On Sunday’s episode of Philosophy in Action Radio, Greg Perkins and I answered questions on free speech for corporations, psychological egoism, objecting to a professor’s views, deduction from axioms, and more. The podcast of that episode is now available for streaming or downloading.

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Whole Podcast: 6 October 2013

Listen or Download:

• Duration: 1:15:27
• Download: Enhanced M4A File (27.1 MB)
• Download: Standard MP3 File (25.9 MB)

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Podcast Segments: 6 October 2013

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

Introduction

My News of the Week: I’ve been in Atlanta, conducting a small, informal, and awesome personality theory workshop with friends.

Question 1: Free Speech for Corporations

Question: Do corporations have free speech rights? Many leftists (including left-libertarians) are vehemently opposed to the “Citizens United” Supreme Court decision, which recognized that corporations have the right to speak in elections. Do corporations have rights? What would it mean for corporations not to have rights? Should corporations be considered “persons” under the law?

My Answer, In Brief: Corporations are just groups of people organized in a corporate form — and they retain all the rights of those people, including the right to free speech.

Listen or Download:

• Start Time: 3:51
• Duration: 13:55
• Download: MP3 Segment
• Tags: Business, Corporations, Law, Politics

Links:

• The Objective Standard: Citizens United and the Battle for Free Speech in America by Steve Simpson

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

Question 2: Psychological Egoism

Question: Isn’t every action selfish, ultimately? Unless coerced, people act however they deem best at that moment. Even if that action is harmful to themselves, aren’t they acting selfishly, so as to satisfy their own desires? Even paragons of altruism act because they want to help people, please God, or save the environment: that’s what makes them happy. So isn’t true, deep-down altruism impossible?

My Answer, In Brief: Psychological egoism is false: actions are motivated, but not always self-interested. Psychological egoism completely incompatible with ethical egoism – and false. (Note: I was wrong to claim that psychological egoism is deterministic.)

Listen or Download:

• Start Time: 17:47
• Duration: 10:45
• Download: MP3 Segment
• Tags: Altruism, Egoism, Ethics, Psychological Egoism, Self-Interest

Links:

• “Isn’t Everyone Selfish?” Nathaniel Branden in The Virtue of Selfishness

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

Question 3: Objecting to a Professor’s Views

Question: How strongly should a student object to a professor’s objectionable views? I am a senior undergraduate in a liberal arts major at a public university. I’m currently taking a class with the bleak subject matter of genocide. My blatantly socialist teacher presents her views in discussions of the Armenian genocide, the “genocide” in Soviet Russia, and the Holocaust. Often, she ignores the role of religion and flawed socialist policies. Also, she blames greed and capitalism to an unreasonable degree for the woes of the aforementioned countries. How should I respond to these objectionable claims of hers? How much should I try to undermine her wrongheaded views?

My Answer, In Brief: In all likelihood, you can approach this class such that you actually learn something – even if not about the topic, then perhaps about how to better understand and effectively argue against wrong views.

Listen or Download:

• Start Time: 28:32
• Duration: 14:40
• Download: MP3 Segment
• Tags: Academia, Education, Ethics, Respect

Links:

• Philosophy in Action: Intellectually Inferior Professors

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

Question 4: Deduction from Axioms

Question: Is philosophy deduced from axioms? Often, I hear people claim that philosophy – particularly Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism – is deduced from axioms. Is that right? Personally, I don’t see how that can be: How can anything be deduced from “existence exists”? But in that case, what’s the purpose of the axioms?

My Answer, In Brief: The axioms are not premises for deduction in philosophy. They are fundamental concepts, implicit in all awareness of existence.

Listen or Download:

• Start Time: 14:55
• Duration: 43:13
• Download: MP3 Segment
• Tags: Axioms, Epistemology, Ethics, Metaphysics, Politics, Proof, Religion

Links:

• Ayn Rand Lexicon: Axioms and Primacy of Existence vs. Primacy of Consciousness
• “The Metaphysical Versus the Man-Made” by Ayn Rand in Philosophy: Who Needs It

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

Rapid Fire Questions

Questions:

• Did you correct the otherwise-good professor who mischaracterized the Objectivist ethics as psychological egoism?
• Should children always be expected to address adults (such as teachers or friends of their parents) in a formal way–Mr., Mrs., etc.? When in doubt, should the default be formal over informal?
• What is your opinion of punkin’ chunkin’?

Listen or Download:

• Start Time: 58:08
• Duration: 14:49
• 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: 1:12:58

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.