Episode 2. Jessica Wolfendale on Torture Lite

It’s been three years since George Bush announced that the United States does not engage in torture. Since then, a continuous stream of information has indicated that, although Jack Bauer–style brutality is officially prohibited, the U.S. officially sanctions and regularly employs interrogation tactics that push legal and moral boundaries. In today’s episode, Jessica Wolfendale sits down with Christian Barry to determine where those boundaries lie.

Schedule Change

Due to some technical problems, we’re making a small change to the schedule of upcoming episodes. We’re swapping Leif Wenar and Jessica Wolfendale. This means that the Wolfendale episode on torture lite is coming out tomorrow, 9/15, and Wenar’s on 10/6. Sorry to all you Leif Wenar fans out there, but I promise you won’t be disappointed once you’ve heard the good Dr. Wolfendale.

The Health Impact Fund as Philosophy

What does a practical political idea like the Health Impact Fund have to do with academic philosophy? Or, as the question is often posed, why is the Health Impact Fund being run by Thomas Pogge, a philosopher? I’m a (marginal) member of the HIF project, and I find myself confronted by this question on a regular basis. As a follow-up to our episode with Pogge, I’ll try to sketch out some answers.