PJ Media has published the final segment of my 4-part series on the changing face of American medicine under ObamaCare, “How Patients Can Protect Themselves Against Big Medicine“.
Earlier segments include:
Part 1: “Your Future Under Obamacare: Big Medicine Getting Bigger” Part 2: “How Big Medicine Will Affect Patient Care” Part 3: “The Eyes of Big Medicine: Electronic Medical Records”
[Crossposted from the FIRM blog.]
As September draws to a close today, I wanted to share some of the kind words sent to me about Philosophy in Action Radio lately… as a tiny reminder to you to contribute to Philosophy in Action’s Tip Jar if you enjoy the show too. Here we go:
Your radio show is awesome, by the way. You pack such impeccable logic and reason into an easily digestible philosophy and I applaud you for tackling real issues…
Ah, thank you!
I just wanted to send you a general “thank you!” and “keep up the good work!” I’ve been enjoying all of your radio shows, and especially liked your interview with Jonathan Hoenig on the workings of financial markets. The school year will be starting soon for me, and it will be nice to have your radio show on Sunday to relax to.
Yay! Here’s that interview: Jonathan Hoenig on The Workings of Financial Markets.
I just wanted to thank you for the all the efforts that go into producing Philosophy in Action. I am something of a podcast junkie, but I do make your show a priority. You’ve succeeded in making philosophy fun, interesting, and even humorous. …
I appreciate you answering my question about non-financial incentives for showing how much a person values your show. To that end, I’m making it a point to share upcoming events as often as I see them.
In reference to that last sentence, even if you can’t afford to contribute to Philosoph in Action’s Tip Jar, I really appreciate when people share upcoming events, posted podcasts, and blog posts on social media. That helps spread the word about the show, and I appreciate that hugely!
Thank you for providing the podcasts. My husband and I are both programmers who work from home. Since we don’t have commutes, we don’t often set aside time to listen to radio or podcasts otherwise. But we recently started a big painting project in our house, and a friend recommended your show. We’ve been looking forward to listening in on Sundays & catching up on your back catalog for the past month of weekends as we slowly finish painting my husband’s office. Your discussions have provided us with plenty of food for thought and topics for conversation. I really enjoyed your answers to the problem of dealing with panhandlers (a sadly common occurrence where we live) and social contract theory. Please keep up the great work. You’ve gained two loyal listeners & I’ll be setting up a recurring payment soon.
I love that! Here are the discussions mentioned: Responding to Panhandlers and Social Contract Theory.
I’ve been reading NoodleFood for many years, and it has been a huge boon to my life. I started reading it just after I read Atlas Shrugged, back when I was an Objectivist infant. You’ve helped clarify my thinking on so many issues. And the work you’re doing now in your podcasts is better equipping me to pursue my own life and happiness. I’m thrilled to support your work in whatever small way I can. Thank you so much.
Hooray!
Thank you for providing the same support that I used to get from the Ayn Rand newsletters which also provided rational views of topical situations. I enjoy the broadcasts and will send more tips.
Wow, that’s really lovely to hear. Really!
Today is the last day to support my work this month via Philosophy in Action’s Tip Jar. I want to give a big shout of appreciation to everyone who has contributed so far in 2013, particularly to the amazing people who contribute every week or month. That’s so important to me, both spiritually and materially.
On Sunday’s episode of Philosophy in Action Radio, Greg Perkins and I answered questions on keeping secrets, choosing an ultimate end, studying history, moral blacks and whites, 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:
Listen or Download:
- Duration: 1:11:29
- Download: Enhanced M4A File (25.7 MB)
- Download: Standard MP3 File (24.5 MB)
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.
You can download or listen to my answers to individual questions from this episode below.
My News of the Week: I’ve been putting the finishing touches on my forthcoming book, Responsibility & Luck: A Defense of Praise and Blame. Alas, my horse Lila is still slightly lame.
Question: When should I respect a person’s request to keep information secret? Often, people ask me to keep something they’ve told me (or will tell me) to myself. Or, they’ll ask me not to share it with anyone other than my spouse. Such secrets might consist of happy news that will soon be known, such as future career plans or a pregnancy. That’s no problem. However, when the matter is more serious – like psychological struggles, personal wrongdoings, marital troubles, and conflicts with mutual friends – I feel like I’m caught in a bind. Often, I have reason to fear that other people I care about might be hurt, and I feel an obligation to warn them. Is that right? Or am I obliged to keep secrets scrupulously?My Answer, In Brief: Discretion about private or sensitive information is important to functional and decent relationships. Iron-clad secrecy, however, is morally perilous for everyone.
Listen or Download:
- Start Time: 3:21
- Duration: 19:04
- Download: MP3 Segment
- Tags: Communication, Conflict, Discretion, Ethics, Relationships, Secrets
To comment on this question or my answer, visit its comment thread.
Question: Can a person choose an ultimate value other than his own life? Ayn Rand claims that each person’s life is his own ultimate value. Similarly, Aristotle says that each person’s final end is his own flourishing or well-being. Does that mean that a person cannot have a different ultimate value or final end? Or just that they should not?My Answer, In Brief: There is only one rational and justified ultimate end: a person’s own life and happiness. Yet a person can pursue other values – whether genuine values or not – as his ultimate end. The results of that are not good for anyone, however.
Listen or Download:
- Start Time: 22:26
- Duration: 12:16
- Download: MP3 Segment
- Tags: Aristotle, Ethics, Life, Meta-Ethics, Objectivism, Values
Links:
- Aristotle on the Final End and The Meaning of Life as the Standard of Value
- The Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle
- “The Objectivist Ethics” by Ayn Rand in The Virtue of Selfishness
- Ayn Rand’s Normative Ethics by Tara Smith
To comment on this question or my answer, visit its comment thread.
Question: How should a person approach the study of history? I’ve always prided myself on being a “student of history” – meaning that I read and think a great deal about the past and try to apply its lessons to the future. Is this a valid approach? Am I missing a bigger picture? Do you have any tips on being a better “student of history”?My Answer, In Brief: A person can choose from a variety of rational approaches to history, depending on his purpose. Beware of ideologically heavy and overbroad histories, as they’ll be impoverished on facts.
Listen or Download:
- Start Time: 34:42
- Duration: 16:06
- Download: MP3 Segment
- Tags: Education, Epistemology, History, Philosophy
To comment on this question or my answer, visit its comment thread.
Question: Can life be morally black and white? People often say life is not “black and white,” meaning that sometimes we must navigate morally gray zones, particularly when dealing with complex decisions involving other people. However, if we make decisions based on objective absolutes, doesn’t that eliminate these so-called “morally gray zones”?My Answer, In Brief: Reality is black and white, but grasping that is often difficult – even when armed with clear and true principles.
Listen or Download:
- Start Time: 50:49
- Duration: 15:05
- Download: MP3 Segment
- Tags: Epistemology, Ethics, Honesty, Metaphysics, Moral Wrongs, Virtue
Links:
- “The Cult of Moral Greyness” by Ayn Rand in The Virtue of Selfishness
- Philosophy in Action: Identifying Dangerous People
- American Slavery, American Freedom by C. Bradley Thompson
To comment on this question or my answer, visit its comment thread.
Questions:
- What do you think of the looming government shutdown?
Listen or Download:
- Start Time: 1:05:54
- Duration: 3:47
- Download: MP3 Segment
To comment on these questions or my answers, visit its comment thread.
Be sure to check out the topics scheduled for upcoming episodes! Don’t forget to submit and vote on questions for future episodes too!
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.
This week on We Stand FIRM, the blog of FIRM (Freedom and Individual Rights in Medicine):
This week on The Blog of The Objective Standard:
This week on The Blog of Modern Paleo:
Our dog Conrad would have killed and eaten our cats when we adopted him at a year old. It took me a year of daily training to be able to leave him loose in the house with the cats. Now, about four years later, he’s routinely loving on and attempting to dominate kitty Merlin… and Merlin loves it! I don’t worry about Conrad hurting Merlin. He’s always been gentle. Plus, Merlin has sharp claws and very speedy reaction times!
Oh, how I love the sappy music! :-)
Lila is finally on the mend!
As my friends and followers on Facebook know, last Monday (the 16th), Lila came up dead lame, meaning that she was limping badly even at the walk. The vet came and found a corn — meaning a bruise from a rock on the sole of the hoof near the wall. He packed her hoof with iodine goop and wrapped her hoof to protect it. I began giving her two grams of bute per day. We hoped that she’d be fine in a few days.
Alas, she was still gimpy by the end of the week. So the vet came again on Friday (the 20th). After digging into the hoof a bit more, we saw a line of pus moving up through her hoof. That meant that the bit of gravel didn’t merely bruise her hoof: it became trapped and was then working its way up through her hoof. OUCH!
Instead of just soaking her foot in epsom salts a few times per day, as I’d been doing, the vet wanted me to put her hoof in a soaker boot, so that she’d soak continuously. (The solution of epsom salts helps soften the hoof, so that the bit of gravel can move through it more quickly, and aids in the draining of pus and such.) Hopefully, the bit of gravel would burst out her coronet band (where the hoof meets the hair) or her heel.
Alas, Lila has ginormous feet, and the local tack store didn’t have a large enough boot when I checked a few days ago. So I emailed the people in my neighborhood’s riding club, to see if anyone might have the right size boot. Within a few hours, I got a slew of replies from people with offers to help in various ways, including multiple offers of boots. So from Saturday to Thursday, Lila’s foot soaked continuously in a boot provided by one of my neighbors. (I feel so lucky to live among neighbors so quick and ready to offer help!)
On Wednesday, I noticed that she was walking much better, although she was still limping badly at the trot. On Thursday, she was even better. The vet told me that I could stop soaking her. She’s gotten better each day — and I hope that she’s well enough to ride gently or pony behind Elsie today.
In the meantime, my friend Cyndi was kind enough to lend me her horse Dixie for the week. I needed a horse to ride, and Dixie needed some training in the basics, so it was a win-win! Dixie was pretty awful for the first few days, but after that, she settled down and made rapid progress. Plus, she got along great with Lila and Elsie, which made having her Chez Hsieh easy!
Dixie has been a fun project, but I’m so desperate to get Lila back to work!
Whoops! I forgot to post this when it was published. — DMH
PJMedia published part 2 of my 4-part series on changes in American health care: “How Big Medicine Will Affect Patient Care”
Here is the opening:
The first article of this series described how the ObamaCare law is fueling the rise of government-controlled Big Medicine. This second article will take a closer look at how Big Medicine will control how what medical care patients can receive.
I discuss how government controls over health spending will lead to controls on the health care you may be able to receive. These controls interpose the government between the doctor and the patient, endangering the doctor-patient relationship.
I’ve been receiving increasing amounts of spam via Facebook. Most of it is unremarkable, but this was extra creepy:
EEEK! I’ll be keeping my eyes open now! As one person commented, “It puts the lotion in the basket.” Yup, it has just that feel.
This story is fascinating: Sorority Exposes Its Rejection of Black Candidate:
On the campus of the University of Alabama, accusations that traditionally white sorority chapters had turned down an apparently impeccable candidate simply because she was black hardly came as a surprise.
The surprise was that it was sorority members — and not the candidate herself — who made the allegations, saying that in some cases they were pressured by alumnae to turn her down.
The allegations, reported on Wednesday in the student newspaper The Crimson White, were based on the account of Melanie Gotz, a member of Alpha Gamma Delta, and members of several other sororities who remained anonymous. In the report, parts of which were corroborated by sorority members, many students said they were open to recruiting the young woman, whose family has asked that she not be named; she is the stepdaughter of a state legislator and stepgranddaughter of a former State Supreme Court justice and current trustee of the university.
The members said they were pressured by outsiders, including a case in which, The Crimson White reported, the recruit was dropped from consideration at the insistence of a volunteer sorority adviser who also works for the university.
The original report from The Crimson White is well worth reading. Here’s a bit:
[Melanie] Gotz was the one to openly question the motives behind executive members and alumnae of Alpha Gamma Delta as to why they dropped the black student that she and others wanted to become a pledge.
“It was just like a big elephant in the room,” Gotz said. “So I raised my hand.”
In response, Gotz said alumnae in the room cited the chapter’s letter of recommendation requirements as a reason for the potential new member’s removal. Active sorority members then began standing up to voice support for the recruit and challenge alumnae decisions, Gotz said.
“It was just so cool to see everyone willing to take this next step and be the sorority that took a black girl and not care,” Gotz said. “You know, I would say there were probably five people in the room that disagreed with everything that was being said. The entire house wanted this girl to be in Alpha Gam. We were just powerless over the alums.”
It’s appalling that such racism exists in America today. However, I’m heartened by two elements of this story. First, many sorority members wished to pledge these girls — based on their merits, without regard for skin color. Second, after being refused in various underhanded ways, some of those sorority members spoke to the media about what happened. Melanie Gotz did so openly, and that moral courage impresses me.
Now that this problem has been more thoroughly aired than ever before, let’s hope it gets solved soon. Racial segregation isn’t good for anyone, dammit.
On Wednesday’s episode of Philosophy in Action Radio, I interviewed peanut allergy mom Jenn Casey about “Living Safely with Food Allergies, Part 1.” 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:
Many Americans have food allergies to common foods such as peanuts, dairy, and eggs. Some of those allergies are so serious as to be life-threatening. Jenn Casey’s son has a life-threatening peanut allergy, diagnosed when he was a toddler. What must people diagnosed with such allergies do to protect themselves from accidental ingestion? How can parents keep their children with such allergies safe? How should other people in their lives – such as family, friends, and teachers – do to protect them from harm? What should schools, clubs, and other organizations do? This episode is Part One of Two. Be sure to listen to Part Two.
Jenn Casey is a homeschooling mom to three hilarious kids, wife, small business owner, CrossFit athlete and coach, Positive Discipline educator, sometime blogger, puppy trainer, reluctant 5K runner, urban-chicken-raising wannabe, amateur gardener, humor dabbler, serious Beatles enthusiast, longtime Objectivist, economics nerd, even bigger operations management nerd, Sauvignon Blanc lover, bourbon appreciator, and President of ATLOS.
Listen or Download:
Topics:
Links:
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.
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.
