Ethical Foundations, Broken Relationships, Sex Scandals, and More
Q&A Radio: 16 June 2013
I answered questions on the meaning of life as the standard of value, broken relationships, the morality of an armed society, the sex scandals of politicians, and more on 16 June 2013. Greg Perkins of Objectivist Answers was my co-host. Listen to or download this episode of Philosophy in Action Radio below.
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My News of the Week: I've been extracting myself from WTFery, and Greg and Tammy did the amazingly hard GORUCK Challenge.
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Segments: 16 June 2013
Question 1: The Meaning of Life as the Standard of Value
Question: What does it mean to say that life is the standard of value? In "The Objectivist Ethics," Ayn Rand says that man's life is the standard of value. What does that mean? Does that mean mere physical survival? Is it mere quantity of years – or does the quality of those years matter too? Basically, what is the difference between living and not dying?
Answer, In Brief: While survival and flourishing can be distinguished conceptually, in reality, they are one and the same. Survival in the long term requires flourishing.
Tags: Egoism, Ethics, Flourishing, Life, Meta-Ethics, Objectivism, Philosophy, Self-Interest, Survival, Values
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Question 2: Broken Relationships
Question: When is a relationship broken beyond repair? Relationships can be severely strained, fraught with anger and frustration, and perhaps put on ice for weeks or months or years. Yet in the end, the two people can often reconcile in some way, so that they can enjoy a genuine (even if not deep) relationship again. In some cases, however, that's not possible. Why not? In such cases, must the problem be that one person (or both people) continue to behave badly? Or might reconciliation be impossible between two good people? If so, why?
Answer, In Brief: A relationship is permanently broken when your trust in the person’s rationality, decency, and goodwill has been destroyed. If that trust has merely been damaged, that might be repaired — but be careful.
Tags: Ethics, Friendship, Honesty, Moral Wrongs, Rationality, Relationships, Trust
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Question 3: The Morality of an Armed Society
Question: Is an armed society a polite society – or a violent society? Author Robert Heinlein famously said that "An armed society is a polite society." Many liberals, however, fear an armed society as barbaric and violent. Is widespread ownership and/or carry of arms a positive or a negative feature of a society?
Answer, In Brief: An armed society may be a polite society — or not. Firearms are mere tools, and they take on the moral qualities of the people wielding them. They cannot make thugs in to decent people, nor decent people into thugs.
Tags: Character, Culture, Determinism, Ethics, Firearms, Moral Amplifiers, Rationality, Responsibility
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Question 4: The Sex Scandals of Politicians
Question: Should we stop caring about the sex lives of politicians? In response to the affair and resignation of David Petraeus, many argued that such sex scandals are the absurd consequence of American puritanism. These people claim that sex is easily compartmentalized in a person's life, such that sexual fidelity has no bearing on a person's intelligence, character, or suitability for public office. Is that right?
Answer, In Brief: So long as politicians wield enormous power over our lives and display their marriages as evidence of their good character, people are entitled to judge them for any revelations of marital infidelity. That’s because a politician’s cheating on his or her spouse raises serious doubts about his moral character, invites blackmail, and risks security leaks.
Tags: Celebrities, Character, Marriage, Politics, Privacy, Sex
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Rapid Fire Questions (1:01:52)
- What do you think about the NSA "snooping" scandal?
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Conclusion (1:08:11)
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About Philosophy in Action
I'm Dr. Diana Brickell (formerly Diana Hsieh). I'm a philosopher, and I've long specialized in the application of rational principles to the challenges of real life. I completed my Ph.D in philosophy from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2009. I retired from work as a public intellectual in 2015.
From September 2009 to September 2015, I produced a radio show and podcast, Philosophy in Action Radio. In the primary show, my co-host Greg Perkins and I answered questions applying rational principles to the challenges of real life. We broadcast live over the internet on Sunday mornings.
You can listen to these 362 podcasts by subscribing to the Podcast RSS Feed. You can also peruse the podcast archive, where episodes and questions are sorted by date and by topic.
My first book, Responsibility & Luck: A Defense of Praise and Blame, can be purchased in paperback and Kindle. The book defends the justice of moral praise and blame of persons using an Aristotelian theory of moral responsibility, thereby refuting Thomas Nagel's "problem of moral luck." My second book (and online course), Explore Atlas Shrugged, is a fantastic resource for anyone wishing to study Ayn Rand's epic novel in depth.
You can also read my blog NoodleFood and subscribe to its Blog RSS Feed.
I can be reached via e-mail to [email protected].
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