




  • Q&A: Workplace Diversity: 6 Sep 2015, Question 1
  • Question: Is the lack of racial and sexual diversity in the workplace a problem? Lately, there have been a lot of discussions about the lack of diversity in the tech industry. I have been asked to fill out surveys indicating my gender and race, which I politely refuse to complete. I don't see how my sex or the color of my skin impacts my work as an engineer. Some companies promote diversity statistics on their blog and claim that they're working to improve workplace diversity. In late July, Pinterest posted a similar blog entry and went even further by explicitly setting goals to hire women and people of "underrepresented ethnic backgrounds." Is this lack of diversity a problem in an industry? If so, what kinds of measures should be used to address it?

    Tags: Bias, Business, Culture, Ethics, Justice, Objectivity, Personality, Racism, Self-Interest, Sexism, Values

  • Q&A: Resisting Arrest: 19 Jul 2015, Question 1
  • Question: How should the police respond to people resisting arrest? Recently, Michael Brown in Ferguson and Eric Garner in New York City have made headlines because they were killed by police officers who, many feel, used excessive force during their respective encounters. While the two cases were quite different, they did have one thing in common. In both cases, the officers were compelled to use force which resulted in lethal injury when the men, Brown and Garner respectively, resisted arrest. Brown attacked officer Wilson and then ran away, refusing to stop until Wilson chased him down. Garner refused to be arrested. Is there a more objective way to deal with an arrest in a free society? Since, in a free society, the government has a monopoly over the use of force, does that mean that the police are allowed to use brutal force when a suspect refuses to comply with the officer's demands, regardless of the charges against the person in question?

    Tags: Crime, Culture, Government, Law, Politics, Rights, Self-Defense



  • Q&A: Displaying the Confederate Flag: 15 Mar 2015, Question 2




  • Q&A: Extremism Versus Consistency: 28 Dec 2014, Question 1
  • Question: What's the difference between consistency and extremism? I'm often called an "extremist" for my views – in my view, because I'm very consistent and refuse to compromise. Religious people are often called extremists too, yet that's really only consistency with their scripture. So how does "extremism" differ from consistency, if at all?

    Tags: Compromise, Culture, Extremism, Ideology, Logic, Philosophy, Values



  • Q&A: Hijacking Ayn Rand's Ideas: 21 Sep 2014, Question 3
  • Question: What can be done to prevent the hijacking of Ayn Rand's ideas? Ayn Rand has become more and more popular over the last decade, and her ideas have begun to spread into academia. There is more literature being written about Objectivism now than ever before. But there is one thing that worries me. There is a great risk that as Ayn Rand becomes "trendy," second handers will try to use her ideas, manipulate them, to gain respect, and to further their nefarious ends. This is exactly what happened to Friedrich Nietzsche – when his ideas became popular, his philosophy was hijacked by anarchists, Nazis, and postmodernists, completely destroying his reputation for a century. How do we prevent this from happening to Ayn Rand?

    Tags: Academia, Culture, Libertarianism, Objectivism, Objectivist Movement, Philosophy



  • Q&A: The Cultural Effects of Superhero Movies: 27 Jul 2014, Question 3

    Tags: Art, Culture, Culture, Ethics, Film, Literature, Politics


    Tags: Business, Culture, Ethics, Justice, Law









  • Q&A: Moral Judgment of European Colonizers: 8 Dec 2013, Question 2
  • Question: How should European colonizers be judged for their treatment of Native Americans? Some people, especially conservatives, give blanket praise to Columbus and European colonizers, notwithstanding their conquest and displacement of native populations. Those Native Americans are sometimes denigrated as ignorant, brutal, and/or lacking any concept of property – and hence, as unworthy of the protection of rights. Many others consider the Native Americans either noble savages or at least the rightful owners of the land. They condemn European colonization as unethical conquest or even genocide. Are either of those approaches correct? What counts as a fair judgment of European colonizers in their behavior toward Native Americans? How should European colonizers have treated native persons?

    Tags: Colonization, Culture, Ethics, Government, Government, History, Homesteading, Politics, Property Rights, Rights, United States

  • Q&A: Values Destroyed by Statism: 17 Nov 2013, Question 2
  • Question: What are the most significant values destroyed by statism? In other words, what values would be available to us – or more available – in a laissez-faire, rational society that are limited or unavailable to us today? What are some of the major (and perhaps under-appreciated) values destroyed or precluded by government overreach? To put the question another way: How would a proper government improve our lives?

    Tags: Culture, Economics, Ethics, Government, Rights



  • Q&A: The Social Effects of Economic Inequality: 20 Oct 2013, Question 1

    Tags: Causation, Collectivism, Culture, Egalitarianism, Equality, Ethics, John Rawls, Politics, Rights, Statistics

  • Interview: Robert Garmong on Censorship in China: 18 Sep 2013
  • Summary: How does censorship work in China? What can ordinary people access or not? What is the Chinese government most concerned to conceal? What are the consequences of speaking out? What do ordinary people think of the censorship? Robert Garmong, an American living and working in China, answered these questions and more.

    Tags: Academia, Censorship, China, Culture, Education, Free Speech, Government, History, Rights, Technology








    Tags: Common Sense, Culture, Independence, Prudence, Rationality

  • Q&A: The Morality of an Armed Society: 16 Jun 2013, Question 3
  • Question: Is an armed society a polite society – or a violent society? Author Robert Heinlein famously said that "An armed society is a polite society." Many liberals, however, fear an armed society as barbaric and violent. Is widespread ownership and/or carry of arms a positive or a negative feature of a society?

    Tags: Character, Culture, Determinism, Ethics, Firearms, Moral Amplifiers, Rationality, Responsibility





  • Q&A: Moral Judgments of Obese People: 14 Apr 2013, Question 1
  • Question: Is it right or wrong to condemn people for being obese? Obviously, obese and morbidly obese people have made mistakes in their lives. Are they morally culpable for those mistakes? How should other people judge their characters? If I see an obese person on the street, should I infer that he is lazy and unmotivated? Should I refuse to hire an obese person because I suspect he won't work as hard as a non-obese person? Is obesity a moral failing – or are there other considerations?

    Tags: Culture, Discrimination, Ethics, Food, Health, Judgment, Justice, Medicine, Nutrition, Obesity


    Tags: Bible, Christianity, Culture, GLBT, Law, Marriage, Politics, Religion, Romance, Tradition


    Tags: Activism, Culture, GLBT, Marriage, Politics




    Tags: Activism, Culture, Objectivism, Philosophy






    Tags: Apocalypticism, Children, Culture, Parenting, Politics













  • Q&A: Multiculturalism and Tolerance: 15 Jul 2012, Question 1

    Tags: Culture, Ethics, Judgment, Justice, Multiculturalism, Politics, Race, Relativism


    Tags: Activism, Culture, Media, Politics


    Tags: Bible, Capitalism, Christianity, Culture, History, Law, Politics, Religion, Separation of Church and State, United States

  • Q&A: Alternatives to America: 22 Jan 2012, Question 3
  • Question: What other countries besides America have a relatively healthy sense of life? Suppose America takes a bad turn politically and I need to relocate to another country. What other countries still have a relatively healthy "sense of life" and decent culture – in that they respect reason, accomplishment, and productiveness – even if their politics are left-leaning? Over the past few months, I've heard various people discuss Canada, New Zealand, Costa Rica, China, and India as possible places to relocate to. What do you think of the cultures of those countries?

    Tags: Culture, Politics, United States, Values


    Tags: Activism, Culture, Politics


    Tags: Culture, Marriage, Romance




    Tags: Activism, Culture, Ethics, Politics


    Tags: Activism, Culture, Ethics, Politics

  • Q&A: Appropriating Insulting Terms: 12 Jun 2011, Question 5



    Tags: Activism, Culture, Politics


    Tags: Activism, Ayn Rand, Culture, Objectivism, Sanction

  • Q&A: The Basis of Manners: 24 Apr 2011, Question 1
  • Question: How do you objectively define manners? Is that even possible? What makes some action rude or polite? Is it purely subjective or based on personal values? For example, some people think that guests ought to take off their shoes in another person's house, while others don't care or even prefer shoes to remain on the feet. And some people think that putting elbows on the dinner table or feet on the coffee table is barbaric, while others regard that as fine. Since manners vary from person to person, how do you "mind your manners" when interacting with other people? Or should you not bother with that, and instead do what you please?

    Tags: Conflict, Culture, Ethics, Etiquette, Relationships


    Tags: Activism, Culture, Politics, Responsibility

  • Q&A: Cultural Pride: 30 Jan 2011, Question 6
  • Question: Is it wrong to be proud of or obtain your pride from your culture, family and ancestors? Is it correct to have pride in one's culture, family and ancestors? For example in Samoan society a Pe'a is a traditional male Samoan tattoo. According to my friend the pe'a tells him that the wearer has pride in their culture, their family and their ancestors. It is not just a physical marking but an indicator of his/her soul according to him.

    Tags: Culture, Moral Relativism, Pride, Race, Racism, Rights

  • Q&A: Celebrating Festivus: 26 Dec 2010, Question 2
  • Question: Would you recommend your fellow Objectivists to celebrate Festivus? If so, how should we celebrate it?

    Tags: Culture, Holidays, Weddings


    Tags: Activism, Culture, Ethics, Politics

  • Q&A: Cultural Equality: 28 Nov 2010, Question 6
  • Question: Are all cultures equal? How can you prohibit or restrict anyone's cultural norms or say they're better or worse than our culture? Is there an objective barometer by which this can be achieved?

    Tags: Culture, Ethics, Judgment, Justice, Multiculturalism, Politics, Relativism



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