Psychological Egoism, Atlas Shrugged, Generosity, and More
Q&A Radio: 6 July 2014
I answered questions on psychological egoism, take two, the purpose of Atlas Shrugged, limiting another's generosity, and more on 6 July 2014. Greg Perkins of Objectivist Answers was my co-host. Listen to or download this episode of Philosophy in Action Radio below.
The mission of Philosophy in Action is to spread rational principles for real life... far and wide. That's why the vast majority of my work is available to anyone, free of charge. I love doing the radio show, but each episode requires an investment of time, effort, and money to produce. So if you enjoy and value that work of mine, please contribute to the tip jar. I suggest $5 per episode or $20 per month, but any amount is appreciated. In return, contributors can request that I answer questions from the queue pronto, and regular contributors enjoy free access to premium content and other goodies.
My News of the Week: I've been busy working on Explore Atlas Shrugged!
Listen or Download 
- Duration: 1:06:25
- Download: Enhanced M4A File (23.8 MB)
- Download: Standard MP3 File (22.8 MB)
You can automatically download that and other podcasts by subscribing to Philosophy in Action's Podcast RSS Feed:
- Enhanced M4A Feed: Subscribe via iTunes or another podcast player
- Standard MP3 Feed: Subscribe via iTunes or another podcast player
Share This Episode
Segments: 6 July 2014
Question 1: Psychological Egoism, Take Two
Question: Isn't everyone selfish? If you dig deep enough, everyone seems to act in their own interests. I work because that's easier than being a welfare queen. But a college student might cave to his parents about his choice of career because that's easier than standing up for himself. Even the nun who seems to sacrifice everything is doing what she enjoys most and thinks best by her own religious standards. So isn't true altruism impossible? Isn't everyone selfish?
Answer, In Brief: Psychological egoism conflates a person's motivations for action with his self-interest – and declares that all actions are self-interested because they're all motivated. That's false: actions are motivated, but they may be motivated by self-sacrifice.
Tags: Altruism, Egoism, Ethics, Meta-Ethics, Psychological Egoism, Self-Interest, Self-Sacrifice, Subjectivism
Listen or Download 
Relevant Links
Comments
Question 2: The Purpose of Atlas Shrugged
Question: Was Atlas Shrugged written to save America? Recently, I ran across this comment on the internet: ""Saving America wasn't the point of Atlas Shrugged, that's not the happily ever after it proposes in the end. It chronicles the main characters getting over that misguided mission and why." Two questions come to mind: (1) What was Ayn Rand's purpose in writing Atlas Shrugged? And (2) Do you think that being inspired to "save America" after reading Atlas Shrugged is misguided?
Answer, In Brief: The heroes of Atlas Shrugged aim to save America via their strike. However, Ayn Rand's purpose in writing the novel was literary, not didactic.
Tags: Activism, Art, Atlas Shrugged, Free Society, Literature, Politics
Listen or Download
Relevant Links
Comments
Question 3: Limiting Another's Generosity
Question: How much generosity is too much? Generosity seems like a trait that would fit well into your theory of moral amplifiers. But how does one best deal with someone who is being overly generous? I recently relocated to a new city and one of my coworkers with whom I am friendly has really gone above and beyond trying to help me get settled. She is constantly offering to help, lend me things, or even give me things to make life easier. I appreciate her offers and turn down many of them as politely as I can. But I struggle to find the right balance of accepting her generosity in due proportion to our friendship. She seems to be fairly wealthy, so I don't think her offers are sacrificial in any way, my issue is that we are friends, but not close enough friends to justify the incessant barrage of motherly offerings. Through consistent communication about what I am willing to accept and what I won't – and also owing to actually getting settled in the new city – she's backed off a bit. More broadly, how would you recommend dealing with this sort of problem? How can a person make sure not to make this mistake of being overly generous?
Answer, In Brief: The problem in this case isn't so much one of excess generosity, but rather boundary-crossing. Be cautious, and err on the side of refusing offered favors.
Tags: Boundaries, Ethics, Generosity, Moral Amplifiers, Personality, Relationships
Listen or Download
Relevant Links
Comments
Rapid Fire Questions (40:20)
- Can an individual work for the government and retain their integrity?
- How should one respond to a sexual partner who is turned on by forceful situations?
- Apart from Rand and Nietzsche, what other philosophies have staunchly defended 'this-worldliness'?
- Is it possible to show deference to your superiors without being humble and submissive?
- What do you think about the TV series "Parks and Recreation" and particularly about the character of Ron Swanson? Isn't that a smart depiction of both government bureaucracy and libertarians?
- How should we view the American tourists held captive by North Korea?
- Do you think it's possible to permanently change your personality by acting in a certain way?
- Is it second handed that I refuse to tell people my favorite writer is Ayn Rand? I'm just fed up with having to explain to people that liking Ayn Rand doesn't automatically make me an awful person.
Listen or Download
Comments
Conclusion (1:04:32)
Thank you for joining us for this episode of Philosophy in Action Radio! If you enjoyed this episode, please contribute to contribute to our tip jar.
Support Philosophy in Action
Once you submit this form, you'll be automatically redirected to a page for payment. If you have any questions or further comments, please email me at [email protected].
Thank you for contributing to Philosophy in Action! You make our work possible every week, and we're so grateful for that!
If you enjoy Philosophy in Action, please help us spread the word about it! Tell your friends about upcoming broadcasts by forwarding our newsletter. Link to episodes or segments from our topics archive. Share our blog posts, podcasts, and events on Facebook and Twitter. Rate and review the podcast in iTunes (M4A and MP3). We appreciate any and all of that!
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.
If you join us for the live broadcasts, you can ask follow-up questions and make comments in the text-based chat. Otherwise, you can listen to the podcast by subscribing to our Podcast RSS Feed. You can also peruse the podcast archive, where episodes and questions are sorted by date and by topic.
For regular commentary, announcement, and humor, read my blog NoodleFood and subscribe to its Blog RSS Feed. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter and connect on social media too.
I can be reached via e-mail to [email protected].
Copyright Diana Brickell | Web | Email | Twitter | Facebook