Saturday, June 08, 2013

Philosophy Weekend: News from Philosophy in Action

By Diana Hsieh

Every Saturday, I post the news of the week from my primary work, Philosophy in Action, where I apply rational principles to the challenges of real life. Here's this week's update.

Upcoming Radio Shows


Philosophy in Action Radio broadcasts live over the internet on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. Below are the episodes upcoming this week. I hope that you join us! More upcoming episodes can be found here: Episodes on Tap.

Sunday Morning, 9 June 2013: Q&A on Libertarianism, Mental Illness, Broken Relationships, and More

I'll answer these four questions on the live broadcast of Philosophy in Action Radio on Sunday morning, 9 June 2013.
  • Question 1: Objectivism Versus Libertarianism: Are Objectivism and libertarianism allies in the struggle for liberty? Libertarians have long claimed that Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism (or just its politics) is a form of libertarianism, but Objectivists rejected that. More recently, however, notable Objectivist John Allison assumed the presidency of the thoroughly libertarian Cato Institute with the support of the Ayn Rand Institute, and he claimed that "all objectivists are libertarians, but not all libertarians are objectivists." Is that true? What is the essence of libertarianism? When, if ever, should Objectivists ally or collaborate with libertarians?
  • Question 2: Bad Ideas as a Cause of Mental Illness: Can the consistent practice of wrong ideas lead to mental illness? Often, the most consistent practitioners of an ideology – such as Naziism or Islam – seem to become increasingly unhinged over time. Does fully embracing a fantasy-based ideology entail or encourage mental illness, such as paranoia and delusions? If so, are such people then not responsible for what they say or do?
  • Question 3: Doctors Refusing to Perform Abortions: Does a doctor violate a woman's rights by refusing to perform an abortion? Many people on the left claim that a doctor who refuses to perform an abortion – or a pharmacist who refuses to dispense Plan B – is thereby violating the rights of the woman. Those doctors and pharmacists, however, claim that they're exercising their own freedom of religion. Who is right?
  • Question 4: Broken Relationships: When is a relationship broken beyond repair? Relationships can be severely strained, fraught with anger and frustration, and perhaps put on ice for weeks or months or years. Yet in the end, the two people can often reconcile in some way, so that they can enjoy a genuine (even if not deep) relationship again. In some cases, however, that's not possible. Why not? In such cases, must the problem be that one person (or both people) continue to behave badly? Or might reconciliation be impossible between two good people? If so, why?
The live broadcast begins at 8 am PT / 9 MT / 10 CT / 11 ET on Sunday, 9 June 2013. The podcast will be posted later that day. For more details, check out the episode page.

Wednesday Evening, 12 June 2013: Trey Peden on "Privacy and Online Marketing"

I'll interview online marketing professional Trey Peden about "Privacy and Online Marketing" on the live broadcast of Philosophy in Action Radio on Wednesday evening, 12 June 2013.

What do online marketing companies know about you? How do they gather data? Should you be alarmed by that? If so, what tools can help you protect your privacy online?

Trey Peden is a seasoned online marketing professional who has been designing, building, and refining users' online brand experiences for over 15 years. He works for Acxiom Corporation – one of the largest marketing data, technology, and services vendors in the world – as a product marketer for their digital marketing suite of tools.

The live broadcast begins at 6 pm PT / 7 MT / 8 CT / 9 ET on Wednesday, 12 June 2013. The podcast will be posted later that evening. For more details, check out the episode page.


Recent Podcasts


The podcasts of last week's radio shows are now available. Check out the full collection of past radio shows in the archives, sorted by date or by topic. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast RSS feed too.

2 June 2013: Q&A on Abortion, Obama, Infidelity, Family Time, and More

I answered these questions on Sunday's Philosophy in Action Radio:

Can abortion rights be justified based on Judith Thomson's "violinist" argument? Will Obama's second term further damage American culture and values? Should marital infidelity be illegal? Should I limit my time away from family in deference to their cultural expectations?

You can listen to or download the podcast below, and visit the episode's page for more, including audio files for individual questions.

Recent Blog Posts


Here are last week's posts to Philosophy in Action's blog NoodleFood, ordered from oldest to newest. Don't miss a post: subscribe to NoodleFood's RSS Feed.
If you're interested in more from Philosophy in Action, be sure to like our Facebook Page and subscribe to our Newsletter!

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By Diana Hsieh · Posted at 10:00 AM · Labels:
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