Virtue Vibes with Jarrod Blair

Is it wrong to watch depictions of evil in our entertainment? Can watching evil actions ever be beneficial? Can entertainment morally corrupt us? 

In this episode, I analyze some ways in which depictions of evil in our entertainment (books, movies, music, etc.) can be both valuable in some cases and morally corrupting in others. 

Outro music: ""Embrace" by ItsWatR on Pixabay

Intro music: "Lofi H...

People often say things like "you shouldn't judge" or "don't be so judgmental," but what exactly does this criticism mean? Is it really immoral to form a belief about whether someone's actions were right or wrong? I think not. So in this episode, I will try to convince you that judging is actually a valuable tool for leading a virtuous life, and I'll also address some important worries people...

In this final episode of 2023, I share some reflections on the year as well as my appreciation for the Virtue Vibes podcast. 

Afterwards, I discuss how the philosophic spirit gets crushed by certain bad practices in conversations, like when we make people feel like they’re walking on eggshells, or when modern day antiracists throw loose accusations of “racist!” around, causing white people to withhold their honest thoughts...

Christmas and New Year's Eve are just around the corner, so today, we're going to be doing a holiday special of sorts. In particular, we’re going to talk about the ways that holiday traditions can help us to become better people.

I’m going to try and flesh out why these traditions are so helpful, and to give some practical recommendations for how to get the most out of your holidays. This will be done in a cross-...

This episode is going to be pretty spicy in a variety of ways. That’s because we’re going to think about the role that physical attraction plays in romantic relationships. In particular, were going to zoom in on three related topics:

Firstly, what exactly does it mean to be “shallow,” and why is it even bad to be shallow?

Secondly, even if we ourselves aren’t shallow, society at large is. People are told in variou...

How can we make our elderly parents miserable? Yup, you read that right. In their last few years here on earth, what can we say and do to our parents that will really make them feel lonely, helpless, and depressed. How can we talk in a way that leaves them feeling isolated, even in a room full of people? What can we do to make them feel completely useless and disconnected? And how can we leave them to face one of life’s hardest cha...

Japan is a beautiful country with a very unique culture. In this episode, I reflect on my time living in Japan by discussing some cultural norms that I admire, as well as some that were quite frustrating. I also discuss how experiencing cultures different than your own can help you to promote goodness in the world. 

Outro music: "Breath of Asia" by Raspberrymusic on Pixabay 

Intro music: "Lofi Heavy Chill Bas...

Is an action right because the gods command it, or do the gods command it because it is right?  

This was the question posed by Socrates to a priest named Euthyphro over 2000 years ago, and it has become one of the most famous questions in all of philosophy. In this episode, I talk about how either of these options are a tough pill to swallow, because one implies that God's commands are arbitrary, and the other implie...

Should we ghost people? Or should we explain why we're breaking up with them? We'll probably never see them again, so why not just disappear? Why go through the hassle of explaining? In this episode, we think through the ethics of ghosting, and try to develop good rules of thumb to help us know how to ethically dump people. 

Outro music: "Good Night" by FASSounds on Pixabay

Intro music: "Lofi Heavy ...

Why do we restrict some people from participating in certain cultures because of their race? Why do we restrict some people from wearing certain clothes because of their sex? In this episode, we cover some controversial questions about the relationship between bodily characteristics, like race and sex, with certain forms of expression, like culture and clothing. 

Outro music: "Mr Pleasure" by BurnishedBronze on P...

How much attention should you pay to the news and political controversies? This question is more pressing than ever before. Many of us have electronic devices that grant us near-instant access to the never-ending dramas that are unfolding between over 8 billion people on this planet, but paying attention to everything is a sure-fire path to burnout. In this episode, I talk about a principle derived from Stoic philosophy that can he...

The slogan, "facts don't care about your feelings," which has been popularized by conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro, has gained a lot of traction in recent years. In this episode, I discuss what I take to be the underlying truth behind it, as well as the ways in which it is quite misleading. I then use these observations as a springboard to dive into a broader discussion about the proper relationship bet...

What should you do when you see a homeless person? Should you just avert your eyes and pretend they aren't there? Or should you give them money? Will they just waste it on drugs? 

In this episode, TJ Reed and I think about various ethical questions raised when encountering homelessness. TJ has worked on homelessness and related issues in Phoenix, Arizona for over a decade, and he has a wealth of insight and a heartfel...

When you're having a disagreement with someone about some ethical question, emotions like anger and disgust can flare up and completely hijack the conversation. In this episode, I’m going to make some observations that can help to calm these emotional flare ups, and perhaps even inspire a sense of compassion towards those we so strongly disagree with. 

Outro music: "Sunset Vibes" by user 23843807 on Pixabay

I...

Who the heck is Jarrod Blair? And why in the world would anyone listen to what he has to say about being a good person? 

I made this episode for listeners who may be curious about my background and credentials. I discuss the ways in which my credentials help me to tackle ethical questions, but I also explain why I don't want listeners to simply defer to me as a moral expert. Instead, I want listeners to engage with me...

Compliments are free to give, but they can really make someone's day. In this episode, we discuss how compliments that acknowledge someone's personality and their values, as opposed to just physical features they were born with (ex. eye color, height, etc.), can be deeply meaningful. 

This is Virtue Vibes, the podcast where we think hard about how to be good.

Intro music: "Lofi Heavy Chill Bass & Keyboard...

What does it mean to be a "good" person?  Many people think they have the answers, but their ideas often contradict the ideas of others. This means that an awful lot of people are wrong. How can we sift through this noise and find the truth? 

In this episode, I give some examples of tools that can help, including being able to engage with ideas different than your own, having the ability to change your mind when ...