Stylized Life, Legal Dueling, Asking Permission, and More
Q&A Radio: 25 May 2014
I answered questions on creating a stylized life, legal dueling, permission versus forgiveness, and more on 25 May 2014. Arthur Zey was my co-host. Listen to or download this episode of Philosophy in Action Radio below.
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Segments: 25 May 2014
Question 1: Creating a Stylized Life
Question: Should a person seek to create a stylized life? In "The Romantic Manifesto," Ayn Rand said that "An artist does not fake reality – he stylizes it. He selects those aspects of existence which he regards as metaphysically significant – and by isolating and stressing them, by omitting the insignificant and accidental, he presents his view of existence." Should a person try to stylize his own life, such as by deliberately cultivating a consistent personal aesthetic? Should he aim to make every aspect of his life reflect his values, eliminating the rest? Would that make for a more integrated and meaningful life or might that be dangerous or undesirable in some way?
Answer, In Brief: Stylizing your life can be thought of as developing your personal values and style, which is fabulous. However, it might mean seeking an impossibly perfect Platonic ideal – or worse, disowning yourself for sake of living up to image in own mind or to please others. That's a disaster – and reason enough to shy away from thinking about creating a "stylized life."
Tags: Aesthetics, Art, Honesty, Independence, Integrity, Life, Literature, Objectivism, Values
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Question 2: Legal Dueling
Question: Should dueling and other consensual fights be legal? In your September 5th, 2012 interview with Dr. Eric Daniels, you discussed some of America's violent past traditions, including the practice of dueling. While I have no intention of challenging my rivals to mortal combat, I cannot see why this practice should be illegal. The same might be said of less lethal modern variants such as bar fights, schoolyard fights, and other situations where violence is entered into with the mutual consent of both parties. Should such consensual violence be forbidden by law in a free society – not just for children but perhaps for adults too? If so, what justifies allowing more ritualized forms of combat, such as mixed-martial arts fighting, boxing, or even football?
Answer, In Brief: Duelling cannot be completely forbidden or completely permitted because a duel may be fully consensual or not. Instead, measures must be taken to ensure consent, but if that's not clear after the fact, the winner might be justly prosecuted for murder.
Tags: Consent, Contracts, Law, Politics, Rights, Sports, Suicide
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Question 3: Permission Versus Forgiveness
Question: Should people ask for permission or ask for forgiveness when breaking the rules? People often say that "it's better to ask forgiveness than to ask for permission" when excusing their own rule-breaking. I hate the phrase, but I can't put my finger on what's so objectionable about it. So what does the phrase mean? Is it right or wrong? If it's true for some organizations, doesn't that indicate that the organization's rules or policies are somehow bass-ackwards?
Answer, In Brief: You need not slavishly follow irrational rules, but you do need to act in a way that's respectful of others and their property. Too often, asking for forgiveness rather than permission is not that.
Tags: Egoism, Ethics, Honesty, Moral Wrongs, Respect, Rights, Rules, Trader Principle
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Rapid Fire Questions (1:01:15)
- Have you heard about Harry Binswanger's new treatise on epistemology?
- How do individual rights apply to conjoined twins? Do they count as separate individuals? Is this similar to how a baby does not count as individual until after it is born?
- Should it be against the law to incite violence? Given that the incitement itself does not violate anyone's rights, doesn't that assume that the hearers lack free will?
- Is the placebo effect an incidence of 'useful evasion'? Is it immoral to use placebos?
- On an earlier show, you professed your love for David Hume. Would you care to elaborate?
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Conclusion (1:11:50)
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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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