Welcome back to SQRL season 2! Today I'm with longtime Mercersburg teacher David Bell to look at the central question of season 2: What makes a human, human?
Episode in a 🌰:
From empathy and altruism to Kant, Peter Singer, and even Tom Cruise, we trace the gray spaces between selfishness and selflessness. Along the way, we detour into puns, lobsters, and whether dolphins might secretly be more human than us.
In season 2, I highlight one-to-one chats with teachers, professors, and mentors. The primary question for this entire season will remain the same: What makes a human, human? (The exceptions are episodes with special guests, where we might deviate from this topic.)
TIMESTAMPS
[00:00:00] What makes us human? Mr. Bell's one-word answer
[00:01:20] MAPS, ambiguity, and asking better questions [00:07:00] Kant, empathy, and whether “good” acts need to be pure
[00:13:20] Compromise, polarization, and politics today [00:19:40] Can empathy be taught? Nature, nurture, and practice
[00:23:30] Does true altruism exist—or are we all selfish? [00:30:00] Lobsters, vacations, and empathy for animals [00:32:45] Love, responsibility, and final reflections
🥜 Hypothetical Nut of the Day
If empathy can be taught to humans, could it also be taught to non-human animals?
Hope you enjoyed the ep!
