Amy Wax joins us to discuss the ideological landscape of higher education. Wax reflects on her conflict with the University of Pennsylvania and argues that universities have become increasingly hostile to conservative viewpoints. The conversation explores ideological bias on campus, academic freedom, and the challenges conservatives face within modern higher education.

[00:00] Welcome to the Discussion

[00:23] Amy Wax and Penn Suspension

[07:01] Lawsuit and Double Standards

[15:01] Speech Versus Action Rules

[25:33] Why Academia Stays One Sided

[35:29] Classroom Power Imbalance

[40:14] Public Private Speech Rules

[44:18] Feminization And Wokeness

[50:58] Facts Versus Ideology

[53:47] COVID And Contested Facts

[58:06] Race IQ And Censorship

[01:02:06] Equity Meritocracy Clash

[01:08:27] Closing Comments

Tomás Bogardus joins to discuss his book "The Nature of the Sexes" and argues for a reproductive-functional account of biological sex. According to Bogardus, males and females are defined by the reproductive function their bodies are structured to perform: producing sperm or eggs. Even when that function is not realized and no sperm or eggs are produced, a person’s sex remains the same, because it is grounded in biological organization. To defend this view, Bogardus considers intersex and DSD cases, critiques contextualist accounts that treat sex as domain-dependent, and argues for a unified meaning of “male” and “female.” The conversation later turns to whether sex is essential or changeable, as well as debates about pronouns, sports, and medical interventions for minors.

[00:00] Introduction to the Debate on Sex

[00:23] The Delivery Room Thought Experiment: "It’s a Boy/Girl"

[02:04] Sex as Reproductive Function

[07:41 ]Gametes, Competitor Theories, and the Non-Producers Objection

[11:29] Intersex & DSD Cases

[19:23] Contextualism and Cluster Concepts: Sex in Sports, Bathrooms, Dating?

[26:23] Conjunction Reduction & Animal Examples: Rooster vs Crocodile

[30:24] One Unified Meaning of Sex Terms

[32:06] Are ‘Man’ and ‘Woman’ Social Roles or Biological Sexes?

[37:15] Is Sex Essential or Contingent? Souls, Brains, and Hylomorphism

[42:23] Surgery and Embryo Gene Editing

[47:15] Fairness in Sports/Prisons

[54:38] Should Gender-Affirming Medical Care for Minors Be Criminalized?

[01:04:09] Conclusion

Read "The Nature of the Sexes: Why Biology Matters": https://www.routledge.com/The-Nature-of-the-Sexes-Why-Biology-Matters/Bogardus/p/book/9781041029533

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Brain in a Vat is back from hiatus with a deep dive into the philosophy of religion. Stephen Kershnar and Nathan Bray join us to ask whether God can be morally responsible and whether worship makes sense if God could not have done otherwise.

The discussion begins with a thought experiment about gratitude and worship. If worship expresses praise for morally responsible action, can a perfectly good God deserve it at all? Kershnar and Bray argue that divine perfection may undermine responsibility rather than secure it.

From there, Kershnar and Bray explore compulsion, omnibenevolence, and free will. Along the way, we discuss moral saints, chess computers, Frankfurt-style cases, Patty Hearst, and the costs these arguments impose on traditional theism.

We would love to hear your thoughts. Is worship grounded in gratitude, awe, or something else entirely? And does God need moral responsibility to be worthy of it?

[00:00] Welcome Back to Brain in a Vat

[00:45] Thought Experiment: Worship and Gratitude

[02:59] The Compulsion Argument

[05:04] The Role of Awe in Worship

[13:21] Maximizing Goodness and Divine Discretion

[20:26] The Problem of Evil and Divine Psychology

[33:33] Exploring Patty Hearst's Psychology

[40:19] The Nature of God's Perfection

[46:57] Philosophical Debates on God's Existence

[01:03:49] Concluding Thoughts and Viewer Engagement