April 12, 2018 10:07 pm

Friday, We Conclude Our Investigation of Morality at StarTalk Live!

Is your moral compass still intact from last week? Good. Because this week on StarTalk Radio we wrap up our investigation of science and morality – by diving deeper.

Given that this was our last show as part of the Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival, which has ended a stellar ten-year run of exposing great comedic talent to the world – not to mention hosting the first ever StarTalk Live! – we could do no less than bring in an all-star cast: Neil deGrasse Tyson, Eugene Mirman, author and founding editor of Skeptic magazine Michael Shermer, Rev. James Martin, SJ, and comedians Michael Ian Black and Whoopi Goldberg.

We rejoin our panel on stage at the historic Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, NY on 9/18/17 for a discussion of the importance of debunking wrong ideas that we’ve developed over time as a species. We debate whether science has a moral responsibility to help eradicate the world of prejudice – like the prejudice against the LGBTQ community. We also discuss the intersectionality of morality and science in the debate over reproductive rights. And, we ponder whether, in certain moral situations, science is actually irrelevant.

After that, Father Martin gives his thoughts on the impact of religion on our civilization’s moral arc. Overall has it helped, hindered, or been neutral to moral progress? Should religious leaders work with scientists to shape moral structure?

Finally, we turn to the future. Is killing a sentient A.I. immoral? Is it moral to live forever? What things do we do now that will seem immoral many years in the future?

For a spirited discussion of these and other questions that live on the intersection of the frontiers of science and morality, please join us tomorrow night for StarTalk Live! at Kings Theatre: Science and Morality (Part 2) at 7pm ET right here on our website, as well as on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and TuneIn. If you’re an All-Access subscriber, you can watch or listen to this episode ad-free at 7pm, too.

That’s it for now. Keep Looking Up!
– Ian Mullen