Social Contract Podcasts

Breached Podcast

Link to Resource: Breached Podcast

Summary:

Each episode of Breached highlights a different issue that has been traditionally framed as an essential element of any American social contract. Over ten episodes, the podcast explores areas of American life where some sort of bargain between us – either explicit or implicit – no longer seems to stand.

 

Philosophy Talk from Stanford

Link to Resource: Philosophy Talk from Stanford

Summary:

The right to bear arms, as guaranteed by the Second Amendment, is at once both distinctly American and highly controversial. Incidents such as the Sandy Hook school shooting force the nation to think hard about how the law should balance gun ownership with the risk these deadly weapons present to society. What kind of right is the right to bear arms, if it is a right at all? What responsibilities ought to come with gun ownership? And what can philosophical thinking contribute to such delicate policy decisions? John and Ken stand their ground with Hugh LaFollette from the University of South Florida, author of In Defense of Gun Control.

 

I Think, Therefore I Fan Podcast

Link to Resource: I Think, Therefore I Fan Podcast

Summary:

Part of the I think therefore I fan program started by two philosophers who study philosophy and pop culture; in this episode, we discuss social contract theory and how it is explored in The Walking Dead, Lost in Space, and Orange is the New Black. What would a state of nature–a state before civil society–look like? What would people be like in such a state? What would their motivations be? Would characters like Rick Grimes, Negan, and Dr. Smith naturally emerge?