On Thursday’s episode of Philosophy in Action Radio, Greg Perkins and I answered questions on buying time by voting Republican, avoiding regret over having children, 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:

• Enhanced M4A Feed: Subscribe via iTunes or another podcast player
• Standard MP3 Feed: Subscribe via iTunes or another podcast player

Whole Podcast: 20 February 2014

Listen or Download:

• Duration: 1:09:50
• Download: Enhanced M4A File (25.1 MB)
• Download: Standard MP3 File (24.0 MB)

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: 20 February 2014

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

Introduction

My News of the Week: I’ve been very busy in Aiken, particularly with cross-country lessons with Eric Horgan. It’s very demanding, very technical, and dangerous if done wrong – but I’m making lots of progress! My book, Responsibility & Luck, will be reviewed in the upcoming issue of The Objective Standard.

Question 1: Buying Time by Voting Republican

Question: Should voters attempt to “buy time” for liberty by voting for Republican candidates? Often, supporters of free-market capitalism are told that they need to “buy time” in order to advocate for liberty – meaning: they should vote for Republicans to stave off disaster and allow time to persuade the public of the nature and value of freedom. Does the debacle with the rollout of ObamaCare contradict this claim? ObamaCare has suffered from widespread attacks, not just from the right wing, but also from many mainstream media outlets and average citizens. These backlashes have forced the administration to issue substantive revisions of the law, and its political backers appear to be running scared. In this case, a statist policy has gone into effect, the public has felt its harmful effects, and that public has turned against the statist policy and its supporting politicians. After this, I am more optimistic about Americans, as well as less inclined to support Republicans at the federal level. Given the utter failure of free market advocates to turn back the regulatory state, might the public need to learn more lessons like that of ObamaCare, just as much as they need to be educated about abstract philosophy? Does support for Republicans in the federal government, who will at best maintain the mixed economy – where the positives caused by freedom can cloud the negatives caused by controls – actually result in a perpetual solidification of the status quo? If so – and combined with some of the GOP’s irrational theocratic tendencies – should people actively (or passively) support keeping the Republican Party as the minority party in the near future by refusing to vote for or support its candidates?

My Answer, In Brief: If free market advocates want to change America’s political landscape, they need to forget “buying time” or “let them suffer” as political strategies. Instead, we need to work on changing the terms of the debate, so that rights and free markets are part of the discussion.

Listen or Download:

• Start Time: 4:18
• Duration: 37:00
• Download: MP3 Segment
• Tags: Conservatives, Elections, Liberals, Politics, Voting

Links:

• Philosophy in Action: Voting for Third-Party Candidates and Dr. Eric Daniels on Why Voting Doesn’t Matter
• How the GOP lost my vote by Paul Hsieh

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

Question 2: Avoiding Regret over Having Children

Question: What should prospective parents do to ensure they won’t regret having children? In your 10 March 2013 show, you discussed what parents should do if they regret having children. But what can potential parents do to ensure that won’t happen? How can a person know what being a parent is like – for better or worse – before actually becoming a parent? Is a rational decision on this issue possible?

My Answer, In Brief: People can and should make rational decisions in advance about whether to have kids or not. To do that, they need to gather data about life as a parent, identify their purpose and develop a plan, and be realistic about the demands of parenting.

Listen or Download:

• Start Time: 41:18
• Duration: 17:44
• Download: MP3 Segment
• Tags: Children, Emotions, Ethics, Life, Parenting, Sacrifice, Values

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

Rapid Fire Questions

Questions:

• I imagine that most of running Philosophy in Action is very fun and rewarding. But what is one task or aspect of it that you dislike?
• How does one respond to people who use the very annoying phrase “don’t judge” when they actually mean “be socially tolerant”?
• What is the self? Is it one’s mind or reason?

Listen or Download:

• Start Time: 59:02
• Duration: 8:55
• 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: 1:07:58

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.