Episode 221: Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada tackle one of the most enduring moral questions — how wealth, privilege and authority shape our understanding of fairness.

Kyte argues that many of society’s moral blind spots emerge not from ignorance, but from a state of comfort. “When we’re insulated by prosperity,” he says, “we lose the capacity to recognize suffering — and once that happens, our idea of justice starts to shift.”

The conversation begins with the lingering unease around the Jeffrey Epstein case. Rada notes that the story continues to capture public attention years after Epstein’s death, not because of its lurid details but because it still feels unresolved. Why, they ask, does accountability so often end where power begins?

From there, the discussion widens — tracing the roots of moral perception from ancient philosophy to modern politics. Kyte describes how early Christian thinkers introduced the then-radical idea that all people possess inherent dignity, a belief that ultimately challenged institutions built on exploitation and hierarchy. That framework, he says, remains essential if society hopes to confront modern injustices such as human trafficking, forced labor and homelessness.

Rada presses on the practical side of justice: even when we recognize wrongdoing, why is it so difficult to act? The hosts explore examples close to home, from underfunded public defenders to social systems that keep citizens separated by class. Each instance, they argue, reveals how distance — social, economic and emotional — allows inequity to flourish unnoticed.

The episode also connects with Kyte’s ongoing public lecture series, “The Search for Meaning.”