Our guest in this episode is Peter Singer, one of the most influential moral philosophers of our time. Known for works like Animal Liberation, Practical Ethics, and The Life You Can Save, Singer has spent his career challenging us to rethink how we live and how we can reduce suffering for humans and animals alike. In his recent book The Buddhist and the Ethicist, co-authored with Venerable Shih Chao-Hwei, he explores what happens when Western utilitarian ethics meets the compassion and mindfulness of engaged Buddhism. In this conversation, we talk about living one’s philosophy, the role of compassion in ethical life, and what Buddhist thought can teach us about the ability to respond wisely to the challenges of our time.

00:00:53 – Living One’s Philosophy

00:02:52 – The Life You Can Save

00:06:40 – What’s Good About Utilitarianism?

00:09:14 – Ethics and Animal Welfare

00:12:58 – The Buddhist and the Ethicist: A Cross-Cultural Dialogue

00:17:00 – Why Dialogue?

00:18:32 – Insights from the Dialogue

00:21:30 – Spirituality Without Belief

00:25:29 – The Meeting of Compassion and Reason

00:25:32 – What Can Western Philosophy Learn from Buddhism?

00:27:40 – ResponsAbility and Ethical Dialogue

00:29:12 – The Responsibility of Philosophers Today

00:32:22 – Future Dialogues Between Philosophy and Contemplative Traditions

Literature:

• Singer, P. & Chao-Hwei, S. (2023): The Buddhist and the Ethicist: Conversations on Effective Altruism, Engaged Buddhism, and How to Build a Better World. Boulder, CO: Shambala.
• Singer, P. (2024): Animal liberation now. Vintage Publishing
• Singer, P. (2020): Why Vegan. So the only question is: Do any other animal other than man suffer? Penguin Classics.
• Singer, P. (2016): One World Now: The Ethics of Globalization. Yale University Press.
• Singer, P. (2015): The Most Good You Can Do: How Effective Altruism Is Changing Ideas About Living Ethically. Yale University Press. de
• Lazari-Radek, K. & Singer, P. (2014): The Point of View of the Universe: Sidgwick and Contemporary Ethics. Oxford University Press.
• Singer, P. (1981, 2nd edition 2011): The Expanding Circle: Ethics, Evolution, and Moral Progress. Princeton University Press.
• Singer, P. (2009): The Life You Can Save: How to Do Your Part to End World Poverty. Random House.
• Singer, P. & Mason, J. (2007): The Ethics of What We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter. Harmony/Rodale/Convergent.

In this episode, we talk with Tone Kvernbekk, Professor of Education at the University of Oslo, about how teachers think, reason, and act wisely in complex educational contexts. Drawing on her work on the nature of evidence, theory, and practical judgment, she discusses why educational practice cannot simply be based on evidence, but must be informed by it. We explore her reflections on causality, context, and the limits of instrumental thinking. Finally, Tone shares how pedagogical thought experiments can help cultivate the ability to respond thoughtfully and well to what each situation demands.

00:00:44 – Academic journey and philosophical beginnings

00:02:34 – Why theory and theory development matter in education

00:04:27 – “Nothing is as practical as a good theory”

00:06:00 – The meaning of “based” in evidence-based practice

00:08:02 – What counts as evidence?

00:11:58 – John Hattie and the limits of “what works best”

00:15:31 – Instrumentality and causality in education

00:20:02 – Four models for connecting research evidence and practice

00:22:35 – Grimen, phronesis, and Biesta – on wisdom, risk, and judgment

00:25:41 – Pedagogical thought experiments and the cultivation of ResponsAbility

00:30:06 – The responsibility of educational philosophers today

Literature:

• Kvernbekk, T. (2005). Pedaogisk teoridannelse. Insidere, teoriformer og praksis. Fagbokforlaget
• Kvernbekk, T. (2011): The Concept of Evidence in Evidence-based Practice. In: Educational Theory, Vol. 61, No. 5. University of Illinois.
• Kvernbekk, T. (2018) «Evidensbasert Pedagogisk Praksis: Utvalgte Kontroverser.» Nordisk tidsskrift for pedagogikk og kritikk,Vol. 4, 2018, pp. 136–153. http://dx.doi.org/10.23865/ntpk.v4.1153
• Kvernbekk, T. (2019) Practitioner tales: possible roles for research evidence in practice, Educational Research and Evaluation, 25:1-2, 25-42, DOI: 10.1080/13803611.2019.1617988

In this episode of the ResponsAbility Podcast, we speak with philosopher Lou Marinoff, professor at City College of New York and founding president of the American Philosophical Practitioners Association. Marinoff shares his journey from physics to philosophy, and how he became a pioneer of philosophical practice. We talk about his well-known book Plato, Not Prozac and the P4/PEACE framework, his dialogue with Buddhist thinker Daisaku Ikeda in The Inner Philosopher, and his reflections on spirituality, Taoism, and Pierre Hadot’s idea of philosophy as a way of life. Marinoff also discusses his work on the root causes of conflict and argues for philosophy’s crucial role in higher education, professional practice, and in creating the conditions for peace.

00:00:50 - Personal and professional journey

00:03:38 - What philosophical practice can contribute to higher education

00:13:01 - On the relevance of philosophy when facing life’s challenges

00:15:52 - On the P4/PEACE framework and why it is not only about problem-solving

00:30:56 - On The Inner Philosopher with Japanese Buddhist thinker Daisaku Ikeda.

00:35:46 - On spirituality and philosophical practice

00:41:45 - What is Daoist philosophy about, and how might it be applied in life?

00:46:42 - What are the root causes of conflict?

00:55:14 - On understanding conflict and developing towards wisdom

Literature:

• Marinoff, L. (1999). Plato, not Prozac! Applying eternal wisdom to everyday problems. HarperCollins.
• Marinoff, L. (2003). The big questions: How philosophy can change your life. Bloomsbury.
• Marinoff, L. (2004). Therapy for the sane: How philosophy can change your life. Bloomsbury USA. (Note: This work was originally published in hardcover as The Big Questions.)
• Marinoff, L., & Ikeda, D. (2012). The inner philosopher: Conversations on philosophy’s transformative power. Dialogue Path Press.
• Marinoff, L. (2017). The power of Dao: A timeless guide to happiness and harmony. Waterside Productions.
• Marinoff, L. (2019). On human conflict: The philosophical foundations of war and peace. Rowman & Littlefield.
• Marinoff, L. (2020). The middle way: Finding happiness in a world of extremes. Waterside Productions.