Coronavirus, higher education, lockdowns, and more: a chat with Prof. Bernard Molyneux - TSP #24

The coronavirus, the internet, and the future of higher education: Prof. Molyneux’s experience during the outbreak; will professors be laid off?; effects on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) vs. non-STEM disciplines; what about philosophy? The University of California graduate student strike. Student loan debt and debt forgiveness.

(Starting at 0:46:46) The lockdowns: Do they sacrifice some people to others? Do they represent a collectivist rather than individualist approach? Should people at high risk of contracting and dying from the virus be free to risk getting it? Should people be able to waive their “right” to medical treatment? Triaging cases in an individualist way. Collective action problems (e.g., prisoner’s dilemmas) and rational self-interest. Is there an individualist argument for a lockdown—in this particular case? Reasonable risk and quality of life. Is the cure worse than the disease? Inflation. Current economic woes as a small-scale preview of what the Green New Deal would be like. Alex Epstein’s moral case for fossil fuels. Our “addiction” to fossil fuels. Nuclear energy and Chernobyl.

Recorded on April 11, 2020.

My first discussion with Professor Molyneux

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"Abstract Blurred Lights Bokeh Background" in intro/outro slides thanks to Free B Roll by Videezy.com.