Q&A Webcast Episode: 30 January 2011
In this 30 January 2011 episode of Q&A Webcast, Dr. Diana Hsieh answered six questions on unequal incomes in marriage, men and women as friends, unpaid-for college classes, stealing from a thief, causality and free will, cultural pride, and more in an hour-long broadcast. Greg Perkins of Objectivist Answers was the audio co-host.
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Segments: 30 January 2011
Question 1: Unequal Incomes in Marriage (5:35)
In this segment, Dr. Diana Hsieh answered a question on unequal incomes in marriage.
Is it moral to have a sugarmomma or sugardaddy? My fiancee and I both have demanding careers, but she earns several times more than I. How should a married couple with very different incomes share income and/or expenses? If we agree to split household expenses evenly, my lower income is a significant constraint on her enjoyment, e.g., she can't buy an expensive house because I can't afford half of it. On the other hand, if we split expenses unevenly or if we treat all income as pooled, it seems that I'm benefiting lavishly from things I didn't produce. Is it moral for me to enjoy an expensive hobby which I couldn't have afforded on my own? I'd love to hear more about how you and Paul manage income and expenses, and especially what ethical principles apply.
My Answer, In Brief: Money shared by two productive people in marriage is not unearned, but part of integration of two lives into single whole. Whatever their incomes and expenses, spouses need openly settle on ways to fairly structure their finances.
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Question 2: Men and Women as Friends (23:46)
In this segment, Dr. Diana Hsieh answered a question on men and women as friends.
Can men and women be "just friends"? (This is a follow-up to the discussion on infidelity from January 23rd.) Where is the line crossed from friendship to something more intimate that would be a threat to a committed relationship? Is it fair for me to expect a romantic partner to keep his female friends at a distance?
My Answer, In Brief: Yes, men and women can be just friends. However, a person must adopt certain policies of thought and action to prevent some friendships from developing an undercurrent of sexual interest.
Tags: Friendship, Gender, Romance, Sex
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Question 3: Unpaid-For College Classes (31:13)
In this segment, Dr. Diana Hsieh answered a question on unpaid-for college classes.
Is it wrong to cheat a partly government funded institution? There are a couple of classes I would enjoy sitting in on at my university. They are large, and I would not be noticed. Would it be wrong to go without paying for them? I wouldn't do this with a private college, nor would I have qualms about a completely government funded school. But colleges are partly privately paid for. Would it be immoral for me to get some of that value without paying?
My Answer, In Brief: Regardless of whether the university is government-funded or not, a person should not sneak around but rather openly ask to join (or audit) classes.
Tags: Education, Ethics, Government, Honesty
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Question 4: Stealing from a Thief (38:12)
In this segment, Dr. Diana Hsieh answered a question on stealing from a thief.
Would it be wrong to steal from a thief? If an individual were placed in a position where they could steal from a con-man or a common burglar, and they did, would their decision to steal from a thief be moral or immoral and why?
My Answer, In Brief: To steal from a thief is to reject the value of objective law, not to mention court a world of trouble.
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Question 5: Causality and Free Will (45:27)
In this segment, Dr. Diana Hsieh answered a question on causality and free will.
How are causality and free will compatible? If my mind is an effect of my brain, and my brain is a complex physical system which operates in a deterministic way, doesn't that mean that my thoughts and actions are ultimately determined, too? What is wrong with the popular notions of causality and free will that make them appear incompatible?
My Answer, In Brief: Objectivism rejects the clearly deterministic premises underlying this question. If understood properly, causality and free will need not conflict.
Tags: Causality, Free Will, Metaphysics, Science
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Question 6: Cultural Pride (55:33)
In this segment, Dr. Diana Hsieh answered a question on cultural pride.
Is it wrong to be proud of or obtain your pride from your culture, family and ancestors? Is it correct to have pride in one's culture, family and ancestors? For example in Samoan society a Pe'a is a traditional male Samoan tattoo. According to my friend the pe'a tells him that the wearer has pride in their culture, their family and their ancestors. It is not just a physical marking but an indicator of his/her soul according to him.
My Answer, In Brief: Pride, whether as virtue or feeling, must be selective and based on your own choices and achievements. To speak of "pride in one's culture" is to distort the term beyond all sensible meaning.
Tags: Body Modification, Culture, Discrimination, Pride, Race, Relativism
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Conclusion (1:01:56)
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About Philosophy in Action Q&A Webcast
Every Sunday morning, philosopher Dr. Diana Hsieh answers four meaty questions applying rational principles to the challenges of real life in her live hour-long internet radio show, Philosophy in Action Advice Radio. Greg Perkins of Objectivist Answers co-hosts the show. The audience can ask follow-up questions and make comments in the text-based chat.
You can listen to Philosophy in Action broadcasts as podcasts by subscribing to the Philosophy in Action's Podcast RSS Feeds. Be sure to sign up for the Newsletter and connect on social media.
You can also peruse the show archives, listening to whole episodes or just selected segments. The show archives are sorted by date and by topic.
For regular updates, commentary, and humor from Dr. Diana Hsieh, visit her blog NoodleFood, and subscribe to its rss feed.
Dr. Diana Hsieh is a philosopher specializing in practical ethics. She received her Ph.D in philosophy from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2009. Her dissertation argued that Thomas Nagel's "problem of moral luck" can be resolved by an Aristotelian theory of moral responsibility. She began podcasting in 2009, then webcasting in 2010.
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