On Sunday’s episode of Philosophy in Action Radio, Greg Perkins and I answered questions on accepting voluntary sacrifices, agnosticism, introducing children to Objectivism, and more. The podcast of that episode is now available for streaming or downloading.

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Whole Podcast: 10 August 2014

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Podcast Segments: 10 August 2014

You can download or listen to my answers to individual questions from this episode below.

Introduction

My News of the Week: I’ve been making the final edits to the book version of Explore Atlas Shrugged, as well as promoting pledges for Ari Armstrong’s and my new paper in defense of abortion rights. So far, 12 pledges for $580, but $1500 required by August 20th to make the project go forward. There won’t be any live Philosophy in Action Radio next week, but I’ll post a podcast on Sunday.

Question 1: Accepting Voluntary Sacrifices

Question: Is accepting voluntary sacrifices from others moral? Imagine that someone offers you a way to increase your wealth, lengthen your lifespan, or achieve your goals at great personal cost to and even sacrifice of himself. Is it wrong to accept that? What if you’ve tried setting them straight and telling them to act in their self-interest, but they still insist on trying to be altruistic? Would accepting such a sacrifice be a breach of integrity for an egoist, or would rational egoism urge you to enjoy the proffered benefits, so long as voluntarily bestowed? In other words, is accepting voluntary sacrifices from others different from forcing others to sacrifice to you?

My Answer, In Brief: A rational egoist understands that sacrifice is poison to relationships – and that accepting sacrifices soon leads to looking for people to exploit. You’re not your brother’s keeper – ultimately, each person must look out for his own interests – but you can and should refuse blatant sacrifices from others, for your sake and theirs.

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To comment on this question or my answer, visit its comment thread.

Question 2: Agnosticism

Question: Can the non-existence of God be proven? I see how a person could believe – purely based on rational argument – that God’s existence cannot be proven, thereby becoming an agnostic. On the one hand, many non-theists criticize theists for believing in a deity strictly on faith, claiming that there’s no rational reason to believe in a deity. Most theists, however, would probably reject that, saying that they have rational reasons for their beliefs too. On the other hand, atheism seems just as unproveable as theism. Yet atheists claim that their beliefs are based on reason, rather than emotion or faith. As a result, aren’t the atheists covertly relying on faith? Or can atheism be proven purely based on reason? Why not just admit that we don’t know? Also, practically speaking, isn’t the agnostic basically the same as an atheist?

My Answer, In Brief: Agnosticism – in the philosophical sense of claiming that God’s existence or not cannot be known – is not warranted. It violates the burden of proof principle and overlooks the empirical evidence against God’s existence.

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To comment on this question or my answer, visit its comment thread.

Question 3: Introducing Children to Objectivism

Question: How should I introduce my teenagers to Atlas Shrugged and Objectivism? I’d like to introduce my teenagers to Ayn Rand’s novels, as well as to the principles of her philosophy of Objectivism. How should I do that? My concern is that I’ll bungle it up and bore them to death or succeed too well and convert them into Objectivist jerks for the next ten years. What’s a rational approach for parents?

My Answer, In Brief: If you’ve been living your philosophy, you’ve been teaching it to your children as well. You should not take a heavy-handed approach, but instead wait for them to express some interest in the ideas.

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To comment on this question or my answer, visit its comment thread.

Rapid Fire Questions

Questions:

  • Does providing voluntary, non-sacrificial help to innocent, unfortunate poor people qualify as virtuous? In a free society, would such charity be a moral obligation?
  • Should it be illegal to take pictures of strangers without their permission, such as when creepy men take “up-skirt” pictures of women on a subway?
  • Am I too charitable with philosophers? Whenever Rand berates some philosopher for being wrong, I read their work and then think “well, they do kind of have a point; well done to them for having a point.”

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  • Start Time: 56:45
  • Duration: 8:09
  • Download: MP3 Segment

To comment on these questions or my answers, visit its comment thread.

Conclusion

Be sure to check out the topics scheduled for upcoming episodes! Don’t forget to submit and vote on questions for future episodes too!

  • Start Time: 1:04:55


About Philosophy in Action Radio

Philosophy in Action Radio focuses on the application of rational principles to the challenges of real life. It broadcasts live on most Sunday mornings and many Thursday evenings over the internet. For information on upcoming shows, visit the Episodes on Tap. For podcasts of past shows, visit the Show Archives.

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