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Podcast #44: Diet Critics, Hitting Kids, Central Purpose, and More

 Posted by on 24 November 2010 at 10:00 am  Podcasts
Nov 242010
 

On Sunday’s episode of Philosophy in Action Radio, Greg Perkins and I answered questions on conflicts over diet, completing creative work, hitting kids in public, non-renumerative work as productive, finding a central purpose, ethics of public relations, and more. The podcast of that episode is now available for streaming or downloading.

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Whole Podcast: 21 November 2010

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Podcast Segments: 21 November 2010

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

Introduction

My News of the Week: These webcasts are still very experimental. Please lower your expectations accordingly!

Question 1: Conflicts over Diet

Question: I have a friend who is pretty hardcore paleo and is often very critical of other people’s diets. Food is really important to her and I don’t think she means to sound so disparaging. How do I kindly tell her to butt out of mine and my friends’ eating habits?

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

Question 2: Completing Creative Work

Question: A piece of creative work can be polished forever yet still be far from perfect. Besides, there comes a point where it needs to be brought to completion and made available to its recipients, if there are any, to use and enjoy. How does one make the judgment call as to when that point is reached? I hope to go beyond the ranking of values (“How important is this to me, and have I devoted enough time and effort to it already?”) and discuss considerations such as: telling whether I’m still adding to the value of the piece, maintaining a clear view of which details are important, keeping the scope of the piece within reasonable bounds without oversimplifying it, and not letting my feelings about the piece interfere with my judgment of its quality.

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

Question 3: Hitting Kids in Public

Question: What (if any) is the appropriate response to a parent hitting his or her child in public? Generally, I remove my own children as quickly as I can so they don’t have to witness it, and have shot my share of shocked and disgusted looks toward the parents in question. (For the record, I’m opposed to physical punishment of children, but I even know parents who do spank who are similarly shocked and uncomfortable when others do this in public.)

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Links:

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

Question 4: Non-Renumerative Work as Productive

Question: Ought non-income generating activities such as child rearing, dancing, making friends, etc., be properly considered an exercise of the Objectivist virtue of productivity? In response to my question in an OAC class, Dr. Ghate stated that he interprets Rand’s writings to mean that such activities, while rational, ought not be considered “productive” by her definition of the term. Upon further research, I agree with Ghate’s interpretation of Rand, but I think I disagree with Rand here. Is it not unusual that someone who chooses motherhood as a career, for instance, is disqualified from practicing the virtue of productivity (assuming she does no other work for pay)? None of the other virtues exclude any rationally acting adult from practicing them. If productivity need to be redefined, would you have an alternate definition to suggest?

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

Question 5: Finding a Central Purpose

Question: I’ve been thinking about my central purpose in life (CPL) quite a bit lately. A common thread in my current and former passions is art, and I used to love drawing with pencil and coloring with oil pastels. This week I purchased some inexpensive art supplies and I’ve been experimenting. It’s made me feel pretty darn happy. My hesitation with this though is not subsiding. I don’t want to be a starving artist and I can’t imagine giving up my career in financial planning, which leaves me with little time for art. Can you perform your CPL “on the side” in your spare time and still feel fulfilled, or must it be what you do full-time? For what it’s worth, I eventually want to have a child and home-school, which I think will be tremendously fulfilling. Can my CPL be more than one thing? Do you have any recommendations for further reading on CPL?

Listen or Download:

Links:

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

Question 6: Ethics of Public Relations

Question: Would it be ethical for a public relations practitioner to work for a client whose activities, while legal, potentially damage others–e.g., defend cigarette/alcohol companies, or fast food producers, or asbestos manufacturers?

Listen or Download:

To comment on this question or my answer, 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: 58:19


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.

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