On Sunday, 19 February 2012, I broadcast a new episode of my live Philosophy in Action Webcast, where I answer questions on the application of rational principles to the challenges of living a virtuous, happy, and free life in a live, hour-long webcast. The webcast is broadcast live every Sunday morning at 8 am PT / 9 am MT / 10 am CT / 11 am ET. In the webcast, I broadcast on video, Greg Perkins of Objectivist Answers is on audio, and the audience is in a text chat.
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The Podcast: Episode: 19 February 2012Listen NowDownload the EpisodeSubscribe to the FeedThe Segments: Episode: 19 February 2012The following segments are marked as chapters in the M4A version of the podcast. Thanks to Tammy Perkins for helping compile the show notes!
Introduction (0:00)I visited my sister early this week, and now Trey Givens is visiting us!
Question 1: Judging Religions as Better and Worse (2:29)
Are some religions better than others? Do certain religions encourage rationality more than others? Do some promote better moral systems than others? I am curious both about different forms of Christianity (Catholic, Protestant, Unitarian, Mormon, etc.), as well as other religions (Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Baha'i, etc.). Should rational atheists respect followers of certain religions more than others?
My Answer, In Brief: Religions are better or worse in their core doctrines and in their effects on a culture. However, due to the complexity of religions – not merely as ideologies but also as a cultural movements – they can't be easily judged as better or worse. Also, just because a person claims to be an adherent of a given religion doesn't tell much about what he believes or practices, nor whether they are honest.
Question 2: Telling a Friend about Romantic Feelings (22:58)
Am I obliged to tell a friend that I've developed romantic feelings towards her? Recently, I've developed romantic feelings for a platonic friend. Is it dishonest to withhold this information from her and just continue our friendship? What should I do if she asks me a direct question about my feelings? When would it be wrong to withhold this information from her, if ever?
My Answer, In Brief: It's not wrong to keep your feelings to yourself, but lying about them can cause serious harm to your character and your friendship.
Links:
Question 3: Overfeeding a Child as Abuse (30:51)
Is overfeeding a child a form of abuse? In November, county officials in Ohio placed a third-grade child into foster care on the grounds that he's over 200 pounds and his mother isn't doing enough to control his weight. (See
the news story.) The boy does not currently have any serious medical problems: he's merely at risk for developing diabetes, hypertension, etc. The county worked with the mother for a year before removing the child, and it claims that her actions constitute medical neglect. Now his mother is only permitted to see him once per week for two hours. Did the state overreach its proper authority in removing the child from his home?
My Answer, In Brief: The state should only remove children from their parents when the parents are violating the rights of the child by inflicting permanent physical or psychological harm. This case of supposed overfeeding does not qualify, not by a long shot.
Question 4: Interest in a Lover's Writings (42:22)
Should a person always be interested in the creative works of a romantic interest or lover? I'm romantically interested in a woman who writes as her career. While my admiration of her is based in her virtues and even heroic qualities, I'm don't find the subjects of her writing to be particularly interesting. If I were to begin dating this woman, should I read everything that she's written and writes?
My Answer, In Brief: It's strange to be so uninterested in another person's work at the outset of a relationship. You should be interested in your lover or spouse's interests, not always for their own sake, but because your lover or spouse matters to you.
Rapid Fire Questions (49:29)
In this segment, I answered a variety of questions off-the-cuff. The questions were:
- Should abused kids become wards of the State?
- Where do the GOP presidential candidates stand on issues that gays might care about?
- Is there a rational basis or explanation for "intuition?"
- Is tax evasion or tax fraud morally wrong? What about hiding one's money in foreign banks?
- Are movies and TV getting better or worse over the years? What does that indicate about our cultural trends?
- Does social media benefit introverts or extroverts more?
- Is Objectivism some kind of cult?
Conclusion (1:07:02)Comments or questions? Contact us!
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I'm 
Paul Hsieh is a physician specializing in orthopedic and emergency radiology. He blogs about science, technology, and random humorous items at 
Greg Perkins is a software architect working in the R&D labs at Hewlett-Packard, Boise. His degree is in mathematics and computer science. Greg hosts 
