More Questions Than Answers
Dr. Julie Ponesse has a PhD in Philosophy (Western, 2008) with areas of specialization in ethics and ancient philosophy. She has a Masters in Philosophy with Collaborative Specialization in Bioethics from the University of Toronto and a Diploma in Ethics from the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University. In the fall of 2021, Dr. Julie Ponesse saw her academic career of 20 years fall apart after she refused to comply with a Canadian university’s COVID vaccine mandate. Dr Ponesse now works for The Democracy Fund as the Pandemic Ethics Scholar which allows to have interesting conversations with interesting people where no questions or topics are taboo. Where they aren’t afraid to work through the thoughts on our minds. No cancelling, no censoring, no holding back for fear of what others might say or do to us. No shutting down or shying away. Just honest, open, rigorous conversation about the big issues that are interesting and concerning us today. ”It seems like we no longer have the skills or grace to tolerate uncomfortable questions or open discussion. We seem only to want ’black and white’ solutions to grey problems. Open-ended questions, more questions than answers. These are the things that appeal to me. That’s my comfort zone.”– Dr. Julie Ponesse
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Episodes
Monday Oct 17, 2022
Monday Oct 17, 2022
A deep-dive on the state of freedom in Canada and the world today with journalist and public intellectual Toby Young.
Wednesday Oct 05, 2022
Wednesday Oct 05, 2022
Dr. Julie Ponesse interviews award-winning journalist Trish Wood (of Trish Wood is Critical) to understand how we go to where we are today and why moral conscience, questioning and speech are key to reclaiming our fundamental freedoms.
Thursday Sep 29, 2022
Thursday Sep 29, 2022
Dr. Julie Ponesse and Olympic Gold Medalist Jamie Salé discuss the crises of meaning and freedom of speech brought on by the COVID-19 response, finding hope in dark days, the power of supportive relationships, and the importance of integrity, optimism and respect moving forward.
Monday Sep 19, 2022
Monday Sep 19, 2022
Dr. Julie Ponesse speaks with Dr. Jay Bhattacharya about science, public health, informed consent, trust and the future of COVID-19.
Wednesday Sep 07, 2022
Wednesday Sep 07, 2022
Dr. Julie Ponesse speaks with hyper-surrealist, award-winning artist, Josh Tiessen, about the power art has to communicate ideas and messages about our world.
Wednesday Aug 31, 2022
Wednesday Aug 31, 2022
Dr. Julie Ponesse speaks to the members of three different student advocacy groups who have been fighting against the COVID-19 mandates.
Wednesday Aug 17, 2022
Wednesday Aug 17, 2022
Dr. Julie Ponesse speaks with Pastor Artur Pawlowski about his experience dealing with the police, getting fined repeatedly, and ultimately being arrested and held in solitary confinement for 40 days.
Thursday Aug 11, 2022
Thursday Aug 11, 2022
Dr. Julie Ponesse speaks with Ryerson students, Curtis Heinen and Vina Quiambao, about what the university environment is like today and their experience of not complying with the vaccine mandate.
Wednesday Jul 27, 2022
Wednesday Jul 27, 2022
Dr. Julie Ponesse speaks with former politician Stockwell Day about the state of Canada today, a growing culture of fear, politics, history, religion and our future.
Wednesday Jul 20, 2022
Wednesday Jul 20, 2022
Dr. Julie Ponesse speaks with Anita Krishna, former control room news director, about working in a newsroom, speaking freely, as well as standing up for your beliefs and the fallout from doing so in today’s cancel culture.
My Choice: The Ethical Case Against Covid-19 Vaccine Mandates
In the fall of 2021, Dr. Julie Ponesse saw her academic career of 20 years fall apart after she refused to comply with a Canadian university's COVID vaccine mandate.
This is her account of the battle and its aftermath, written with passion and intelligence. But Dr. Ponesse's story travels beyond the personal and examines the ethical and philosophical dimensions of our pandemic response.
If there is anyone out there who feels alone in the struggle to preserve personal choice and freedom, this book offers some very human advice on how to move forward and makes it clear that your voice deserves to be heard.
About Dr. Julie Ponesse
Julie Ponesse has a PhD in Philosophy (Western, 2008) with areas of specialization in ethics and ancient philosophy. She has a Masters in Bioethics from the Joint Centre for Bioethics at the University of Toronto and a Diploma in Ethics from the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University. She has published in the areas of ancient philosophy, ethical theory, and applied ethics, and has taught at universities in Canada and the US for 20 years.
Since the fall of 2021, Dr. Ponesse has joined The Democracy Fund as the Pandemic Ethics Scholar focussing on educating the public on civil liberties.