Tag Archives: morality

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?

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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…

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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?

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Calls to “Abolish Billionaires” Are a Moral Travesty by Keith Lockitch

December 4, 2019Podcastaltruism, billionaires, earning, government, inequality, money, morality, Podcast, production, taxes, wealthphilosophy-for-living-on-earth

There’s a new campaign slogan among Democratic politicians: “Abolish Billionaires.” Nobody can honestly deserve a billion dollars, they claim, so they want to impose radical new taxes on the super-wealthy. Indeed, people are arguing that the very existence of billionaires is some kind of moral outrage. Wealthy people are being blamed today for all the…

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Why Be Honest? by Ben Bayer

November 20, 2019PodcastAyn Rand, Ben Bayer, choice, duty, honesty, lies, morality, Objectivism, Podcast, reality, Truthphilosophy-for-living-on-earth

We live in an age in which fabricated stories pulse through social media, fashionable startup companies are founded on swindles and, of course, politicians of all stripes routinely lie. Whatever happened to the idea that honesty is the best policy? Most people would recognize honesty as an obvious example of a moral virtue, but the…

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What Makes Ayn Rand’s Philosophy Distinctive? by Onkar Ghate

November 6, 2019PodcastAtlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand, controversy, hero, morality, Objectivism, Onkar Ghate, Philosophy, Podcast, religion, The Fountainheadphilosophy-for-living-on-earth

Have you ever wondered what Ayn Rand’s philosophy—which she called Objectivism—is all about? Why is she such a controversial figure with millions of fans who love The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged but also with many, many critics who call her books and ideas evil? Onkar Ghate, a senior fellow at the Ayn Rand Institute, discusses…

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Why Are Principles Important in Life? by Keith Lockitch

October 17, 2019PodcastAyn Rand, ethics, flourishing, Keith Lockitch, life, morality, Podcast, practicality, pragmatism, principles, successphilosophy-for-living-on-earth

When we describe someone as a person of principle, it’s often meant as a compliment. We mean that the person has a solid moral compass and that his actions are grounded in time-honored rules of conduct. On the other hand, though, we sometimes view principles as being rigid and constraining, a bunch of rules that…

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Is Altruism Good? by Ben Bayer

October 9, 2019Podcastaltruism, Ben Bayer, effective altruism, ethics, morality, motivation, Objectivism, Peter Singer, Podcast, selfishness, selflessphilosophy-for-living-on-earth

Maybe you’ve heard of something called “effective altruism”? It’s a recent movement that encourages people to do research to figure out the best way to give away as much of their own money as possible, allegedly in order to help out as many people as possible. Now one wonders if calling it “effective altruism” implies…

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Is Selfishness the Root of All Evil? by Keith Lockitch

August 28, 2019Podcastaltruism, Ayn Rand, ethics, evil, happiness, individualism, life, morality, Podcast, self-interest, selfishnessphilosophy-for-living-on-earth

If there is one thing that almost everyone agrees on today, it’s that selfishness is bad. From day one, we’ve been told, “don’t be selfish” or “selfishness is the root of all evil.” But what if the way we think about selfishness is completely wrong? What if our conventional understanding of what it means to be selfish is…

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