Podcast 1
Published:
Details about the podcast: In this episode we explore how characters from popular media can be understood through different ethical frameworks. We chose Captain America, Iron Man, Spider Man, Harry Potter, Wonder Woman, and Jake Sully from Avatar, and discussed how their actions and decisions connect with theories such as Utilitarianism, Deontology, Virtue Ethics, Care Ethics, Natural Law, and Contractarianism. The conversation begins with an introduction of each character and the ethical perspectives we thought suited them best. We then played the pairing game where characters were randomly matched with frameworks, leading to discussion on how well each match fit. After ranking the six pairings from strongest to weakest, we reflected on which characters aligned most clearly with certain frameworks, which were the hardest to defend, and what larger patterns we noticed. The podcast shows how ethical theories can be applied in a fun way to the stories and characters we know from film and literature.
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