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!

Managers

4 votes Vote

Do kids have moral obligations to their parents?

If so, what obligations and why?

Shane, 29.05.2011, 19:24

0 comments

4 votes Vote

Should rational people volunteer for the military?

How do you reconcile the concept of the inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness with volunteering for the military, a profession that requires obeying the orders of others -- especially when those orders may very well get...

Robert Schecter, 31.05.2011, 20:01

1 comment

4 votes Vote

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 this considered poor manners?...

Anonymous, 07.06.2011, 09:16

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4 votes Vote

Is it wrong to buy goods with the intent to return them?

A friend of mine will often buy jewelry from large department stores for events, knowing that she'll likely return the items. (Sometimes, however, she'll keep an item even when she thought she'd return it.) She returns the goods undamaged and...

Michelle, 23.09.2013, 08:50

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4 votes Vote

How can a person improve his efficiency in writing?

How can a person measure and increase his efficiency in writing -- whether for blog posts, essays, papers, or anything else? Should a person set a goal of completing a given writing in a given time frame? Should he track time spent? Should he...

Dan Edge, 28.04.2012, 19:22

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4 votes Vote

Should we stop caring about the sex lives of politicians?

In response to the affair and resignation of David Petraeus, many have argued that such sex scandals are the absurd consequence of American puritanism. These people claim that sex is easily compartmentalized in a person's life, such that sexual...

Ranj, 18.11.2012, 10:52

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4 votes Vote

Should government employees be permitted to unionize?

In your 12/16/12 discussion of "right to work" laws, you said that business owners should have the right to refuse to hire union members (or to fire them). How would that work for government employees? In a free society, could legislators (or...

Anonymous, 27.12.2012, 20:04

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4 votes Vote

Are semi-automatic handguns more dangerous than revolvers?

In the wake of the Sandy Hook school shooting, many of my friends claim that semi-automatic firearms should be banned. They think that people should only be permitted to own revolvers. What are the differences between these two kinds of handguns?...

Anonymous, 15.01.2013, 20:30

1 comment

4 votes Vote

Should I limit my time away from family in deference to their cultural expectations?

My family comes from a conservative Turkish background. They see the amount of independence granted me as a 19 year old as more than enough. I see it as unsatisfactory. In fact, they feel pushed to their limit by the amount of time I ask to...

Evolution, 25.02.2013, 18:32

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4 votes Vote

Should juries be present at trials?

In fictional portrayals of trials, the jury is often told to disregard certain statements. Also, interruptions in the form of objections are common. Wouldn't it be easier for the jury to be absent from the trial itself, then presented with all...

Tjitze de Boer, 14.03.2013, 11:57

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4 votes Vote

Is killing a baby born after an abortion murder?

Kermit Gosnell is currently on trial for murder, due to accusations that he killed infants who were delivered in abortions at his clinic. If the facts are as reported, should he be convicted of murder? What should be done when a baby is born...

Ryan Brubaker, 24.04.2013, 08:58

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4 votes Vote

Could unwilling people be compelled to govern?

Imagine a situation in which no-one -- not a single person -- wants to work for the government. This would create a state of anarchy by default because government requires people to govern. Since the existence of a government is necessary for the...

Adam, 14.06.2013, 04:46

2 comments

4 votes Vote

Should a person forgo having children to avoid the risk of needing welfare?

I know that accepting government welfare is wrong: it's a kind of loot stolen from taxpayers. For a person to accept welfare is damaging to his life and happiness. However, I would like children, but in today's economy, particularly with my...

Jenny, 27.06.2013, 05:12

1 comment

4 votes Vote

How can I help my partner accept my doing risky activities?

I would describe my partner as modestly adventurous. He's willing to try things now and then, but there are lots of things that I want to do or would like to do that he not only refuses to do but forbids me to do as well. For example, I saw on...

Trey Peden, 13.07.2013, 18:25

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4 votes Vote

How can I help my father understand that I respect him, even when I disagree with him?

I generally value experience for its ability to provide helpful insights, but I am suspicious of people who fall back on appeals to authority in an attempt to "win" arguments. My father often does that during our debates on various subjects, as...

Erin Mastrantonio, 28.07.2013, 12:55

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4 votes Vote

How can I overcome feelings of unearned guilt about refusing other people's requests?

Too often, I feel guilty when I shouldn't -- for example, for rejecting unwanted romantic advances or declining invitations to events with family or coworkers. Even though I know logically that I have the right to pursue my own values rather than...

Carrie, 15.08.2013, 11:30

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4 votes Vote

Should the Washington Redskins football team change its name to something supposedly less racist?

Team owner Dan Snyder (as well as previous owner Jack Kent Cooke) vowed never to the team's name, insisting that it stood for "bravery." I've read conflicting reports about polls of Native Americans. Some are offended, and some don't care. It...

lukealberts, 27.08.2013, 11:52

1 comment

4 votes Vote

Should ethics begin with facts about evolution, including altruism?

The ethical egoism advocated by Ayn Rand doesn't seem to incorporate genetics or evolution. Having evolved in tribal and family groups, we are creatures tuned to group behavior more than to individual behavior. Altruism wasn't made up by...

Mike Spalding, 29.12.2013, 15:25

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4 votes Vote

Do confidentiality agreements justify privacy lies?

Some professions, like clinical psychology, law, or sex work commonly utilize confidentiality agreements between professionals and clients due to the sensitive nature of the information shared between them. Generally, such professionals can (and...

shlevy, 24.02.2014, 13:32

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4 votes Vote

Is creating art necessary for a moral life?

Since material values are a human need, independence requires that human beings engage in productive activity. Can the same logic be applied to art? Since art is a human need, does independence require human beings to be artistically creative?...

Adam, 28.02.2014, 12:45

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4 votes Vote

Should "net neutrality" be law?

Lately, many people on the left have been advocating for "net neutrality." What is it? What would its effects be? What are the arguments for and against it? If it shouldn't be law, might private "net neutrality" be a good thing?

Fabian Bollinger, 17.05.2014, 02:43

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4 votes Vote

Is karma real?

Although the concept of "karma" has religious roots, it seems to contain a grain of truth, namely that people will, in the end, get what they deserve. So if a father is mean to his children, he will find them unwilling to help him when he suffers...

Anonymous, 28.05.2014, 08:02

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4 votes Vote

How can a person make better hard choices?

How to make hard choices was the subject of a recent TED talk from philosopher Ruth Chang. ( https://www.ted.com/talks/ruth_chang_how_to_make_hard_choices ) Her thesis is that hard choices are not about finding the better option between...

Ranj, 23.06.2014, 04:45

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4 votes Vote

Should publicly funded abortions be opposed?

In Victoria, Australia we have fairly good laws on abortion and there are almost no legal or social barriers to access. We also however have a very generous public health care system which means that most if not all of the costs of an abortion...

MTobias, 29.07.2014, 01:41

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4 votes Vote

Is it immoral or unwise to accept a better job soon after starting a different one?

I am ready to change jobs. I could probably move to another role within my company pretty quickly and easily and continue to move my career forward, but I could make more money and get better experience outside of my company. Outside job hunts can...

Trey, 31.07.2014, 09:44

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4 votes Vote

Do people have a right to food and shelter?

I recently had a conversation with a Facebook friend who stated that food and shelter are more than necessities, they are rights. I posed the question, "How does one exercise their right to food and shelter?" No one answered the question, so I...

Patrick Sherrill, 29.10.2014, 09:51

1 comment

4 votes Vote

Should I do something nice for a coworker I dislike?

There's a lady at work that I dislike. My conflict with her is primarily merely a conflict of personality. I find her defensive, passive-aggressive, and awkward to the point of rudeness. I am also not very impressed with her work products, but...

Boris Cubemole, 04.11.2014, 13:56

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4 votes Vote

Should I cut ties with my homophobic family?

My boyfriend and I visit my family every year for Christmas, and every year they treat him rudely and unfairly. This is solely because they do not accept my sexuality, and they blame him for it. I have made it very clear that if their behavior...

Brad, 30.11.2014, 20:48

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4 votes Vote

How much confidence should a person express in his/her own opinions?

I work with a woman who constantly makes declarative statements about things for which she lacks sufficient facts and knowledge. The result is that she is often contradicted and people have to tell her, "That's not true." She will argue with them...

Trey, 10.12.2014, 09:08

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4 votes Vote

How does personality theory affect ethics?

In your 21 December 2014 discussion of the relationship between philosophy and science, you stated that your grasp of personality theory has given you a fresh perspective on ethics and changed your understanding of the requirements of the virtues....

Andrew, 29.12.2014, 15:41

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