During spring 2024 the Department of Philosophy hosted a short webinar series, Practical Philosophy, that was widely attended by alumni and members of the Ohio State community. Each session was led by a member of our faculty and focused on a pressing moral or political issue that generates significant philosophical questions. The goal was not to tell people what to think, but rather to provide aids for how to think about such difficult issues, and to explore questions raised by members of the audience.
In How to Think About… Algorithms Informing End-of-Life Decision Making, Professor Dana Howard led an ethical examination of the risks and benefits of using artificial intelligence in medical decision-making.
In How to Think about... Promoting Civil Discourse on Campus, Professor Piers Turner led a discussion of how to promote civil discourse during times of political friction.
In How to think about... Consumers’ Ethical Relationships to Large-scale Wrongs, Professor Tristram McPherson discussed ways to think about our responsibilities as consumers of some ethically questionable practices, such as factory farming and sweat shop labor.
Follow the above links if you’d like to watch recordings of these webinars, or if you want to find out more about our three speakers!
Also, if you have suggestions for future sessions in the Practical Philosophy series, please click here to let us know! We’d be delighted to tackle issues you care about.
