In a previous post I featured the first video from the Q & A session from Dr Andrew Bernstein's lecture, "Religion vs Morality" on Dec. 2, on the UNC Chapel Hill campus.
Featured here are videos 2, 3 and 4 from the Q & A session. Dr Bernstein's responses to each of the questions are brilliant.
One of the questions posed is from Dr Richard Salsman: To what extent is religion based on a fear of death? And if so, then what is the rational response to that?
Dr Bernstein finished the Q & A session memorably with the Bernstein wager in the final three minutes or so of Part 4.
Dr Andrew Bernstein, UNC, Dec. 2 Q & A Part 2
Dr Andrew Bernstein, UNC, Dec. 2 Q & A Part 3
Dr Andrew Bernstein, UNC, Dec. 2 Q & A Part 4
Enjoy!
Showing posts with label UNC Chapel Hill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UNC Chapel Hill. Show all posts
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
Dr Andrew Bernstein speaks on UNC Campus
On the evening of December 2, last week, I took the 45 minute drive to the UNC Chapel Hill campus in pouring, blinding rain. Dr Andrew Bernstein's lecture on "Religion versus Morality" was well worth venturing out in that nasty weather. The friend I dragged along, who had never heard an Objectivist speaker before, hopefully thinks it was worthwhile as well, and of course I got her introduced to the only rational philosophy for living on earth!
I had the honor of giving Dr Bernstein a ride back to his hotel after the lecture. In the conversation (that incidentally covered "biblical rains"{it was literally pouring that hard!}), Dr Bernstein said that he was visiting two local public schools and talking to high school kids there. If I had known earlier I might have tried to get permission to attend one of those events to see first hand the bright, curious, interested, eyes & faces of local high school kids hungry for ideas!
The campus Objectivist club organizer was kind enough to get me permission from ARI to upload the videos online. So far I have attempted to only upload the Q & A session at the end of the talk, divided in four videos to comply with youtube requirements.
I am posting Part 1 today that has two questions from the audience. I have transcribed the question as summarized by Dr Bernstein and highlighted what I thought to be illuminating from Dr Bernstein's reply. Any errors in transcription are strictly mine.
Q.1. Is the purpose of Objectivist ethics to increase the number of human beings and maximize their number?
Dr Bernstein: No, definitely not. The purpose of the Objectivist ethics is for any human being, alive at any given time, to maximize his fulfillment and happiness -is the ultimate goal.
Q.2. How does egoism reconcile with the fact that we live in a universe of finite resources?
Dr Bernstein: The ultimate resource is the human mind, operating in a capitalist system, operating on the conditions of individual rights, political and economic freedom.
Dr Andrew Bernstein, UNC, Dec. 2 Q & A Part 1
I had the honor of giving Dr Bernstein a ride back to his hotel after the lecture. In the conversation (that incidentally covered "biblical rains"{it was literally pouring that hard!}), Dr Bernstein said that he was visiting two local public schools and talking to high school kids there. If I had known earlier I might have tried to get permission to attend one of those events to see first hand the bright, curious, interested, eyes & faces of local high school kids hungry for ideas!
The campus Objectivist club organizer was kind enough to get me permission from ARI to upload the videos online. So far I have attempted to only upload the Q & A session at the end of the talk, divided in four videos to comply with youtube requirements.
I am posting Part 1 today that has two questions from the audience. I have transcribed the question as summarized by Dr Bernstein and highlighted what I thought to be illuminating from Dr Bernstein's reply. Any errors in transcription are strictly mine.
Q.1. Is the purpose of Objectivist ethics to increase the number of human beings and maximize their number?
Dr Bernstein: No, definitely not. The purpose of the Objectivist ethics is for any human being, alive at any given time, to maximize his fulfillment and happiness -is the ultimate goal.
Q.2. How does egoism reconcile with the fact that we live in a universe of finite resources?
Dr Bernstein: The ultimate resource is the human mind, operating in a capitalist system, operating on the conditions of individual rights, political and economic freedom.
Dr Andrew Bernstein, UNC, Dec. 2 Q & A Part 1
Monday, November 16, 2009
Videos (Cont.): Dr John Lewis debates Dr Byrns on UNC Campus
These final two sections of video are questions from the student audience to the speakers Dr John Lewis and Dr Ralph Byrns at the debate, "Is It Moral for the Government to Intervene in Free Markets?", hosted by Carolina Review on the UNC Chapel Hill campus on November 4, 2009.
Part 7
Part 8
Part 7
Part 8
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Videos (Cont.): Dr John Lewis debates Dr Byrns on UNC Campus
This section of video is the closing arguments from Dr John Lewis and Dr Ralph Byrns at the debate, "Is It Moral for the Government to Intervene in Free Markets?", hosted by Carolina Review on the UNC Chapel Hill campus on November 4, 2009.
Part 6
Part 6
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Video Part 1: Dr John Lewis debates Dr Byrns on UNC Campus
I have uploaded the first section of the debate. The very beginning of Dr Byrns presentation is missing and it starts a few minutes into his opening statements. Again the quality of the video is not the best.
I will continue to post the remaining four parts of the debate. I am currently encountering difficulties with upload time, and am working on figuring out if there is a more efficient method of uploading.
I will continue to post the remaining four parts of the debate. I am currently encountering difficulties with upload time, and am working on figuring out if there is a more efficient method of uploading.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Video Part 2: Dr John Lewis debates Dr Byrns on UNC Campus
Dr John Lewis in this section (part 2) builds and presents his case for the morality of free markets and against government intervention in the markets. Dr Lewis was speaker at a debate on the topic of "Is it moral for the government to intervene in the free market?", hosted by Carolina Review, and held at the UNC, Chapel Hill campus on November 4, 2009. Dr Ralph Byrns, professor of economics at UNC Chapel Hill was the other speaker.
The audio & video quality of the taping is amateur (!), but the intellectual content is superlative.
The video was created on Flip Ultra HD Mini camcorder.
The audio & video quality of the taping is amateur (!), but the intellectual content is superlative.
The video was created on Flip Ultra HD Mini camcorder.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Upcoming Events of Interest at UNC Chapel Hill
If you live in the area or will be visiting on these dates, mark your calendars to attend these exciting events on the UNC, Chapel Hill campus.
Ask an Expert on Objectivism
Hosted by Carolina Objectivist Forum
When: Tuesday, Tuesday, November 3, 6:00PM - 7:00PM
Where: Bingham Hall, Room 306 - Chapel Hill
The Carolina Objectivist Forum is an organization dedicated to the continuing study of Objectivism, the philosophy developed by Ayn Rand. This organization will seek to provide for the students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill access to literature, activities, and information concerning the philosophy of Objectivism. It will serve as an information bureau and a center for educational activities, such as discussion groups, and guest speakers. The club meets every Tuesday at 6 p.m at Bingham Hall, room 306.
A Q&A session with special guests Dr.'s Harry Binswanger and Gregory Salmieri, experts on Ayn Rand's philosophy, Objectivism.
Harry Binswanger, a longtime associate of Ayn Rand, received his Ph.D. in philosophy from Columbia University. He taught philosophy at Hunter College (City University of New York) from 1972 to 1979, and at the University of Texas, Austin, Spring 2002.
During the 1980s, he was editor of The Objectivist Forum, a bimonthly journal devoted to Ayn Rand's philosophy. Since 1994, he has been professor of philosophy at the Objectivist Academic Center of the Ayn Rand Institute.
He is the author of The Biological Basis of Teleological Concepts and editor of The Ayn Rand Lexicon and of the second edition of Ayn Rand's Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology. A regular speaker at universities, he has given more than 70 talks at some 40 universities on a wide variety of topics in philosophy and politics. Dr. Binswanger is currently writing a book on the causal nature of consciousness.
Gregory Salmieri is a lecturer in the UNC philosophy department, where he holds a Fellowship in Objectivity and Values. He received his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh in 2008.
His research focuses on ancient philosophy and on the role played by theories of concepts or universals in epistemology, philosophical methodology, and the foundations of ethics. Much of his current work addresses this nexus of issues as it arises in the works of Aristotle and (to a lesser extent) Plato. He is also interested in these same topics as they arise in the contemporary literature, in the work of Ayn Rand, and in the main lines of the history of philosophy.
Debate: 'Is Government Intervention in the Free Market Moral?'
This Wednesday, November 4, Dr John David Lewis will debate UNC Adjunct Professor of Economics Ralph Byrns on the question: "Is Government Intervention in the Free Market Moral?"
When: Wednesday, November 4, 7:00 PM
Where: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Murphy 116
Religion vs. Morality
Presented by philosopher, novelist Andrew Bernstein; http://andrewbernstein.net/
When: Wednesday, December 2, 2009, 7:00PM - 9:00PM
Where: Murphy Hall, 116
Conventionally, most people believe that morality can only be based in religious faith, that in a world without God no principles of right and wrong could exist. Related to this, philosophers have long held that no objective, fact-based, rational code of values is possible.
Regarding both points, this talk shows that the exact opposite is true. The purpose of morality is to guide human life on earth and religion is utterly incapable of it. Flourishing life requires a code of secularism, rationality, egoism and freedom. Religious faith clashes with every principle of a proper moral code, and, as such, has led, and can only lead to, hell on earth.
Ask an Expert on Objectivism
Hosted by Carolina Objectivist Forum
When: Tuesday, Tuesday, November 3, 6:00PM - 7:00PM
Where: Bingham Hall, Room 306 - Chapel Hill
The Carolina Objectivist Forum is an organization dedicated to the continuing study of Objectivism, the philosophy developed by Ayn Rand. This organization will seek to provide for the students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill access to literature, activities, and information concerning the philosophy of Objectivism. It will serve as an information bureau and a center for educational activities, such as discussion groups, and guest speakers. The club meets every Tuesday at 6 p.m at Bingham Hall, room 306.
A Q&A session with special guests Dr.'s Harry Binswanger and Gregory Salmieri, experts on Ayn Rand's philosophy, Objectivism.
Harry Binswanger, a longtime associate of Ayn Rand, received his Ph.D. in philosophy from Columbia University. He taught philosophy at Hunter College (City University of New York) from 1972 to 1979, and at the University of Texas, Austin, Spring 2002.
During the 1980s, he was editor of The Objectivist Forum, a bimonthly journal devoted to Ayn Rand's philosophy. Since 1994, he has been professor of philosophy at the Objectivist Academic Center of the Ayn Rand Institute.
He is the author of The Biological Basis of Teleological Concepts and editor of The Ayn Rand Lexicon and of the second edition of Ayn Rand's Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology. A regular speaker at universities, he has given more than 70 talks at some 40 universities on a wide variety of topics in philosophy and politics. Dr. Binswanger is currently writing a book on the causal nature of consciousness.
Gregory Salmieri is a lecturer in the UNC philosophy department, where he holds a Fellowship in Objectivity and Values. He received his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh in 2008.
His research focuses on ancient philosophy and on the role played by theories of concepts or universals in epistemology, philosophical methodology, and the foundations of ethics. Much of his current work addresses this nexus of issues as it arises in the works of Aristotle and (to a lesser extent) Plato. He is also interested in these same topics as they arise in the contemporary literature, in the work of Ayn Rand, and in the main lines of the history of philosophy.
Debate: 'Is Government Intervention in the Free Market Moral?'
This Wednesday, November 4, Dr John David Lewis will debate UNC Adjunct Professor of Economics Ralph Byrns on the question: "Is Government Intervention in the Free Market Moral?"
When: Wednesday, November 4, 7:00 PM
Where: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Murphy 116
Religion vs. Morality
Presented by philosopher, novelist Andrew Bernstein; http://andrewbernstein.net/
When: Wednesday, December 2, 2009, 7:00PM - 9:00PM
Where: Murphy Hall, 116
Conventionally, most people believe that morality can only be based in religious faith, that in a world without God no principles of right and wrong could exist. Related to this, philosophers have long held that no objective, fact-based, rational code of values is possible.
Regarding both points, this talk shows that the exact opposite is true. The purpose of morality is to guide human life on earth and religion is utterly incapable of it. Flourishing life requires a code of secularism, rationality, egoism and freedom. Religious faith clashes with every principle of a proper moral code, and, as such, has led, and can only lead to, hell on earth.
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