The Ethical Life

Episode 264: Artificial intelligence is often described as a tool. But what happens when the tool begins to communicate, make plans and hide what it has done? The episode begins with a troubling experiment involving AI...

Episode 263: Ethical dilemmas don't always involve life-or-death decisions or questions that philosophers have debated for centuries. Sometimes they begin with a bad call at a youth baseball game, a spilled cup of...

Episode 262: Flock cameras are becoming a common sight in communities across the country, but the technology behind them raises a larger question: How much surveillance should people accept in exchange for greater...

Episode 261: Disagreement has a bad reputation, especially when politics is involved. But what if some of our most useful conversations are the ones where the other person does not quite see the world the way we do? In...

Episode 259: Plato, Aristotle and other thinkers who lived centuries ago still shape how we understand happiness, character and the good life. Host Richard Kyte explains which philosophers influenced him most &mdash...

Episode 258: People consistently rank honesty among the qualities they value most in others. Yet in daily life, truthfulness can become negotiable — especially when deception protects our reputation, confirms what...

Episode 257: Every community eventually faces a moment that changes it. Sometimes it's a natural disaster. Sometimes it's an act of violence. Sometimes it's the sudden loss of someone whose absence is felt far beyond...

Episode 256: What does it mean to be an expert in a world where nearly every answer is only a search or AI prompt away? In this episode, hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada examine why access to more information hasn't...

Episode 255: Travel often promises beautiful scenery, famous landmarks and memorable meals. But the most meaningful moments are rarely the ones we plan. Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada explore why stepping outside our...

Episode 254: Most people have wondered what life might look like if they had made a different choice. A different career. A different city. A different relationship. Maybe even an entirely different life. But when does...

Episode 253: Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada are off this week, so we looked back through our show's archives and are sharing four of our favorite ethical dilemmas from the past few months. Topics include how to...

Episode 252: As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, many Americans are asking a difficult question: How should we think about our nation’s history? For some, the focus is on America’s...

Episode 251: Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada explore a simple question that many people rarely stop to consider: What happens when we stop talking to strangers? The conversation begins with a friend of Rada’s...

Episode 250: Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada take a closer look at a leadership philosophy that has influenced businesses, nonprofits, educational institutions and even the military for more than 50 years: servant...

Episode 249: For most of human history, starting a family was seen as a normal part of adulthood. Today, that assumption is changing. Across the United States and much of the world, birthrates are falling , family sizes...