Chapel Phil

What Should You Do?: Fake News brings back Brennan to talk about how we might interact with someone who promotes fake news. Reviewing input from Philosophers at UNC, Brennan navigates unfollowing, unfriending, and finding empathy for those who can't tell Babylon Bee from Breaking News.  References & Special Thanks: Special thanks to the UNC Philosophy department for their anonymous contributions. All rights to music from this episode belong to Epidemic Sound. 

If I intentionally commit one crime, but another worse crime results, can I be held accountable? How about those that aided me?  In this episode, Anna dives into the efficacy and ethics of felony murder, touching on history in the common law and the American tradition.  Citations:  All music is the property of Epidemic Sound.  People V. Aaron: https://law.justia.com/cases/michigan/supreme-court/1980/57376-0.html  Lord Dacres & His Hunting Party: http://birdsongslaw.com/2008/06/25/read-a-history-of-the-felony-murder-rule/#:~:text=The%20common%20law%20felony%20murder,felony%2C%20the%20killing%20is%20murder.&text=it%20does%20not%20matter%20whether,life%20or%20criminally%20negligent%20behavior. On the comment that Felony Murder is an ineffective deterrent: The American Felony Murder Rule: Purpose and Effect. (D. Ganz) Berklee.edu

In this episode, Noah critiques the decision of the University Administration to send some students back in person on February 8th, a seemingly arbitrary date.  We, UNC students, have finally started adjusting to online learning. So, unless the university can justify why we must start sending students back now, this decision is not worth the emotional, logistical, and physical stress that it will cause.  " In order to start holding our community accountable to ethical obligations, we must first ask "Why?" "  Citations: On mold being an acknowledged issue: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article236367948.html#:~:text=Mold%20is%20an%20issue%20for,dorms%20and%20privately%20managed%20Granville&text=Emili%20Potts%20first%20noticed%20the,her%20leaky%20air%20conditioning%20unit.&text=The%20doctor%20told%20her%20she,linked%20to%20the%20AC%20unit. New York Times database on Coronavirus Data: NC, Orange County  All rights to music featured in this podcast belong to Epidem

What Should You Do? is a new episode series on Chapel Phil, led by Brennan Maynard.  Philosophers often say a lot about what other people should do, but what would they do in different tense situations? We put UNC philosophers into zany or serious situations and review their responses. Someone has to do it!  Content Warning: Suicide. (Skip mins. 3-5 if you please) In the inaugural episode, Brennan reviews how philosophers would act 1. in a zombie apocalypse, and 2. if they saw someone stealing some bread.  We hope you enjoy the fast-paced dramatic reading! Citations: https://philosophy.unc.edu/people-page/faculty/ All audio clips in this video are the rights of Epidemic Sound, purchased and paid for by Chapel Phil. 

Emily Rakes consults John Stuart Mill for advice on a concerning phenomenon: Anti-vaxxers endangering others in the name of "individualism". Does anti-vaxxing align with Mill's thoughts on individualism? How is the phenomenon typical of the United States' traditional individualism?  These questions and more, explored on this episode of Chapel Phil! As always, special thanks to Sid Sirdeshmukh & congrats on his new position at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Your beat-making skills will be of good use up there.  Citations: Alternative Medicine is a $34 Billion Industry, but Only One-Third of the Treatments have been Tested: Retrieved from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/alternative-medicine-is-a-34-billion-industry-but-only-one-third-of-the-treatments-have-been-tested-879411/  Big Analytics Data Shows How America's Individualism Complicated Coronavirus Response: Retrieved from https://news.virginia.edu/content/big-data-analytics-shows-how-americas-individualism-complicates-

In this episode, Yueying debuts, referencing Nozick and Scruton's pieces on the concept of love.  Forming a union and a meaningful relationship requires many changes to one's life. How does the concept depend on the formation of another entity -- a collective concept of "WE"? Special Thanks once again to Sid Sirdeshmukh for providing the beats featured on this episode.  Sources Cited:  Nozick, R., 1989, “Love’s Bond”, in The Examined Life: Philosophical Meditations, New York: Simon & Schuster, 68–86. Scruton, R., 1986, Sexual Desire: A Moral Philosophy of the Erotic, New York: Free Press. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/love/#:~:text=Nozick%20(1989)%20offers%20a%20union,desire%20that%20your%20beloved%20reciprocates.

When musicians act immorally, should we still listen to their music?  In this episode, Elise discusses 1. the extent to which listening is an endorsement of an artist's actions, 2. whether we can separate art from an artist, and 3. how celebrity complicates the circumstances of public judgment.  Highlight quote:  TRIGGER WARNING: Sexual assault.  Citations: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/10/arts/sexual-harassment-art-hollywood.html  https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/timeline-of-chris-browns-history-of-violence-towards-women-103402/  https://www.insider.com/demi-lovato-finsta-pictures-anti-selena-gomez-accusations-2020-4 *we did not include links to Boogie Allen's cat or Beyonce's mattress pricing*  As always, opinions expressed on Chapel Phil in no way represent the stance of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the UNC Philosophy Department, the Parr Center for Ethics, or Chapel Phil as a whole. 

Happy Holidays! This year, we're all "Ba Humbug"!  In her podcast debut, Brennan asks the question: Is it ethical to lie about Santa Claus to our children? Brennan consults many ethical perspectives in her search to determine an answer. Some perspectives include rule-based ethics, utilitarian calculations, Joe Biehl's "Lies, Damn Lies, and Santa Claus", and "Your Kids Believe in Santa? A Scientist Says to Tell Them to Stop It" from the Washington Post.  Is the existence of Santa reflective of a societal desire for control and order over our children? Perhaps we are a cynical bunch...  Special thanks to Sidharth Sirdeshmukh for masterminding the background beats! Links:  https://philosophynow.org/issues/135/Lies_Damn_Lies_and_Santa_Claus https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2018/12/18/your-kids-believe-santa-scientist-says-tell-them-stop-it/ Opinions espoused on Chapel Phil do not reflect the standpoints of the Parr Center for Ethics, Chapel Phil, or the University of North Carolina

Noah and Max talk about how the pandemic has strained many peoples' mental health. Questions like: "What can we do to improve mental health while complying with our moral obligations to others" and "What is the balance between social interaction and mental health" strive to uncover some aspects of the complex relationship between the pandemic's obligations and our own obligations to maintain mental wellness.  Episode Guide: 1- Social Beings 2- Discussion of adequate social interactions 3- manipulation of mental health as an excuse not to follow pandemic protocols 4- function of balancing obligations to others with obligations to ourselves  Fact Check link: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/fact-checking-trumps-claim-suicide-thousands-economic-shutdown/story?id=69790273 The opinions expressed in Chapel Phil are not reflective of the podcast's overall opinions, the opinions of the UNC Philosophy Department, or the Parr Center for Ethics. 

Anna and Noah provide insights about some of the best professors and classes that they have taken at UNC.  As general advice, fulfilling your PH credit or continuing on in the philosophy major should be a fun and exciting process. We know that registration is stressful and overcomplicated,  but, hopefully, this episode can provide some insights on who you might want to take, or what courses you should be on the lookout for in the future!  As always, avoid those 8ams. Shoutout to Sidharth  To see all of the courses offered by the department in the coming semester, follow this link! https://philosophy.unc.edu/undergraduate/undergraduate-courses/spring-2021/

This episode continues with Hamish hosting Pavel, Mary Elizabeth, and Garry. Now, the focus of the conversation shifts to critiques of religion's interaction with society.  Has religion substituted proper mental healthcare for our elderly? Can the Church provide for the needs of society better than the government?  These questions and more are explored as our guests dive deeper into how they would like to see religion's relationship with our world change.  A greater description of each guest's background can be found in our last episode's description.  Links to Bedlam documentary information: https://itvs.org/films/bedlam , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIW6K3Xx6s0 As always, shout out to Hamish for starting his own podcast, Thoughts, which can be accessed here: https://linktr.ee/Thoughts_PhilosophyUntangled The views expressed on the Chapel Phil Podcast in no way, shape, or form represent the opinions of Chapel Phil, the Parr Center for Ethics, or the University of North Carolina at Cha

In this episode, Hamish hosts a diverse group of religious and non-religious guests. The episode centers around exploring how religion guides ethics, whether people should be religious, and a discussion of how religion exists in our current American society. To ground this discussion we have a diverse set of guests: a conservative Christian, a progressive Christian, and an atheist. This episode was recorded earlier in the year, before the pandemic.   Garry Crites is a well known-Durhamite. He is best known as the Executive Director for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Garry is a graduate of Duke's religious history Ph.D. studies program. He has experience teaching conservative perspectives on Christianity from his time as a Professor at Duke. *Not to be confused with our notorious campus Gary the Pit Preacher*. For more information on Garry, see https://naminc.org/nami-north-carolina-announces-new-executive-director/ Reverend Mary Elizabeth Hanchey is a graduate of UNC Law School, Duke Divin

Today on the podcast we're talking about the devil of government structures: Fascism.  Joined by German History Prof., Konrad Jarausch, Hamish leads a discussion on the difficulties of defining fascism and identifying its historical causes. In the second half of the episode, we talk about the possibility of fascism returning. Towards the end, Dr. Jarausch argues that the subversive threat of the present day is unaccountable and unrepresentative governments masquerading as democracies.  Citations: Encyclopaedia Britannica. (October, 2019). 'Fascism'. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/fascism/Intellectual-origins The New Republic. (June, 2019). 'The failure to define facism today'. Retrieved from https://newrepublic.com/article/154042/failure-define-fascism-today Jarausch, K. 'Broken Lives: How ordinary Germans experienced the 20th Century' (Princeton University Press: 2018)

With the increased help of the Parr Center, Chapel Phil is excited to announce two new types of episodes:  The first series is titled Arete, (Air-ih-tay) which is Greek for virtue. These episodes will highlight students on campus that demonstrate a particularly noteworthy trait. Nominations will come from staff or other peers. This series is a new way to recognize and give a platform to outstanding students and people in our community.  The second set of new episodes will be called "what should you do?" (or WSYD for short)  This type of episode will feature the fellows exploring different topics, like fire, planes, etc. and our obligations when navigating them. Topics will be one word. We will evaluate anonymous hot takes from members of the philosophy department and other UNC staff on top of our own opinions.   The goal of these episodes is to increase our presence in the UNC community and allow for the Parr Center Fellows to engage in ethical discussion. We are excited and ready to dive

In this episode, Hamish and Max Forster, a guest parr center fellow, recorded a special episode with one of our favorite Assistant Philosophy professors at UNC, Dr. Alex Worsnip. The discussion centered on Dr. Worsnip’s research about how people can maintain irrational mental states. In the second half of the episode, they explored how rationality relates to political disagreements and echo chambers. The episode concludes by talking about the relationship between ethical and political beliefs. Dr.Worsnip possesses an impressive ability to construct complex philosophy in an exciting and accessible way! Citations: Worsnip, A. 'Moral Rethink'. (2012). Retrieved from https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/arts-and-books/jonathan-haidt-criticism-goodhart-review Dr. Worsnip’s page. Retrieved from http://www.alexworsnip.com

This episode is a deep dive into the inspiration behind a masterful collection of poems. William Brewer has been touched personally and has taken up a mantle to write for all who have been harmed by the opioid epidemic. Specifically regarding West Virginia, Brewer brings a pointed critique of how the United States can erase states with a "culture of extraction". His lyrical style, amorphous writing style, and his personal opinions drive this episode into avenues of literature and culture previously unexplored on Chapel Phil. Hosting on this episode is Noah.  https://williambrewer.net/about

This is a short outtake from a tangent, which was edited out of our last episode with Geoff Sayre-McCord. Learn who Sina's favorite philosopher is, what he thought about dinner parties, and which sense is the most worthless! This is an exciting, short bit that we are happy to share. 

What is the PPE program? Coming on to talk about the second most popular minor at UNC is the director of the program, Morehead-Cain Distinguished Professor Geoff Sayre-McCord. We discuss Geoff's experiences as the executive director, how he has seen students grow, and what some of his best experiences have been with the program. Plus, outtakes to come!  Citations and Relevant Links Geoffrey Sayre-McCord. (Nov, 2019), retrieved from: https://philosophy.unc.edu/people/geoffrey-sayre-mccord/ PPE Program. (Nov, 2019), retrieved from: https://ppe.unc.edu

In this episode, Sina and Hamish speak with Dr. Hiroaki Matsuura on the efficacy of human rights. Join our conversation on human rights, health, and public policy! Link to published works

The Monroe Doctrine: a lecture with Dr. Philip Brenner Enacted in 1823 but still relevant under the Trump administration, what is the Monrow Doctrine? Today’s episode features Dr. Philip Brenner, director of the US Foreign Policy Program and professor at American University. Dr. Brenner discusses not only the unique role the Monroe Doctrine has played in shaping the complex and one-sided diplomatic history of the United States in Latin and South America, but also its relevance today. Citations: American University School of International Service: Philip Brenner. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.american.edu/sis/faculty/pbrenne.cfm Gilderhus, Mark T. (Feb, 2006). The Monroe Doctrine: Meanings and Implications. Retrieved from 1111/j.1741-5705.2006.00282.x December 2, 1823: Seventh Annual Message (Monroe Doctrine). (2019). The University of Virginia Miller Center. Retrieved from https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/december-2-1823-seventh-annual-message-monroe-doctrine