Philosophy Weekend: News from Philosophy in Action

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 most 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, 8 December 2013: Q&A on Secular Humanism, European Colonizers, Love, Dogs, and More

I'll answer these four questions on the live broadcast of Philosophy in Action Radio on Sunday morning, 8 December 2013.

• Question 1: Objectivism Versus Secular Humanism: What are the similarities and differences between Objectivism and secular humanism? Objectivism and secular humanism are two secular worldviews. What are their basic points? Are they hopelessly at odds? Or do they share some or even many attributes?
• Question 2: Moral Judgment of European Colonizers: How should European colonizers be judged for their treatment of Native Americans? Some people, especially conservatives, give blanket praise to Columbus and European colonizers, notwithstanding their conquest and displacement of native populations. Those Native Americans are sometimes denigrated as ignorant, brutal, and/or lacking any concept of property – and hence, as unworthy of the protection of rights. Many others consider the Native Americans either noble savages or at least the rightful owners of the land. They condemn European colonization as unethical conquest or even genocide. Are either of those approaches correct? What counts as a fair judgment of European colonizers in their behavior toward Native Americans? How should European colonizers have treated native persons?
• Question 3: The Right Time to Declare Love: When should a person declare his love for another? What is an appropriate amount of time to wait before saying "I love you" in a new relationship? New relationships often start out strong, but then the feelings of eros dissipate after a few months. When you meet someone who you share the same values and ideals (and you are super-attracted to him or her) when should you say those three little words?
• Question 4: Problems with an Aggressive Dog: What should a person do about a neighbor's aggressive dog? My husband was attacked (but barely injured) by a neighbor's dog. No one else was in the room at the time. Our children often play at this person's house, and the dog has always been friendly in the past. How do you suggest handling the situation? Should we allow our children to play with the dog, as we always have in the past? What should the owner do about the dog?

The live broadcast begins at 8 am PT / 9 MT / 10 CT / 11 ET on Sunday, 8 December 2013. The podcast will be posted later that day. 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.

1 December 2013: Q&A on Suicide, Atheism, Irrational People, Rational Education, and More

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

When would suicide be rational? How can I convince myself, deep-down, that God does not exist? Is it wrong to walk away from a person who suffers from repeated medical emergencies due to their own irresponsibility? What would a rational educational system look like in a free society?

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

• Duration: 1:12:29
• Download: Enhanced M4A File (26.0 MB) or Standard MP3 File (24.9 MB)
• Tags: Academia, Altruism, Atheism, Business, Capitalism, Character, Christianity, Education, Egoism, Epistemology, Error, Ethics, Evil, Free Society, Habits, Health, Independence, Introspection, Justice, Life, Moral Wrongs, Psycho-Epistemology, Rationality, Religion, Responsibility, Suicide

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.

• December 2: Activism Recap
• December 2: NoodleCast #260: Suicide, Atheism, Irrational People, Rational Education, and More
• December 2: Two Special Offers on Responsibility & Luck … Just for December
• December 2: Two Great CyberMonday Sales: Amazon and The Great Courses
• December 3: Idealizing the Past: Progress in Airline Travel
• December 3: NoodleFood Authors, Now Fixed
• December 4: Preview: Sunday Radio: Secular Humanism, European Colonizers, Dangerous Dogs, and More
• December 4: Adrian Peterson's Adult-Onset Shellfish Allergy
• December 5: The Moral Perils of Mocking People on the Internet
• December 5: An Awesome Spam Comment
• December 6: The Head Covering Movement
• December 6: Link-O-Rama

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