030. Are True Crime Shows Ethical?

[@reesfleming4247]

Great video. This is a good topic and a great time to discuss it. This kind of media has a lot of influence in society at present and is evolving very rapidly.

[@dailyphilosophy]

Yes, and it's also becoming increasingly difficult to tell true and false information apart. AI will make it even harder. Let's see where all this will be going in the coming years... Thank you for your comment!

[@KatrinaDancer]

Strange you say "these people are not animals" because humans are technically animals. Animal comes from anima which means spirit. Humans and non-human animals are all spirits. I do want to say however that your channel is excellent and definitely underrated. You deserve a much larger viewership and I hope you get it eventually!

[@dailyphilosophy]

Thank you for your comment! You are right, of course, that humans are biologically animals, but not all philosophers would agree that this makes us "animals" in every sense. For example, the German philosopher Immanuel Kant would say that humans have a particular "autonomy," which is the ability to freely decide how they want to act, that animals lack. And this autonomy makes them special and gives them what Kant calls "dignity." I know that today many would argue that animals also have dignity, and I agree. But one could argue that humans are still special in that we are the only species that is not entirely driven by their instincts. We can refrain from eating, for example, as part of a politically-motivated hunger strike. In this case, an ideal would be stronger than our physical needs, so much so that we could starve ourselves to death if we really believed in our cause. Many have done so in the past. This, one might argue, is something that animals cannot do. So perhaps we are indeed special in some sense and this would justify seeing us as distinct from "mere" animals. But, as you said in your other comment, this does not justify mistreating and torturing animals. Thank you also about your kind words on the channel! I'll try to make more videos and we'll see how it goes. I choose to be optimistic, and comments like yours are always a reason to go on :)