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• Duration: 1:02:43
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My News of the Week: We’re live from ATLOSCon!

Question: What are the philosophical underpinnings of growth versus fixed mindsets? At SnowCon, we discussed the negative impact of the doctrine of Original Sin on Western culture over breakfast one morning. We saw that this idea – which tells people that they are hopelessly flawed by nature – could encourage fixed mindsets. In contrast, an Aristotelian understanding of virtue and vice as dispositions cultivated by repeated action would seem to promote a growth mindset. What other philosophic ideas might tend to promote a fixed versus a growth mindset?

My Answer, In Brief: Fixed mindsets can be promoted by bad philosophical ideas such as determinism, intrinsicism, putting wishes over facts, not respecting cause and effect, viewing life as stasis, and fearing the unknown. If you want a growth mindset (and you should!) reject these ideas in all areas of your life for true ones.

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• Start Time: 2:13
• Duration: 22:25
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• Tags: Causality, Epistemology, Ethics, Metaphysics, Mindsets, Philosophy, Primacy of Existence, Values

Links:

• Philosophy in Action: Kelly Elmore on Why Growth Mindsets Matter
• Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck

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

Question: Was John Galt evil, wrong, or a jerk for not commercializing his motor? In Atlas Shrugged, John Galt went on strike when the world seemed only a little worse off than today politically in America. Things got really bad so fast because Galt dismantled everything. If, instead of going on strike, he had quit the Twentieth Century Motor Company and started the Galt Motor Company, things seem like they would have gone a very different way. By my reading, Galt’s motor was pretty much a free energy miracle – for the same price as a car engine a car could need no fuel and be nearly maintenance free. Electricity would be too cheap to meter and probably within a decade the Galt Motor Company would provide the engines for every plane, train, automobile, and power plant in America. The resulting economic boom from ultra-cheap energy would have probably improved conditions – there’d be fewer calls for controls because everything would be going so swimmingly. Galt could have gone into the other countries and demanded they liberalize their economies if they wanted him to electrify their countries. His wealth and influence would let him meet with titans of industry and convince them of his morality. He could invest in Hollywood and make movies and TV shows that showed his views. He could have met Dagny and fallen in love with her, and I’m sure over months of dating she would have come around to realize that his morality was right. Her resistance was, after all, to the strike, not really the idea that we should be selfish. People seem to get more panicky and politicians more lusting after power when the economy is doing poorly. In huge booms things seem to get better. People who are well off don’t cry out for a savior and accept whatever anyone tells them will make things better, because things are going pretty well. If Galt probably could have gotten rich, liberalized the economies of the world, married Dagny, and sparked a moral revolution all without dismantling civilization, shouldn’t he have? If his motor really could save everyone (and it seems like it could have), he is at least kind of a jerk to not commercialize it – and probably self-destructive too. So why go on strike at all?

My Answer, In Brief: John Galt was not evil, wrong, or a jerk for refusing to commercialize his motor. That’s because (1) people care about more than just wealth and prosperity, and that’s part of point of Atlas Shrugged, (2) JG doesn’t have a duty to others to save them, and that’s also part of point of Atlas Shrugged. Moreover, (3) while Atlas Shrugged is a great novel, it is not a good blueprint for cultural reform.

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• Start Time: 24:39
• Duration: 26:02
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• Tags: Activism, Altruism, Atlas Shrugged, Business, Death Premise, Duty Ethics, Economics, Ethics, Ethics, Law, Literature, Objectivism, Philosophy, Politics, Responsibility

Links:

• Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
• Joshua Job’s Thread on Facebook

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

Question: How can I learn to act on principles that I know to be true? I believe in reality, rationality, individualism, self-interest, and self-esteem. Yet I don’t act on these beliefs. Right now, I don’t have any self-esteem. Once I act upon believing in reality, instead of merely believing in it, I will develop self-esteem. But I’m really lost as to how to apply reality in my life. I don’t know what that would mean. How can I act on my beliefs?

My Answer, In Brief: You need to develop the knowledge and skills to put your ideas into practice. To do that, focus on developing the mental habits of rational egoism.

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• Start Time: 50:42
• Duration: 6:57
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• Tags: Egoism, Epistemology, Ethics, Integrity, Metaphysics, Philosophy, Rationality, Values

Links:

• Loving Life by Craig Biddle
• Ayn Rand’s Normative Ethics by Tara Smith
• Objectivism Through Induction by Leonard Peikoff

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

Questions:

• I am, reluctantly, but strongly considering voting for Hillary Clinton in 2016. Can you think of a better alternative?

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• Start Time: 57:40
• Duration: 3:34
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Be sure to check out the topics scheduled for upcoming episodes! Don’t forget to submit and vote on questions for future episodes too!

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• Duration: 1:00:57
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My News of the Week: I’ve been consumed by personal matters, but I’m really looking forward to ATLOSCon next weekend!

Question: What should a person do to make up for a past unpunished crime? Suppose that a man, say when between 9 to 12 years old, committed a serious offense such as sexual assault or rape. At the time, he did not realize the effect of his actions. Now, as an adult, he is living a decent life – meaning that he’s gotten a good education, he has a good job, and he’s developed good sense of ethics. He’s never told anyone about this incident. It was never reported, and he was never investigated for or convicted of that offense as a juvenile. Legally, he need not report this incident to anyone. But ethically, what should he do about it? Should he disclose it to someone – such as his family, friends, a therapist, or even the police? Should he do anything else?

My Answer, In Brief: A person who has committed a crime as a juvenile should make sure that his own character is in order, first and foremost. He should not inflict his presence on his victim, but he should deal with his own feelings about what he did and atone if possible.

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• Start Time: 1:40
• Duration: 14:45
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• Tags: Atonement, Charity, Crime, Emotions, Ethics, Forgiveness, Justice, Law

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

Question: Should a person always care to work or earn money? Most people need to work to earn their bread, so to speak. They need to be productive – and be paid for that – to survive. However, that’s not true in all cases. Perhaps someone has inherited enough money to provide for his life, or he has won the lottery, or a spouse can provide for the two of them. That person still needs a purpose in life to work toward, but must that purpose be productive, in the strict sense of creating material values? Might the person reasonably choose to spend his time studying subjects of interest to him, without any other goal in mind? Might he choose to spend the rest of his life travelling? Or producing art for his own personal satisfaction? Could such a person live a happy, virtuous, and meaningful life?

My Answer, In Brief: A person need not always earn money, but a person should pursue meaningful and challenging goals, not merely engage in activities.

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• Start Time: 16:26
• Duration: 16:07
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• Tags: Career, Finances, Hobbies, Money, Productiveness, Purposefulness, Values

Links:

• Philosophy in Action: its comment thread.

Question: Should I end my friendship with a persistent and devout Christian? I am an atheist who has been befriended by a very devout Christian (read: an ex-missionary). I often find that our philosophical differences prevent me from expressing myself the way I would like. However, this friend has been very devoted to pursuing a deeper friendship with me despite my attempts to keep the relationship very casual. She calls me her “best friend” to others and goes out of her way to forge a deeper bond by regularly telling me how “special” I am to her and reiterating how close to me she feels. She will often say that she regards me as a “sister.” I am puzzled by her persistence, given that she has so many friendship options within her Church and the rest of the Christian community. I am also increasingly uncomfortable with our interactions, given their necessarily narrow breadth and depth: we tend to focus our discussions mainly on a shared hobby we enjoy that has nothing to do with religion or philosophy. I really value time spent engaging in philosophical discussions with my other friends, and this is simply not possible with her. The dilemma is that she has been admirably non-judgmental toward my lifestyle, at least outwardly. She does not proselytize or try to “convert” me. (I have made it clear to her that this is not possible.) Still, our friendship feels vacant to me. I have tried to express my concerns to her at various times but her response is always that she loves me and accepts me “no matter what.” I think she is being sincere, but it feels like a manipulation or, at least, an evasion of our many differences. Still, I always end up feeling guilty for keeping her at a distance while she works so hard to be my friend. Should I end this friendship once and for all?

My Answer, In Brief: Philosophic differences should not be regarded as a barrier to friendship, but each person must respect the other on that and other matters.

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• Start Time: 32:33
• Duration: 15:37
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• Tags: Boundaries, Communication, Ethics, Friendship, Philosophy, Relationships, Religion, Values

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

Questions:

• Do you agree or disagree with Ayn Rand’s view that fundamental change in the vanguard of philosophy – particularly morality – is required to have deep positive change in the direction of the culture?
• What are some ways to help a child who is particularly sensitive disregard or put in perspective things that others say which hurt their feelings?
• Do you see any signs that the Republican party is becoming more rational insofar as the social issues and standing up for free markets?
• Overall do you think that the U.S. has had too much military engagement in the Middle East since 9/11, or not enough military engagement?
• Should emotions be subjected to moral judgment?
• In a previous podcast you mentioned that at one point you decided to only date Objectivists. How did you go about this? Not all Objectivists openly broadcast their philosophy to the world, meaning that I could be sitting next to another Objectivist on the bus and not even know it. How did you find enough Objectivists to make a large enough dating pool, and what advice can you give someone also trying to search out Objectivists to date?

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• Start Time: 48:11
• Duration: 11:30
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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!