Food Safety in a Free Society
Radio Q&A: Sunday, 30 September 2012, Question 4
In the live broadcast of Philosophy in Action Radio on 30 September 2012, I answered a question on food safety in a free society.
How would the government protect the safety of food and drugs in a free society? Would the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) exist in free society? If so, would food or drugs have to gain FDA approval to be sold? Would it have the power to remove food or drugs deemed unsafe from the market? If not, what would protect consumers from harm due to adulterated or otherwise unsafe food or drugs?
My Answer, In Brief: The FDA violates rights: it should be abolished. The safety of food and drugs would be ensured in a free market by the profit-seeking of companies within the context of a legal system that bans fraud, torts, and other rights-violations.
Tags: Ethics, Food, Free Society, Health, Law, Medicine, Torts
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- Duration: 19:58
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Relevant Links
- The Objective Standard: How the FDA Violates Rights and Hinders Health
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About Philosophy in Action Radio
I'm Dr. Diana Hsieh. I'm a philosopher specializing the application of rational principles to the challenges of real life. I received my Ph.D in philosophy from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2009. My dissertation defended moral responsibility and moral judgment against the doubts raised by Thomas Nagel's "problem of moral luck."
My radio show, Philosophy in Action Radio, broadcasts live over the internet on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. On Sunday mornings, I answer four meaty questions applying rational principles to the challenges of real life in a live hour-long show. Greg Perkins of Objectivist Answers co-hosts the show. On Wednesday evenings, I interview an expert guest about a topic of practical importance.
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