Things You Can Do

Peter Owens (PetePlays)
  • 5.0 (2)
  • PHILOSOPHY

Take a thoughtful yet slightly goofy dive into ethics with your professor, Peter Owens, to discover some... things you can do.

  1. The Hunt for Gollum's Conscience: An LOTRAMAPOD/Things You Can Do Crossover Event

    8H AGO

    The Hunt for Gollum's Conscience: An LOTRAMAPOD/Things You Can Do Crossover Event

    In today's episode, Matthias Austin from the Lord of the Rings AMA Podcast and I talk about Gollum. What motivates him? What's wrong with him? Should we pity him or fear him? Or something else? Come along for a journey into the ethics of Middle Earth where we'll discuss good and evil, pain and addiction, love and pity, and incontinence. Also, Frodo and Sam's Special Boat for Boys™ . 9:30 | Illustrated Hobbit Reddit Post 11:30 | Film Depiction Blog Post 23:45 | Anti-Climacus (Soren Kierkegaard), The Sickness Unto Death (Normally I try to put the edition and page, but I got this off the internet because I couldn't find my copy of this text - it's probably in a box somewhere in the basement, but I promise a cursory google search will confirm it's factuality!) Things You Can Do, Season 1 Soundtrack

    1h 11m

  2. APR 30

    TYCD: Extra Credit - Utilitarianism, Drowning Hitler, Stealing the Enterprise

    In today's Extra Credit, I talk a little (okay, a LOT) more about utilitarianism, some of its strengths and weaknesses, some important thinkers in its history, and my view on why the way that we currently teach it is missing something. 10:05 | RM Hare, "Ethical Theory and Utilitarianism" 14:16 | JJC Smart, "Extreme and Restricted Utilitarianism," pg. 353 15:34 | Ibid., pg. 347 ***Godwin's Law says that the longer a discussion goes on, the more likely it is that someone will invoke a comparison to Hitler. It has conceptual overlap with the logical fallacy reductio ad Hitlerium. 21:32 | John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism, pg. 32 (Indianapolis: Hackett, 2001). 23:09 | Shelly Kagan, "Does Consequentialism Demand Too Much? Recent Work on the Limits of Obligation"

    30 min
  3. Teaser: "The Hunt for Gollum's Conscience" - a LOTR AMA Podcast/Things You Can Do Crossover Event!

    TRAILER

    Teaser: "The Hunt for Gollum's Conscience" - a LOTR AMA Podcast/Things You Can Do Crossover Event!

    Ever wished that I would hang out more with Matthias Austin, host of the acclaimed* podcast The Lord of the Rings AMA Podcast? Well, turns out - me too! Matthias and I sit down and talk about Gollum, a figure regarded with suspicion and hatred, a form cloaked in shadow and deceit. What makes him tick? How should we feel about him? What was JRR Tolkien thinking when he wrote this character? Matthias and I dive in - just the way that we do: with research, thoughtful questions, ethical conundrums, and just a little bit of trivia. Check it out on May 8 when it drops in my feed, or May 11 when it drops over at his feed - subscribe to the Lord of the Rings AMA Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!

    2 min

  4. APR 17

    Dare to Use Your Own Understanding!

    Today we take on the question, "Is it okay to change my values to fit in?" We talk about Utilitarian ethics, Kant's "An answer to the question: What is enlightenment?" and Rabbi Akiva bar Joseph. Also, peep the new segments: Moment of Latin and Ein Moment des Deutsche! 14:10 | An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation by Jeremy Bentham 16:05 | Ibid. 18:22 | Ibid. 37:34 | "An answer to the question: What is enlightenment?" by Immanuel Kant, trans. by Ted Humphrey 43:35 | "Muslim teen reveals father's response to removing hijab," Lamia Estatie, BBC News

    51 min

  5. APR 7

    Mini Ethic-sode #4: Ethical Relativism, Central Capabilities, and L'Wxana Troi

    What is up with ethical relativism? How do you know what the right thing to do is when you have multiple conflicting ethical systems across different cultures? What is the Prime Directive? 13:40: Nussbaum, Creating Capabilities, pg. 18. 19:55: Gross Edward and Altman, Mark A. (1993) Captain’s Logs: The Complete Star Trek Voyages. London: Boxtree, pg 220.

    22 min
  6. TYCD: Extra Credit - Teeth, Normality, Gender

    MAR 20 ·  BONUS

    TYCD: Extra Credit - Teeth, Normality, Gender

    Enjoy this first crack at a new little mini episode format called "Extra Credit," where I dive a little deeper into some of the things in a recent episode that didn't make the cut for the full podcast. 01:45 | The Heart of Whiteness: Normal Sexuality and Race in America, 1880-1940 by Julian B. Carter. Pg. 1 07:35 | Carter, pg. 42. I accidentally wrote this as "Barbarians aren't anxious" when I was giving the script to Mady, but the actual quote is "Barbarians are not nervous." I apologize for the mix-up! But I think the quote still conveys Carter's original meaning.

    12 min

  7. MAR 17

    4 out of 5 Dentists Recommend Brushing with Ethics

    What do teeth have to do with ethics? Well, strap in and take a ride through my childhood, the history of dentistry, and several dozen references to 90's children's cartoons to find out! If you’ve got a smooth groove you’d love to have featured on the podcast, or are interested in exchanging your voice talents for trinkets, homemade trophies, and one-digit amounts of dollars, email me at thingsyoucandopod@gmail.com. 10:30 | Analysis of Neanderthal teeth marks uncovers evidence of prehistoric dentistry | KU News 12:05 | The Birth of the Most Important 18th Century Dental Text: Pierre Fauchard’s Le Chirurgien Dentist - Andrew I. Spielman, 2007 27:25 | Why Smiles Generate Leniency - Marianne LaFrance, Marvin A. Hecht, 1995 27:34 | The influence of tooth colour on the perceptions of personal characteristics among female dental patients: comparisons of unmodified, decayed and 'whitened' teeth | British Dental Journal 27:43 | Satisfaction and attitudes of the student population about dental aesthetics | Journal of Health Sciences 27:51 | Does dental appearance impact on employability in adults? A scoping review of quantitative and qualitative evidence | British Dental Journal 27:58 | Filling in the Gap: How Dental Aesthetics Impact Future Outcomes through Inferences of Competence - ProQuest 28:04 | Dental Esthetics and Its Impact on Psycho-Social Well-Being and Dental Self Confidence: A Campus Based Survey of North Indian University Students - PMC 38:44 | 2024 Oral Health Surveillance Report: Selected Findings | Oral Health | CDC 39:05 | Oral Health in America, David Satcher

    46 min

  8. MAR 2

    Don't Build That Storehouse, Hand Me the Ethics!

    Let's do some philosophy of our own! We'll work on some inductive arguments for why being a billionaire might be morally problematic, and what it says about us when we try to think about this stuff. Also, bussin' it down, ARISTOTLE STYLE.  00:23 Head of UN's World Food Programme Warns of Famines without more international aid 01:31 COP26: Billionaires must step up, says the World Food Programme 02:31 Elon Musk Said He'd Give $6 Billion to End World Hunger If the UN Could Explain How — They Did, But He Didn't Give Them a Dime 18:18 Jeff Bezos returns the compliment, calls Warren Buffet a 'hero' who 'has a lot of wisdom' 35:02  “Ethical Design of Computers: From Semiconductors to IoT and Artificial Intelligence,” Sundeep Paschrika and Marilyn Wolf  40:07 Arrested Development, Season 2, Episode 15, "Sword of Destiny" 50:08 The Melian Dialogue

    1 hr
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About

Take a thoughtful yet slightly goofy dive into ethics with your professor, Peter Owens, to discover some... things you can do.

Information

  • Creator
    Peter Owens (PetePlays)
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    17
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Things You Can Do
  • Show Website
    Things You Can Do