Q&A Webcast Episode: 20 March 2011
In this 20 March 2011 episode of Q&A Webcast, Dr. Diana Hsieh answered six questions on the nature of love, unrequited love, bisexuality and relationships with men and women, hypotheticals in ethics, recommending the upcoming atlas shrugged movie, asking a person out, and more in an hour-long broadcast. Greg Perkins of Objectivist Answers was the audio co-host.
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Segments: 20 March 2011
Question 1: The Nature of Love (10:35)
In this segment, Dr. Diana Hsieh answered a question on the nature of love.
What is love? How would you distinguish between romantic love and the love of close friendship? What is the difference between infatuation and love? How can a rational person know when he or she is "in love"?
My Answer, In Brief: For a person to be in love with another person does not just concern the strength of the emotional attachment, but also the nature of the relationship and depth of knowledge of the other person.
Tags: Friendship, Love, Relationships, Romance
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Question 2: Unrequited Love (26:05)
In this segment, Dr. Diana Hsieh answered a question on unrequited love.
How does one best deal with unrequited love? I am most interested in this from the perspective of someone who harbors feelings for a friend. In particular, how do you "move on"? When I have been in this situation, I have found it difficult to be interested in others I'm trying to date when so "hung up". Is it necessary to distance oneself from the object of one's affection, even if it means to some extent giving up a life-enhancing friendship? What if one would rather remain single than diminish the friendship? Can that be a rational choice? If so, for how long? Does the answer change if the initial rejection was not unequivocal, but based on some possibly temporary circumstances (like a current relationship)?
My Answer, In Brief: While much depends on the particular circumstances, the crucial question is whether the friendship can be maintained as a friendship despite the love-interest or not – or whether feelings of angst or jealousy are simply so strong as to require a break.
Tags: Emotions, Friendship, Introspection, Relationships, Romance
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Question 3: Bisexuality and Relationships with Men and Women (35:42)
In this segment, Dr. Diana Hsieh answered a question on bisexuality and relationships with men and women.
If one is bisexual and derives different values from relationships/sex with men than with women, is it proper to maintain concurrent relationships with both? Assume here, that if such an individual were to forsake having a relationship or sex with either gender, he/she would feel like something is missing and would long for the other.
My Answer, In Brief: It's not possible, in my view, to maintain a deep and meaningful sexual relationship with more than one person. So the answer to this dilemma seems to lie in introspection and perhaps experimentation.
Tags: Monogamy, Relationships, Romance, Sex
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Question 4: Hypotheticals in Ethics (44:35)
In this segment, Dr. Diana Hsieh answered a question on hypotheticals in ethics.
Are hypothetical scenarios useful in ethics? In your 27 February 2011 webcast, you talked about a hypothetical in which saving a stranger costs $200 and two hours of time. How can you know such details, except by stipulation? Aren't such hypotheticals useless because they're not the like the circumstances that people actually face, which usually involve lots of unknowns?
My Answer, In Brief: Hypotheticals are useful in ethics provided that they are metaphysically and epistemically realistic.
Tags: Ethics
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Question 5: Recommending the Upcoming Atlas Shrugged Movie (50:28)
In this segment, Dr. Diana Hsieh answered a question on recommending the upcoming atlas shrugged movie.
Assuming the Atlas Shrugged movie turns out to be decent, would it be immoral to recommend it to others since the movie is backed by a trustee of The Atlas Society?
My Answer, In Brief: While the movie's connection to The Atlas Society is regrettable (see why), that connection is tenuous enough that recommending the movie cannot be construed as an endorsement thereof. However, the critical thing is that people recommend reading the book, not just watch the movie!
Tags: Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand, Film, Sanction
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Question 6: Asking a Person Out (54:49)
In this segment, Dr. Diana Hsieh answered a question on asking a person out.
How should one approach a girl one is interested in? How does one go about asking her on a date?
My Answer, In Brief: Be straightforward: ask to spend some time together based on the nature of your interest (which should be more than mere looks).
Tags: Dating, Relationships, Romance
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Conclusion (1:00:19)
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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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