In early September, I’ll be speaking at the MiniCon of the Chicago Objectivist Society on the proper egoistic approach to family, rational and otherwise. The conference is already sold out, but even if you’re not able to attend, the lecture likely will be available later for purchase.
To help me prepare, I’d like you to tell me what kinds of problems you’ve had with your family that you’d like me to discuss.
Basically, I’d like a series of case studies to analyze, and I hope that you’ll contribute them! If you have one, please post it in the comments. Please give some — but not too much — detail about the particulars, perhaps a paragraph or two.
Or, if you have some general topic regarding family relations that you’d like me to cover, feel free to post a question. Also, if you like someone else’s scenario or question, hit the “like” button.
Here’s the abstract for my talk:
Family, Rational and OtherwiseMany people struggle to maintain ties with destructive family members, often sacrificing their own values and interests in the process. As rational egoists, Objectivists reject that “family-first” moral ideal, instead seeking mutually beneficial relationships based on shared values, including with family. Such egoistic family ties are often an invaluable source of visibility and support. However, family relations are not always easy: many are fraught with difficult and persistent conflicts.
In this lecture, Diana Hsieh will discuss how to be consistently rational and selfish in your dealings with irrational, altruistic, and/or religious family members. She will answer questions such as:
- When should you tolerate people you dislike or that you judge immoral?
- How can you make those people more tolerable — or even acceptable?
- When and how should you cut off relations with a destructive family member?
In short, this lecture will help you to better understand how to extract the most value from your family.
Now… comment away!
