On Sunday, I hosted another episode of my live Rationally Selfish Webcast, where I answered questions from viewers on practical ethics and the principles of living well. The live webcasts are held every Sunday at 8 am PT / 9 am MT / 10 am CT / 11 am ET. The webcast consists of me broadcasting on video, Greg Perkins of Objectivist Answers on audio, and the audience in a text chat.

As usual, an audio recording of Sunday’s live webcast is now available as a NoodleCast podcast. To get these podcasts automatically, you can subscribe to the feed in iTunes — just choose either the enhanced M4A format or the standard MP3 format. They’re the same content, but the M4A format breaks each question into its own “chapter.”

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The Video

The full video for the webcast is only available to live attendees. Now, you can listen and/or download the audio podcast. However, I’ll post my favorite segment or two of video to my YouTube channel later this week.

The Podcast

Listen Now

Duration: 1:05:15

Download the Episode

• Download the Enhanced M4A File (30.8 MB)
• Download the Standard MP3 File (29.9 MB)

Subscribe to the Feed

• Subscribe to the Enhanced M4A Feed in iTunes or in your RSS reader
• Subscribe to the Standard MP3 Feed in iTunes or in your RSS reader

In This Episode

The following segments are marked as chapters in the M4A version of the podcast. Thanks to Tammy Perkins for helping compile the show notes!

Introduction (0:00)

Current Projects:

While in Los Angeles and Palm Springs, I’ve mostly been enjoying spending time with family and friends. I’ve also been working on programming for this webcast, as well as my updates to Explore Atlas Shrugged.

Question 1: Announcing Life-Changing New Beliefs (2:27)

When a person adopts a life-changing set of beliefs, how should he present that to family and friends? The point would not be to try to convince them to follow, but to say “look… this is what I believe, these are the principles by which I now live my life now, and please respect my choice to do so.”

My Answer, In Brief: You need to focus on what you can do — namely be clear, be firm, and be kind about your change in views and practices.

Question 2: The Morality of Strategic Default (11:39)

Is it moral to strategically default on your mortgage? Suppose that you could continue to pay your mortgage, but you’re underwater: you owe more than the house is worth. You realize that you’d save tens of thousands of dollars by defaulting. Would it be morally wrong to default, assuming that you don’t engage in any fraud or other dishonesty in doing so? Would it make a difference if you do that in today’s highly regulated market versus in a fully free market?

My Answer, In Brief: Strategic default is morally wrong: it’s dishonest and unjust. It’s your job in life to ensure that you borrow money sensibly and then repay those loans.

Links:

• Should We Care if People Don’t Pay Their Debts? and Is It Okay to Steal From Macy’s? by Megan McArdle
• Yes, It’s Okay To Walk Away From Your Mortgage and Should You Consider a ‘Strategic Default’ on Your Mortgage?
• On Bankruptcy at Cornell University’s Legal Information Institute; Bankruptcy Exemptions: You Don’t Lose Everything and Bankruptcy in Colorado at Lawyers.com; and On Chapter 13 Bankruptcy at the US Courts

Question 3: Swearing Before Strangers (32:36)

Should you swear in front of strangers? Swearing is sometimes a great “exclamation point” when you’re telling a story or having an intense or extraordinary conversation. But, is it appropriate to swear in front of people who don’t know you very well? Is that poor manners? Would “being yourself” conflict with “putting your best foot forward” in this case?

My Answer, In Brief: Swearing is a minor point of style that a person should use or not depending on his circumstances.

Question 4: Letting Friends Fail (37:40)

Are there times when you shouldn’t help a friend? If you see a friend taking some action which may be ultimately self-defeating or self-destructive, but you are pretty sure they don’t have the knowledge or experience to understand the future consequences of their actions, should you allow them to learn on their own or stop them from making a mistake that you know will be disastrous?

My Answer, In Brief: When a friend seems to be making a mistake, don’t shoot first then ask questions later. Instead, ask questions first, then think about their answers, then give your advice if it’s wanted, and then see what happens.

Question 5: Rapid Fire Questions (47:30)

In this segment, I answered a variety of questions off-the-cuff.

• What do you think of interventions?
• What is bankruptcy? Should a person’s debt expire?
• What if you approached the bank with a speculative loan and were upfront about it (accepting a higher interest rate, etc.)? Is it OK to default if the property value crashes?
• Why are some words considered bad — and is that right?
• Does the fact that Tourettes sufferers involuntarily spew “bad” words indicate a low level psychological acceptance of social language norms?
• If a person just thinks destructive thoughts, does that make the person evil?
• Where’s the line between sharing new ideas and information with friends and family — and proselytizing to them?
• What is your opinion of the Suicide Girls?
• Do adult children have an obligation to maintain a relationship with their parents?
• Does the failure of an incorporated business – say an S corporation – impose moral obligations on the owners to pay those debts from other income?
• Should pediatricians ask their patients about guns in the house?

Conclusion (1:03:58)

Comments or questions? Contact us!

• Diana Hsieh: DianaHsieh.com: diana@RationallySelfish.com
• Greg Perkins: Objectivist Answers: greg@eCosmos.com

If you enjoyed this episode, please don’t forget to contribute to our tip jar! Also, remember to submit and vote on questions in the the ongoing question queue!