On the next episode of Philosophy in Action Radio, Greg Perkins and I will answer questions on the morality of elective abortion, liability for injuries on the job, guilt over self-sacrifice, and more. This episode of internet radio airs at 8 am PT / 9 MT / 10 CT / 11 ET on Sunday, 5 January 2014, in our live studio. If you can’t listen live, you’ll find the podcast on the episode’s archive page.

This week’s questions are:

• Question 1: The Morality of Elective Abortion: Is elective abortion morally wrong? Some conservatives support abortion in the cases of rape or incest, as well as in cases of serious medical problems with the fetus or the pregnancy. However, they regard the termination of a normal, healthy pregnancy as morally wrong, particularly as irresponsible. Are such abortions wrong? Does the judgment change if the couple used birth control or not?
• Question 2: Liability for Injuries on the Job: Should employers be required to warn employees of possible harms on the job? Discovery Channel’s TV show Gold Rush depicted a South American gold miner using mercury in the mining process because mercury binds to gold and makes extraction from a “sluice.” Mercury, being heavier, falls below the surface and is collected at the bottom of a “sluice box.” The episode (titled “The Jungle”) depicts workers using their bare hands in the sluice where I’m assuming they are in direct physical contact with the toxic mercury. In a free society, should employers be allowed to expose their employees to such dangers? Should employers be obliged to warn employees of those dangers or to take precautions? Or are workers responsible for the risks of their job?
• Question 3: Guilt over Self-Sacrifice: Should a person feel guilty for not acting selfishly enough? According to rational egoism, a person ought to act selfishly – not in the sense of hurting others, but in the sense of pursuing his own good. If a person fails to do that, should he feel guilty for failing to act morally?

After that, we’ll tackle some impromptu “Rapid Fire Questions.”

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The podcast of this episode will be available shortly after the live broadcast here: Radio Archive: Q&A: Morality of Abortion, Injuries on the Job, Self-Sacrifice, and More. You can automatically download that and other podcasts by subscribing to Philosophy in Action’s Podcast RSS Feed:

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I hope you join us for the live show or enjoy the podcast later. Also, please share this announcement with any friends interested in these topics!

Philosophy in Action Radio applies rational principles to the challenges of real life in live internet radio shows on Sunday mornings and Thursday evenings. For information on upcoming shows, visit the Episodes on Tap. For podcasts of past shows, visit the Show Archives.