Experimental philosophy of freedom

Wonderful experimental philosophy video illustrating a question posed by Aristotle about voluntary vs. involuntary moral choices. While host Ram Neta explains, it’s acted out in front of a screen then sea storm backgrounds and other imagery is keyed in. Simple, fun, and nicely edited too. I also liked the burning armchair logo and riot grrrl music, and they’re probably the only philosophy professors with a MySpace profile, wiki, blog and YouTube channel. The Experimental Philosophy Society is net-savvy. While there’s some debate about whether the logo makes them seem less serious in the academic world, I think it’s great for reaching wider audiences. But they’re not just about new media: read the paper accompanying this video, Moral Judgments and Intuitions about Freedom by Jonathan Phillips and Joshua Knobe. They conducted field experiments in a mall to learn how moral judgments influence the intuitive perception of freedom, and found the process complex and suffused with multiple judgments.

Phillips, J., & Knobe, J. (2009). Moral Judgments and Intuitions About Freedom Psychological Inquiry, 20 (1), 30-36 DOI: 10.1080/10478400902744279

Adolescent Brain Development

A forensic examiner talks about decision making and developing brains in youth, for an audience of youth advocates. See also: Brain Science as a Means of Understanding Delinquency and Substance Abuse in Youth,  The Teen Brain, and Teen Brain, an award-winning documentary on neuroethics and the juvenile justice system.