Rapid Fire

Queue

At the end of every webcast, we have fun with a set of totally impromptu and unscripted set of "Rapid Fire Questions." Here, you can review the still-pending Rapid Fire Questions, as well as submit your own.

Submit Your Question

Please submit one question per text box – no more, no less. You're limited to 200 characters. Don't incude any links or HTML. If you have a more complex question, please submit it to the regular question queue. We might edit your question for clarity before posting it.

Questions in the Queue

• Are there any analytic philosophers you would recommend reading?
• 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?
• What is the rational response to Heraclitus' claim that 'you never step in the same river twice'?
• Any thoughts on the appointment of the new CEO of Microsoft?
• Modern scholars often describe Ayn Rand's ethics as eudaimonistic. What should be made of the fact that she herself did not make this connection, and even explicitly rejected Aristotle's ethics?
• If you move to a place where they can't pronounce your original name, what's a good principle to use for picking a new one?
• Doesn't your willingness to answer questions requested by contributors negate the voting system for the questions?
• Can a person screw up their life enough to remove any chance of pursuing a central purpose? Would it then be best to simply live a moral life and attempt to rectify the situation as much as possible?
• Is playing peek-a-boo with a baby who has yet to develop sufficient concept-awareness moral? What if it stresses the baby? How do you determine morality in interactions with less developed humans?
• Would the Coast Guard (or other government operated rescue services) exist in a free society?
• If life is an end in itself, and being virtuous consists in living life well, does that mean that virtue is an end in itself?
• Where does the infinitesimal uncertainty of the casual skeptic come from? Are they just confusing things they can judge at that moment and be certain of and things that haven't even been brought up?
• Isn't politics just a subset of ethics, and not really a separate branch of philosophy?
• What good philosophical trends have contributed to the general increase in liberalism in the social sphere (and why has this not been matched with liberalism in the economic sphere)?
• What is the value of novelty?
• What are the referents of the concept 'nothing'?
• What philosophical premises caused Andrew Galambos to take such a bizarre position on intellectual property?
• Couldn't drawing also not be art when its purpose is not selective recreation, such as when a scientist uses it for documentation?
• Do many people still hold "an excellence" as their definition of art?
• Given your explanation of when suicide is rational, was Andrei Taganov's suicide rational or not? Did he have any reason to hope for the future?
• Does the use or purpose of an entity count as an attribute of it? Could you form separate concepts based merely on different uses of the same entity? Or does an attribute have to inhere in something?
• What is the difference between the views of the 'conceptualists' (such as Locke and Reid) and the views of Ayn Rand with regard to the problem of universals?
• What are oaths? Are they just romantic elements for fiction or real things that are useful some way?
• Do you agree with Wikipedia's definition of slavery as "a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work"?
• My mother believes she is clairvoyant, and she laughs when I try to explain away her 'premonitions.' How can I convince her she is not psychic?
• Why do you think so few people question the consensus of the culture on ethics? (People tend to form their own political views, but very few people seem to form their own ethical views.)
• Is a bird in the hand better than two in the bush? Doesn't this maxim encourage mediocrity and laziness?
• Can a central purpose be something other than a career?
• Have Ayn Rand's claims about concept-formation in "Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology" in children been validated by developmental psychology?
• Is selflessness the same thing as altruism?
• 'Time flies when you're having fun'—do you think this phenomenological observation casts any doubt on our ability to accurately perceive duration?
• Do you think it's possible for a person to become 'trapped OUTSIDE their own mind' (NOT inside) i.e. so immersed in external reality, that they lose all notions of their own self and subjectivity?
• Do you believe there are unconscious parts of the human mind? If so, what implications does this have for free will?
• What do you think of gothic fiction? Is it a legitimate area of romantic literature, or something to be avoided?
• In light of her sketchy remarks on philosophy of mind, would it be just to classify Ayn Rand as a property dualist?
• Is the validity of memory axiomatic like that of the senses?
• What is the difference between happiness and joy?
• I can't comprehend how some people care more about animals more than humans. Could it be that they've just met lots of jerks?
• Is evolutionary psychology a lot like the idea of psychological egoism, but with sex instead of the self?
• What are some alcoholism or addiction recovery programs that are rational as opposed to faith based? Has there been any thorough research on these methods?
• Are all people interdependent? What does that mean?
• Is Noam Chomsky as evil as Kant or Elseworth Toohey?
• In The Fountainhead, Gail Wynand claims that one cannot love greatness without also despising the majority of the human race for not being great. What are your thoughts on this?
• Is a person morally responsible for the actions that he performs under duress?
• Can a person be justly blamed for not doing something he should have done, when the thought of doing it never occurred to him, but he would have done it if the thought had occurred to him?
• What do you think of the Zeitgeist Movement (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Zeitgeist_Movement) ? Are they just a form of TechnoMarxism or something else?
• In a previous podcast you mentioned that at one point you decided to only date Objectivists. How did you go about this? Not all Objectivists openly broadcast their philosophy to the world, meaning that I could be sitting next to another Objectivist on the bus and not even know it. How did you find enough Objectivists to make a large enough dating pool, and what advice can you give someone also trying to search out Objectivists to date?
• Apart from Ayn Rand and Aristotle, which philosophers have written good and/or interesting works on aesthetics?
• You've said before that you don't think sexual orientation is innate, as this would require innate concepts of male and female. If so, how does sexual orientation work in non-human species?
• Why do socialists want equality of outcome?
• John Aglialoro (the producer of the Atlas Shrugged movies) apparently plans to include a scene in Part 3 in which Dagny Taggart talks to a priest. The first two movies weren't anything to write home about, but is this enough reason to boycott Part 3 completely?
• Why is Heidegger so beloved by leftist philosophers? What has been his influence on modern philosophy?
• What's the value of sociology, if any?
• Do you approve of the idea that we should gladly embrace (or at least try to see the good in) everything that happens to us?
• If the choice to live is antecedent to accepting morality, how does one make the choice to live? Is it an emotional choice? Is it arbitrary? Why do people choose life as a default?
• Are Objectivists unique in their fondness for acronyms when discussing philosophy?
• Should Objectivists support the Geneva Convention?
• If you could have a superpower, what superpower would you choose?
• Does Buddhism qualify as a form of nihilism, since Buddhists believe that morality consists in rejecting all your desires, and clearing your mind, so that you become 'one with the universe' i.e. dead?
• What do you think of the philosopher Thomas Reid? Was he an ally of reason?
• Are some evaluations innate? Take pain for example. I never used inductive reasoning to determine that pain signifies something bad, I have just always known that pain is bad, instinctively.
• Benjamin Franklin wrote letters to his brother's newspaper posing as a widow named Silence Dogood (the original "sock puppet account"). If you met Franklin in person, would you find him untrustworthy?
• I feel an obligation to check out the original works of other philosophic schools but I'm not at all interested in them! Why would I feel that way – and should I do that?
• Can finding a central purpose be my central purpose if I don't know what mine is?
• Is Girl Scouts an acceptable organization to join if you have positive memories of it, and a child who wishes to join, though they embrace aspects of patriotism and duty which you could deemphasize?
• How can environmentalists proclaim that they're long term when the sun will die in couple of billion years and if any green stuff is going to survive industry is its best bet?
• Critics of the Objectivist epistemology say that it is incomplete because Rand did not have a theory of propositions. What exactly is a theory of propositions?
• Could Heraclitus have been a baby who never grasped the idea of object permanence?
• Is rape about sex or power?
• What kind of anti-drug information might be given to young adults that would be honest and effective?
• How do we know that the mind is tabula rasa?
• What would you do if, in the Trolley Problem, Paul was the solo person on the track?
• WHy do the same atheists who've proven themselves capable of pointing out contradictions in religious texts become concrete bound emotionalists when they switch to secular philosophy?
• Why was Sir Francis Bacon so critical of Aristotle? How did their views on epistemology differ?
• Is childbearing a right, or should there be a license for parenting, similar to how you must pass a skills test before getting a drivers license?
• Why is infinity incompatible with identity? Why couldn't infinite size, for example, be part of the nature of an entity?
• What do you think of physicists running experiments to test whether the physical universe is itself a Matrix-style "simulation"? Is this harmless fun? Interesting? Do you groan at this?
• You said "don't be a sociopath" to me that sounded like "don't be schizophrenic" I think both can be self-inflicted, but aren't most cases of both unchosen afflictions?
• Would you classify the Objectivist ethics as a form of rule consequentialism?
• Is it a valid role of government to establish a national flag and a national anthem?
• I've heard that Kant included some good elements in his philosophy to make the rest of his ideas palatable. What were those things?
• Would the following be clear and accurate visualisation: a triangular chart representing respect for individual rights with capitalism on the top and on the two bottom sides dictatorship and anarchy?
• Do you believe that good reading comprehension is possible for the speed reader?
• Which US cities are most ideal for an Objectivist to call home, and why?
• Do you think that philosophy degrees are useful for people who don't aim to be professional philosophers?
• Is it proper to admire a work of art for its skill but not its content – such as the work of Salvador Dali?
• What could make an artificial country feasible? (A big part of the Netherlands is under sea level and a whole province has been claimed from the water.)
• I often see the word "providence" in readings on history. What does it mean? Is it a good thing? Why isn't it common today?
• Does the experience of learning a foreign language help better understand Ayn Rand's theory of concepts?
• The modern left advocate welfarism, but Leninists used to cry 'He who does not work shall not eat'. Is this a contradiction in socialist theory?
• Why have Objectivists (including Ayn Rand) tended to use deontic language ("right" and "wrong") to describe actions rather than virtue ethics language ("good and "bad")?
• Do you prefer the original Star Trek or The Next Generation?
• As another good thing about modern culture, do you think that consequentialism has become a lot more widespread than it was in the previous century?
• Does free will violate the primacy of existence?
• Does "self ownership" mean that people should be allowed to sell themselves into slavery, as some libertarians have argued?
• What is the morality of playing pirated games which are no longer commercially available on emulators?
• How should I deal with a mental illness whose symptoms mimic irrationality, such as schizophrenia, autism spectrum, bi-polar disorder, depression?
• Is elective plastic surgery moral?
• What do you think of the privatization of intelligence brought to attention by the NSA leak?
• Have you read the article on Ayn Rand in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy? If so, do you think that it is accurate?
• Is it moral to allow a young child extremely fascinated with the human body to watch simple surgery videos to learn what doctors do, provided the parent prescreens the video for gruesomeness?
• Where does altruism get the idea of need from? Does it recognize the need to live?
• I can understand why there are few Objectivists among businessmen, but why are there so few businessmen among Objectivists?
• What do you think of the neoconfederates in the von Mises institute, who think that the South should have been allowed to succeed during the Civil War?
• What are your thoughts on Chis Sciabarra's contention that Ayn Rand was a dialectical thinker?
• How can Objectivists call themselves in regards to politics in a way that sufficiently differentiates them from libertarians? If you define individual rights is just saying "capitalist" your best bet?
• How do anarcho-communists and anarcho-capitalists regard each other?
• You said full fantasy ideologies are agitators, not the causes of crazy. But couldn't consistently accepting a undisputed fundamental error – such as "Who needs logic? It's all arbitrary!" – make someone hegelmad?
• Because sociopaths lack empathy, they are often characterised as selfish. But given that altruism destroys empathy, shouldn't most sociopaths be altruists?
• I've heard Aristotle had a specific number of citizens for his ideal polis, do you think there's a similar principle to follow in citizens per US state in determining their size?
• Sociopaths because they lack empathy are often characterised as selfish.
• How many Objectivists do you think there are in the world?
• Would Roark qualify as autistic? I know I do, and when I first read "The Fountainhead," I saw a lot of similarities, particularly not finding people interesting.
• Do you have any view on the protests in Turkey? Are the protestors camparable with OWS? Or even an Arab-Spring style movement? Or should one support them?
• Why are zombie apocalypse movies and television shows so popular? Does the trend have any philosophical significance?
• Do altruists create incentives for destructive actions by labeling them selfish? For example, might some people might think that lying, cheating, and stealing are actually in their interest, and then do such, because of altruism?
• Is taking a person through the desert in a car a good analogy for the responsibility of a parent? After all, even if they snuck inside secretly, you can't just drop them off in a place where they can't survive.
• You have said that a private army, which you associate with trying to overthrow the government, would be illegitimate. What's your view of PMCs, private military companies?
• Why is it not acceptable to buy votes at the booth, but it is acceptable to promise financial gain for a class of voters after the politician gets elected?
• If someone who was cryogenically frozen gets revived what happens to their intellectual property if some of it has fallen into the public domain?
• Isn't altruism more of a scam then a morality? Is it a confidence trick with really good public relations?
• Due to the one-child policy, there is an urban legend that aborted/stillborn fetuses are a delicacy in China. However, is it morally wrong for a mother to eat her fetus?
• I'd never ask anyone to sacrifice themselves but can you keep more consistent altruists (or those in cultures which expect something back) from doing so for you without asking?
• I've heard that the pre-World-War-I sense of life is indescribable and much better. From what you've read, how would you describe it? Any striking details?
• How can a person be objective in evaluating the people that he dates?
• Should spam be outlawed in a free market?
• Since being fat has no direct link with health does that mean it's morally okay to be a chubby chaser? *grin*
• If not open to good economics wouldn't those bleeding heart libertarians still be open to better economics? Hayek isn't perfect but he's not as bad as Keynes.
• Are there rational egoists (other than Rand) who have a philosophy worth exploring? What is the difference between Objectivism and the general school of enlightened self-interest?
• Why is Rawls' thought experiment called "the veil of ignorance" when the one standing behind knows everything aside from their own identity?
• If a person stumbles upon data (say, logins and passwords) without hacking, it is morally and legally wrong to use that data?
• Is it morally worse for a mother to abandon her child than for a father to do the same?
• Which is your favorite Doctor: David Tennant or Matt Smith? Why?
• Do those who believe that consciousness is an illusion think that magic tricks are conscious?
• Is concept formation in a way artificial synesthesia because it is finished by the giving of a symbolic designation?
• Do you have any good book advice for middle school children? It's hard to find something that has decent morals, and is still interesting.
• Are there any differences between an atheist and a naturalistic pantheist besides definitions?
• Is it wrong to take apart a device that you've bought just to understand it if the licensing agreement forbids that?
• What is your opinion of Kolhberg's theory of moral reasoning?
• Should gun manufacturers refuse to sell guns or accessories to law enforcement if banned to civilians in that area?
• Why should one live by clear principles?
• How strong is support for abortion rights in America? What are the implications of that?
• What's the value and purpose of expressing praise or criticism?
• Are the President's extrajudicial actions against supposed terrorists legitimate, and if so, how could a federal judge sign off on them if they are extrajudicial?
• Should government develop a program to deflect asteroids from Earth?
• Can you suggest any books for 4th-6th graders that promote egoism, rationality, or other virtues which aren't commonly found in books aimed at kids?
• How can we philosophically be more zen about the things we can't control? Feeling out of control contributes greatly to my anxiety and is a trigger for irrational behaviors.
• We all have relatives who grew up during the Depression and hoard food. Unlike my husband, I grew up very poor and am much more materialistic than he is. What's some recommended reading for both of us?
• What modern fiction writer would you recommend? Having a lot of trouble finding fantasy or sci/fi that doesn't suck philosophically...
• Is anti-Semitism today more prevalent on the left today – and if so, why? They seem to have a double standard between Israel and those who attack it.
• What would you do in the event of the Zombie Apocalypse?
• Copyrights last longer then patents but should that be the case?
• Is it proper to be irritated about immigrants' speaking English with an accent, particularly if heavy?
• Does common law inevitably become obtuse?
• What is your opinion of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as a useful tool for talking about aspects of personality?
• How does the left keep redefining the meaning of what "poor" means seeing as we're living better then the kings of old?
• Why aren't people taking ideas seriously?
• Should people boycott German companies that actively participated in the Holocaust?
• Are people capable of being personally responsible in the way that Ayn Rand and other advocates of free markets think should happen?
• Is win-or-lose competition in sports and academics good for children?
• What's wrong with the nihilistic argument that life is meaningless because death is inevitable?
• I've begun reading Dr. Leonard Peikoff's new book, "The DIM Hypothesis." If you've read it I'd be very interested to hear what you think of it. Might it represent a "new" philosophy or "turning point"?
• Is it possible to consistently roleplay as an Objectivist character in a fantasy setting where magic exist without destroying the facade?
• How did the term "middle class" gain hold in America? Is it a valid concept?
• If a company ignores private warnings about a security or other flaw, is it okay to release information about the flaw publicly, even if criminals might make use of it?
• By what methods should government execute criminals condemned to death?
• Should the government be permitted to invest funds in markets?
• What would be required for a valid contract in a free society?
• What is the moral way to wage war?
• Is it okay to stream content (e.g., on YouTube) that has been put up illegally?
• If someone who did something unforgivable incurred brain damage that both made them forget what they did and changed their character, would they be liable for their past actions?
• What would be a good way to represent rational morality in video games?
• Should the independent creator of a technology be barred from using or producing it due to an existing patent? Should it matter if the independent inventor lives in a different state or country?
• Is part of the reason there are no more fast wars because "Blitz Krieg" gave them a bad reputation?
• How can a prostitute remove consent without breaking her contract?
• Given that I want to immigrate to the US in the future, how much more should I care about immigration policy than other individual rights issues?
• Should college athletes be paid? Doesn't the current system exploit them?
• In choosing between similar jobs, how should one trade off competing factors such as better salary vs. worse location, etc?
• What sports do you enjoy watching and why?
• Why did you choose philosophy over programming?
• Why do people differ so much in their taste in movies?
• When did you first read Ayn Rand?
• Don't we need some external authority to determine what's right and what's wrong?
• What does it mean to be selfish versus selfless?
• Should a person considering strategic default consider the government's role in creating the crisis?