Philosophy In Action

Every Sunday morning, philosopher Dr. Diana Hsieh answers your questions on the principles for living a happy, virtuous, and free life in her live Philosophy In Action Webcast. It's at 8 am PT / 9 am MT / 10 am CT / 11 am ET at http://www.PhilosophyInAction.com. Submit your questions here!

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9 votes Vote

What's a reasonable friending policy for Facebook?

I've been getting more Facebook friend requests from people I don't know lately. Should I accept or refuse them?

Anonymous, 24.11.2010, 22:18

0 comments

9 votes Vote

How do I fight apathy?

How should one go about controlling their emotional response to things better? I have found that a lot of things in life have made me far more apathetic towards life; how should I go about turning this around?

FormSpring, 24.11.2010, 22:37

0 comments

9 votes Vote

How should I respond to the urban legends forwarded by a family member?

I've repeatedly pointed this family member to Snopes.com, in response to his forwarding of yet another urban legend. I keep hoping that he'll get the hint -- and check for himself before hitting the "forward" button. Yet he never does so, and...

Anonymous, 23.03.2011, 13:39

2 comments

9 votes Vote

What is the proper process of forgiveness?

In your March 6th episode, you spoke about forgiveness from the perspective of the person wronged. However, imagine that you're the person who has done wrong to someone else, thereby harming him. What should you do now? How can you prove to...

Anonymous, 24.04.2011, 18:21

0 comments

9 votes Vote

Is it immoral to hire illegal immigrants?

While laws restricting immigration seem terribly irrational -- both in terms of intent and effects -- they are still technically the law. Illegal immigrants often make themselves available for day-to-day work, and hiring them for a day has an...

SelfMadeSoul, 01.07.2011, 13:21

0 comments

9 votes Vote

Why do some people of faith survive and even flourish?

If reason is required for life, and faith abdicates reason, then how can anyone who has faith live and prosper? In particular, how do some devoutly religious people manage to be so productive and creative?

Anonymous, 12.07.2011, 01:53

0 comments

9 votes Vote

Do restrictions on nudity and sex visible to others violate rights?

While having a zestful online debate, someone claimed that Ayn Rand contradicts herself in claiming that public nudity should be censored. (See "Thought Control" in the Ayn Rand Letter.) Since sex is a beautiful act, why should people be...

SelfMadeSoul, 03.08.2011, 08:16

4 comments

9 votes Vote

Can and should "good luck" be cultivated?

Can a rational person act in such a way that he is more likely to "get lucky" -- and should he purposely try to do that? For example, a construction worker might knock on the doors of a neighbor's house and after a friendly conversation leave his...

Daniel, 19.08.2011, 07:04

0 comments

9 votes Vote

Why do religious fanatics seek to impose their beliefs on others?

Most religious fanatics aren't content to practice their religion for themselves: they seek to impose it on others by law. Why is that? Why is that wrong? What can be done to combat it?

Rand Fan, 24.10.2011, 05:27

1 comment

9 votes Vote

When and how should I express my frustration to another person?

I've always found it difficult to determine whether I should express a frustration to another person, whether in a personal or professional context. When and how should I tell someone that they've disrespected, offended, or insulted me? Does the...

Jack Frake , 02.02.2012, 16:59

0 comments

9 votes Vote

Is it wrong to accept Social Security disability benefits when I could work?

I'm blind. Although I can work, my recent job at the IRS seemed to be so soul-draining and vexing that I determined to look elsewhere for employment. However, jobs are limited right now, and I am not sure what else I want to do at this point....

Anonymous, 03.02.2012, 21:24

0 comments

9 votes Vote

What's the difference between acting on emotions and acting out emotions?

Emotions sometimes cry out for bodily expression, such as hitting something when you're angry. Is "acting out emotions" in that way a form of emotionalism? How is it different, if at all, from acting on emotions?

Patrik, 06.03.2012, 11:19

0 comments

9 votes Vote

What is happiness?

When philosophers such as Aristotle, Mill, Kant and Ayn Rand speak of happiness, what do they mean? Is happiness just a fleeting sensation of pleasure? Or is it something more enduring and stable?

Anonymous, 02.04.2012, 20:31

0 comments

9 votes Vote

Should parents make empty threats to their children?

At the grocery store last week, I heard a mother threaten to throw away her daughter's favorite toys unless the daughter behaved. That seems to be pretty common: parents make empty threats in an attempt to scare their kids into better behavior....

Anonymous, 24.06.2012, 14:42

0 comments

9 votes Vote

What is mysticism?

Is mysticism distinct from religion, faith, and belief in the supernatural? Can a person be non-religious but mystical?

legendre007, 16.08.2012, 06:26

0 comments

9 votes Vote

When should nuclear weapons be used, if ever?

Under what circumstances would a free society use nuclear weapons -- or chemical or biological weapons? Are they so destructive that their use would never be acceptable? Or might they be used in self-defense to win a war or win a war more quickly?

pabr0505, 21.08.2012, 13:49

0 comments

9 votes Vote

How can I politely tell my co-workers that I'm not interested in socializing?

I have always struggled with the pressure to form friendships at work. Personally, I don't want to hang out with my coworkers after work. I don't want to chit chat during work. I won't want to celebrate birthdays or other personal events. This...

Anonymous, 28.08.2012, 20:08

0 comments

9 votes Vote

Is circumcision on par with female genital mutilation?

Many people decry female genital mutilation, but they regard circumcision as the right of parents. Is that wrong?

Wayne, 12.09.2012, 18:20

3 comments

9 votes Vote

Should Objectivism be applied to new fields?

Advocates of Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism claim that the philosophy is not changeable or expandable, meaning that is it what Ayn Rand made it. Yet they claim that the philosophy can be applied to new philosophical issues (such as...

Anonymous, 30.11.2012, 21:40

1 comment

9 votes Vote

Is happiness overrated?

Recently, I had a conversation in which the other person told me that "happiness is overrated." Basically, the person claimed that people should spend less time thinking about their own personal happiness. Instead, people should focus on acting...

Anonymous, 27.12.2012, 20:18

0 comments

9 votes Vote

How can I minimize interruptions at work?

I'm a programmer, and I need long stretches of quiet time in order to be productive. Unfortunately, my work has an open floor plan, and people tend to pop by my desk if they have a question. I hate those interruptions, but I don't know how to...

Anonymous, 26.02.2013, 12:34

0 comments

9 votes Vote

Is taking antidepressants and other prescribed drugs for mental problems a form of evasion?

I'm new to the philosophy of Objectivism, and I've seen that it's rapidly helping cure the last parts of a depression I went through last year. I started taking Adderal about 8 months ago, and it has helped extensively. But I wonder: Is taking...

ObjectoSean, 20.03.2013, 20:03

1 comment

9 votes Vote

When would suicide be rational?

What conditions make suicide a proper choice? Are there situations other than a terminal illness or living in a dictatorship -- such as the inability to achieve sufficient values to lead a happy life -- that justify the act of suicide?

Clive, 13.05.2013, 21:57

0 comments

9 votes Vote

How can I better identify dangerous or immoral people in my life?

I don't like to be morally judgmental about personality and other optional differences. In fact, I like being friends with a variety of kinds of people: that expands my own horizon. Yet I've been prey to some really awful people in my life....

Anonymous, 18.06.2013, 07:53

0 comments

9 votes Vote

Should institutions divest themselves of racist traditions?

Some Native Americans and other Americans take offense to the name "Redskins," as in the "Washington Redskins." Sports writer Tony Kornheiser recently made an excellent point that one wouldn't go onto a reservation and ask "How you redskins doing...

Luke Alberts, 24.06.2013, 07:38

0 comments

9 votes Vote

What's wrong with thinking about the virtues as duties?

My parents taught me ethics in terms of "duties." So being honest and just was a duty, along with "sharing" and "selflessness." They were simply "the right way to be," period. Now, I tend to think of the Objectivist virtues -- rationality,...

Anonymous, 26.06.2013, 05:58

1 comment

9 votes Vote

What is the meaning and value of sportsmanship?

Kids are often taught -- or not taught -- to be "good sports." What does that mean? What's the value in that? More broadly, what's a healthy versus unhealthy attitude toward competition in life -- not just in sports, but also work, hobbies,...

Anonymous, 16.07.2013, 08:24

0 comments

9 votes Vote

What should I do when a friend exhibits severe body dysmorphia on social media?

At several points in my life, I had a valued friend who seemed otherwise rational and grounded, but who also exhibited dangerous body dysmorphia on social media. In these cases, the friend would first go through a several-month phase of confessing...

legendre007, 08.08.2013, 19:21

0 comments

9 votes Vote

When should a person euthanize a sick pet?

Over the years, I've had to decide whether to medically treat my cats or euthanize them when they're seriously ill, and it tends to be a hard choice to make. Concern for the cat's quality of life is a factor, but so is the monetary cost of...

William H. Stoddard, 09.08.2013, 06:44

0 comments

9 votes Vote

What are the major branches of philosophy?

Ayn Rand claimed that philosophy consisted of five major branches -- metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, politics, and esthetics. Is that right? If so, why are those the five major branches? Are they comprehensive in some way? Why not include...

Todd Walton, 21.11.2013, 05:04

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