On the next Philosophy in Action Radio, I'll answer questions on egoistic benevolence, public shamings, problems with an aggressive dog, photography as art, and more. The live broadcast begins at 8 am PT / 9 MT / 10 CT / 11 ET on Sunday, 15 December 2013. If you can't attend live, be sure to listen to the podcast later.

Central Purpose, Kant on Sex, Voter Education, and More

Q&A Radio: Sunday, 15 September 2013

I answered questions on identifying a central purpose, Immanuel Kant on sex, becoming an educated voter, atheists patronizing religious businesses, and more on Philosophy in Action Radio on Sunday, 15 September 2013. Greg Perkins of Objectivist Answers was my co-host. You can listen to or download the podcast below.

Remember, Philosophy in Action Radio is available to anyone, free of charge. That's because our goal is to spread rational principles for real life far and wide, as we do every week to thousands of listeners. We love doing that, but each episode requires our time, effort, and money. So if you enjoy and value our work, please contribute to our tip jar. We suggest $5 per episode or $20 per month, but any amount is appreciated. You can send your contribution via Dwolla, PayPal, or US Mail.

My News of the Week: I've been busy editing my forthcoming book, Responsibility & Luck: A Defense of Praise and Blame. We've only gotten a few inches of rain, but Colorado has been devastated by flooding of biblical proportions. If you want to help, here's how.

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Segments: 15 September 2013


Question 1: Identifying a Central Purpose (4:46)

Question: How can I identify my own central purpose? I understand the importance of a central purpose to organize my values and pursuits. However, I'm not sure how to identify what my central purpose is. What if I have a few major pursuits, but none dominates the others? What if my career is in flux – or not yet settled? Also, how concrete or abstract should my central purpose be?

Answer, In Brief: A person's central purpose is not any kind of divine calling, but rather a cultivated career. Often, a person can identify a theme to his work that's helpful to guiding his decision-making about future endeavors.

Tags: Career, Central Purpose, Ethics, Hobbies, Life, Productiveness, Work

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Question 2: Immanuel Kant on Sex (21:58)

Question: What are Immanuel Kant's views on sex? In your June 30th, 2013 discussion of studying philosophy in academia, you said that Immanuel Kant has some very distinctive and revealing views about marriage, sex, and masturbation. What are they? What do they reveal about this ethics? Have they been influential in academia or the culture?

Answer, In Brief: Kant's views on sex are horrific – and they reveal the true meaning of his Categorical Imperative, as well as his willingness to fabricate arguments to reach his desired conclusions.

Tags: Academia, Ethics, Immanuel Kant, Love, Philosophy, Relationships, Romance, Sex

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Question 3: Becoming an Educated Voter (41:26)

Question: How should I educate myself so that I can cast informed votes in elections? I'm 25, and I've never voted in any local, state, or national election. I have good reason for that, I think: I've never been able to educate myself sufficiently on the candidates to be certain of who to vote for. Also, as a marketing student with a passion for advertising and public relations, I don't think I could vote until I'd seen the inside of a campaign team as a member of it, so that I have a personal understanding of how much the candidate presented is real or idealized. I know that that is unrealistic, because I wouldn't know which candidate to work for. Instead of that, what steps could I take to inform myself, without consuming too much time, so that I could vote in the next presidential election?

Answer, In Brief: A person ought to educate himself before voting, and that's relatively easy to do with a bit of research into the candidate's positions and record.

Tags: Elections, Politics, Voting

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Question 4: Atheists Patronizing Religious Businesses (54:24)

Question: Is it wrong for an atheist to patronize religious businesses? Is it an endorsement of religion or failure of integrity for an atheist to buy goods or services from a religious business, such as hiring an explicitly religious (and advertised as such) plumber or joining the local YMCA?

Answer, In Brief: Most people are religious, and they're good trading partners. However, when a person injects his religion into his business, that's increasing the likelihood of unwanted proselytizing, as well as seeming to endorse his religiosity. In that case, find another person to do business with, if possible.

Tags: Atheism, Boundaries, Business, Integrity, Justice, Religion, Respect, Sanction

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Rapid Fire Questions (1:00:40)

In this segment, I answered questions chosen at random by Greg Perkins impromptu. The questions were:
  • About the trolley problem, wouldn't flipping the switch still legally make you a murderer?
  • What is the best argument to stop me from telling people on the internet they are wrong? I know it won't go anywhere, but I still feel an urge to point it out.
  • Can silly poop jokes or other forms of very silly pointless humor be a central purpose in life? Can silliness in general be a central purpose?

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Conclusion (1:05:07)

Thank you for joining us for this episode of Philosophy in Action Radio! If you enjoyed this episode, please contribute to contribute to our tip jar.


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Remember, Philosophy in Action Radio is available to anyone, free of charge. That's because our goal is to spread rational principles for real life far and wide, as we do every week to thousands of listeners. We love doing that, but each episode requires our time, effort, and money. So if you enjoy and value our work, please contribute to our tip jar. We suggest $5 per episode or $20 per month, but any amount is appreciated. You can send your contribution via Dwolla, PayPal, or US Mail.

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About Philosophy in Action Radio

I'm Dr. Diana Hsieh. I'm a philosopher specializing the application of rational principles to the challenges of real life. I received my Ph.D in philosophy from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2009. My first book, Responsibility & Luck: A Defense of Praise and Blame, is available for purchase in paperback, as well as for Kindle and Nook. The book defends the justice of moral praise and blame of persons using an Aristotelian theory of moral responsibility, thereby refuting Thomas Nagel's "problem of moral luck."

My radio show, Philosophy in Action Radio, broadcasts live over the internet on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. On Sunday mornings, I answer four meaty questions applying rational principles to the challenges of real life in a live hour-long show. Greg Perkins of Objectivist Answers co-hosts the show. On Wednesday evenings, I interview an expert guest about a topic of practical importance.

If you join us for the live broadcasts, you can ask follow-up questions and make comments in the text-based chat. Otherwise, you can listen to the podcast by subscribing to our Podcast RSS Feed. You can also peruse the show archives, where episodes and questions are sorted by date and by topic.

For regular updates, commentary, and humor, read my blog NoodleFood and subscribe to its Blog RSS Feed. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter and connect on social media too.

I can be reached via e-mail to [email protected].

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