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

[Image: Looking in the Distance: Is Morality Instinctual?]

title Science Saturday: Morality and Religion
description A “diavlog” (split-screen cam interview) about morality between vivacious Yale psychology prof Paul Bloom and the charming Joshua Knobe, an assistant prof at UNC Chapel Hill and contributor to the blog Experimental Philosophy. Delves into cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience, child development, disgust, dualism, neuroethics, and related issues.
producer Bloggingheads.tv
featuring Paul Bloom Ph.D., Joshua Knobe, Ph.D
format WMV, mp3, Flash
date 20/03/08
length 00:58:27
link http://www.bloggingheads.tv/diavlogs/9785

Via Mixing Memory.

Tags: brain video diavlog neuroethics cognitive psychology philosophy experimental_philosophy cog_sci dualism morality disgust sex sociology