In this episode of the Open College podcast, Professor Stephen Hicks talks about the issue of slavery: its history and current implications. Even though slavery has been prohibited in Western countries, its stains such as racism and discrimination still can be seen in our society. During the last decades, people of the civilized world have been reflecting on the causes and consequences of this tragic part of human history. The anti-slavery position, as Dr. Hicks asserts, became a part of our moral identity, but its mere presence is not enough for a proper moral judgment on “how to apportion credit and blame, pride and shame.” The issue of slavery must first be systematically studied in all of its complexity. By describing the history of the slave trade, its routes and origins worldwide and in North America in particular, Dr. Hicks lays out the necessary foundation for discussing why and how slavery came to be, what were the philosophical ideas behind it, who should be blamed for what has happened, and the causes of eventual abolition. Through historical evidence and data, he presents important facts about slavery that are often sidelined in current discussions and emphasizes the importance of the new Enlightenment individualistic way of thinking for eliminating slavery. Moreover, Professor Hicks warns against rash judgments and common misuses of group language. In order to objectively assign credit and blame, one should check the premises and strictly follow the principles that lie in the foundation of the opposition to slavery because without this philosophical consistency no justice can be achieved. In this episode of Open College Podcast, Dr. Hicks presents a proper systematic way of judging and responding to this human tragedy that stems from ideas of the independence of every human being and his/her individual rights.