Rapid Fire Questions
Q&A Radio: Sunday, 7 June 2015
I answered questions chosen at random by Greg Perkins impromptu on 7 June 2015. You can listen to or download the podcast of just this section below – or check out the whole episode of Philosophy in Action Radio.
The questions were:
- How can you maintain a close friendship with someone if you don't like their spouse? Is it possible?
- What's the proper reaction of a girl who is being oogled and whistled at by guys in public? Is it a sign of lack of self-esteem if she enjoys it? Should the guys' behavior always be frowned upon?
- In light of the evolving understand of healthy eating from a paleo perspective, do you have a position on potatoes? Do you eat them?
- In answer to a chat-room question during a recent podcast, you said that there's no necessary connection between altruism and the concept of karma, because one will simply infuse karma with whatever basic ethical theory one holds. Isn't there more to it than that? Isn't karma an essential prop for altruism? In egoism, there's a clear bond between cause and effect: you enact certain virtues precisely because they lead to certain values. But in altruism you are expected to act regardless of whether or not the results of your actions are a value to you. It seems to me that karma comes in to fill-in the blank in order to answer all those pesky "why" questions. Why should I sacrifice my life by refusing to terminate a fetus with Down Syndrome? Because karma will reward me for doing so. On all levels, from life-altering choices down to giving a dollar to the panhandler, the concept of karma seems like a way of subverting careful, rational calculations of value. It's a thumb on the scale to tip any calculations in favor of whichever action would benefit others and away from whichever action would benefit myself.
- In a free society, would government bonds be a good way of funding the state, or would that infringe on the separation of state and economy?
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- Duration: 19:46
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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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