Q&A Webcast Episode: 14 August 2011
In this 14 August 2011 episode of Q&A Webcast, Dr. Diana Hsieh answered four questions on proper immigration policy, cryonics and life extension, returning lost money, deliberately losing a pricey library book, and more in an hour-long broadcast. Greg Perkins of Objectivist Answers was the audio co-host.
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Segments: 14 August 2011
Question 1: Proper Immigration Policy (3:44)
In this segment, Dr. Diana Hsieh answered a question on proper immigration policy.
Why should a free country have open borders? In your July 24th webcast, you agreed with the questioner that the current laws restricting immigration are wrong. Why? Shouldn't Americans be able to restrict immigration, if they so choose? What, if any, limits should be set on immigration?
My Answer, In Brief: A policy of open immigration is the only moral policy for a free society because it's the only policy that respects individual rights. It's also the only practical policy because immigrants enhance the culture and the economy. Opposition to immigration almost always stems from collectivism.
Tags: Conservatism, Economics, Ethics, Free Society, Immigration, Law, Politics
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Question 2: Cryonics and Life Extension (25:05)
In this segment, Dr. Diana Hsieh answered a question on cryonics and life extension.
What's the proper view of using cryonics as a means of extending one's life? Suppose there is at least a small chance that, if I am cryonically frozen in the coming years, doctors will be able to revive me at some point in the future. And suppose that the cost is not an impediment – meaning that I don't have to give up any other important values in order to pay. Would this then be morally required because life is the standard of value? Would it be morally optional? Or is there some reason why it would be irrational?
My Answer, In Brief: If you're considering cryonics, you should think seriously about range of possible outcomes, as well as how else that money could be spent. In the end, if you think it worth doing, then do it. If not, then don't.
Tags: Ethics, Health, Life, Life Extension
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Question 3: Returning Lost Money (33:13)
In this segment, Dr. Diana Hsieh answered a question on returning lost money.
If you find money in a house that you've purchased should you return it? A man recently found about $45,000 hidden in the house that he'd recently bought. (See this article.) It was saved up by the prior owner, now dead. He returned it to the man's children. Should the buyer of the house have returned the money? Was he morally or legally obligated to do so? If not, was doing so foolish or altruistic?
My Answer, In Brief: In some such cases, you cannot regard yourself as morally entitled to the money, even if it's legally yours. In that case, you should return it, and to fail to do so would be a breech of integrity.
Tags: Benevolence, Ethics, Honesty, Justice, Property, Property, Rights
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Question 4: Deliberately Losing a Pricey Library Book (42:53)
In this segment, Dr. Diana Hsieh answered a question on deliberately losing a pricey library book.
Is it moral to "defraud" a public library? There is an out-of-print book that I can't get for less than $100, a price I am not willing to pay. My library has a copy but they won't offer it for sale. Is it wrong to tell the library it is "lost" and just pay the fees, assuming they are reasonable? Does it matter that the library is an illegitimate government program that I'm taxed to support?
My Answer, In Brief: To do that would be dishonest, because you're faking reality to gain a value. Even though the library is a government entity, you're not forced to deal with it, and you shouldn't use the government to obtain a good that you're not willing to pay market rates for.
Tags: Ethics, Government, Honesty, Politics
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Rapid Fire Questions (51:24)
- What do philosophers mean when they talk about "zombies"?
- Should Israel allow unlimited immigration?
- Would you control the rate of entry in immigration?
- What other policies might need to be changed with open immigration?
- What do you think of Yaron Brook's "buy a house, get a green card" proposal?
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Conclusion (1:00:21)
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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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