When does (or did) the Covid-19 pandemic end?

Katrien Devolder interviews Erica Charters, Professor of the Global History of Medicine at the University of Oxford In this 'Thinking Out Loud' episode Professor Charters explains why the end as well as the beginning of a pandemic are murky, and what past pandemics can and can't teach us.

Professor Peter Railton presents his take on how to understand, and interact with, AI In this Thinking Out Loud interview with Katrien Devolder, Professor Railton talks about how AI can have moral obligations towards us, humans, and towards each other, and why we, humans, have moral obligations towards AI agents. He also stresses that the best way to tackle certain world problems, including the dangers of AI itself, is to form a strong community consisting of biological AND AI agents.

Katrien Devolder and Dominic Wilkinson explore reasons why some parents are vaccine-hesitant Many who had no doubts whatsoever about getting a COVID-vaccine for themselves, are much more hesitant when it comes to vaccinating young children. Is such hesitation justified? In this Thinking Out Loud interview, Katrien Devolder (Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics) talks to Dominic Wilkinson, Consultant Neonatologist and Professor of Medical Ethics at the University of Oxford, about what sort of ethical considerations are at play when considering whether to vaccinate young children.

Katrien Devolder and Julian Savulescu discuss the ethics of lockdowns Should lockdowns and other restrictions of liberty during pandemics be imposed on part of the population only? Many people accept that, to protect public health, it is sometimes acceptable, or morally obligatory, to restrict people’s liberties. But there’s a lot of disagreement about how far these restrictions should go, and whom they should apply to: everyone, or certain groups of people only? In this Thinking out Loud interview, Professor Julian Savulescu (Uehiro Chair of Practical Ethics, University of Oxford) defends the view that we should only restrict the liberties of the vulnerable during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Katrien Devolder and Jonathan Pugh discuss vaccine nationalism High income countries have been criticised for hoarding covid-19 vaccines: they have been accused of 'vaccine nationalism'. But what exactly is vaccine nationalism? Is it really wrong to prioritise one's own citizens? How can we do better when the next pandemic strikes? In this Thinking Out Loud interview, philosopher Dr Jonathan Pugh (Oxford) discusses these questions with Dr Katrien Devolder.

Katrien Devolder and Aaron Gross discuss the link between factory farm and zoonotic diseases. In this interview with Dr Katrien Devolder (University of Oxford), Professor Aaron S. Gross (University of San Diego) explains why factory farms are breeding grounds for pandemics, and what we, as individuals, can do to help end factory farming (even if we don't feel ready yet to become a vegan...)

Katrien Devolder and Josh Milburn discuss whether it's ethical - and possible - to feed our pets a vegan diet. There are plenty of good reasons to avoid consuming meat from factory farms. However, WE may well do so, but what about our pets? Should we feed our cat or dog a vegan diet? In this interview with Dr Katrien Devolder (Oxford) for @Practical Ethics Channel​ , Dr Josh Milburn (Sheffield) explains what options there are for feeding our companion animals an ethically acceptable (or preferable) diet - from vegan food, to pet food made from invertebrates, and in vitro meat (and, yes, even in vitro human flesh!)

Katrien Devolder and Jeff Sebo on factory farms as breeding grounds for pandemics Covid-19 is very likely a zoonotic disease, which means that it was transmitted from animals to humans. Other dangerous infectious diseases, such as SARS, MERS, Ebola and HIV originated in animals too. In fact, of all emerging infectious diseases in humans, 75% are zoonotic. In this new interview series, Katrien Devolder interviews philosophers and other experts to explore how we might prevent future pandemics. In this episode, Jeff Sebo, Professor of Environmental Studies at NYU, talks about factory farms as breeding grounds for pandemics, and why, if we want to prevent future pandemics, we should consider human and animal health together, and end factory farming.

Katrien Devolder interviews Alberto Giubilini. After healthcare and some other essential workers, it might seem the most obvious candidates for a Covid-19 vaccine (if we have one) are the elderly and other groups that are more vulnerable to the virus. But Alberto Giubilini argues that prioritising children may be a better option as this could maximise the benefits of indirect immunity for elderly and other vulnerable groups.

Katrien Devolder interviews Associate Professor Carissa Véliz. Are contact tracing apps safe? Philosopher Carissa Véliz (University of Oxford), author of 'Privacy is Power', explains why we should think twice about using such apps. They pose a serious risk to our privacy, and this matters, even if you think you have nothing to hide!