2021-05-18
33 分钟Roleplaying games and the Marvel universe may be fictional, but they can also teach us a lot about morality in the real world. Christopher Robichaud is a Lecturer in Ethics and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. In this episode, he shares ways we can explore important, everyday issues in fun, safe, and unexpected ways. Christopher has made a career out of teaching ethics and philosophy using pop culture, dissecting moral questions using anything from zombie apocalypse simulations to superhero narratives. He received his doctorate in philosophy from MIT. In 2015 he won the Innovation in Teaching Award at the Harvard Kennedy School for creating a day-long simulation--using design elements from old school tabletop roleplaying games like D&D--where policy students wielded their leadership skills and confronted ethical dilemmas to deal with a zombie pandemic. To learn more about "How to Be a Better Human," host Chris Duffy, or find footnotes and additional resources, please visit: go.ted.com/betterhuman
Ted audio collective, you are listening to how to be a better human.
I'm your host, Chris Duffy.
Okay, so our show is called how to be a better human.
So one question that I've tried to ask every person that I've gotten to interview for this show is, what's something that's made you a better human?
And the answers that I've gotten from them have been very varied, from a person in their life to an idea, to a book, to a movie, to all sorts of other possibilities.
Here is how today's guest, philosophy professor Christopher Robichaux, here's how he answered.
Oh, that's a really great question.
I'm going to say dungeons and dragons, which I don't know if you get a lot on this show, but the reason I'm going to say this is because from a very early age, dungeons and dragons socialized me.
It socialized me and taught me how to develop good friendships.
It taught me how to play, it taught me how to imagine.
It taught me how to take up different perspectives.
It taught me how to problem solve.
It taught me how to read in a lot of ways.
And it taught me how to deal with uncertainty and to, and to deal with the consequences of my decision.
And all of that was while having a blast and fighting trolls and dragons and all the rest of it.
And so I think dungeon dragons means different things for different people.
But for me, it was an arena in which I developed certain traits that I've leaned on my entire life.
So Dungeon dragons, playing Dungeon dragons with good friends has made me a better person.
Christopher has taken that idea and that passion, and hes made a career out of teaching others ethics and philosophy using d and d and pop culture.
He picks apart thorny moral questions, using everything from zombie apocalypse simulations to superhero narratives.