Barry Lam: The Case for Discretion

Modern life runs on rules—some helpful, some… not so much. In this episode, Alex talks with philosopher Barry Lam (UC Riverside) about his new book Fewer Rules, Better People: The Case for Discretion. Lam makes a bold claim: sometimes fewer rules can actually make us better. With sharp insights and real-world stories, he walks us through why giving people more wiggle room might lead to fairer, more humane outcomes. But it’s not all freewheeling freedom—the conversation also digs into the risks of bias and the need for accountability when discretion takes the wheel.

Om Podcasten

Examining Ethics is an ethics podcast produced by The Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics at DePauw University. Everybody wrestles with questions about ethics. Some of those questions are easy to figure out. Should I murder someone? No! But other questions are more difficult to answer. Examining Ethics doesn’t provide answers to these ethical dilemmas, but instead leaves listeners with tools and ideas from some of the biggest names in moral philosophy and ethics. Academic philosophy and ethics can sometimes be difficult to understand, and our accessible, open-minded content bridges the gap between scholars and everyone else. Examining Ethics is hosted and produced by Christiane Wisehart.