Forgiveness, Meaning of Life, Online IP, and More: 10 July 2011: Philosophy in Action

Webcast Q&A: Sunday, 10 July 2011

In the live broadcast of Philosophy in Action Radio on Sunday, 10 July 2011, I answered questions on announcing life-changing new beliefs, the morality of strategic default, swearing before strangers, letting friends fail, and more. Greg Perkins of Objectivist Answers was my co-host.

Support
Our WorkRemember, Philosophy in Action Radio is available to anyone, free of charge. That's because our goal is to spread rational principles for real life far and wide, as we do every week to thousands of listeners. We love producing every episode, but each requires requires our time, effort, and money – week in and week out. So if you enjoy and value our work, please contribute to our tip jar. We suggest $5 per episode or $20 per month, but any amount is appreciated. You can send your contribution via Dwolla, PayPal, or US Mail.

My News of the Week: While in Los Angeles and Palm Springs, I've mostly been enjoying spending time with family and friends. I've also been working on programming for this webcast, as well as my updates to Explore Atlas Shrugged.

Listen Now

Duration: 1:05:15

Download the Episode

To save the file to your computer, right-click and save the link:

Download: Enhanced M4A File (30.8 MB)
Download: Standard MP3 File (29.9 MB)

To automatically download new podcast episodes to your computer, subscribe to the podcast feed of Philosophy in Action:

Enhanced M4A Feed: Subscribe in iTunes or your RSS reader
Standard MP3 Feed: Subscribe in iTunes or your RSS reader

Share This Episode

Segments: 10 July 2011

Question 1: Announcing Life-Changing New Beliefs (2:27)

Question: When a person adopts a life-changing set of beliefs, how should he present that to family and friends? The point would not be to try to convince them to follow, but to say "look... this is what I believe, these are the principles by which I now live my life now, and please respect my choice to do so."

Answer, In Brief: You need to focus on what you can do – namely be clear, be firm, and be kind about your change in views and practices.

Tags: Communication, Conflict, Family, Friendship, Philosophy, Relationships

Listen or Download

Comments

Question 2: The Morality of Strategic Default (11:39)

Question: Is it moral to strategically default on your mortgage? Suppose that you could continue to pay your mortgage, but you're underwater: you owe more than the house is worth. You realize that you'd save tens of thousands of dollars by defaulting. Would it be morally wrong to default, assuming that you don't engage in any fraud or other dishonesty in doing so? Would it make a difference if you do that in today's highly regulated market versus in a fully free market?

Answer, In Brief: Strategic default is morally wrong: it's dishonest and unjust. It's your job in life to ensure that you borrow money sensibly and then repay those loans.

Tags: Bankruptcy, Business, Ethics, Finances, Honesty, Integrity, Law, Responsibility

Listen or Download

Relevant Links

Comments

Question 3: Swearing Before Strangers (32:36)

Question: Should you swear in front of strangers? Swearing is sometimes a great "exclamation point" when you're telling a story or having an intense or extraordinary conversation. But, is it appropriate to swear in front of people who don't know you very well? Is that poor manners? Would "being yourself" conflict with "putting your best foot forward" in this case?

Answer, In Brief: Swearing is a minor point of style that a person should use or not depending on his circumstances.

Tags: Communication, Communication, Ethics, Integrity, Relationships

Listen or Download

Comments

Question 4: Letting Friends Fail (37:40)

Question: Are there times when you shouldn't help a friend? If you see a friend taking some action which may be ultimately self-defeating or self-destructive, but you are pretty sure they don't have the knowledge or experience to understand the future consequences of their actions, should you allow them to learn on their own or stop them from making a mistake that you know will be disastrous?

Answer, In Brief: When a friend seems to be making a mistake, don't shoot first then ask questions later. Instead, ask questions first, then think about their answers, then give your advice if it's wanted, and then see what happens.

Tags: Communication, Conflict, Ethics, Friendship, Moral Wrongs, Relationships

Listen or Download

Comments

Rapid Fire Questions (47:30)

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

What do you think of interventions?
What is bankruptcy? Should a person's debt expire?
What if you approached the bank with a speculative loan and were upfront about it (accepting a higher interest rate, etc.)? Is it OK to default if the property value crashes?
Why are some words considered bad – and is that right?
Does the fact that Tourettes sufferers involuntarily spew "bad" words indicate a low level psychological acceptance of social language norms?
If a person just thinks destructive thoughts, does that make the person evil?
Where's the line between sharing new ideas and information with friends and family – and proselytizing to them?
What is your opinion of the Suicide Girls?
Do adult children have an obligation to maintain a relationship with their parents?
Does the failure of an incorporated business - say an S corporation - impose moral obligations on the owners to pay those debts from other income?
Should pediatricians ask their patients about guns in the house?

Listen or Download

Comments

Conclusion (1:03:58)

Thank you for joining us for this episode of Philosophy in Action Radio! If you enjoyed this episode, please contribute to contribute to our tip jar.

Support Philosophy in Action

Thank you, if you've contributed to Philosophy in Action! You make our work possible every week, and we're so grateful for that!

If you enjoy Philosophy in Action, please help us spread the word about it! Tell your friends about upcoming broadcasts by forwarding our newsletter. Link to episodes or segments from our topics archive. Share our blog posts, podcasts, and events on Facebook and Twitter. Rate and review the podcast in iTunes (M4A and MP3). We appreciate any and all of that!

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.

If you join us for the live broadcasts, you can ask follow-up questions and make comments in the text-based chat. Otherwise, you can listen to the podcast by subscribing to our Podcast RSS Feed. You can also peruse the show archives, where episodes and questions are sorted by date and by topic.

For regular updates, commentary, and humor, read my blog NoodleFood and subscribe to its Blog RSS Feed. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter and connect on social media too.

I can be reached via e-mail to [email protected].