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Henri, French Existentialist Cat

 Posted by on 30 April 2012 at 2:00 pm  Animals, Existentialism, Funny, Philosophy
Apr 302012
 

Henri is a French cat suffering from existentialist boredom:

Here Henri is again, now suffering from existential angst:

 Henri, French Existentialist Cat  3 Responses »

Podcast #128: Utilitarianism, Government Jobs, Planning, and More

 Posted by on 30 April 2012 at 8:00 am  Podcasts
Apr 302012
 

On Sunday’s episode of Philosophy in Action Radio, Greg Perkins and I answered questions on the wrong of utilitarianism, the morality of working a government job, optimal planning, padding your application, and more. The podcast of that episode is now available for streaming or downloading.

You can automatically download podcasts of Philosophy in Action Radio by subscribing to Philosophy in Action’s Podcast RSS Feed:


Whole Podcast: 29 April 2012

Listen or Download:

Remember the Tip Jar!

The mission of Philosophy in Action is to spread rational principles for real life… far and wide. That’s why the vast majority of my work is available to anyone, free of charge. I love doing the radio show, but each episode requires an investment of time, effort, and money to produce. So if you enjoy and value that work of mine, please contribute to the tip jar. I suggest $5 per episode or $20 per month, but any amount is appreciated. In return, contributors can request that I answer questions from the queue pronto, and regular contributors enjoy free access to premium content and other goodies.


Podcast Segments: 29 April 2012

You can download or listen to my answers to individual questions from this episode below.

Introduction

My News of the Week: My first episode of Philosophy in Action Radio was so much fun! Join me for the next show on Wednesday night at 7 pm MT.

Question 1: The Wrong of Utilitarianism

Question: What’s wrong with utilitarianism? The basic principle of utilitarianism is “the greatest happiness for the greatest number.” What’s wrong with that as a moral standard? Shouldn’t a person act for the good of society?

My Answer, In Brief: Utilitarianism claims that every person obliged to promote greatest happiness for the greater number. It’s an utterly wrong moral theory based on unjustified hedonism, egalitarianism, and collectivism. When put into practice, the result is massive injustice and misery.

Listen or Download:

To comment on this question or my answer, visit its comment thread.

Question 2: The Morality of Working a Government Job

Question: Is it moral to work for the IRS? Is it morally wrong to work for government agencies like the IRS (or equivalent tax bureaus), IAS (Indian Administrative Services), or the EPA? I’m an advocate of free markets. Would I be a hypocrite to work for such illegitimate government agencies?

My Answer, In Brief: The morality of working for an illegitimate government agency depends on the kind of work that you’ll be done. In many cases, far better to be on welfare.

Listen or Download:

To comment on this question or my answer, visit its comment thread.

Question 3: Optimal Planning

Question: How much advance planning is optimal? Some people like to plan everything well in advance, while others prefer to allow events to unfold and make decisions on the fly. Is one approach better than the other? How much does it depend on the circumstances? How can people with different preferences coordinate comfortably?

My Answer, In Brief: There is a reasonable range of preferences for planning based on personality differences and circumstances, with pathology on both extremes.

Listen or Download:

To comment on this question or my answer, visit its comment thread.

Question 4: Padding Your Application

Question: Is doing activities just to pad you application or resumé dishonest? Some people work on mastering playing the violin, competing in tennis tournaments, learning calculus, and other activities – not because they have any interest in them or because they think they might develop an interest once tried, but rather because they think these activities will look good on an application or resumé. Is that dishonest? Is it unwise?

My Answer, In Brief: A person can make himself a better applicant by various means, and so long as he’s not claiming to have interests or qualities that he doesn’t have, that’s not a moral problem.

Listen or Download:

To comment on this question or my answer, visit its comment thread.

Rapid Fire Questions

Questions:

  • Who owns the moon?
  • How should I respond to a friend always giving me unsolicited advice?
  • Is respecting the rights of others an unchosen obligation?
  • Where’s the line between being sensitive to the feelings of others and being second-handed?
  • What do you think of the idea of “guilty pleasures”?

Listen or Download:

  • Start Time: 51:43
  • Duration: 9:50
  • Download: MP3 Segment

To comment on these questions or my answers, visit its comment thread.

Conclusion

Be sure to check out the topics scheduled for upcoming episodes! Don’t forget to submit and vote on questions for future episodes too!

  • Start Time: 1:01:34


About Philosophy in Action Radio

Philosophy in Action Radio focuses on the application of rational principles to the challenges of real life. It broadcasts live on most Sunday mornings and many Thursday evenings over the internet. For information on upcoming shows, visit the Episodes on Tap. For podcasts of past shows, visit the Show Archives.

Philosophy in Action's NewsletterPhilosophy in Action's Facebook PagePhilosophy in Action's Twitter StreamPhilosophy in Action's RSS FeedsPhilosophy in Action's Calendar


 Podcast #128: Utilitarianism, Government Jobs, Planning, and More  1 Response »

Activism Recap

 Posted by on 29 April 2012 at 1:00 pm  Activism Recap
Apr 292012
 

This week on We Stand FIRM, the blog of FIRM (Freedom and Individual Rights in Medicine):

This week on Politics without God, the blog of the Coalition for Secular Government:

This week on Mother of Exiles:

This week on the blog of Modern Paleo:

 Activism Recap  No Responses »

Open Thread #340

 Posted by on 29 April 2012 at 12:00 pm  Open Thread
Apr 292012
 

Giraffe with Red-billed Oxpecker

For anyone wishing to ask a question, make a observation, or share a link with other NoodleFood readers, I hereby open up the comments on this post to any respectable topic. As always, please refrain from posting inappropriate comments such as personal attacks, pornographic material, copyrighted material, and commercial solicitations.

NoodleFood’s Open Threads feature creative commons photographs from Flickr that I find interesting. I hope that you enjoy them!

 Open Thread #340  No Responses »

SuperSlow Update: The Third Sheet

 Posted by on 28 April 2012 at 1:25 pm  Fitness, Health, High Intensity Training, Personal
Apr 282012
 

On Friday, I completed my third sheet of SuperSlow training, i.e. another 16 sessions. By way of background, check out:

I began SuperSlow in early June of 2011, so I’ve been doing it for almost a year now. The sessions are grueling and exhausting, although I’ve definitely learned to limit my post-workout exhaustion by resting and eating for about 20 minutes immediately after my workout. I’m definitely enjoying the progress that I’ve made, particularly getting to 300 pounds on leg press. Mostly, I’m glad that I have the time, energy, and strength required to pursue my chosen sports — skiing, snowboarding, and horse riding — for the sheet pleasure of it. Physical fitness at the price of just 30 minutes once per week, with little muscle soreness, is pretty awesome.

Without further ado, here’s this third sheet. (Click to enlarge.)

Here’s a summary of my progress on various movements, starting from Session 32 from Sheet 2 to Session 48 on Sheet 3. All the machines are Nautilus, except the lower back and the torso rotation. As before, only Leg Press and Lower Back are done every session; all other movements are done every other session.

With this sheet, I pushed myself so hard on the leg press — and made so much progress — that I didn’t make much progress with other movements. For the last three sessions, we switched leg press to the last movement, with the expectation that I’ll be able to make more progress on other movements as a result. (The order of movements makes so much difference in my capacity to make progress!)

Every week:

  • LP: Leg Press: 260 to 305 lbs. I rocked the leg press with this sheet. I was increasing by 5 pounds with every workout, and then my trainer bumped me from 285 to 300 pounds. Gack! But I did it, and it was awesome. On 4/13, we moved the leg press to the end of my workout, so that I’m not completely trashed on other movements. Still, I got up to 305 lbs on Friday with a time of 2:24.
  • LB: Lower Back: 160 to 178 lbs. I was supposed to be at 168 this last week, but my trainer bumped me up an extra 10 pounds by accident. Still, I did two minutes!

Every other week:

  • Hip AB: Hip Abduction: Steady at 100 lbs, then readjusted position, so down to 85 lbs. I’d not been making any progress on this machine whatsoever with my feet on the upper rung. So my trainer moved my feet to the lower rung again. (That positioning affects the muscles I use in making the movement.) I made some progress in my last two sessions, but we’ll see what happens on the next sheet
  • Hip AD: Hip Adduction: 115 to 105 lbs. I was stuck at 115 lbs for weeks and weeks, so my trainer moved my feet to the lower rung and dropped the weight down to 105 pounds. That didn’t seem to help much in the last two sessions, but that might change. Or maybe more tweaks will be required.
  • Lower Back (see above)
  • Leg Press (see above)
  • PD: Lat Pull-Down: 110 to 115 lbs. Due to being completely trashed after my leg press, I made no progress on this machine for most of the sheet. My muscles weren’t failing: my whole body was just out of gas. After moving the leg press to the end of the workout, I did much better on 4/20, so I should be at 120 lbs next week.
  • CP: Chest Press: Steady at 65 lbs. Again, I was very exhausted after the leg press. But I’m always weak on this movement, so we’ll see what progress I make on the next sheet.
  • Row: Row: 60 to 55 lbs. I alternate between pulling and a 2 minute static hold. Due to leg press, plus the two arm movements before it, I couldn’t keep my form on this movement, so my trainer dropped my weight.
  • Ab C: Ab Crunch: 15 to 20 lbs. A bit of progress! Yay!

Every other week:

  • LE/LC: Leg Extension: 50 to 70 lbs. I was able to make great progress on this movement due to its early placement in the workout, plus really concentrating on working through the burn. (LC is a 90-second Leg Curl of progressive intensity against a stable frame.)
  • Leg Press (see above)
  • Bicep: 40 lbs to 50 lbs: Some progress, but I want more!
  • Tricep: 80 to 85 lbs: Just a bit of progress. I could really feel the exhaustion with this movement.
  • Lower Back (see above) Doing lower back after leg press nearly killed me. My legs, although locked in, would shake uncontrollably, and I often had to quit before I felt the tightness in my back.
  • Rot T: Rotate Torso: 48 to 50 lbs. Minimal progress: I was always so exhausted by this point in the workout!
  • CR: Calf Raises: 300 lbs. I only did this exercise a few times. I kept being a bit late or forgetting to bring the shoes I needed. I’ll have to make it happen more consistently on the next sheet.

For this next sheet, I want to focus on making major progress on just a few machines — just as I made so much progress on leg press and leg extension on this sheet. I’m thinking lat pull-down, hip abduction, and hip adduction. I’ll have to ask my trainer if we can move those around to be on different days, so that I can really give them my full power.

Basically, SuperSlow is still working really well for me. I’m making good progress with just one 30-minute session per week, and I’m looking forward to progressing even more in my next 16 sessions of Sheet 4!

P.S. If you decide to try my SuperSlow gym — now TruFit Health — in south Denver, please tell them that I referred you!

 SuperSlow Update: The Third Sheet  3 Responses »

How to Peel an Apple Like a Boss

 Posted by on 28 April 2012 at 12:00 pm  Cool, Food
Apr 282012
 

This video makes me want to work on my knife skills!

 How to Peel an Apple Like a Boss  2 Responses »

Link-O-Rama

 Posted by on 27 April 2012 at 1:00 pm  Link-O-Rama
Apr 272012
 
 Link-O-Rama  No Responses »

Podcast #127: Getting More Done

 Posted by on 27 April 2012 at 12:50 pm  Podcasts
Apr 272012
 

On Wednesday’s episode of Philosophy in Action Radio, I discussed “Getting More Done” with listeners. The podcast of that episode is now available for streaming or downloading.

Remember, you can automatically download podcasts of Philosophy in Action Radio by subscribing to Philosophy in Action’s Podcast RSS Feed:


Podcast: Getting More Done

Do you want to accomplish more? Do you find yourself spinning your wheels or procrastinating on your projects?

Listen or Download:

Topics:

  • Productivity is not a matter of willpower
  • Doing a boring job that just pays the bills
  • Dealing with overwhelming quantities of email
  • Making progress on long-term projects
  • Dealing with burnout
  • Keeping motivation without deadlines

Links:

Remember the Tip Jar!

The mission of Philosophy in Action is to spread rational principles for real life… far and wide. That’s why the vast majority of my work is available to anyone, free of charge. I love doing the radio show, but each episode requires an investment of time, effort, and money to produce. So if you enjoy and value that work of mine, please contribute to the tip jar. I suggest $5 per episode or $20 per month, but any amount is appreciated. In return, contributors can request that I answer questions from the queue pronto, and regular contributors enjoy free access to premium content and other goodies.


About Philosophy in Action Radio

Philosophy in Action Radio focuses on the application of rational principles to the challenges of real life. It broadcasts live on most Sunday mornings and many Thursday evenings over the internet. For information on upcoming shows, visit the Episodes on Tap. For podcasts of past shows, visit the Show Archives.

Philosophy in Action's NewsletterPhilosophy in Action's Facebook PagePhilosophy in Action's Twitter StreamPhilosophy in Action's RSS FeedsPhilosophy in Action's Calendar


 Podcast #127: Getting More Done  No Responses »

Don’t Fear the Silly

 Posted by on 27 April 2012 at 8:00 am  Business, Communication, Humor, Productivity, Relationships
Apr 272012
 

I love a bit of silly, including in work. That’s certainly reflected in my own style of webcasting and blogging. Happily, lots of people enjoy that: I routinely receive e-mails expressing delight that I make exploring ethics and philosophy enjoyable, as opposed to feeling like a burden or a chore.

Recently, I discovered that MailChimp takes their form of silly to a particularly high level of awesome. Let me explain.

MailChimp is an e-mail newsletter service, and I use it for my weekly Philosophy in Action Newsletter. (Not yet subscribed? Gack! Get yourself subscribed today!) I’ve been really pleased with their offerings and prices. (They’re better than Constant Contact, particularly on price.)

I’ve also been entertained by their little touches of irreverence. So in their header, they’ll have their chimp logo say and link to something amusing. For example:

That links to this silly video of Chimpanzee Outtakes.

Even better, the bacon lance:

That links to this awesome video:

It gets even better than that, however. In my settings, I found this switch for “Party Pooper Mode.”

So yes, you can turn off the bits of humor in MailChimp. But if you do that, they’re going to poke a bit of fun at you, just one last time. I love it!

Some people, I’m sure, find such humor quite offensive. I’ve noticed that some people seem to think that a person can’t be doing good work unless dead serious. Yet a bit of observation easily proves that false. Particularly in customer service, a touch of humor can brighten a person’s mood and create goodwill. (Think Southwest Airlines!) The same is often true for dealing with co-workers, clients, suppliers, and the like: a touch of benevolent humor can make the work so much more enjoyable.

With the use of humor, a person must aim for that Aristotelian mean — meaning using humor “at the right times, with reference to the right objects, towards the right people, with the right motive, and in the right way.” That “mean” may depend on the individual too, as people differ in their senses of humor — often purely as a matter of personality, not morality. Of course, it’s good to be sensitive to the preferences of others.

So if you think that philosophy or business or politics or romance or sex or parenting or almost any other pursuit in life is TOO IMPORTANT to ever be lightened by benevolent humor… think again. Heck, even dour-faced rationalism can be funny!

 Don’t Fear the Silly  2 Responses »

The Etymology of “Boob”

 Posted by on 26 April 2012 at 2:00 pm  Funny, Language
Apr 262012
 

Around the time when I answered my webcast question on public breastfeeding, the following fabulously funny image was floating around Facebook. Happily, multiple people posted it on my wall, and it gave me a giggle every time.

 The Etymology of “Boob”  No Responses »
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