Boycotting Chick-Fil-A
Q&A Webcast Episode: 12 February 2012, Question 4
In this segment of the Q&A Webcast of 12 February 2012, Dr. Diana Hsieh answered a question on boycotting chick-fil-a.
Should people boycott Chick-Fil-A for its hostility to gays? The fast food chain Chick-Fil-A is well-known for its promotion of Christian values. In recent years, the company has actively worked against gay marriage, in alliance with other organizations promoting the imposition of biblical commands by law. More generally, the company is hostile to same-sex couples. Given that Chick-Fil-A uses money from customers and shareholders to promote theocracy and other rights-violations, should people condemn and boycott the chain?
My Answer, In Brief: If a company takes a stand on some cultural or political issue, then potential customers can and should judge them on that basis. In some cases, a boycott is the right choice.
Tags: Business, Ethics, Integrity, LGBT, Religion, Sanction
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- Download: MP3 Segment
- Duration: 15:10
Relevant Links
- Yes, Chick-fil-A Says, We Explicitly Do Not Like Same-Sex Couples
- "The Cult of Moral Greyness" by Ayn Rand in The Virtue of Selfishness
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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.
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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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