Brain in a Vat

Amy Wax joins us to discuss the ideological landscape of higher education. Wax reflects on her conflict with the University of Pennsylvania and argues that universities have become increasingly hostile to conservative viewpoints. The conversation explores ideological bias on campus, academic freedom, and the challenges conservatives face within modern higher education.

[00:00] Welcome to the Discussion
[00:23] Amy Wax and Penn Suspension
[07:01] Lawsuit and Double Standards
[15:01] Speech Versus Action Rules
[25:33] Why Academia Stays One Sided
[35:29] Classroom Power Imbalance
[40:14] Public Private Speech Rules
[44:18] Feminization And Wokeness
[50:58] Facts Versus Ideology
[53:47] COVID And Contested Facts
[58:06] Race IQ And Censorship
[01:02:06] Equity Meritocracy Clash
[01:08:27] Closing Comments

Tomás Bogardus joins to discuss his book "The Nature of the Sexes" and argues for a reproductive-functional account of biological sex. According to Bogardus, males and females are defined by the reproductive function their bodies are structured to perform: producing sperm or eggs. Even when that function is not realized and no sperm or eggs are produced, a person’s sex remains the same, because it is grounded in biological organization. To defend this view, Bogardus considers intersex and DSD cases, critiques contextualist accounts that treat sex as domain-dependent, and argues for a unified meaning of “male” and “female.” The conversation later turns to whether sex is essential or changeable, as well as debates about pronouns, sports, and medical interventions for minors.

[00:00] Introduction to the Debate on Sex
[00:23] The Delivery Room Thought Experiment: "It’s a Boy/Girl"
[02:04] Sex as Reproductive Function
[07:41 ]Gametes, Competitor Theories, and the Non-Producers Objection
[11:29] Intersex & DSD Cases
[19:23] Contextualism and Cluster Concepts: Sex in Sports, Bathrooms, Dating?
[26:23] Conjunction Reduction & Animal Examples: Rooster vs Crocodile
[30:24] One Unified Meaning of Sex Terms
[32:06] Are ‘Man’ and ‘Woman’ Social Roles or Biological Sexes?
[37:15] Is Sex Essential or Contingent? Souls, Brains, and Hylomorphism
[42:23] Surgery and Embryo Gene Editing
[47:15] Fairness in Sports/Prisons
[54:38] Should Gender-Affirming Medical Care for Minors Be Criminalized?
[01:04:09] Conclusion

Read "The Nature of the Sexes: Why Biology Matters": https://www.routledge.com/The-Nature-of-the-Sexes-Why-Biology-Matters/Bogardus/p/book/9781041029533

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Brain in a Vat is back from hiatus with a deep dive into the philosophy of religion. Stephen Kershnar and Nathan Bray join us to ask whether God can be morally responsible and whether worship makes sense if God could not have done otherwise.

The discussion begins with a thought experiment about gratitude and worship. If worship expresses praise for morally responsible action, can a perfectly good God deserve it at all? Kershnar and Bray argue that divine perfection may undermine responsibility rather than secure it.

From there, Kershnar and Bray explore compulsion, omnibenevolence, and free will. Along the way, we discuss moral saints, chess computers, Frankfurt-style cases, Patty Hearst, and the costs these arguments impose on traditional theism.

We would love to hear your thoughts. Is worship grounded in gratitude, awe, or something else entirely? And does God need moral responsibility to be worthy of it?

[00:00] Welcome Back to Brain in a Vat
[00:45] Thought Experiment: Worship and Gratitude
[02:59] The Compulsion Argument
[05:04] The Role of Awe in Worship
[13:21] Maximizing Goodness and Divine Discretion
[20:26] The Problem of Evil and Divine Psychology
[33:33] Exploring Patty Hearst's Psychology
[40:19] The Nature of God's Perfection
[46:57] Philosophical Debates on God's Existence
[01:03:49] Concluding Thoughts and Viewer Engagement

In this special episode of Brain in a Vat, Brad Duchaine from the Psychological and Brain Sciences Department at Dartmouth discusses prosopometamorphopsia (PMO) – a condition where individuals see distorted faces.

The episode explores various manifestations of PMO, including seeing demonic features, dragons, or entirely different faces, and distinguishes it from prosopagnosia (face blindness). It delves into the neurological basis of PMO, touching upon structural and functional differences in the brains of those affected.

We discuss the significant impact PMO and prosopagnosia have on individuals' social interactions and quality of life, as well as potential management techniques such as using glasses or colored lights to reduce distortions.

Chapters:
[00:00] Introduction and Guest Presentation
[00:20] Exploring the Case of Face Distortion
[03:19] Understanding the Nature of Distortions
[05:49] Comparing Prosopagnosia and PMO
[07:17] The Role of Visual System in Face Recognition
[10:01] Impact of Face Recognition on Social Interactions
[14:16] The Spectrum of Face Recognition Abilities
[16:20] The Role of AI and Hallucinations in Face Recognition
[23:48] Understanding the Diagnosis of Face Recognition Disorders
[30:20] Understanding Prosopagnosia: Prevalence and Characteristics
[31:59] The Mystery of PMO: Prevalence and Need for More Research
[32:46] Exploring the Impact of Prosopagnosia and PMO on Social and Sexual Relationships
[33:23] The Intersection of PMO and Other Psychiatric Conditions
[37:03] The Struggles and Challenges of Living with Prosopagnosia and PMO
[41:02] Potential Treatments and Coping Mechanisms for PMO
[51:22] The Neurological Basis of PMO and Prosopagnosia
[54:51] Testing and Characterizing PMO: A Deep Dive into Research Methods
[59:54] Understanding the Perception and Processing of Faces in PMO

When is death preferable to living? Are there fates worse than death? And what sort of future society should we build?

Lionel Shriver discusses her latest novel, Should We Stay or Should We Go.