Functional Philosophy

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:48 - "I recently saw a news headline about 'Illegal Gambling' and it made me wonder what the Objectivist position should be. Obviously in the context of a free society, gambling should be fully legal in general. But could there be specific issues the government should regulate against? For example, if someone bets and loses a huge sum, say $1 million and would lose everything if they paid - I assume this would not be a valid contract the government could enforce. So would the existence of these kinds of bad outcomes create a need to regulate? Or would it be simply that case law would effectively set the limits of which gambling debts could be collected or not?" 09:29 - "Do preferences come from our values? If yes, does this apply to our sexual preference and does that make it a choice? If it does not apply to our sexual preference, why not? It seems that most people take it as self-evident that sexual preference is not a choice." *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you develop the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear Objectivist philosopher Charles Tew answer your questions on Ayn Rand's philosophy and its application to politics, career, romance, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following question: 00:48 - "Should a competent (that is, not mentally retarded or mentally hindered in some significant way) adult be held equally culpable for both their conscious premises and those they hold implicitly? I’m referring specifically to those most fundamental to a person’s philosophy, such as free will, benevolent vs. malevolent universe premise, and whether they hold the cardinal virtues to be moral or immoral. I feel as though evasion is the only way one can refrain from consciously considering these most important issues, and it also requires evasion and/or dishonesty to consciously adopt morally abhorrent premises. Is this correct, or am I missing something?" *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you develop the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear Objectivist philosopher Charles Tew answer your questions on Ayn Rand's philosophy and its application to politics, career, romance, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following question: 00:48 - "Given that using reason is a choice, which is not guaranteed to be made by everyone, is it not valid to consider irrational behaviour in economic models?" *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you develop the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear Objectivist philosopher Charles Tew answer your questions on Ayn Rand's philosophy and its application to politics, career, romance, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I cover some recent events and share some updates on everything I'm doing. *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you develop the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear Objectivist philosopher Charles Tew answer your questions on Ayn Rand's philosophy and its application to politics, career, romance, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:38 - "What do you think of Rucka's work in parody rap, especially the song 'Am I Gay?'" *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you develop the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear Objectivist philosopher Charles Tew answer your questions on Ayn Rand's philosophy and its application to politics, career, romance, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:38 - "Ayn Rand wrote, 'To laugh at the contemptible, is a virtue; to laugh at the good, is a hideous vice.' ...Men bond by teasing each other, sometimes quite brutally. I noticed Rucka even teased you slightly in your chats with him, though I did not notice you teasing Rucka. Men seem to build affection for one another through teasing, yet this sparks laughter at oneself. As the self is the ultimate good, how does laughing at oneself jibe with Rand's theory of humor? I understand some of the teasing can be about minor, trivial personal perks. Sometimes it can be more probing and personal, teasing a friend over something they hold dear. For instance, were you and I friends I might joke, 'Look at me, I'm Charles, I'm gonna stay in and read philosophy rather than hang with friends.' Obviously your interest and love of philosophy is a good, yet we both might laugh. Is such laughter and teasing evil? If not, is Rand wrong on humor?" 10:26 - "What do you think of Rucka's work in parody rap, especially the song 'Am I Gay?'" *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you develop the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear Objectivist philosopher Charles Tew answer your questions on Ayn Rand's philosophy and its application to politics, career, romance, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:38 - "Can you explain the role of comedy in an objectivist society? Both its purpose and the topics it should revolve around." *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you develop the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear Objectivist philosopher Charles Tew answer your questions on Ayn Rand's philosophy and its application to politics, career, romance, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:38 - "In recent years, I've heard quite a lot of news about hormonal and surgical treatment given to children with gender dysphoria. While I acknowledge that these are not something that one should be prevented from undergoing as an adult, I can't justify such options being available to a child. To what extent should the state restrict parents from harming their children?" 09:07 - "Under what conditions would you say that harming an animal is a decent thing to do, and why? (in the context of diet)" *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you develop the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear Objectivist philosopher Charles Tew answer your questions on Ayn Rand's philosophy and its application to politics, career, romance, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:38 - "Is nihilism more immoral than evasion? Is nihilism a form of evasion itself?" *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you develop the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear Objectivist philosopher Charles Tew answer your questions on Ayn Rand's philosophy and its application to politics, career, romance, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:38 - "One primary function of the government is to treat all citizens equally under the law. How does an objectivist square this with lawyers for hire? Under a system where one can pay for legal counsel, those with more money hire more/better lawyers, while those without such money cannot, with this typically leading to different final outcomes." 08:12 - "What merits [psychology] to be a special branch of science, when philosophy is seemingly sufficient to explain the emotions and actions of people?" 12:42 - "[How can I] feel my selfish contributions to the world won't contribute to a society of [people] who I dislike?" *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you develop the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear Objectivist philosopher Charles Tew answer your questions on Ayn Rand's philosophy and its application to politics, career, romance, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:38 - "In an ideal objectivist world, how would the government deal with counterfeiting (physical property violation) and digital counterfeiting (copying and online piracy)?" 13:14 - "Yaron has previously indicated wanting to have multiple countries with different governing policies. If you assume that each was objectivist, how much room for difference laws would there be between said objectivist governments? Would a global objectivist UN be the best possible governing situation?" *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you develop the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear Objectivist philosopher Charles Tew answer your questions on Ayn Rand's philosophy and its application to politics, career, romance, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:38 - "Would an objectivist support a law that is a movement in the right direction from the current situation? Or would it be moral to only support a law that is consistent with an objective framework? For the second option, would the entire system need to be overhauled all at exactly the same time?" 11:22 - "Given our current political party choices in the U.S., Republican, Democrat, and Libertarian, are the Libertarians the best choice for an individual's rational self-interest? I get that most of the Libertarians are probably altruist just like Republicans and Democrats but at least they do not think it is the job of the Government to enforce altruism." 13:44 - "How can a solution be derived for air pollution? What if it were not a single company, but multiple companies releasing different toxic compounds into the air? What would be an objective way to find out the guilty party without relying on extraneous government agencies such as the EPA in the USA to monitor toxic compounds and where they are produced?" *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you develop the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear Objectivist philosopher Charles Tew answer your questions on Ayn Rand's philosophy and its application to politics, career, romance, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:39 - "How does an objectivist framework deal with ignorance? What if people don’t know the extent that sugary sodas or climate change would impact their life and therefore incorrectly evaluate their individual value? What if the global Illuminati have the best information and just make that judgement for everyone under the assumption of ignorance?" 07:44 - "You use words defined in one way, while others use same words with different meaning. What is the best strategy to communicate then? Better to redefine words or create new words and avoid previously held connotations? Is there a general objectivist Communication strategy?" *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear philosopher Charles Tew, an expert on Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, answer your questions on philosophy, politics, career, romance, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:39 - "Is being in the military altruistic? How would an objectivist government simultaneously have national defense and enforcement of property rights? Would it be strictly voluntary?" *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear philosopher Charles Tew, an expert on Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, answer your questions on philosophy, politics, career, romance, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:38 - "My first question is merely, how would you define video games? I understand that they are a form of recreation that test your visual-motor and logical skills, but would it be wrong to consider modern RPG's as being or having aspects of art. For instance, games like Skyrim or Diablo have a large story element that immerses the player in a recreation of reality, often with a strong theme. The reason this question is on my mind is closely tied to my second question. Is there value to video game streaming as a hobby or profession and how would one define that value? I have recently created a twitch and started to stream in my free time and I am thoroughly enjoying it. Is this a waste of productive energy or a useful value? Could this be a valid career for a rational person?" 07:50 - "How does one avoid using contextual issues as a justification for evading principles? For example, I could argue that affirmative action for black people is wrong because racism is wrong, but someone else might respond that there is a context of historical persecution against black people that justifies affirmative action in this case." 14:50 - "If dishonesty and stupidity are one in the same, wouldn’t Immanuel Kant be the dumbest man who ever lived?" *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear philosopher Charles Tew, an expert on Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, answer your questions on philosophy, politics, career, romance, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:38 - "How much attention should one pay to Rands opinions/thoughts on music? I predominantly listen to hip-hop and wasn't very happy to find that Rand considers me a psycho-epistemological savage, since that is what she called people that enjoy drum heavy music in The Romantic Manifesto." 07:52 - "Why do you despise the concept of equal opportunity? I understand that the governments attempts to force it onto us often result in destruction, and the opposite effect, but if it were to occur in a just and natural manner wouldn't it be a good thing?" 13:49 - "One of my favorite things to do is art (writing fiction and poetry specifically) and I notice that many contemporary artists of all kinds tend to be extremely progressive politicly, clinging to SJW style identity politics, a hatred of capitalism and moral relativism. Is there any reason that this particular flawed mindset would appeal to an artist specifically?" *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear philosopher Charles Tew, an expert on Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, answer your questions on philosophy, politics, career, romance, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 11:13 - "What is your opinion on housewives? Gavin [McInnes] likes to say that 5% of women should be in the workforce and the rest would be happier at home. Do you agree with this sentiment to some extent?" 19:21 - "Besides Dragon Ball, what are some shows that you love and think other people should watch?" 32:38 - "Are there any opinions Rand had that can be discarded due to the times she lived in? I noticed that you spoke about transsexualism in a much more benevolent way than Rand seemed to speak about homosexuals." *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear philosopher Charles Tew, an expert on Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, answer your questions on philosophy, politics, career, romance, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:38 - "'A perfect, clear understanding also means a feeling. It isn’t enough to realize a thing is true. The realization must be so clear that one feels this truth. For men act on feelings, not on thoughts. Every thought should be part of yourself, your body, your nature, and every part of your nature should be a thought. Every feeling – a thought, every thought – a feeling.' [— Ayn Rand, in her journals] What I take this to mean, is that it is a germ of Rand’s more fully developed concept that ideally man is an integrated being of thought, feeling and action – in fact, that a healthy human being experiences no contradiction between his thoughts, his emotions and his actions. Further, I take from this, that though it is one’s volitional consciousness that selects one’s goals and purposes and one’s direction, it is one’s emotions (hopefully one’s passions), that fuel the actions one takes to achieve one’s purposes. If our premises are true, then our passions drive us to our goals. Please comment." 12:05 - "What is the difference between controlling emotion vs. suppressing/repressing emotion?" 20:40 - "If Objectivism is inevitably going to dominate the culture, why will it take going through a dark ages before it is rediscovered? Isn't it more likely for it to happen now? When we have free speech and the internet? -- If Thomas Aquinas could single handedly bring man out of the dark ages through reintroducing Aristotle, why couldn’t Ayn Rand bring us out of our present philosophical Deadpool of nihilism and decay? We have complete free speech and the internet. How is it possible we are still losing? -- Once Objectivism takes hold, will it be irreversible? It provides too many correct answers for another Immanual Kant type to undo?" *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear philosopher Charles Tew, an expert on Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, answer your questions on philosophy, politics, career, romance, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 01:14 - "I know people who went there entire lives narcissistic, irrational and unhappy. Does this mean happiness is not essential for survival?" 02:29 - "The vast majority of Ayn Rand's books have an audio version, whether digital or on CD. However, why has there never been an audio version made for Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology?" 03:50 - "My question is, what, if any, connection is there between altruism and child abuse? Do you think that there is one, and if so could you help make this connection explicit for me? Can it be a coincidence that the most altruistic institutions in the world, those such as the Catholic Church, harbour so many paedophiles? In the UK, we have seen many instances of the mass rape of young girls by organised Muslim gangs, (another belief system built on an altruistic morality), is this connection just coincidental? Or an example of correlation but not causation? I would be grateful to hear your thoughts on the matter." *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear philosopher Charles Tew, an expert on Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, answer your questions on philosophy, politics, career, romance, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:38 - "In a recent episode of your podcast you indicated that harassing phone calls are physical force because there are actual particles used to carry the harassing information. This doesn't make any sense to me. Could you elaborate on what non-physical force is since all information must reach another person by physical means? It seems somewhat rationalistic to call harassment over a phone physical just because it involves physical entities; as anything between two people would have to do." 02:03 - "I disagree completely regarding responsibility for a conceived child. If you cause a child to be brought into the world then you are responsible for it." 07:44 - "Could you please define “evasion”, and is it possible for someone to be religious through honest errors or only as a result of evasion?" *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear philosopher Charles Tew, an expert on Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, answer your questions on philosophy, politics, career, romance, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:38 - "Would you recommend a specific order for reading Ayn Rands' non-fiction?" 10:09 - "Is it ethical to be [a soldier-for-hire]? If so, what ethical constraints would one have to follow?" 13:09 - "What causes depression and how does one overcome it?" *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear philosopher Charles Tew, an expert on Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, answer your questions on philosophy, politics, career, romance, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:38 - "You have very peculiar definitions of initiatory and retaliatory force. Waving a gun around and pointing it at people, yet not actually shooting them, is still a threat of violence (coercion) - still an attempt to force their will on to you. However, simply owning a "prohibited" firearm in the privacy of your own home, locked in a safe no one even knows about is an act of violence (against who?), justifying force against them? And the reason why I ask "against who", is because you resort to collectivist standards of victimhood to justify pre-emptive (yet "retaliatory"?) force against someone who has neither committed violence nor threatened its use against any individual person. Please, check your premises." 06:54 - "If the implicit knowledge of all men is that existence exists, from where do the explicit ideas contradicting this arise? Why did it take centuries of bunk philosophers for Aristotle and Ayn Rand to come around and state what is implicit knowledge for all?" 10:23 - "Can you explain the meaning of the term second-handed used by Ayn Rand in the Fountainhead? Because I can't seem to understand its meaning... Is there a context in which being second-handed can be valuable?" *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear philosopher Charles Tew, an expert on Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, answer your questions on philosophy, politics, career, romance, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:38 - "Can you logically describe what Plato meant by the world of forms? I understand that he was wrong, but what exactly was he talking about? I think I understand it in the context of a religious leader claiming to have revelation from god, but beyond that example, I don’t comprehend the concept. How would someone describe the world of forms outside of religion?" 04:39 - "What are the factual conditions for freedom? Do they involve a degree of inhibition of those natural and artificial monopolies and monopsonies that are in place not as a matter of merit but as a matter of privatized, concentrated rental income (and power) from land property, credit or luck?" 11:19 - "I am a musician who's been trying to write his own music for avout two years now...The music comes to me easily, and I can consistently identify and implement good riffs and composition. However, I always struggle with coming up with a message, a lyrical theme or even a mood or emotion for the piece, a problem compounded by the fact that most of the time I start writing the music without wanting to express anything, I just love writing something that sounds good. I have tried the alternative but to no avail. Either the lyrics feel forced or the music that surrounds them does...I am asking you for advice because even though you are not a musician (to my knowledge), I have a sneaking suspicion that the root of my problem is philosophical and I was hoping you could identify it and give me some advice on solving it." *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear philosopher Charles Tew, an expert on Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, answer your questions on philosophy, politics, career, romance, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:38 - "Why do we enjoy arbitrary things? By this for example I mean that I enjoy building and painting plastic figures. I understand that things like food please us physically because they are required for survival and that solving certain problems can please us mentally as that is also required for survival. In building plastic miniatures I am however in no way contributing to my life or odds of survival other than by the fact that I enjoy it. Isn't this completly irrational? What dictates our mental wants? Why do I want to be a teacher? I can tell you the reason I enjoy it, I can however not tell you why those reasons are more enjoyable to me than the reasons I like something else for and why I chose teaching as my job rather than something else that I enjoy less but still enjoy. The only reason I can off the top of my head come up with is a determinist one and that is propably not very objectivist." 06:35 - "Why is libel (or indirect force in general) force?" 13:07 - Moral luck *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear philosopher Charles Tew, an expert on Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, answer your questions on philosophy, politics, career, romance, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:38 - "I am a 15 year old objectivist who is trying to understand Ayn Rand and her philosophy. However, I live in a religious household with parents who dont understand objectivism, and given that I believe objectivism is the solution to most of the world's problems I want to spread it. how do you suggest I get people to accept objectivism, who refuse to question and mostly abandon 2,000 years of tradition, in ethics and philosophy?" 05:05 - "Is Universalism ( ex: increasing suffrage privileges of citizens) aligned with Objectivism? Objectivist ideas of free will and the individual's potential to reason might support this. This is problematic for me, due to how I correlate creeping presence of the government in our daily lives and the spread universalist ideas." 10:05 - "Ayn Rand has brilliantly demonstrated that choosing your sexual partner reveals just as much about one's philosophy as choosing business partners, and furthermore how everything is deeply connected. Later, in Atlas Shrugged, it's said how those with ability are looked down upon, told to be ashamed of their ability and hide it. Can't this be similarly connected to physical beauty? It's said that - mostly - women shouldn't dress too revealing. Isn't this a different form of ability being punished? For clarification, I believe beauty is just as much an ability as craftsmanship is." *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear philosopher Charles Tew, an expert on Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, answer your questions on philosophy, politics, career, romance, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:38 - "What is the proper way to think about unpunished crimes, particularly heinous crimes? Does a criminal suffer enough psychologically? How does one maintain confidence in one's principles if evil can sometimes win? Or, how can one be certain that evil can never win, even if the criminal is never prosecuted? How can a victim of a heinous crime, or a person close to a victim, deal with their values being destroyed by no fault of their own? What do you do after that?" 13:32 - "I've recently noticed that the seemingly rational people I talk to hold fairly high level beliefs(such as the validity of human rights) as intrinsic truths without any further basis. When I try to press such people for the reason for their beliefs, they deny that there can or should be a reason. Could you explain how and why people come to hold and keep rational ideas through irrational means? It makes sense to me that irrational ideas could be held aloft by faith alone but the same doesn't seem possible for the truth." 17:44 - "Why is viability the line of being human whats so special about not being attached to something or someone to live? Could consciousness be more uniquely human and a better line to distinguish a human life? Perhaps science isnt advanced enough to know when consciousness forms but what if hypothetically they prove it starts around the 4th week of gestation(same time the synapses begin) would this change anything morally about terminating it?" *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear philosopher Charles Tew, an expert on Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, answer your questions on philosophy, politics, career, romance, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:38 - "How did consciousness/reason/free will come into the first man? It doesn’t seem like it comes through evolution since only man has it while all other animals lack it. Is it not an advantageous trait that should arise? This seems to point to the idea that consciousness did not come to man through natural means." 03:58 - "During one of your discussions with Rucka, you say blacks in America are mostly animals. I assume you are using that word to mean they are not using the full function of their reason, as a lot of the functional reason required to pursue happiness has been taken from them by government providing too much, and possibly other affirmative action policies. So, is it your opinion that blacks in America are only this way as a result of said policies? That anyone within America has the potential to pursue and achieve happiness? It sounded that way to me and if that is your position, and you, like I , believe in evolution (as far as species changing over time/natural selection for life affirming traits), I cannot reason past the obvious factor that if humans emerged from Africa, the groups that left would undoubtedly evolve at a faster rate and develop different survival traits as a result of facing countless new challenges to survival and constantly having to ascertain how to and what to eat in new environments. Conversely, the humans that remained in Africa would have experienced less new external pressures. In this sense the only conclusion I am able to draw is that blacks have 100,000 years or more of a slower evolution. To me this is a large part of the state of blacks in America." 10:17 - "I currently serve in the British Armed Forces, but it is a long term aspiration of mine to become a philosopher, and hopeful one day teach it at an academic level…[How do you think one should study the history of philosophy? Chronologically or comparatively?]" 22:39 - "Is greed a legitimate concept?" *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear philosopher Charles Tew, an expert on Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, answer your questions on philosophy, politics, career, romance, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:38 - "What is your take on the idea that the key to getting along with people (and possibly making good friends eventually) without sacrificing any of your integrity is to judge people in specific contexts and never beyond them. For instance, you judge your barber's value strictly by his work and not his philosophical views." 05:54 - "[How are rights inalienable if we can justly imprison people for violating others’ rights?]" 09:43 - "I’ve heard you say multiple times that you should hate your enemies. Is this consistent with Objectivism? I’m currently reading The Fountainhead and it seems like Rand is saying that you should not hate anyone. Obviously there’s the part when Roark says he thinks nothing of Toohey, but later on Rand makes it clear that Roark hates no one when she says that Roark doesn’t hate Wynand, but that Wynand is the closest Roark has ever come to hating someone. I also understand through introspection that when I am at my happiest I have no room for hate within me. I simply feel nothing towards all the evil men in the world. I believe I’m misunderstanding either you or Rand, as an oversight like this is uncharacteristic of someone as thoughtful as you. Where am I going wrong?" *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear philosopher Charles Tew, an expert on Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, answer your questions on philosophy, politics, career, romance, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 03:20 - "[My] question is about something Peikoff said in his podcast. He was answering the question (paraphrasing) "what is wrong with threesomes?" and he said something like you can't demote a relationship. I think he might have been quoting Ayn Rand. This answer didn't seem to make sense to me at all, why can't you downgrade a relationship (say an ex-girlfriend who is now just a friend)? What about Dagny and Francisco?" 07:07 - "If you're a man looking for a romantic partner, can you just accept who is available within your context? I'm leaving out having sex with someone who is evil. You said in your podcast (paraphrasing as best as I can) that sexual pleasure is so important that you should get the most you can, without any immoral sacrifice. Does that apply to romance as well as masturbation?" 09:06 - "Can [pornography] ever serve as a legitimate aid to masturbation? Or are you just being second handed and relying on some director's imagination and values instead of your own? Ayn Rand also distinguished between "hard core" and "soft core" pornography, is that distinction meaningful? Do you know what she would have meant by "soft core"? I'm guessing probably the kinds of things you see in poorly written pg13 movies today." *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear philosopher Charles Tew, an expert on Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, answer your questions on philosophy, politics, career, romance, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:38 - "You said that you are not an advocate of "equality of opportunity." Do you have a video where you explain this?" 07:54 - "Do you think that black Americans have a claim to the land their ancestors worked on prior to emancipation?" 12:24 - "Have seen your video on Jordan Peterson not understanding physics, in which you talk about how Einstein and current day physicists wrongly interpret data. If possible, could you elaborate on that some more?" *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear philosopher Charles Tew, an expert on Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, answer your questions on philosophy, politics, career, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 02:53 - "You said that utilitarian objects are not art. But I have seen many utilitarian objects that are very attractive and interesting, even entertaining, to look at...?" 07:17 - "Why is it necessary to make aesthetics a separate branch of philosophy, next to important branches as epistemology and morality?" 10:07 - "While certain -important - aspects of art are objective, would objectivism agree that there are still parts, however minor, about art that can be subjective? Or is that more an example of personal taste and how much people like/enjoy it, not as much as the quality of the art itself?" *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear philosopher Charles Tew, an expert on Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, answer your questions on philosophy, politics, career, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:38 - The Ship of Theseus 04:58 - "Laws that censor art because it is deemed 'obscene', what are your views on this topic. From my understanding, in the US, there is a Miller test to judge whether something is obscene and tends to classify art as requiring values to not be considered obscene." 08:01 - "I hear a lot of people defending uncertainty and attacking objective knowledge with an argument that is in essence as follows: Thousands of years ago people were certain that X was true. Now we know that X is [BS]. Therefore we cannot be certain of anything we know, because future people will prove us wrong and view us as troglodytes. What would your response to this argument be?" *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear philosopher Charles Tew, an expert on Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, answer your questions on philosophy, politics, career, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:38 - "I was watching a livestream with Yaron Brook, Onkar Ghate, and Gregory Salmieri about the Jordan Peterson panel at OCON. Yaron said the following in the chat: "Happiness is far from self-evident." That really threw me for a loop. Isn't happiness self-evident? It's simply irreducible that happiness is desirable. You can't get underneath the fact that happiness makes you feel happy. It's the foundation of ethics. There's no "proof." Am I missing something here?" 12:11 - "I have been watching your videos and I want to thank you for sharing your ability to explain philosophy and to identify errors and false premises. I have never seen someone able to articulate Objectivism in a way that shows such a deep and thorough understanding of the philosophy outside of a few of the best thinkers at ARI (Onkar, Greg Salmieri, HB and LP). I find it rather astonishing that you are on par with these highly trained professionals, especially since you appear to be under 30 years old. Is there anything in particular, as far as your thought/learning process, that has allowed you to advance so rapidly? Any particular material or mental habit? P. S. I really want to encourage you to keep up what you are doing and not to sell yourself short. You can be a marvelously successful philosopher even today." 21:06 - "Stephen Pinker’s latest book “Enlightenment Now” was released a few months ago. Since its release, there has been some discussion about resurrecting (or perhaps preserving) Enlightenment ideas. However, one notable criticism of The Enlightenment, mainly from conservatives like Ben Shapiro, is the failure of the French Revolution - Which we know resulted in replacing the French monarchy with a secular dictatorship before collapsing into the dictatorship of Napoleon Bonaparte. My question is: Why did the Enlightenment work in America, but fail in France? Conservatives like to claim that it was religion (notably Christianity) that grounded the Enlightenment in America." *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear philosopher Charles Tew, an expert on Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, answer your questions on philosophy, politics, career, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:38 - "In episode 32, talking about how to think about the universe, you suggested the existence of an ether filling otherwise empty space. You glossed over this as a given without much explanation. Since the existence of an ether is not common knowledge, I assume that you believe there is some metaphysical necessity for it. Could you please clarify this? FWIW, I understand that "nothing" does not exist. "Nothing" is only the absence of something. It is only in reference to something that "nothing" has any meaning. The same can be said about empty space. Empty space does not exist -- it is only the space between existents. It is only in reference to other objects in space that one can refer to empty space. But I don't see this as necessitating a plenum. It seems to me to be a false dichotomy to claim that, because empty space does not exist, then there is no empty space between anything. I’d like to hear your arguments for the existence of an ether or the universe as a plenum." 08:07 - "I'm just wondering what the nature of the rights of children is from the perspective of objectivism, and what the moral relationship between a parent and a child is like. I haven't seen this issue properly addressed - that's not to say it hasn't been, certainly I could have missed it - but I am curious about when rights and responsibility begin. It seems Rand herself concluded children do not have full rights, but in any case I'm curious about the obligation to care for your child, if any exists." 13:55 - "My question relates to the death penalty, and whether or not it should exist in a free society. I recently read an article in the New York Times which reported that the Pope had declared the death penalty to be inadmissible in all cases. This got me to thinking, is it moral for the State to execute a violent criminal? I am currently reading OPAR for the first time and have just completed Chapter 8 – Virtue in which Leonard Peikoff, among other things, describes the Objectivist position on the concept of ‘Justice’. Although the Objectivist position on the death penalty is not stated explicitly, it is my moral estimate that Ayn Rand’s vigorous advocacy of the good and condemnation of the evil implies a need for having the death penalty available for the most egregious instances of rights violations; mass murderers/serial killers etc. Is this your understanding of the Objectivist position? And if so, what are the Objective facts which give rise to this idea? And finally, what do you think are the ideas underlying those people who say “we can’t resort to the level of the murderers or terrorists, we must be better than them and lead by example”? Surely this just sanctions evil?" *** Functional Philosophy is the weekly Q&A podcast that helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. Subscribe to hear philosopher Charles Tew, an expert on Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, answer your questions on philosophy, politics, career, and more. New episodes on Mondays. Website: https://www.charlestew.com Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:38 - "When you made a video describing why people join the alt-right you said that they lacked an identity and core values, and that the alt-right offers them an easy way to find an abysmal substitute. Do you think that social justice advocacy (in the form it's taken in modern times) does the same thing for its zealous followers?" 07:31 - "Whose job/responsibility should it be to print money? I'm all for the deregulation of corporations, but I'm not sure if a company, with as only real value making profit, would be suitable for the task of printing money. But at the same time, I feel that giving the government the power of printing money may be more authoritarian. How would the creation of money work in a free society?" 10:53 - "Would you be able to do a video on the distinction between narcissism and egoism? I think Ayn Rand viewer narcissism as an underdeveloped sense of self/identity. I’ve always been puzzled and frustrated by people totally in there own world, who don’t observe or care about anyone else around them." *** Functional Philosophy is the show in which Objectivist philosopher Charles Tew helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. If you're curious to see how Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism can bring revolutionary clarity to your life, give it a listen. Website: https://www.charlestew.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:38 - "I wanted to know your take on the "rape" scene in The Fountainhead. My opinion was that Dominique "resisted" Roark (but didn't call for help), because of her inner conflict. She hated Roark and herself for desiring him because of her malevolent view of the world. But then later in the story she tells Wynand that Roark raped her and emphasised that he didn't ask for consent. That didn't make a lot of sense to me when I read it, could you explain? Was this just Ayn Rand taking artistic liberties?" 05:47 - "When I need to park on the street in my city, I don't pay the city what it's asking for, be that paying for a parking meter or the purchase of a parking pass. I am able to do so without getting parking tickets. Do you regard this as theft? If so, is this theft okay because I'm stealing from the city, who stole the wealth for the creation and upkeep of the roads I'm parking on? If it makes a difference, I'm 16 and have yet to pay taxes, so I haven't personally been stolen from. I've heard you call similar behavior a hatred/disregard for the nature reality in the past. If the same applies to my behavior, does this reflect a corrupted sense of life on my part?" 11:08 - "From an objectivist point of view, what speech is not protected as free speech? I assume like most people, myself included, you recognize calls to violence against an individual as beyond the realm of free speech. But what do you think about slander? Is it moral for you to use force against me to prevent me from calling you a child rapist? If so, what about if I call you a communist? If only the first slanderous statement should be illegal, what exactly makes that one worse?" *** Functional Philosophy is the show in which Objectivist philosopher Charles Tew helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. If you're curious to see how Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism can bring revolutionary clarity to your life, give it a listen. Website: https://www.charlestew.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:39 - "Speaking anecdotally, I have noticed when I am sleep deprived, something occurs to me, or I am unwell I lose attention and sometimes daydream. Is this what Ayn Rand meant by focus? How should I think about these kinds of situations? Can you be volitionally focused, while there are other factors making it hard to think clearly? Is recognising a lack of attention and the need to do something about it an act of focus?" 10:33 - "How much and what kind of generalising ought an average person do in their own life? I'm assuming they are not theoretical scientists, philosophers or intellectuals. Is having proper concepts and making proper identifications enough or do you need to make new integrations in day to day life? What is the proper policy towards induction and conceptualisation for the man on the street?" 16:03 - "In today's world, how much should a man invest in romantic relationships? Given the culture and the sense of life of most people out there today, does it make sense to be out pursuing women actively? And if so what should one do? I have recently become interested in a romantic relationship but I haven't achieved anything great or worth celebrating in that kind of way. Is that wrong? Can an undistinguished person have romantic values?" *** Functional Philosophy is the show in which Objectivist philosopher Charles Tew helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. If you're curious to see how Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism can bring revolutionary clarity to your life, give it a listen. Website: https://www.charlestew.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:39 - "What are the origins of human interests? Why do some people desire to be doctors, or physicists, or philosophers? Is this motivation based on premises or are people brains genetically shaped to be attracted to certain subjects over others?" 07:10 - "Is 'an eye for an eye' a fundamentaly good idea or does it just cause more harm than good?" 10:55 - "As an objectivist would you say that you are a 'materialist' / secular humanist?" *** Functional Philosophy is the show in which Objectivist philosopher Charles Tew helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. If you're curious to see how Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism can bring revolutionary clarity to your life, give it a listen. Website: https://www.charlestew.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:39 - "Is it immoral to create art if people use it to escape reality? For example are those who create video games (or it could be any other medium if you don't consider games to be art) to some extent to blame for video game addiction? What is the difference between an artist and a drug dealer? Aren't they both selling an escape from reality?" 05:37 - "If [the government] is voluntarily funded, how can I be sure that the government will have enough money from voluntary donations to protect me from violations of rights?" 09:05 - "If a politician could change one thing in the US, would privatizing education be the best choice? The reason being, the best ideas could drive out bad ones in a free market." *** Functional Philosophy is the show in which Objectivist philosopher Charles Tew helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. If you're curious to see how Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism can bring revolutionary clarity to your life, give it a listen. Website: https://www.charlestew.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:39 - "Is our identity (or should our identity be) mainly shaped by our context, or our values? If it is values and the values we should choose as humans are objective then wouldn't we all end up with the same values? Wouldn't the result of this be that our identities are all incredibly similar and we're basically clones of each other? Part of the reason why I enjoy life is because of how different people are in what they value. This makes me think that context such as how you're brought up and culture are important in developing a person's identity. What are your thoughts?" 08:00 - "Would it be fair for the state to own non-tax funded businesses in an objectivist society?" 12:13 - "On social media I have realized that many once proclaimed objectivists have turned to Alt-Right Hoppeans, they believe in ethnicity driven covenants that they support by saying " That it is ridiculous to believe in a universal man as Ayn Rand does, we are clearly not equal and therefore cant be equal in our capacity to reason and use of free will" It is with this that they justify a white homogeneous state, IQ tests etc. I am extremely curious to hear your views on such rhetoric, particularly on the universal man." *** Functional Philosophy is the show in which Objectivist philosopher Charles Tew helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. If you're curious to see how Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism can bring revolutionary clarity to your life, give it a listen. Website: https://www.charlestew.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:39 - "Are altruism and nihilism compatible with each other? [...] Egoists believe that one's own life is the standard, and one's own happiness is the goal. Altruists believe that other people, or something other than their own life, is the standard of value, but what is the goal?" 13:25 - "Why should I turn away government money by not collecting welfare? Wouldn't taking it benefit me? The destructive act of rights violation lies in the taxation, after all. Not the later distribution." 15:26 - "Your [view of gun rights] was something along the lines of "if the products only purpose is to cause massive casualties, and using it in a self defence situation would result in large amounts of collateral damage then it should be outlawed. Please correct me if I'm misattributing this sentiment to you/rand. My issue with this notion is that take for example dynamite, it has a purpose outside of mass casualties related to production and efficiency [...] Its fairly easy to claim multiple purposes for any weapon (You could mine the moon with a nuke, or to bring it back to earth, you could use an automatic weapon as a crude long distance hole punch)" *** Functional Philosophy is the show in which Objectivist philosopher Charles Tew helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. If you're curious to see how Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism can bring revolutionary clarity to your life, give it a listen. Website: https://www.charlestew.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:39 - "Do you think the obsession with sports teams in America and globally is an expression of collectivism inculcated within the culture? If so, to what extent do you think this is responsible for said obsession?" 13:50 - "I'm constantly seeing people express the idea that it is wrong to judge someone based on their beliefs. Instead, that a man may only be judged for his actions. For example, it would be wrong to say that a Muslim is evil just because he believes in Islam, and that people should self-sacrifice for Allah. Rather, it would only be appropriate to judge a Muslim as being evil if he actually acted out his beliefs by murdering infidels[...] My response to this would be to point out that beliefs lead to action, and that people who poison their minds with falsehoods will inevitably be influenced by them in action. I also like to appeal to absurdity by saying something such as the following: "Hannibal Lecter is evil because he wants to murder and eat people, and he likely will, if given the opportunity. But if we strap him to a table such that he is unable to move, and therefore act out his evil beliefs, is he no longer evil?" In addition to this, I've heard Jordan Peterson say that a man's beliefs are defined by the way he acts. So, if someone doesn't act according to his stated beliefs, then he doesn't actually hold those beliefs[...] Should people be judged for their beliefs, and, if so, why? How do people's beliefs, not actions, relate to my happiness? What does belief even mean?" *** Functional Philosophy is the show in which Objectivist philosopher Charles Tew helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. If you're curious to see how Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism can bring revolutionary clarity to your life, give it a listen. Website: www.charlestew.com YouTube: www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 00:39 - "Assuming that consciousness and free will are merely the consequence of some arrangement of information / information processing. Assuming we have figured out how to replicate this digitally. And we have created sentient software running in a digital universe. We clone (copy/paste) this sentient software and its universe and run simultaneously. When we observe the outcome in these two universes at T=X, should we expect to see that the digital entity has made exactly the same choices and ended up in exactly the same place? If so, doesn't this prove free will is deterministic? It would in essence prove that given a certain set of inputs this will always be the output." 10:16 - "What are your thoughts on North Korea and what should be done?" 16:20 - "[Someone] was trying to communicate to me that I should feel better about living in [a] heaven like state because all of the pain and fears associated with the human body would be eliminated. Is [this a] disconnect between the mind and body?" *** Functional Philosophy is the show in which Objectivist philosopher Charles Tew helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. If you're curious to see how Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism can bring revolutionary clarity to your life, give it a listen. Website: www.charlestew.com YouTube: www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 1. "In one of your videos, you lightly touched in Mccarthyism and said how he was a hero. I had always thought of him as a bully, but I did some research and it turned out a lot of what is said about him are straight up lies. My question is: how is it that history can be so distorted and gotten away with? How does one challenge the authority of the left who claim victimhood throughout history, when Mccarthy himself was openly hated in his time. How do you expose this kind of nonsense." 2. "this might seem an odd question but I encounter it at my work regularly (psychologist treating sex offenders). What would objectivism say about the legitimacy of laws against non-contact sex offences? For example, harassing phone calls, in which no physical force has been used? Or accessing online child pornography? In this case, one could argue its immorality because it creates a market for such material that would indirectly encourage others to abuse children." 3. "What are your thoughts on Nasim Taleb ?" *** Functional Philosophy is the show in which Objectivist philosopher Charles Tew helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. If you're curious to see how Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism can bring revolutionary clarity to your life, give it a listen. Website: https://www.charlestew.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 1. "Recently listening to Ben Shapiro and Sam Harris have their debate, Ben brings up aristotles immovable mover and it reminded me that he mentions it in a few other places as well and it almost seems like he might actually think he is Aristotelian as opposed to Platonic. So I went looking but couldn't really find anything much on it from Ayn Rand aside from a brief mention in the Journals of Ayn Rand where she quite rightly dismisses it. But my question to you is: do you know of anything else/more in depth that Rand said on the subject and did Leonard Peikoff ever bring it up? Also what are your thoughts on the subject?" 2. "I would love to know your opinion on the literally concept "Death of the Author". If you do not know, Death of the Author states that the intentions of an author/creator do not matter when reading a book (or any art) and what ever Interpretation an observer sees in a peice of art is just as valid as anybody else's. In other words, it says you should seperate the Creator from there Creation. I do not like this theory of Literature/Art at all, but I would like to know what you think." 3. "I have noticed that a lot of people ignore inconsistencies in their beliefs. Politically, Religiously, etc. I doubt they they don't see their contradictions, since they are so damn obvious. Steven Crowder, for example, says that one is going to be a hypocrite if they have an opinion on anything. If I notice a contradiction in anything, I dig to see where it went wrong (which would by today's standards be "autistic"). My question is, why is it that these people don't care to acknowledge and fix inconsistencies in their beliefs (like religious people who believe in contradictory things but just don't think about and question it)?" *** Functional Philosophy is the show in which Objectivist philosopher Charles Tew helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. If you're curious to see how Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism can bring revolutionary clarity to your life, give it a listen. Website: www.charlestew.com YouTube: www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 1. Addendum on certainty. 2. "Can you please address the topic of innovating, from the point of view of an inventor / entrepreneur? How does one be creative in order to produce value? How does one invent a product the market will pay for?" 3. "is there a difference between the self and the ego? I know that they are used interchangeably and act as synonyms but I am curious if you could explain how they are different. I think Ayn Rand argued that they were the same but I wouldn't mind a clarification." *** Functional Philosophy is the show in which Objectivist philosopher Charles Tew helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. If you're curious to see how Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism can bring revolutionary clarity to your life, give it a listen. Website: www.charlestew.com YouTube: www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 1. "I've heard from yourself and Rand that philosophical systems (at the individual or cultural scale) which contain contradictions are like an unstable radioactive element. The insinuation seems to be that they will eventually collapse into the consistent expression of the evil elements. Can you elaborate on the mechanics of this tendency on the scale of a culture or an individual? And why is it that contradiction laden ideologies will more often collapse into a consistent expression of the evil elements instead of the good elements? Maybe I am misunderstanding Rand's views here. But it seems that to claim this tenancy condradicts the benevolent universe premise of Objectivist metaphysics." 2. Explain certainty. 3. "Is there a relationship between a consciousness being perceptual/conceptual an it being non-volitional/volitional? Does a consciousness's volition imply that it's conceptual and vice versa? It's relatively easy to know that animals are perceptual; how can we know that they are non-volitional? Might we one day find non-volitional, conceptual consciousnesses somewhere?" *** Functional Philosophy is the show in which Objectivist philosopher Charles Tew helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. If you're curious to see how Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism can bring revolutionary clarity to your life, give it a listen. Website: www.charlestew.com YouTube: www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 1. "How does one rationally ascertain that they love someone, in the context of a romantic relationship?" 2. "I'm a anarcho-objectivist and have been listening to your podcasts for a while now and I really enjoy them. However one thing that has been bothering me about other objectivists (I couldn't find any of your podcasts with the government as the subject, so I'm not sure what your position is) and something you might be able to clarify is the belief that the state can exist without the initiation force. This is important because if the state has to use force in order to exist, it can't be justified since the initiation of force can't be justified. The state has to initiate force to survive because the state has to have a monopoly on parts of the private sector (i.e the military, police, etc) in order for it to be a state (I'm not saying that all monopolies are states however, just that it is one requirement) which means it can't be a state without having regulations (i.e only the state can have a military, nukes, etc) if a private company can provide better services that it. Forcing regulations onto people necessitates the use of force (because how else would you stop people from creating their own private militaries for example) therefor, a state has to use force.The answers I have gotten from other objectivists is that the state doesn't have to use force because the funds required for it to operate would easily be gathered from donations. The problem with this is if a market alternative were to emerge, which is an inevitability (since disallowing this would be the use of force) the state would have to either seize the competitor or steal money through taxes in order to survive. If the state would just let itself be outcompeted, it wouldn't be a state to begin with.Now, I hope you will not answer with a practicality such as "what will happen if I get caught stealing inside two overlapping police zones" or "the state is required because who else is going to keep force out of the marketplace?", because those are all arguments for sacrificing principles for the "greater good" and if that is your problem with anarchy I will gladly explain why that isn't really a problem." *** Functional Philosophy is the show in which Objectivist philosopher Charles Tew helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. If you're curious to see how Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism can bring revolutionary clarity to your life, give it a listen. Website: www.charlestew.com YouTube: www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 1. "You talked about following your passion in you videos, isn't that mystical? How does reason factor in? Have you seen Mike Rowe's video on it?" 2. "There is a friend of mine who, upon hearing anything associated with Henry Ford, will hasten to make a comment about his antisemitism. He is especially emphatic when something positive is said about Ford. This constant emphasis on Ford’s blemishes seems unjust considering that people, who were essentially monsters but did the occasional good deed, should not be recognized for said good deed at every mention of the suffering and misery that they inflicted. How should one view the life of someone like Henry Ford. His achievements were monumental in scope and he believed in and promoted human efficacy and individual achievement. Simultaneously he held and promoted vicious ideas about Jews. In light of the latter, is just to view him as a hero and is it just to damn his name and legacy? How should one integrate the good and bad that a historical figure, like Henry Ford, did in order to form a judgement about said individual?" *** Functional Philosophy is the show in which Objectivist philosopher Charles Tew helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. If you're curious to see how Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism can bring revolutionary clarity to your life, give it a listen. Website: www.charlestew.com YouTube: www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 1. "I sometimes go to social functions here in L.A. where "small talk" is often pro-socialist claptrap or jokes against individualism/entrepreneurship. While 90% of the people at these events are irrelevant to my life, I still hope to come across a potential business contact or meet a new friend, and so I continue to go to these functions and host functions myself. Nearly every conversation eventually devolves into some defense of collectivism, and by accident I end up dominating the conversation and demolishing everyone's childlike positions. Instead of being known as a bright individual with strong values, everyone's takeaway is that I'm simply a huge asshole - regardless of how polite and friendly my views are offered. I don't want to compromise my values by misrepresenting or minimizing my opinions (and risking the chance of failing to connect with a potential ally). It's hard to soften my views because the foundation for my opinions are in diametric opposition to the values of these people. A lot of these contacts are gatekeepers in my industry, and being known as an asshole or being "impossible to work with" is hurting my business. I'm becoming reclusive as a result, because "outing myself" further is now a business risk. Is this problem simply the cost of being enlightened in an age of darkness, or is there a solution other than wearing a scarlet letter?" 2. "Rucka in his video on philosophy states that Ayn Rand bridged mind and body in her epistemology can you explain her justifications for both in one your podcast episodes?" *** Functional Philosophy is the show in which Objectivist philosopher Charles Tew helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. If you're curious to see how Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism can bring revolutionary clarity to your life, give it a listen. Website: www.charlestew.com YouTube: www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: www.patreon.com/charlestew

In this episode of Functional Philosophy, I answer the following questions: 1. "As you know, there is such a swath of distasteful conspiracies out there. whether it be David Icke's nonsense, the earth is flat, the moon is actually a base for woo woo government experiments. my question is: Can you spend a little time to talk shit on the said conspiracies?" *** Functional Philosophy is the show in which Objectivist philosopher Charles Tew helps you gain and strengthen the philosophical foundations required to achieve certainty, success, and happiness. If you're curious to see how Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism can bring revolutionary clarity to your life, give it a listen. Website: www.charlestew.com YouTube: www.youtube.com/charlestew Patreon: www.patreon.com/charlestew