The Charles Tew Letter

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."

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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?"

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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?"

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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.

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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?'"

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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?'"

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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)"

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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