Federal Government, Empty Threats, and More: 21 October 2012: Philosophy in Action

Radio Q&A: Sunday, 21 October 2012

In the live broadcast of Philosophy in Action Radio on Sunday, 21 October 2012, I answered questions on federal versus state and local government, parenting via empty threats, reasons for everything, and more. Greg Perkins of Objectivist Answers was my co-host.

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My News of the Week: I've been setting up Paul's old MacBookPro after destroying my laptop, and I've been working on repairing the fencing for our horse pastures. I'll be speaking on the conflict between Christianity and capitalism in Boulder on Monday evening.

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Segments: 21 October 2012

Question 1: Federal Versus State and Local Government (5:11)

Question: Is it proper for state or local government to enact laws that a federal government should not? A proper government is one that fulfills and is limited to the role of protecting citizens from initiations of force by other individuals or other nations. However, in a free and proper society, is it proper for local and state governments to enact laws that go beyond the proper functions of a federal government? For example, in a properly-governed United States, could states enact certain laws that regulate behavior beyond what the federal government could enact, perhaps based on the religious or other values held by most people in that community – on the assumption that any person who disagreed could leave the area?

Answer, In Brief: The primary goal of all levels and branches of government must be to respect and protect rights. To do that, government should be divided into local, state, and national levels, each with different functions. That way, individuals have more political influence, government can be more responsive to local conditions, law can be developed by inductive experimentation, and the power of any one level of government is checked by the others.

Tags: Crime, Free Society, Government, Induction, Law, Politics, Rights, State's Rights

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Question 2: Parenting Via Empty Threats (40:22)

Question: Should parents make empty threats to their children? At the grocery store last week, I heard a mother threaten to throw away her daughter's favorite toys unless the daughter behaved. That seems to be pretty common: parents make empty threats in an attempt to scare their kids into better behavior. They'll say that it works, and perhaps it does. But what are the consequences? Are such empty threats a valid parenting technique?

Answer, In Brief: For a parent to use empty threats to manipulate his child into obedience means destroying his own credibility – and often doing so is downright malicious.

Tags: Character, Children, Honesty, Manipulation, Obedience, Parenting, Punishment

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Question 3: Reasons for Everything (53:13)

Question: Does everything happen for a reason? When confronted with some unwelcome turn of events, many people tell themselves that "everything happens for a reason." What does that mean – and is it true? Is it harmless – or does believing that have negative effects on a person's life?

Answer, In Brief: Everything has a cause, but not everything has a reason. The universe is not run by any deity or force with some greater purpose in mind. To believe that it does begets evasion, apathy, and evil.

Tags: Causality, Ethics, Evil, Religion, Responsibility

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Rapid Fire Questions (1:00:36)

In this segment, I answered random questions chosen by Greg Perkins impromptu. The questions were:

What do you think of Robert Heinlein's advice on voting: There may not be a candidate worth voting for, but there sure is a candidate worth voting against?
Do you know if James Taggart's marriage to Cheryl, resulting in her suicide, is a parallel drawn from Dostoevsky's marriage to a peasant girl because he felt sorry for her, resulting in her suicide?

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Conclusion (1:04:30)

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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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