We discuss the biggest questions: "what's real?", "who matters?" and "how to make a better world?" with scientists, celebrities, activists, writers and philosophers. The Sentientism worldview is "evidence, reason and compassion for all sentient beings." It's a simple, yet radical, philosophy that's grounded in reality (naturalistic epistemology) and has compassion for all sentient beings (mostly human and non-human animals). Naturalism & sentiocentrism combined.
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Dr. Mark Solomon is an author, neuropsychologist, musician and radio show/podcast host whose work touches on a wide range of topics. Mark produces a national Street Epistemology radio show/podcast called “Being Reasonable” (beingreasonableshow.com, @B_Reasonable_, @Being Reasonable)
In Sentientist Conversations we talk about the two most important questions: “what’s real?” & “what matters?”
Sentientism is “evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” The video of our conversation is here on YouTube.
We discuss:
00:00 Welcome
01:25 Mark’s Intro
– @Street Epistemology . Conversations about “what you know and how you know it” @Anthony Magnabosco , Reid Nicewonder @Cordial Curiosity
02:44 What’s Real?
– Flat Earth
– Backfire effect
– Talking less about the belief & more about the reasons for the belief
– Improving our epistemology, not just “correcting” beliefs
– “I grew up in a Jewish household that didn’t discuss god”
– Living with two separate epistemologies: naturalism / humanism but culturally Jewish
– “I couldn’t even tell you that my rabbi believed in the supernatural”
– SE as a tool anyone can use
– Evidence & reason
– Objectivity & subjectivity
– Reality, truth, belief & opinion
– Starting conversations with understanding how people think of truth
27:44 What Matters?
– “I don’t know”
– “I try to be a selfless person but sometimes I act selfishly”
– “I just act – I don’t know if I have a choice”
– Uncertainty, psychology & moral foundations
– Suffering vs. flourishing (causing bad feelings in others is bad)
– Moral origins in evolution & psychology
– Determinism & free will
– Pre & non-human morality
– Compassion & co-operation as evolutionarily adaptive
– Virtue, deontology, utility, feminist care, relational ethics
– “If there were no sentient beings there would be no morality”
– Internal (warm fuzzy feelings, reciprocity…) & external reasons to be good
– True altruism & demandingness. “At least don’t needlessly cause suffering & death”
– Emotional & intellectual routes to compassion
– Alleviating suffering vs. enhancing flourishing
– Universal Declaration of Human Rights
48:15 Who Matters?
– Nagel’s “What is it like to be a bat?”
– Getting backyard chickens for eggs & as pets
– “It’s become painfully obvious to us that they are really smart creatures with their own social order… they definitely feel suffering.”
– “There are some really stark commonalities between humans & chickens”
…and much more. Full show notes at Sentientism.info.
Sentientism is “Evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” More at Sentientism.info. Join our “I’m a Sentientist” wall via this simple form.
Everyone, Sentientist or not, is welcome in our groups. The biggest so far is here on FaceBook. Come join us there!
Thanks Graham.
Lucas studied and practiced architecture in the U.S., Canada, and India before leaving it all behind in an effort to rethink what it is to live a meaningful life. Since then he’s traveled the world, started a philanthropic enterprise, Haven …continue
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Raffael Fasel is University Assistant Professor in Public Law at the Cambridge Law Faculty and Fellow of Jesus College. He specialises in public law, with a particular interest in constitutional theory, human rights law, and animal rights law. Raffael is …continue
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Isabella La Rocca Gonzalez is an artist, writer, photographer, teacher and activist. She describes her work as “part of a long tradition in art and photography: to bring to light and find beauty in the hidden, unconscious, or disregarded. As …continue
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