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

How can I avoid coming out as an atheist to my boyfriend's parents?

I'm gay and my boyfriend recently came out to his parents. They are older and pretty religious, but they are doing their best to be accepting to our relationship. However, my boyfriend says that they believe that I am changing him for the worse in...

Trey, 25.01.2015, 12:48

0 comments

4 votes Vote

What are the signs of emotional repression?

It's very important not to repress your emotions, especially if you are a person with rationalistic tendencies. But how might a person identify when he's repressing some emotions? What are the signs? What can be done to avoid and overcome the...

Adam, 01.02.2015, 17:17

0 comments

4 votes Vote

What should a person do to make up for a past unpunished crime?

Suppose that a man, say when between 9 to 12 years old, committed a serious offense such as sexual assault or rape. At the time, he did not realize the effect of his actions. Now, as an adult, he is living a decent life -- meaning that he's gotten...

Harsha, 25.04.2015, 15:25

0 comments

3 votes Vote

What's right or wrong about calls for "moderation"?

Many things are black and white, but sometimes moderation seems like the right course. For example, you don't want to stuff yourself full of every food that strikes your fancy, nor deny yourself foods that you enjoy. So you should eat...

Anonymous, 06.05.2011, 11:12

0 comments

3 votes Vote

Should I support Ron Paul for US President?

What's the proper evaluation of his principles and record on the budget, health care, national defense, immigration, the drug war, abortion, and gay marriage? Does Paul deserve the vote of advocates of individual rights in the primary or the...

DianaHsieh, 04.12.2011, 21:57

0 comments

3 votes Vote

What should I do when other people offer to pray for me?

Sometimes my friends and family members offer to pray for me -- whether because I've got some problem in my life or because they know that I'm an atheist. How should I respond?

Anonymous, 04.03.2012, 11:09

0 comments

3 votes Vote

Are the Ten Commandments of value to an atheist?

Are the Ten Commandments a useful guide to living a good life, even for people who are not Jewish or Christian? Can the religious background be removed? Should a rational person look to religious scriptures for ethical guidance?

pabr0505, 28.03.2012, 10:51

1 comment

3 votes Vote

How much advance planning is optimal?

Some people like to plan everything well in advance, while others prefer to allow events to unfold and make decisions on the fly. Is one approach better than the other? How much does it depend on the circumstances? How can people with...

Anonymous, 08.04.2012, 11:51

0 comments

3 votes Vote

How can I make my boss more communicative?

My boss hardly ever communicates with me. As a result, I've wasted days and weeks on useless work, and I've gotten into needless conflicts with co-workers. I'm always guessing at what I should be doing, and I just hate that. What can I do to...

Anonymous, 28.08.2012, 20:08

0 comments

3 votes Vote

Is yelling at and shaming an employee ever justifiable?

Imagine that a product at work must be shipped by a certain deadline -- and if it's late, the company will suffer a major loss. All the workers involved know that, yet as the deadline approaches, one worker works slowly, seemingly without concern...

Anonymous, 25.09.2012, 14:25

-1 comment

3 votes Vote

How can I stop exchanging meaningless holiday presents with my siblings?

My siblings and I are friendly but not close, but we still exchange Christmas presents. Mostly, that means that we buy each other stuff that we really don't want. That seems like a waste of time and money. I'd like to stop exchanging gifts with...

Anonymous, 17.10.2012, 12:29

1 comment

3 votes Vote

Is it wrong to manipulate your finances to qualify for welfare?

An acquaintance of mine -- who is moderately wealthy -- feels justified in manipulating her finances to get government aid whenever possible on the grounds that it is "getting back" some of what she has paid. For example, she had her elderly...

bscholl, 22.10.2012, 21:07

0 comments

3 votes Vote

Is "radical honesty" moral and wise?

Psychotherapist Brad Blanton claims that people should be "radically honest" -- meaning that they should say what they think all the time. (See http://www.esquire.com/features/honesty0707) Is that a life-serving policy -- or simply an excuse for...

Ranj, 18.11.2012, 10:34

0 comments

3 votes Vote

Are egoism and altruism mutually exclusive?

Most people have a common-sense view of ethics. They think that a person should spend lots of time pursuing his own goals and happiness. They also think that a person should sometimes set aside such pursuits to help others. Basically, on this...

Anonymous, 06.02.2013, 21:56

1 comment

3 votes Vote

Are the promises of marriage binding when a spouse becomes self-destructive?

When couples marry, they often promise to stay together "for better or for worse" and "in sickness and in health." But imagine that a wife chooses a self-destructive course of action -- say, abusing drugs, profligate spending, or gambling. She...

Erica, 07.02.2013, 09:45

1 comment

3 votes Vote

Isn't everyone selfish?

If you dig deep enough, everyone seems to be selfish. I work because that's easier than being a welfare queen. But a college student might cave to his parents about his choice of career because that's easier than standing up for himself. Even...

Anonymous, 28.05.2013, 18:35

0 comments

3 votes Vote

In ethics, should moral actions be differentiated from prudential actions?

I often hear academic philosophers say that a person should clearly distinguish prescriptive actions that are "prudential" from those that are "moral." For example, if I want to bake a cake properly, I have to follow a certain set of procedures....

legendre007, 05.06.2013, 17:01

0 comments

3 votes Vote

What must I do to reach certainty about a course of action?

Suppose that I'm being careful in my thinking about a practical matter -- perhaps about how to solve a problem at work, whether to move to a new city, whether to marry my girlfriend, whether to cut contact with a problem friend. When can I say...

Ranjith Zachariah, 14.07.2013, 12:01

0 comments

3 votes Vote

When is a person responsible for an unexpected and unwanted child?

Sex sometimes results in an unexpected and perhaps unwanted pregnancy. What are the moral responsibilities of each party in this situation? Do a person's obligation depend on prior agreements about what would be done in such a case? Do they depend...

Brad Aisa, 13.08.2013, 19:05

0 comments

3 votes Vote

How do I teach my toddlers how to share voluntarily?

I'm a father of 23 month-old girl/boy twins who are just beginning to develop morality. I'm also an atheist with strong Objectivist leanings. I don't want to teach my children that they shouldn't commit a particular offense because God is...

lukealberts, 27.08.2013, 11:53

0 comments

3 votes Vote

How should I educate myself so that I can cast informed votes in elections?

I am 25, and I have never voted in any local, state or national election. I think I have good reason for that: I've never been able to educate myself sufficiently on the candidates to be certain of who to vote for. Also, as a marketing student...

Tilia Thompson, 19.08.2013, 17:40

0 comments

3 votes Vote

How should a person approach the study of history?

I've always prided myself on being a "student of history" -- meaning that I read and think a great deal about the past and try to apply its lessons to the future. Is this a valid concept? Am I missing a bigger picture? Do you have any tips on...

pabr0505, 03.09.2013, 10:26

0 comments

3 votes Vote

Should I pursue justice against a wrongdoer at great personal expense?

I am trying to decide if I should file an ethics complaint against my former property manager for a rental property. Basically, she managed the property for me for several years until I visited the property and found it in a state of disrepair...

Bruce Wayne, 22.12.2013, 17:25

0 comments

3 votes Vote

How can I decide whether a business associate has crossed the line?

I am part of a very specialized marketing co-op group. Businesses provide samples to the marketer, who then sells them at his own profit, to the tune of thousands of dollars a month. The marketer also does many web promotions and a monthly set of...

Renee, 08.06.2014, 11:05

0 comments

3 votes Vote

It is wrong to keep my pet a secret from my landlord?

My fiancée and I own a cat. By the rules of our apartment, we should notify our landlord and pay monthly pet rent and deposits. However, we keep a cleaner apartment than the majority of people without pets. If the cat’s not tearing up carpet...

Jeff Romeo, 16.07.2014, 16:37

0 comments

3 votes Vote

Is it wrong to conceal information from my father while I live in his home?

I am a 21 year old gay college student still living with my parents as I pay my own tuition and progress through college. Both of my parents know I'm gay. My mom is completely fine with it; it's a sore subject with my dad and it's something we...

Zak, 14.09.2014, 16:05

0 comments

3 votes Vote

Does ethics require impartiality?

Critics of egoism, particularly utilitarians, accuse egoists of being biased in favor of oneself without justification. They assert that a scientific ethics must be neutral and impartial: it must take a third-person viewpoint where the self isn't...

Adam, 04.10.2014, 09:41

0 comments

3 votes Vote

How should nuisance limits be set for new technology?

Often new technologies initially involve negative side effects, and sometimes those side effects impact even those who didn't choose to use the new technology. Here's an example: supersonic flight. Supersonic aircraft are generally noisier than...

Blake Scholl, 14.12.2014, 22:22

0 comments

3 votes Vote

What is the moral status of actions aimed at tending to one's body?

In an egoistic ethics, the ultimate end of moral action is the growth and continuation of one's own life. Ayn Rand elaborated on discussed many of the kinds of actions required to achieve this goal, but she didn't discuss matters of "bodily care,"...

Adam, 21.12.2014, 00:44

0 comments

3 votes Vote

Do parents have a moral duty to vaccinate their children to improve "herd immunity"?

My doctor is currently making the case for my son (age 12) getting the Gardasil/HPV vaccination, arguing that even though HPV won't really harm him, he could become a carrier and spread HPV to women he has sex with at some time in the future, and...

Jenn Casey, 02.02.2015, 07:30

0 comments

Pages< 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 >