William Bennett, Steven Cahn, James Rachels, and George Sher continue the series on philosophy and public policy. Topics include nuclear power, affirmative action and other solutions to racial discrimination, and professional ethics.
In the second segment [16:45], John Passmore discusses his book Man’s Responsibility for Nature (1974) with Kent Mullikin. They speculate that the book might influence both public policy and intellectual discourse on humankind’s relationship to the natural world.
At the time of this interview, Bennett was director of the National Humanities Center. Cahn was associate director of the humanities division of the Rockefeller Foundation. Rachels was dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of philosophy at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Sher, a Fellow at the Center (1980-81), was professor of philosophy at the University of Vermont.
At the time of this interview, Passmore was professor of the history of ideas at the University of Australia, Canberra. Mullikin was assistant director of the Center.
This edition of Soundings was conducted by Wayne J. Pond and Kent Mullikin.
