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SnowCon 2015: Last Chance for Early Registration

 Posted by on 23 February 2015 at 10:00 am  Announcements, SnowCon
Feb 232015
 

I’ve not yet updated the registration form for SnowCon 2015 with the more costly “late pricing,” and I won’t do so until tomorrow… so now’s your chance to save a few bucks, if you register pronto!

Below are some more details. Visit the page for SnowCon 2015 to register.

Registration for SnowCon 2015 — six days of snow sports, relaxation, discussion, and lectures in the snowy Colorado Rockies for fans of Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism — is open!

SnowCon will be held from Tuesday, March 17th to Sunday, March 22nd, based entirely in Frisco, Colorado. During the day, we’ll ski, snowboard, snowshoe, soak in the hot tubs, chat, and relax. In the evenings, we’ll dine together, play games, and listen to lectures, participate in discussions, and more.

Early pricing is currently in effect until February 20th (or rather, the 24th), so it costs $60 for the whole conference (or $15 per day) so long as you register by then. To register, just fill out the form on the SnowCon 2015 page and then pay your registration fee.

SnowCon welcomes all friendly people with a serious interest in or honest curiosity about Ayn Rand’s philosophy, regardless of their level of knowledge. Every person at SnowCon is expected to be respectful and considerate of others.

A few notes:

(1) You don’t need to ski or snowboard to enjoy SnowCon! You can go snowshoeing with Paul (which takes five minutes to learn), go tubing, ice skating, shopping, or whatever.

(2) The only condo available was awfully small, and I’ve already filled its beds. Sorry! However, you can find hotels in Frisco here, and you can still join all the fun at the SnowCondo… you just have to sleep elsewhere. (If you share a room with someone, the cost won’t be any more than the SnowCondo.)

(3) You don’t need to attend the whole of SnowCon. Locals are welcome to drive up just for the day, or you can stay for just a few days.

(4) I’m looking for speakers interested in giving presentations! I’m planning on two 30-minute slots per evening. You can give a lecture with Q&A or lead a discussion. If you have a proposal, email me at [email protected].

(5) If you’re coming from sea level, you might wish to get altitude pills (and start taking them a few days before you arrive). If you get altitude sickness, you’ll be miserable, and the only cure will be to get to a lower elevation.

Again, for more details, including the schedule and registration, visit SnowCon 2015.

If you even might attend SnowCon 2015, subscribe to the SnowCon e-mail list for SnowCon-related announcements.

 SnowCon 2015: Last Chance for Early Registration  No Responses »

Half Price Kindle Sale on Responsibility & Luck… Right Now!

 Posted by on 15 January 2015 at 3:00 am  Announcements, Moral Luck
Jan 152015
 

I’m delighted to remind you that the kindle ebook version of my book Responsibility & Luck: A Defense of Praise and Blame is on sale for half price — just $4.99 — right this very minute! The sale will run until tomorrow, January 16th at 11 pm PT.

Here’s a bit about the book:

Does the pervasive influence of luck in life mean that people cannot be held responsible for their choices? Do people lack the control required to justify moral praise and blame?

In his famous article “Moral Luck,” philosopher Thomas Nagel casts doubt on our ordinary moral judgments of persons. He claims that we intuitively accept that moral responsibility requires control, yet we praise and blame people for their actions, the outcomes of those actions, and their characters — even though shaped by forces beyond their control, i.e., by luck. This is the “problem of moral luck.”

Philosopher Diana Hsieh argues that this attack on moral judgment rests on a faulty view of control, as well as other errors. By developing Aristotle’s theory of moral responsibility, Hsieh explains the sources and limits of a person’s responsibility for what he does, what he produces, and who he is. Ultimately, she shows that moral judgments are not undermined by luck.

In addition, this book explores the nature of moral agency and free will, the purpose of moral judgment, causation in tort and criminal law, the process of character development, and more.

If you want to learn more about the book, check out its web page: Responsibility & Luck: A Defense of Praise and Blame. That page has links to free preview chapters, as well as chapter-by-chapter podcast discussions.

Now hurry on over to buy the kindle ebook for just $4.99 before it’s too late!

 Half Price Kindle Sale on Responsibility & Luck… Right Now!  3 Responses »

Half Price Kindle Sale on Responsibility & Luck!

 Posted by on 12 January 2015 at 11:00 am  Announcements, Moral Luck
Jan 122015
 

I’m delighted to announce that the kindle ebook version of my book Responsibility & Luck: A Defense of Praise and Blame will be on sale for half price — just $4.99 — later this week. The sale will run from January 15th (starting at 1 am PT) to January 16th (ending at 11 pm PT).

Here’s a bit about the book:

Does the pervasive influence of luck in life mean that people cannot be held responsible for their choices? Do people lack the control required to justify moral praise and blame?

In his famous article “Moral Luck,” philosopher Thomas Nagel casts doubt on our ordinary moral judgments of persons. He claims that we intuitively accept that moral responsibility requires control, yet we praise and blame people for their actions, the outcomes of those actions, and their characters — even though shaped by forces beyond their control, i.e., by luck. This is the “problem of moral luck.”

Philosopher Diana Hsieh argues that this attack on moral judgment rests on a faulty view of control, as well as other errors. By developing Aristotle’s theory of moral responsibility, Hsieh explains the sources and limits of a person’s responsibility for what he does, what he produces, and who he is. Ultimately, she shows that moral judgments are not undermined by luck.

In addition, this book explores the nature of moral agency and free will, the purpose of moral judgment, causation in tort and criminal law, the process of character development, and more.

If you want to learn more about the book, check out its web page: Responsibility & Luck: A Defense of Praise and Blame. That page has links to free preview chapters, as well as chapter-by-chapter podcast discussions.

Remember to buy the kindle ebook on January 15th or January 16th to get it for half price — just $4.99! (Don’t worry… I’ll post a reminder!)

 Half Price Kindle Sale on Responsibility & Luck!  No Responses »

Request: Podcast Reviews in iTunes

 Posted by on 30 December 2014 at 8:00 am  Announcements, Endorsements
Dec 302014
 

As 2014 draws to a close, I’d like to ask fans of Philosophy in Action Radio for a small favor of a few sentences: Please help me spread the word about the show by rating and reviewing the podcast in iTunes.

To submit a review, you’ll need to be in the iTunes app. (I don’t see any way to submit a review from the web site.) From the podcast’s web pages (linked below), click on the blue “view in iTunes” button under the podcast image on the web page. (If that doesn’t work, just search for “Philosophy in Action” in iTunes, and look for the versions marked “MP3″ and “M4A”.) Once on the correct page in iTunes, click on “Ratings and Reviews” under the podcast title, and then “Write a review”. Then write away!

Please review both the Enhanced M4A Format and the Standard MP3 Format. The content is the same: the only difference is the file type.

Here are some of the reviews posted since I last made this request:

Thank you for those… and for all the others! Just a sentence or two or three is much appreciated!

 Request: Podcast Reviews in iTunes  1 Response »

Reminders

 Posted by on 16 December 2014 at 8:00 am  Announcements
Dec 162014
 

Just a few reminders here about how to keep up with our work. First, you can subscribe to this blog or my podcast using these links:

If you subscribe using the email links, you’ll receive an email once per day with any new content.

As for the comments, remember that you can view all recent comments. Also, if you register with Disqus and post with that account, you can edit your comments — and thereby fix any formatting problems, typos, or other minor errors.

Also, if you want a once-per-week round-up of my work, subscribe to Philosophy in Action’s Newsletter. Here are more ways to keep up, including the Calendar of Events, Facebook: PhilosophyInAction, and Twitter: @Philo_Action.

 Reminders  No Responses »

No Live Shows This Week

 Posted by on 13 August 2014 at 10:00 am  Announcements, Horses, Personal, Sports
Aug 132014
 

Tomorrow morning, I’ll head to Santa Fe for a weekend competition on my horse Lila. We won’t return until Sunday evening. As a result, I won’t broadcast any live radio shows this week… and I won’t do much more blogging for the rest of the week.

However, that doesn’t mean that I’ll leave you high and dry! I’ll post a brand-new podcast on Sunday. It’ll be the lecture entitled “Moral Conflicts and the Virtue of Justice” that I gave at ATLOSCon in 2012.

Here’s the abstract:

As we live our lives, some people will harm us by their moral wrongs and honest errors, and we may commit such wrongs and errors ourselves. Objective moral judgment is an essential part of the rational response to such events. Yet circumstances often call for more than judgment: sometimes, forgiveness and redemption come into play. In this lecture given to ATLOSCon in 2012, I explored the nature, function, and limits of forgiveness and redemption in relation to the virtue of justice. Then we applied that understanding to common examples of wrongs and errors.

So be sure to be on the lookout for that… and have a fabulous rest of the week!

 No Live Shows This Week  No Responses »

Thursdays!

 Posted by on 14 May 2014 at 2:00 pm  Announcements
May 142014
 

This summer, my horse Lila and I will compete periodically in three-phase events. (We’re moving up to “novice” level, which is probably the highest that she can do, so I want to make the most of this season!) As those events happen on the weekends, some of my Sunday live broadcasts — like that of this Sunday — will be moved to Thursday.

Meanwhile, I’m resuming my mid-week broadcasts — the interview and chats — and I thought I’d best do those on Thursday evenings too.

So Thursday evenings will be chock full of philosophical goodness this summer… and I hope that you join us for the live broadcasts!

 Thursdays!  No Responses »

Responsibility & Luck on Sale for $3.99!

 Posted by on 11 May 2014 at 9:00 am  Announcements, Responsibility & Luck
May 112014
 

Starting today, I’m running “Kindle Countdown Deal” on the Kindle edition of my book, Responsibility & Luck: A Defense of Praise and Blame.

The price starts super-low: $3.99. Then, day by day, the price will slowly rise, until the book reaches its regular price of $9.99 by next weekend. Basically, if you want the best deal, buy your copy now!

I’m running this sale because I’ll start my chapter-by-chapter podcast series on the book on Thursday, May 22nd. So if you have any questions or comments as you read, please email them to me.

You can learn more about the book here: Responsibility & Luck: A Defense of Praise and Blame. Chapter One and Chapter Three are available as free PDFs, and you can listen to me read the text of Chapter One in this podcast.

But now… go buy the kindle edition!

 Responsibility & Luck on Sale for $3.99!  No Responses »

Reminders: Follow Our Work

 Posted by on 6 May 2014 at 10:00 am  Announcements
May 062014
 

Just a few reminders here about how to keep up with our work. First, you can subscribe to this blog or my podcast using these links:

If you subscribe using the email links, you’ll receive an email once per day with any new content.

As for the comments, remember that you can view all recent comments. Also, if you register with Disqus and post with that account, you can edit your comments — and thereby fix any formatting problems, typos, or other minor errors.

Also, if you want a once-per-week round-up of my work, subscribe to Philosophy in Action’s Newsletter. Here are more ways to keep up, including the Calendar of Events, Facebook: PhilosophyInAction, and Twitter: @Philo_Action.

Also… If you’re a fan of Philosophy in Action Radio, please help spread the word by rating and reviewing them in iTunes! Please do so for both the enhanced M4A feed and standard MP3 feed. (The content is the same: the only difference is the file type.)

That’s much appreciated!

 Reminders: Follow Our Work  No Responses »

ATLOSCon: Talk on Honesty and More

 Posted by on 5 May 2014 at 11:00 am  Announcements, AtlosCon, Explore Ayn Rand
May 052014
 

I’ve not been blogging much lately, I know. That’s because I’ve been working damn hard on various projects — particularly Explore Atlas Shrugged. (I’ve revised and expanded the questions, and now those questions plus the podcasts are available for $20. Now I’m working on a print-on-demand and e-book version of the questions.)

Nonetheless, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that I’ll be speaking at ATLOSCon in Atlanta over Memorial Day weekend. I’ll give a talk on honesty, lead a discussion on Objectivism, and broadcast the radio show. Also, I’ll have tons of fun, because ATLOSCon is always a blast.

Here are the descriptions of my talks… and if you’d like to attend, be sure to register pronto, as classes are filling up quickly.

Confess Your Sins: The Moral Dangers of False Excuses

“False excuses” are lies told to conceal our wrongdoings from others. For example, a man might blame an accident on the freeway when late for a meeting, rather than honestly acknowledging that he was disorganized about leaving home. Or a woman might blame a co-worker for causing her angry outburst, rather than honestly admitting that she failed to control her temper. Of course, such false excuses risk all the usual harms of dishonesty — including damage to trust in relationships, a slippery slope of cover-up lies, and the erosion of character. Moreover — and less obviously — such lies inhibit moral growth by concealing character flaws and diminishing motivations to change. This talk will explore the dangers of false excuses, focusing on that interesting intersection between the virtues of honesty and pride.

What I Wish I’d Known as a New Objectivist

Many attendees of ATLOSCon have been studying and practicing the philosophy of Objectivism — as well as interacting with other Objectivists — for over a decade, if not two or three or more decades. In this interactive discussion, we’ll ask ourselves a seemingly simple question: If you could sit down with yourself when you were new to Objectivism, what advice would you give? What ideas, attitudes, assumptions, and practices would you want your younger self to question and re-think? In the process, we’ll consider the implications of that advice for our present-day choices about activism, relationships, and living well. This discussion should be of interest to new and not-so-new Objectivists.

Be sure to check out the other classes and social events too!

 ATLOSCon: Talk on Honesty and More  No Responses »
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