All posts by philosophy-for-living-on-earth

What Drives History? by Keith Lockitch

March 11, 2020PodcastAyn Rand, culture, history, human behavior, humanity, ideas, influence, Objectivism, Philosophy, societyphilosophy-for-living-on-earth

What explains the major developments and trends that have shaped our world through the ages? Human history is complex and, obviously, there are many factors involved. And some of the questions raised are these: Is there a fundamental cause that explains the big picture? Is there an ultimate cause that directs the overall sweep of history?

Ayn Rand, the iconic American novelist and philosopher, argues that there is. In her view, the primary force that drives history is philosophy—the basic philosophic ideas that shape people’s beliefs and values and, therefore, their choices and actions.

Join Keith Lockitch and explore the question: What drives history?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:02:33 — 57.3MB)

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What Should Society Do About The Poor? by Aaron Smith

March 4, 2020Podcastaltruism, charity, compromise, duty welfare, ethics, good will, homelessness, morality, politics, poverty, selfishnessphilosophy-for-living-on-earth

Most people believe that society has a moral obligation toward its poor and its needy—and that something must be done, politically, to help them.

Is this the right way to think about the poor and society? Are these issues for the whole of society to decide? Are they political problems that need to have imposed political solutions? How would one think about issues surrounding the poor, handicapped or needy from a more individualist perspective rather than a collectivist perspective?

Join Aaron Smith in examining the question: What should society do about the poor?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:42 — 55.6MB)

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Is Privilege Real? by Gregory Salmieri

February 26, 2020Podcastconcepts, fairness, history, Justice, Philosophy, principles, privilege, race, rights, systemsphilosophy-for-living-on-earth

Many people believe that privilege—the idea that special rights or advantages are available only to a particular person or group—is a problem. While there are advantages, such as the wealth and location of one’s parents, that are not a choice, there are reasons to be skeptical about whether or not privilege is a problem. For example, many United States immigrants start with nothing, but succeed through hard work.

Does the concept of privilege only apply in a specific context? How does it apply to issues of race?

Join David Birnbaum as he interviews philosopher Gregory Salmieri on the question: Is privilege real?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:06:19 — 60.7MB)

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Is Abortion Immoral? by Ben Bayer

February 19, 2020Podcastabortion, Ayn Rand, Ben Bayer, biology, birth, decision, ethics, life, rights, roe v wadephilosophy-for-living-on-earth

Abortion is an important issue consistently in the public discourse. What makes it so persistent? Should there be any legal limit on abortion? Much of the discussion about abortion revolves around differing views of when life begins. Is there something significantly different about an entity before and after it’s born?

Join David Birnbaum as he interviews philosopher Ben Bayer on the question: Is abortion immoral?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:04:28 — 59.0MB)

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Is Doing Drugs Wrong? by Onkar Ghate

February 12, 2020Podcastdrugs, free will, health, legality, liberty, mind, Objectivism, recreation, selfishness, thoughtphilosophy-for-living-on-earth

On the issue of legal, non-medical drugs, there are at least two common perspectives at odds in our culture today: one camp contends that some drugs can beneficially “expand” one’s mind—increasing creativity, decreasing anxiety, and otherwise providing benefits that should be explored. Another side regards using mind-altering “recreational” drugs as immoral or at least morally suspicious.

Join David Birnbaum as he interviews philosopher Onkar Ghate on the question: Is doing drugs wrong?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:01:58 — 56.8MB)

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Why Should I care About Israel? with Elan Journo

February 12, 2020PodcastAyn Rand, Elan Journo, ethics, foreign policy, Israel, peace, reason, Terrorism, values, warphilosophy-for-living-on-earth

Israel is talked about often in the media, but many Americans don’t understand why we are so preoccupied with this country.

Often Israel is spoken of in a negative context: boycotts at universities, condemnations by the United Nations, and so on. What makes Israel worse than other countries? On the flip side, good defenses of Israel are scant. Is Israel important to U.S. foreign policy? If so, why?

Join David Birnbaum as he interviews foreign policy expert Elan Journo on the question: Why should I care about Israel?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:07 — 55.0MB)

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What’s Wrong with “Virtue Signaling”? by Ben Bayer

January 29, 2020PodcastAyn Rand, Ben Bayer, ethics, Justice, Philosophy, public, The Virtue of Selfishness, values, vanity, virtuephilosophy-for-living-on-earth

Think about celebrities who tweet about their politics all the time, or think about companies who want you to buy their products because they’re supposedly eco-friendly. Some say that these are symptoms of an epidemic that’s coursing it’s way through social media and through our political discourse generally, an epidemic they call “virtue signalling”.

Ben Bayer, a fellow at The Ayn Rand Institute, has some questions about this. You’re said to be a virtue signaller when you promote some cause or criticize some figure people love to hate in a way that doesn’t involve much cost, but which draws attention to your own right way of thinking.

What, if anything, is wrong with this kind of behavior? Is there a kind of behavior here at all or do the critics of virtue signalling lump together lots of different things? Is speaking out ineffective only because it’s speaking? Does profiting from the judgment of others make you insincere?

Join Ben Bayer and explore the question: What’s wrong with “virtue signalling”?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:55 — 55.8MB)

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Who Decides What’s Right or Wrong? by Elan Journo

January 22, 2020Podcastchoice, Elan Journo, ethics, independence, judgment, morality, Objectivity, Podcast, reason, right, wrongphilosophy-for-living-on-earth

In ethics, the question “Who ultimately decides what is morally right or wrong?” is commonly asked. Notice that in other areas of life there’s no issue of “who decides” what’s right or wrong. For example, if your car won’t start, you call a mechanic to inspect it. After he replaces the battery, the car works…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:29 — 51.7MB)

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Why Are New Years Resolutions So Hard To Keep? by Keith Lockitch

January 15, 2020Podcastethics, exercise, free will, Keith Lockitch, Podcast, reason, resolutions, self-help, self-made, selfishness, will powerphilosophy-for-living-on-earth

Every year droves of people make New Year’s resolutions, but polls suggest that four out of five people fail to keep them. One report even found that most resolutions last less than two weeks. So why are New Year’s resolutions so hard to keep? Are they just a joke and a waste of time? Are…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 58:52 — 53.9MB)

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Do People’s Interests Have to Conflict? by Gregory Salmieri

January 8, 2020PodcastConflict, ethics, Greg Salmieri, Objectivism, people, Podcast, rationality, relationship, selfishness, trade, valuesphilosophy-for-living-on-earth

People are at odds with one another all the time (we have wars, personal animosities, etc.) and it is generally assumed that people’s interests conflict. We are often told that the only way to have any kind of peace is to compromise—to give up our interests in deference to other people. Ayn Rand rejects this…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:02:52 — 57.6MB)

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