosopher.com/apple], and just about anywhere else you get your podcasts from. If you like this episode, consider supporting the show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/badphilosopher?ref=badphilosopher.com]. TIMESTAMPS: * 0:00 - Intro * 4:10 - What is a Bitcoin? * 10:35 - Bitcoin as a transparent pyramid scheme * 20:10 - The Cyber-Libertarian ideology of Bitcoin * 37:32 - The current technical problems with Bitcoin * 44:30 - Conclusion RECAP: * Full disclosure: I am a hodler some cryptocurrencies. Mainly Bitcoin and Ethereum, and then some smaller amounts of other crypto projects as well. I want to be transparent with this because I think transparency is important when talking about crypto: you should always be skeptical of anyone who's trying to hype up any project in this space. * That said, I kick off this episode trying to simply explain what Bitcoin is. Nothing too technical here, I just try and get at the basic ideas: it's a decentralized peer-to-peer network of exchange that's native to the internet. * We then jump into the ideology behind Bitcoin and other crypto projects: the ideology of Cyber-Libertarianism. The motivating force behind Bitcoin is the idea of a financial asset that can't be controlled by governments or institutions, an asset that you have sole custody over. In short, a form of money that can never be taken away from you (in theory). * We discuss the history of the gold standard and how over the past several decades, more and more governments have begun using national currencies and the traditional financial system as a means of control, for better or worse. The promise of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency projects is to detach ourselves from this traditional system of finance and to take back control and ownership of our money. * We can't talk about Bitcoin without talking about some of its technical limitations. Some issues, such as the irreversibility of transactions, are built-in features that were deliberately chosen. Other issues, such as high energy use and the limit on the volume of transactions, is more technical in nature and may be resolved in the future (in theory). * All-in-all, every cryptocurrency is forced to choose trade-offs between the security, speed, cost, and volume of transactions. Where things currently stand, there is no perfect answer to deploying a cryptocurrency that can completely replace the global financial system. * I end with some parting thoughts and a warning about cryptocurrencies in general. ---------------------------------------- WORKS CITED: 1. Andreas Antonopoulos, The Internet of Money (Volumes 1-3).

Episode 12: The Myth of Atlantis - Disaster or Fable?

On this episode, we discuss the Myth of Atlantis that comes down to us from one of Plato's dialogues, the Timaeus. Here, we attempt to separate fact from fiction, exploring whether the Atlantis myth may be a fictionalized tale of a real natural disaster—such as the devastation of the Minoan civilization on Crete by a tsunami more than 3,500 years ago. We also explore whether the myth of Atlantis could be recounting some ancient memory of the hypothesized Younger Dryas impact that may have devastated various regions of Earth over 12,000 years ago. Listen in your browser or click to download (Save as) [https://audio.badphilosopher.com/podcast/bp-ep-012-atlantis-disaster.mp3?ref=badphilosopher.com] This episode is also available on Spotify [https://badphilosopher.com/spotify], Apple Podcasts [https://badphilosopher.com/apple], and just about anywhere else you get your podcasts from. TIMESTAMPS: * 0:00 - On Volcanoes, Earthquakes, and Tsunamis * 5:58 - Prehistoric humans and natural disasters * 14:45 - How the Atlantis myth came to us via Plato * 24:21 - Plato cites cyclical disasters that wipe out human knowledge * 33:00 - Disasters that may have inspired the Atlantis myth * 43:44 - The myth of Atlantis and the Younger Dryas impact * 52:46 - Are our myths a form of cultural memory of past traumas? RECAP: * I kick off this episode recalling times in my childhood when I was made very aware of natural disasters: particularly volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis. I conclude that natural disasters such as these have always plagued humanity: particularly tsunamis. * I discuss how for prehistoric humans navigating along coastlines, tsunamis would have represented the greatest threat from the natural world. Cultures that would have warned their decedents through flood myths would have had a higher chance of avoiding being swallowed by the sea, which may explain why so many different cultures around the world have some sort of flood mythology as part of their cultural lexicon. * From here, we jump into the origins of the Myth of Atlantis as recounted by Plato. In the Timaeus, an Egyptian priest claims that human civilizations are often wiped out by great disasters, and all of their accumulated knowledge and wisdom is lost. This is a fascinating idea: that even in Plato's time, before archaeology existed, this idea of there being lost ancient civilizations was being discussed. * We take a look at two possible disasters that may have inspired the Atlantis myth: one that was contemporary with Plato, in the disaster at the Greek city of Helike. And another that happened about 1,000 years prior, when a massive volcano erupted on Santorini and sent a tsunami rushing towards the island kingdom of the Minoans, based on modern-day Crete. * After looking at the Atlantis myth, we go a little bit further: forging a possible connection between this idea of the lost ancient city of Atlantis and the hypothesized Younger Dryas impact around 10,800 BC.  For comparison, Plato places the sinking of Atlantis around 9,600 BC. * We ponder whether ancient myths such as that of Atlantis may be some form of cultural memory of past events, particularly natural disasters such as what befell the Minoans. It could be that while a kingdom called "Atlantis" never existed, Plato's fable is in fact recounting how many human civilizations have been destroyed throughout history as a result of great cataclysms. ---------------------------------------- WORKS CITED: 1. Plato, Timaeus and Critias. Oxford University Press 2008. Translated by Robin Waterfield.

Episode 11: Survival Stories and the Philosophy of Mountains

On this episode of the podcast, we discuss survival stories and the philosophy of mountains and mountaineering. I talk about a few close calls I've had while out in the mountains, and then we ask what draws humans to these mountains in the first place. Listen in your browser or click to download (Save as) [https://audio.badphilosopher.com/podcast/bp-ep-011-philosophy-of-mountains.mp3?ref=badphilosopher.com] This episode is also available on Spotify [https://badphilosopher.com/spotify], Apple Podcasts [https://badphilosopher.com/apple], and just about anywhere else you get your podcasts from. TIMESTAMPS: * 0:00 - Introduction * 2:13 - My first close call * 18:23 - My second close call * 30:30 - My third close call * 40:25 - Why do we go up mountains? * 49:06 - Ernest Shackleton's doomed Antarctic expedition * 1:02:50 - The Philosophy of mountains RECAP: * I start this episode of the podcast talking about three close calls I've had while hiking up in the mountains. The first two, I was with other people when we faced terrible weather conditions that put us in a bad spot. In the third, I was alone and caught myself making some pretty bad decisions trying to find my way down the mountain. * I ponder the question as to why we go up mountains in the first place. What compels us towards the summit? * I then relay the story of Ernest Shackleton's incredible survival experience in Antarctica on his doomed 1915-1916 expedition. Most shockingly of all, after 10 months of being stranded without their ship, all of Shackleton's crew survived this ordeal. * We wrap up with some final thoughts on the philosophy of mountains. ---------------------------------------- WORKS CITED: 1. Robert Macfarlane, Mountains of the Mind: Adventures in Reaching the Summit. Vintage 2004. 2. John Krakauer, Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster. Anchor 1998. 3. Alfred Lansing, Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage. Basic Books 2014.

Episode 10: Understanding Modern China through its Ancient Philosophy, Pt. 2: Virtue

On this episode, we continue our discussion of Confucianism and how it relates to modern-day Chinese culture and politics. Today, we're starting with Confucian ideals of Virtue and governance by wu-wei (effortless action). Then we jump straight into the politics of modern China, how Confucian principles are being mi-used, and contemplate how things might develop over the coming decades. If you haven't already listen to Part 1 on Confucian Harmony [https://badphilosopher.com/podcast/episode-009-confucian-harmony/], I recommend you do so before jumping into this episode! Listen in your browser or click to download (Save as) [https://audio.badphilosopher.com/podcast/bp-ep-010-confucian-virtue.mp3?ref=badphilosopher.com] This episode is also available on Spotify [https://badphilosopher.com/spotify], Apple Podcasts [https://badphilosopher.com/apple], and wherever else you get your podcasts from. TIMESTAMPS: * 0:00 - Another story from my time in China * 12:10 - The Confucian ideals of Virtue and Self-Cultivation * 29:25 - Wu-wei (effortless action) and Confucius' take on government * 45:56 - The political machinery of modern China * 57:41 - Geopolitics of China through the lens of Confucianism * 1:02:35 - Confucian principles and the future of China RECAP: * We kick off this episode with a different kind of story from the last episode, where I talked about Chinese hospitality. This time, I relay a very different type of experience involving a tea house and an air-conditioning salesperson. * After this, we begin discussing the principles of self-cultivation and Virtue according to Confucianism, in which Confucius emphasizes that becoming truly wise takes a lifetime of learning. * We then examine Confucius' thoughts on what a good government means. For him, a good requirement requires a virtuous ruler at the helm who's able to lead in this sort of wu-wei, hands-off sort of style. If this type of leadership is perfected, says Confucius, a state would have no need for laws and punishments. * With a focus on this sort of top-down rule, treating the common people like children, and this goal of maintaining social harmony at all costs, we can see how these Confucian principles of good governance are being mis-used in modern-day China under the CCP. * After talking about China's internal affairs and geopolitics through the lens of Confucian thinking (and particularly the idea of filial piety), we then go on to discuss what the future of China might look like and if we might see a resurgence in traditional Confucian ideals over the coming decades. ---------------------------------------- WORKS CITED: 1. Edward Slingerland (translator), Confucius' Analects: With Selections from Traditional Commentaries. Hackett Publishing 2010. 2. Julian Baggini, How the World Thinks: A Global History of Philosophy. Granta Books 2019. 3. Kenan Malik, The Quest for a Moral Compass: A Global History of Ethics. Melville House 2015.