On Sunday’s episode of Philosophy in Action Radio, Greg Perkins and I answered questions on participating in superstitious rituals, punishing yourself, and more. The podcast of that episode is now available for streaming or downloading.
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Whole Podcast: 4 January 2015
Listen or Download:
- Duration: 1:16:40
- Download: Enhanced M4A File (27.5 MB)
- Download: Standard MP3 File (26.3 MB)
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Podcast Segments: 4 January 2015
You can download or listen to my answers to individual questions from this episode below.
Introduction
My News of the Week: After answering last week’s question on overcoming lethargy, I got my own rear in gear! I spend about 15 hours in another round of updates to the Explore Atlas Shrugged Study Guide.
Question 1: Participating in Superstitious Rituals
Question: Is it wrong to participate in superstitious rituals without taking them seriously? If I make some perfunctory observance or participation in some superstitious ritual, and do not believe the superstitious ritual is of any literal importance, am I still promoting irrationality? If I regularly read the horoscope in the newspaper, but do not believe astrology has any real impact on my life, does reading the horoscope promote irrationality? Likewise, in Hawaii, almost all retail establishments possess what are called “good-luck cats.” A good-luck cat is a relatively inexpensive Asian figurine depicting a cat with one paw raised. Having this figurine is supposed to bring good luck to your business. You can commonly see such good-luck cat figurines in doctor’s offices in Honolulu, and for your retail establishment not to have such a figurine would easily strike people as strange. If I spent just a little money on such a good-luck cat to decorate my business, and I didn’t literally believe the figurine itself affected my fortunes, would the purchase be a concession to irrational thinking? Would such a gesture be “social proof” that would help other people rationalize more obviously pathological forms of irrationality, such as wasting hundreds of dollars on fortune tellers and psychic hotlines?My Answer, In Brief: Belief in horoscopes, superstitions, and the like is irrational and destructive. If you’re tempted by that kind of thinking, perform some scientific experiments. If you live in a community where it’s taken seriously, don’t encourage it by seeming to endorse it.
Listen or Download:
- Start Time: 4:33
- Duration: 30:09
- Download: MP3 Segment
- Tags: Business, Communication, Ethics, Holidays, Humor, Rationality, Religion, Sanction, Science, Superstition
Links:
- Wikipedia: Witch trials in the early modern period
To comment on this question or my answer, visit its comment thread.
Question 2: Punishing Yourself
Question: Should a person punish herself for wrongdoing by depriving herself of a value? A friend of mine destroyed her phone in a fit of anger over a difficult situation that wasn’t her fault. Now my friend feels guilty about her outburst. She thinks that she doesn’t deserve to properly replace her phone, as that would reward her irrational outburst. She wants to either buy a cheap phone or go without a phone for a while. That seems needlessly self-destructive. How can I explain to her that she really ought to replace her phone?My Answer, In Brief: Punishment is a deeply misguided way to teach children, and it’s little better for adults. Instead, this friend should focus on the root problem of her temper, and work on solving that so as to avoiding future outbursts.
Listen or Download:
- Start Time: 34:42
- Duration: 25:56
- Download: MP3 Segment
- Tags: Ethics, Honesty, Independence, Integrity, Justice, Moral Character, Moral Wrongs, Pride, Punishment, Values
Links:
To comment on this question or my answer, visit its comment thread.
Rapid Fire Questions
Questions:
- Is it wrong for rival studios to encourage theaters to drop “The Interview”? Some rival studios are worried that the threat against “The Interview” (even if not terribly credible) will discourage holiday season movie goers from going to the theater. Cynics will point out, though, that this also eliminates some of their competition. Do you think it’s wrong for other studios to encourage theater chains not to carry the film?
- Given that the word ‘voluntary’ does not mean what most opponents of coercion think it means, what word should we use instead?
Listen or Download:
- Start Time: 1:00:30
- Duration: 14:10
- 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: 1:14:49
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.
