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karkar

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    Kari

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  1. I will definitely send him here, but I think I will wait until the post about him being an asshole becomes a little more dated. He knows I think he's being an asshole, but he would not appreciate me broadcasting the label to people he wants to consider his peers. Don't expect a user named karkar's_asshole_brother to pop up, but when someone obviously misguided comes on, I will count on you all to straighten him out. But play nice, I think he ultimately means well. I am surprised how addictive the board is, there are a lot of interesting topics that you talk about here. I don't normally use chat boards so I guess I was unaware of the substance they can have. My friends would rather talk about their haircuts than these issues, so its refreshing.
  2. Thanks all. You’re very helpful and kind. I do know what man qua man means, so its ok I think my brother is at the point where he wholeheartedly embraces something he doesn’t completely understand. He is the first child to go away to a ‘real college’ and this is his third year. There were always changes before that like anyone would expect from a 20 year old kid, but when he was home over his last break he was so different than even a few months ago. Change is ok, but he treated everyone like crap and that has never been his nature. He’s the baby and the sweetheart of the family. Now he appears to be a pompous asshole who acts like we are all crazy because we care about people and want to enjoy a moment for its own sake, without overanalyzing it and taking all the joy out in the process. He definitely equated emotion with irrationality and had very low tolerance for emotional displays and reactions. I have asked him to explain objectivism to me and he has called it ‘a life based on reason, not irrationality’, but that’s as far as it got. I know he has read some of her work but not sure how much and I think he gets a lot of the ideas from one class and a group of friends he met in that class (I don’t think it was an objectivism class, but a more general philosophy one). He said I need to read it, which I am sure would help, but I work and go to school so I don’t have a lot of spare time for reading outside of my own classes. I figured I would have to read a lot to get a good answer to this question, but could find out online relatively quickly by just asking people. So here’s where I am: I think his Ayn Rand worship underlies his behavior, but that it is because of his inaccurate understanding of the philosophy and true believers do not have to be assholes or emotionless cogs (sigh of relief). However, believers do think their emotions should not guide their decision making, which is less disconcerting but still a little puzzling to me (even if I try to make a reason-based decision, I will always bias the list of pros and cons based on how I feel the decision should be made). I appreciate the reading recommendations and will definitely try that novella. I’ll check back for further enlightenment Thanks again.
  3. I am not an objectivist, but I came to this site to better understand my brother who has embraced this philosophy. Even worse, I have never read Ayn Rand (I grew up around Flint, MI where reading is frowned upon), so while I expect few replies and/or vicious insults, I will hope for honest responses to these innocent questions. I am trying to understand, not argue or debate with anyone. So here they are- Do you find life satisfying and if so what is the source of this satisfaction? Do you allow yourself to experience emotions as they come or do you inhibit them for the sake of reason and rationality? Do you value and seek joy? Can you only value it when it is self-relevant or can you feel happiness / sadness / gratitude for others without feeling like you have departed from this philosophical position? Secondly, is Ayn Rand always right? (if this has been discussed, just refer me to the post) Plain English answers are appreciated. I promise to leave the rest of your board alone. Thanks.
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