Q&A Webcast Episode: 20 November 2011
In this 20 November 2011 episode of Q&A Webcast, Dr. Diana Hsieh answered four questions on the meaning of citizenship in a free society, the legal status of automatic weapons, forcing religious fanaticism on others, reasoning by facts rather than emotions, and more in an hour-long broadcast. Greg Perkins of Objectivist Answers was the audio co-host.
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My News of the Week: Happily, Dr. Gimpy is doing great! I've been editing the paper that Ari Armstrong and I are writing on abortion, as well as updating and improving the new web site for Philosophy in Action.
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Segments: 20 November 2011
Question 1: The Meaning of Citizenship in a Free Society (4:01)
In this segment, Dr. Diana Hsieh answered a question on the meaning of citizenship in a free society.
What should it mean for a person to be a citizen of country? Suppose that America were a free country, with open borders. What would be the difference between a long-term resident and a citizen? How would that affect a person's relationship to the government? How would a person (including someone born in the US) become a citizen? Could a person be a citizen of two countries?
My Answer, In Brief: In a free society, a citizen must be loyal to basic principles of country, in word (by swearing allegiance to the constitution) and deed (by voluntarily financing the government). That would entitle the citizen to extra protections by the government, as well as the right to participate in the government by voting and more. Other people, so long as not hostile or criminal, would be free to live and work in the country as residents, with their rights protected.
Tags: Citizenship, Free Society, Government, Immigration, Law, Politics, Rights
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Question 2: The Legal Status of Automatic Weapons (23:37)
In this segment, Dr. Diana Hsieh answered a question on the legal status of automatic weapons.
Should it be legal for civilians to own fully automatic weapons? At present, civilians can only own full-auto firearms by special permission of the US Treasury. In a free society, would such weapons be banned or regulated, such that only members of the police and military could access them? As a law-abiding civilian, am I somehow violating someone else's rights by owning an M-16 fully automatic rifle – as opposed to the virtually identical (and currently legal) semi-automatic AR-15 rifle?
My Answer, In Brief: The critical question to ask with any potentially dangerous property is whether mere ownership constitutes a threat to others. That's not true of firearms, including fully automatic weapons.
Tags: Firearms, Law, Politics, Rights, Self-Defense
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Question 3: Forcing Religious Fanaticism on Others (36:25)
In this segment, Dr. Diana Hsieh answered a question on forcing religious fanaticism on others.
Why do religious fanatics seek to impose their beliefs on others? Most religious fanatics aren't content to practice their religion for themselves: they seek to impose it on others by law. Why is that? Why is that wrong? What can be done to combat it?
My Answer, In Brief: For myriad reasons, the politics that naturally flows from religious faith is forced obedience, not freedom.
Tags: Christianity, Epistemology, Ethics, Ethics, Government, Politics, Psycho-Epistemology, Psychology, Religion
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Question 4: Reasoning by Facts Rather than Emotions (43:10)
In this segment, Dr. Diana Hsieh answered a question on reasoning by facts rather than emotions.
How do I know that I'm reasoning based on facts, rather than just being driven by my emotions? Often, I feel strong emotions on some personal or political issue. How do I know that I'm not rationalizing what I want to be true?
My Answer, In Brief: By monitoring his thinking, a person can notice the many signs of rationalizing feelings rather than reasoning based on facts. Introspection is the key to noticing and solving this problem.
Tags: Emotions, Epistemology, Introspection, Psycho-Epistemology, Psychology, Rationality
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Rapid Fire Questions (54:18)
- Is jury nullification ever justified?
- When saying the Pledge of Allegiance, what should be one's policy concerning "under God"? Should one simply leave out those words?
- Is there anything wrong with being strongly attracted to certain unchosen traits in a potential romantic partner (e.g. blonde vs brunette, short vs tall, race, etc)?
- I know many people who supposedly share my same rational, egoistic, pro-freedom philosophy – but they're unpleasant jerks! How can this be, if we're all committed to reason and happiness?
- What do you think of the idea of a "temporary marriage", as Mexico has instituted?
- What do you think about the Joe Paterno situation at Penn State? Specificaally, how should someone handle receiving second-hand allegations?
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Conclusion (1:02:53)
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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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