Common Sense, Jealousy, Applying Philosophy, and More
Q&A Radio: 7 July 2013
I answered questions on common sense versus rationality, jealousy over love lost, applying philosophy to new domains, marital infidelity in the military, and more on 7 July 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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Segments: 7 July 2013
Question 1: Common Sense Versus Rationality
Question: Is "common sense" a form of rationality? Wikipedia defines "common sense" as "sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts." Is that a form of rationality? What's the value of such common sense? Should a rational person rely on common sense in moral decision-making?
Answer, In Brief: Common sense is not an expression or type of rationality. It's relative to a culture – meaning that it's value depends on the rationality of that culture.
Tags: Common Sense, Culture, Independence, Prudence, Rationality
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Question 2: Jealousy over Love Lost
Question: Was Francisco's lack of jealousy in Atlas Shrugged rational or realistic? In Part 3, Chapter 2 of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, Francisco tells Dagny, "...No matter what you feel for [Hank Rearden], it will not change what you feel for me, and it won't be treason to either, because it comes from the same root, it's the same payment in answer to the same values..." Is that a rational and realistic response? Given their love for Dagny, shouldn't Francisco and Hank have been more disappointed in their loss of Dagny to John Galt, and perhaps even jealous of him? Is a person wrong to feel bitter disappointment or jealousy over a lost love?
Answer, In Brief: Hank Rearden and Francisco d'Anconia were not automatically or easily accepting of Dagny Taggart's choice of John Galt. They had to endure painful feelings of loss, then come to a rational acceptance. That's possible and realistic – and it's the self-interested course too.
Tags: Atlas Shrugged, Conflict, Emotions, Ethics, Friendship, Jealousy, Romance, Virtue
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Question 3: Applying Philosophy to New Domains
Question: Can rational philosophic principles solve problems in philosophy and other disciplines? Many advocates of Ayn Rand's philosophy hope to see its principles applied to solve philosophy's tough problems, such as the mind-body relation and the validity of induction. Moreover, they hope to apply the philosophy to other disciplines, such as psychology and education, to advance those fields. Is that possible? If so, what might be a fruitful method of approach? What might be some likely pitfalls?
Answer, In Brief: To speak in terms of "application" of philosophy to solve new problems is deeply misleading. Any interesting, innovative, substantive intellectual work must be based on, informed by, and integrated with already-known rational principles – not merely "derived" or "deduced" from them.
Tags: Objectivism, Philosophy
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Question 4: Marital Infidelity in the Military
Question: Should the military ban marital infidelity? On your June 2nd, 2013 radio show, you explained why marital infidelity should not be illegal. I agree with you, but I wonder about other contexts. Might some government groups legitimately ban and even criminalize infidelity for its members? According to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, infidelity is against the law for military members. Might that be proper, particularly given that we have a volunteer army? More generally, might the military want to enforce strict rules of moral conduct on their members, even for seemingly private matters?
Answer, In Brief: The military does not have a blanket ban on adultery, which would be irrational and counterproductive. Instead, the rule requires that such negative impact the military in some fashion. That's reasonable in theory, although the practice may leave something to be desired.
Tags: Business, Character, Ethics, Justice, Law, Military, Prostitution, Rules, Sex
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Rapid Fire Questions (52:04)
- Regarding the third question, do you mean that one must apply Ayn Rand's inductive approach to check Objectivist conclusions on things like ethics and human sexuality, or can even rational epistemology be rethought and re-examined?
- What skills and qualities, in short, does it take to be a great programmer? Is it more like math or just plain logic to make code do things you want it to do? What factors should one consider if one wants to write code?
- Who is the better man? Howard Roark or John Galt? Who would you rather spend a day or evening with?
- If Dexter Morgan was your brother, and you just discovered he was a serial killer, what would you do next?
- Would you prefer to live in a world of deeply corrupt morality, but with modern technology, coasting on a past rational era, or a completely undeveloped frontier with rational people?
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Conclusion (1:09:00)
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About Philosophy in Action
I'm Dr. Diana Brickell. I'm a philosopher specializing in the application of rational principles to the challenges of real life. I received my Ph.D in philosophy from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2009. My book, Responsibility & Luck: A Defense of Praise and Blame, is available for purchase 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 radio show, Philosophy in Action Radio, broadcasts live over the internet on most Sunday mornings and some Thursday evenings. On Sunday mornings, I answer questions applying rational principles to the challenges of real life in a live hour-long show. Greg Perkins of Objectivist Answers co-hosts the show. On Thursday evenings, I interview an expert guest or discuss a topic of interest.
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