Tag Archives: ethics

Is There a Rational Morality? by Ben Bayer

March 19, 2020PodcastAyn Rand, choice, ethics, life, morality, Objectivity, Philosophy, reality, reason, thinkingAlex Wigger

Most people think about morality as a set of commandments handed down by a god. Others believe we can get moral guidance by consulting our own feelings of sympathy for the needs and desires of other people.

Are these the only two options? Does morality have to be based on faith in a higher dimension or on feelings for others on Earth?

Those who believe morality is based on either faith or feelings assume there can be no rational basis for morality. Is that true? Are there no observable facts by which we can decide what’s the right and wrong way to live?

Join Ben Bayer and explore the question: Is there a rational morality?

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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 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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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…

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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…

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Should You Judge Other People? by Elan Journo

December 16, 2019PodcastElan Journo, ethics, faireness, independence, judgement, morality, Objectivism, Philosophyphilosophy-for-living-on-earth

If you want to be considered a caring person, you are expected to offer a “no-judgement-zone.” And you are supposed to believe that it’s an insult to be called “judgmental.” It’s recommended that you live by the biblical advice “Judge not, lest ye be judged,” but can this actually guide us in our daily life and thinking? There are people who lie, cheat, steal, rape, murder and worse—and, clearly, they deserve to be morally condemned. On the other hand, there are honest, thoughtful, productive, and truly heroic people. To form a positive evaluation of them, some kind of moral judgement is needed. Join Elan Journo as he explores another one of life’s big questions: Should you judge other people?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 59:35 — 54.6MB)

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Do I Need a Philosophy? by Aaron Smith

December 4, 2019PodcastAyn Rand, epistemology, ethics, guidance, life, meaning of life, Objectivism, Philosophy, Podcast, principles, thinkingphilosophy-for-living-on-earth

Many people have at least heard of a few of history’s great philosophers. Names like Socrates, Plato, Aristotle—they ring a bell and maybe some of us have even taken a philosophy course in college or perhaps encountered books or podcasts that are espousing or offering some kind of philosophy of life—a philosophy for living. But…

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