A Moral Philosopher's Take - Hanno Sauer On Understanding The Present With A Five Million Year View

This week’s guest is German philosopher Hanno Sauer. Hanno was here in Sydney for the Festival of Dangerous Ideas and the opportunity to go deeper with him then he could in a panel talk or presentation was a thrill. Hanno is a moral philosopher, and his much acclaimed book ‘The Invention of Good and Evil; A World History of Morality’ is one of those rare reads that has deeply affected me and feels like it’s re-oriented my understanding of and appreciation for where we’ve come from, where we are now and where we might be going. I’ve never read anything like the content Hanno uncovers and shares in this brilliant piece of literature, but as a result I’ve come to appreciate the innate necessity for the fine balance between individual freedom and collective equality. How do we live in as much peace as possible when the diversity of cultures, ideologies, histories, stories, myths and norms vary wildly within and across communities? If there is one issue that I think sits at the heart of the present day maelstrom, it’s the ability - or inability - to be in active, healthy relationships with each other. Or as Hanno points out from the first moral epoch of humanity, the requirement to cooperate.

I learnt an absolute tonne from Hanno, and this conversation we chat about his work charting the history of morality over the last five million years to the dysfunction and dysregulation of this moment. From moral absolutism and cancel culture, to the need for punishment to maintain cooperation, climate change as the mothership of all moral dilemmas, the role trust plays in all of this and the state of ideas - from the heinous reality of industrial animal farming to dismissing those that claim the Holocaust didn’t happen.

Strap in for this one. Hanno brings a lot of energy, views, intellect and morality. 

Some extra reading relevant to this episode from our friends at Altiorem. 

Ethics in the boardroom: A decision-making guide for directors

From values to value: The commensuration of sustainability reporting and the crowding out of morality

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