Q&A Webcast Episode: 6 November 2011
In this 6 November 2011 episode of Q&A Webcast, Dr. Diana Hsieh answered four questions on working for a minister, giving away unhealthy food, voting for horrible politicians, celebrating holidays, and more in an hour-long broadcast. Greg Perkins of Objectivist Answers was the audio co-host.
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Segments: 6 November 2011
Question 1: Working for a Minister (5:28)
In this segment, Dr. Diana Hsieh answered a question on working for a minister.
Is working for a minister giving religion moral sanction? As an atheist, I once worked for an ordained minster who was the owner of a gallery. I became his manager when I made it clear that I was an atheist, but that I was a good framing manager. I don't think I gave him a moral sanction for his irrationality by working for him under those terms. What do you think?
My Answer, In Brief: An atheist shouldn't want to endorse or assist religion, but that doesn't preclude secular business relationships with religious believers.
Tags: Atheism, Business, Christianity, Ethics, Integrity, Judgment, Justice, Religion, Work
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Question 2: Giving Away Unhealthy Food (17:16)
In this segment, Dr. Diana Hsieh answered a question on giving away unhealthy food.
Is it immoral to give away food that you regard as unhealthy? Assuming that one believes (as I do) that candy and sweets are harmful to health (especially in quantity), is it immoral to participate in trick-or-treat by giving children candy when they come to your door? Or, is it immoral to "dispose" of an unwanted gift of, say, a rich chocolate cake by leaving it by the coffee machine at work to be quickly scarfed up by one's co-workers (as an alternative to simply discarding it)? Is the morality of these two cases different because in one case the recipients are children while in the other case they are adults?
My Answer, In Brief: If I give a person something, it's because I value them. So I'd rather not give people something damaging, particularly if they're oblivious to its dangers. Ultimately, however, people are going to make their own decisions about what to eat.
Tags: Ethics, Health, Integrity, Nutrition, Paleo, Responsibility
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Question 3: Voting for Horrible Politicians (30:07)
In this segment, Dr. Diana Hsieh answered a question on voting for horrible politicians.
All the candidates are nearly perfectly horrid, just in different ways. Why should I even bother to vote?
My Answer, In Brief: We're not always faced with choice between two varieties of evil in elections, and in those cases, it's proper to vote. Also, it's good to vote for ballot measures. So vote selectively!
Tags: Abortion, Elections, Politics, Republican Party, Rights, Rights
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Question 4: Celebrating Holidays (37:20)
In this segment, Dr. Diana Hsieh answered a question on celebrating holidays.
What is the value of celebrating holidays? How do you think holidays should or should not be celebrated? Also, what is your favorite holiday and how do you like to celebrate it?
My Answer, In Brief: The joy of holidays is not just a break from ordinary life but also a sense of personal integration and community fellowship. Holidays should be celebrated selfishly, so that they're meaningful and enjoyable!
Tags: Holidays, Optional Values, Tradition
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Rapid Fire Questions (44:09)
- Ayn Rand said publicly that homosexuality was immoral and disgusting. If you were around at the time, would you say publicly that her view was "horribly ignorant, armchair philosophizing at its worst ... truly unjustified and unjust" – as you said about Dr. Peikoff's views of transexuals?
- What do you think of Dr. Hurd's strategy of voting in anyone including Romney just to get rid of Obama?
- Why is Gary Johnson being excluded from the debates?
- Does Herman Cain really want to ban abortion?
- What's wrong with Roe v Wade?
- To what degree has Cain benefitted from affirmative action and white guilt?
- Is instituting daylight savings time a proper function of government?
- What is your favorite holiday music?
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Conclusion (1:00:36)
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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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