The Ethical Life

Episode 139: If you were making a list of superstar psychologists, Carl Jung would be toward the top. According to a recent story by Arthur C. Brooks in The Atlantic, the one-time associate of Sigmund Freud coined the terms extravert and introvert, along with many of the other words we use to describe mental health today.

One topic he thought a lot about was happiness, and how difficult it was to obtain. In 1960, as he neared the end of his long life, Jung shared five pillars that he said could help us make progress toward being happy. Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss these five pillars and why they each play an important role:

1. Good physical and mental health.
2. Good personal and intimate relations, such as those of marriage, family and friendships
3. Seeing beauty in art and in nature.
4. A reasonable standard of living and satisfactory work.
5. A philosophical or religious outlook that fosters resilience.

Episode 138: There are 137 episodes of The Ethical Life podcast, and that means there are more than 6,000 minutes of hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada talking about various ethical issues. This also means that AI can stitch together all this information and create replicas that would sound — and possibly even think — like them.

Some people already are using such technologies to attempt to keep alive relationships for people who have died. The hosts discuss whether such technologies would help with the healing process or instead make it tougher to move on.

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Episode 137: With more data accumulating about us each day, hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada talk about whether privacy is still important — or even possible.

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Episode 136: Earlier this year, James and Jennifer Crumbley were convicted, in separate trials, of involuntary manslaughter. In 2021, their son, then 15, shot and killed four students at his Michigan high school. Six more students and a faculty member were wounded. He is serving a life sentence, with no possibility of parole.

Episode 135: It’s common to hear people say they’ve reached the point in life where they don’t care what others think about them. This can either sound like someone who is firm in their convictions, or it can give the impression that they don't value feedback from others about their actions and beliefs.

Host Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss when it's appropriate to give advice — or even judge — others, and why we've been trained to believe that politics and religion are two topics that should be avoided at all costs.

Episode 134: It used to be that, with a few exceptions, actors and musicians were simply performers. Yes, we might have had an occasional look into their private lives, but most people simply enjoyed their films and their music.

But for better or worse, social media has turned performers into brands — and they often find themselves in the middle of our political and cultural storms.

Episode 132: The 2020 presidential election had the highest voter turnout in 120 years, with 66.8 percent of citizens 18 and older voting in that election. But that still means that 1 out of every 3 eligible adults — that’s 80 million people — stayed home.

Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss why people choose not to participate and whether the need for chaos drives some voters toward candidates who want to burn everything down.

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Episode 131: Two popular columnists recently wrote about travel, and they had dramatically different views.

Episode 130: Higher education has been in the news a lot lately, and the news isn’t the kind college administrators are hoping to see. Questions about what’s being taught in the classroom, and how that affects admissions and free speech, are all making headlines at campuses across this nation.

Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss how the role of universities has changed over the past few decades and how more specialized workplaces are requiring a more specialized approach in the classroom.

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Episode 129: There was a time, not all that long ago, when most Americans in their 20s did several things — often in quick succession. They got married, started a family, joined a church, bought a house and subscribed to the local newspaper. Once that checklist was complete, you were clearly an adult.

Today, however, things aren’t nearly so simple.

Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada talk about how the world is changing at an ever-quickening pace, but why one of the few things that seems to be slowing down is when young people consider themselves to be an adult. 

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Episode 127: We live in a country of laws, but it seems there are certain laws that aren’t enforced in consistent and substantial ways.

Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss three areas — chronic school absenteeism, traffic safety and shoplifting — where it seems that there isn't as much enforcement as there used to be.

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Episode 126: Whether it’s issues about health, money or family, life can give us plenty to worry about. And like many things in life, it’s probably not a bad thing in moderation. But for many people, excessive worry and anxiety can be paralyzing.

Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss why this can be a bigger problem for certain people, and they share solutions that can help people overcome this persistent problem.

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Episode 125: It’s impossible to go through life without feeling like someone has wronged us. Some of these offenses can be minor, while others are much more serious. Either way, we’re told, forgiving those who have harmed us has real physical and psychological benefits. 

Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss about why forgiving others can be so important, and why empathy and sincerity play key roles in the process.

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Episode 124: We live in a world where people have the ability to learn more about nearly any subject that piques their interest. Even if the topic you’re curious about is uncommon, it’s likely that you’ll uncover some information about it in a dusty corner of the internet.

Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada talk about why curiosity is an under-appreciated virtue and what we can to foster this behavior in others.

Episode 123: Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada are off this week, so we looked back though our show archives and are sharing four of our favorite ethical dilemmas from the past year.

Topics include whether to help a stranger in emotional distress and what to say if the table next to you at a restaurant has unruly children.

Episode 121: Christmas is almost here, and this is the time of the year most people are nostalgic for the past. And if you need some convincing, simply listen to how often memories of past gatherings are referenced in popular Christmas songs.

As many of us get ready to gather with family this month, hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada talk about whether we should focus on making new memories or can we simply rely on the comforts of the past?

Episode 120: At a time when there is little in common between the political parties, it seems most people agree that we need better candidates running for office.

Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss whether a more-knowledgeable electorate would encourage better-qualified people to run for office, and if paying our politicians more is part of the answer.

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Episode 119: As computers get smarter and learn more about us, they’re also being built to be funnier. And unlike your friends, who use humor to build stronger relationships, the motives of these digital devices are less clear.

Host Richard Kyte and Scott Rada talk about the health benefits of laughter, how what's funny has changed over the past several years and why a sense of humor can be an important part of being a leader.

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Episode 117: We are in the middle of Thanksgiving week, which means two things — platters of turkey followed by the start of the hectic holiday shopping season.

And although cellphones, televisions and computers are certain to be on many Christmas lists this year, most consumers seem resigned to the fact that these and other costly and complicated gadgets are nearly impossible to repair.

There have been a range of laws passed recently — both in the United States and Europe — that give the people who owns these products the right to repair them. Such legislation aims to reduce both e-waste and carbon emissions.

Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss whether consumers should have more control over the products they purchase.

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Episode 116: It’s not very often that a book about philosophy has people talking, but the recent publication of “Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will” by Robert M. Sapolsky is an exception.

The argument made by Sapolsky, a professor of biology of Stanford University, is remarkable simple: none of us are in control or responsible for the decisions we make.

This is not, as you might think, because of a higher power — the author considers himself to be an atheist. Instead, he writes that:

“The intent you form, the person you are, is the result of all the interactions between biology and environment that came before. All things out of your control.”

Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss whether this is radical idea is a useful way to look at our lives.

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Episode 115: Last month, Marc Andreessen published a column he titled the “Techno-Optimist Manifesto.” Andreesen, who was the cofounder of Netscape in the 1990s and later became a wealthy investor in numerous tech companies, argues that civilization was built on technology, and that, "Technology is the glory of human ambition and achievement, the spearhead of progress, and the realization of our potential."

In part, this was written as a response to much of the hand-wringing going on over the quick introduction of artificial intelligence in many parts of our lives. Although some say a slow and steady approach to AI is the correct path, Andreessen says we should have few guard rails because history shows that the benefits of transformative technology far outweigh any possible worries.

Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss what we have learned from past scientific advancements and whether the AI revolution presents an entirely new challenge.

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