Surprising Ethics
Episodes
Is the manosphere making men incapable of love? w. Patrick van Straaten | ep. 10
01 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Research shows it’s love – not money or social status – that can soothe the suffering many men are feeling today. But is the manosphere taking t...
Votes for young children? With Dr Isa Trifan | ep. 9
01 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Many countries are considering lowering the voting age. But right now it’s 18 nearly everywhere. Why? Why not 14, 12, or even 6? Don’t kids have i...
What should parents feed their kids? Meat, or vegan? | w. Dr Fischer & Dr Fredericks | ep. 8
01 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
How do we craft a diet in the child’s best interests? That’s the question Rachel Fredericks and Jeremy Fischer set out to answer, leaving behind t...
Philosophy of New Year’s Resolutions | ep. 7
27 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Are new year’s resolutions a golden opportunity for self-improvement, or do they reinforce a damaging ideology of work and “self-improvement”? A...
Is envy a virtue? W. Prof Sara Protasi | ep. 6
01 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Envy is seen as a deadly sin. But not by Professor Sara Protasi, who argues that envy is often good – even *virtuous*. Envy drives progress, she cla...
Do AIs have moral rights? | Ep. 5
01 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We normally think: how can we stop AI harming humans? We may also have to ask: how can we stop humans harming AI? After all, there’s a surprisingly ...
Should the state ban smoking, restrict calories, and stop us harming ourselves? | Prof Sarah Conly on paternalism | Ep. 4
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We think of ourselves as rational agents, able to choose well for ourselves. Professor Sarah Conly calls this into question. She argues that we’re r...
Is it morally wrong to be monogamous? | Ep. 3
01 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Some philosophers now argue that monogamy is morally wrong. Imagine your friend came and told you that you can’t have any other friendships. You’d...
Do animals have moral rights like us? | Ep. 2
01 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Society assumes that animals do not have moral rights. But what could this be based on? How could we argue that humans are the only animals to have ri...
Is pleasure all that matters in life? | Ep. 1
01 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hedonists claim that pleasure is all that makes for a good life. Are they right that relationships, achievements, and meaningfulness have no intrinsic...
Trailer
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A trailer briefly outlining Surprising Ethics, a new podcast launching on 1st September 2025.Podcast website for contact details and more: surprisinge...