On Sunday’s episode of Philosophy in Action Radio, Greg Perkins and I answered questions on calls for moderation, spying on children, family members spreading urban legends, racism in dating, and more. The podcast of that episode is now available for streaming or downloading.

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Whole Podcast: 17 July 2011

Listen or Download:

• Duration: 1:00:53
• Download: Enhanced M4A File (22.1 MB)
• Download: Standard MP3 File (20.9 MB)

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Podcast Segments: 17 July 2011

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

Introduction

My News of the Week: Nada! I’ve been suffering through a cold this week.

Question 1: Calls for Moderation

Question: What’s right or wrong about calls for “moderation”? Many things are black and white, but sometimes moderation seems like the right course. For example, you don’t want to stuff yourself full of every food that strikes your fancy, nor deny yourself foods that you enjoy. So you should eat moderately. Similarly, you don’t want to agree to or deny every favor asked by a friend, but rather do some moderate amount. Is moderation a good guide in some areas of life?

My Answer, In Brief: The supposed ideal of “moderation” ignores the complex array of values at stake in our decisions. Too often, it’s just an excuse for unthinking adherence to the status quo. Instead, a person ought to identify the proper standards of value based his purposes and the means of achieving them, then act accordingly… even if that requires doing something quite “extreme” by conventional standards.

Listen or Download:

• Start Time: 2:49
• Duration: 17:54
• Download: MP3 Segment
• Tags: Absolutes, Aristotle, Ethics, Nutrition, Relationships

Links:

• The discussion of temperance in Chapter 10 of Ayn Rand’s Normative Ethics by Tara Smith

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

Question 2: Spying on Children

Question: Is it proper (and sensible) for parents to “spy” on their children? Amid the recent controversy over the iPhone’s location tracking database, I realized that some enterprising parents might use it to surreptitiously track their teenager’s whereabouts. In most cases, I’d assume the parents have good intentions in doing so. Is this responsible parenting – or an invasion of the child’s privacy?

My Answer, In Brief: Children don’t have a right to privacy, but parents shouldn’t be “spying” on their kids, but rather setting and enforcing appropriate limits.

Listen or Download:

• Start Time: 20:44
• Duration: 7:38
• Download: MP3 Segment
• Tags: Children, Honesty, Parenting, Technology

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

Question 3: Family Members Spreading Urban Legends

Question: How should I respond to the urban legends forwarded by a family member? I’ve repeatedly pointed this family member to Snopes.com, in response to his forwarding of yet another urban legend. I keep hoping that he’ll get the hint – and check for himself before hitting the “forward” button. Yet he never does so, and he’s sending false, defamatory, and/or possibly dangerous information to everyone in his address book. This person is pretty smart – and he’s kind and friendly. I’d hate to do anything that would mar our relationship. What should I do?

My Answer, In Brief: Be clear about what you want from the family member – then ask for that, firmly but kindly.

Listen or Download:

• Start Time: 28:22
• Duration: 6:35
• Download: MP3 Segment
• Tags: Epistemology, Family, Honesty, Internet, Justice, Moral Wrongs, Rationality

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

Question 4: Racism in Dating

Question: Is it racist to refuse to date people of a certain ethnic background? Recently, black singer Jill Scott said that she felt her soul “wince” whenever a black man married a white woman. Many people have denounced that as racism, and I agree with that. However, I was shocked to see a black man (known to me only via Facebook) say that he’d never date a white woman due to the history of slavery in America. He even suggested that Tiger Woods was some kind of traitor to his race for marrying blonde beauty Ellen Nordegren. Is that racist?

My Answer, In Brief: People are individuals, and ought to be treated as such. To judge people as worthy or not based on ethnic origin is racist – whoever does it!

Listen or Download:

• Start Time: 34:58
• Duration: 8:50
• Download: MP3 Segment
• Tags: Dating, Discrimination, Marriage, Race, Racism, Relationships

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

Rapid Fire Questions

Questions:

• Is it okay to act “moderately” when you don’t know what the proper standards are?
• Should spouses share internet logins and passwords?
• What’s wrong with hippies?
• Should people clap (or otherwise make noise) in the middle of movies?
• What about hipsters?
• Is fidelity to one person in marriage a psychological issue – i.e. the special sciences – rather than a philosophical matter?
• What’s the value of saying “I love you” to your significant other – and doesn’t it get old if said too much?
• Do you think that it’s irrational for a person to only date people with certain genetic traits, such as blonde hair?
• What do you think about organic farming?

Listen or Download:

• Start Time: 43:48
• Duration: 16:20
• 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: 1:00:08

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.