Who gets to judge right and wrong? And on what grounds?

In this episode of Hotel Bar Sessions, Leigh, Rick, and Devonya talk about judgment—what it is, when we need it, and whether it’s a skill or just a faculty of reason. They start with Aristotle’s distinction between knowledge and judgment, move through Kant’s ideas about moral and aesthetic judgment, and consider how judgment functions in ethical reasoning, political life, and even artificial intelligence. The conversation raises questions about whether judgment is simply applying rules or if it requires something more—something closer to discernment, habit, or lived experience.

Can a decision be right or wrong if we can’t fully predict its consequences? Do moral rules always apply, or do some situations require exceptions? What happens when judgment operates within systems of power? These questions lead to reflections on everything from friendship to legal pardons to the ethics of AI. Whether you think of yourself as someone with good judgment or someone just trying to make better choices, this episode gives plenty to think about.

Full episode notes available at this link:
https://hotelbarpodcast.com/podcast/judgment

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How, and for what, are we responsible?

What does it even mean to be responsible? Is it about blame? Credit? Or something else entirely?

Leigh, Devonya, and Rick hash it out over drinks, tackling everything from personal accountability to collective responsibility, and digging into big questions about freedom, moral agency, and how our social and political systems shape what we’re capable of doing—and not doing.

This week’s conversation covers some heavy ground: systemic racism, climate change, and whether collective responsibility can actually lead to change (or if it’s just another way of avoiding blame) —and, because it wouldn’t be a Hotel Bar Sessions episode without it, there’s a Star Trek tangent in there, too!

Full episode notes available at this link:
https://hotelbarpodcast.com/podcast/responsibility/

-------------------
If you enjoy Hotel Bar Sessions podcast, please be sure to subscribe and submit a rating/review! Better yet, you can support this podcast by signing up to be one of our Patrons at patreon.com/hotelbarsessions!

Follow us on Twitter/X @hotelbarpodcast, on Blue Sky @hotelbarpodcast.bsky.social, on Facebook, on TikTok, and subscribe to our YouTube channel!

Is ChatGPT usurping the authority of the "Author"? Or is it just a pretender to the throne?

We're opening up the question of "authority" to extend well beyond the usual suspects of kings, generals, or politicians. To borrow a line from Tennyson's poetry: “authority forgets the dying King.” That is, power begins to slip from the grasp of political authorities as they weaken, as respect for and obedience to them wanes.

Now almost 60 years after Foucault announced the “death of the author,” we might actually be living through what he imagined.

Full episode notes available at this link:
https://hotelbarpodcast.com/podcast/episode-168-authority

-------------------
If you enjoy Hotel Bar Sessions podcast, please be sure to subscribe and submit a rating/review! Better yet, you can support this podcast by signing up to be one of our Patrons at patreon.com/hotelbarsessions!

Follow us on Twitter/X @hotelbarpodcast, on Blue Sky @hotelbarpodcast.bsky.social, on Facebook, on TikTok, and subscribe to our YouTube channel!