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Nicko0301

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Everything posted by Nicko0301

  1. Thank you for elucidating this subject for me. Your explanation was enormously helpful.
  2. I never asserted that an action is moral because one has the desire to perform aforementioned action; please don't distort what I said. I simply wanted to explore why, given that life is what makes possible the concept of value, people purposely and consciously value things which are manifestly opposed to the furtherance and sustenance of life.
  3. I just have one brief question concerning the subject of value. According to Objectivism, "An organism's life is the standard of value: that which which furthers its life is the good, that which threatens it is the evil." (OPAR pg. 212) Initially--after reading the arguments in support of this conclusion--I found this statement to be incontrovertible. However, after some deliberation, a question arose in my mind: If life is the standard of value, why do people often value things which are inimical to the preservation of life (e.g., drugs, alcohol, etc.)? It seems to me that many people often value things, not because they are conducive to the maintenance of life, but because they engender momentary pleasure (as in the case of drug addicts). Can anyone offer any insights? Does this in some way refute the Objectivist theory of value? As always, thanks in advance.
  4. If one billiard ball strikes another, what causes the subsequent movement of the struck billiard ball? I know that only entities act, but surely it wasn't the first billiard ball which engendered the motion of the second? Isn't the act of hitting the second billiard ball what causes the hit billiard ball to move?
  5. I was reading Bertrand Russell's The History of Western Philosophy. In it, Russell intimated, with what seems to be disdain, that Aristotle's Logic, though seminal and admirable, is obsolete; and that one mustn't neglect recent advancements in aforesaid field. This prompted a bit of curiosity in me, for I am trying to learn how to reason properly. My question is this: What works do you feel are important in regard to Logic? And, incidentally, would you consider Aristoteleanism as antiquated? Thanks
  6. Can anyone out there recommend a good book(s) on the history and development of the Law? It is a subject that I find completely interesting. Thanks
  7. Excuse me if this sounds foolish, but, in this context, what is the distinction between "proven" and "valid"?
  8. Berkely argued that "to be is to be perceived"; and that, when things are not so perceived, they continue to exist because God, being ubiquitous, perceives all that exists simultaneously. Firstly: What do you think of this argument? Secondly (and this is a question with which I have grappled for months): How do we know that things exist prior to perceiving them? How do we know that the act of perception does not somehow change the identity of things? Thanks in advance.
  9. I would never vote in favor of your execution, SoftwareNerd. I value the knowledge I can gather from you far too much.
  10. I'm simply trying to understand Objectivism and philosophy in general. I don't know why you people have to make such inane comments. Honestly.
  11. I see you enjoy being an unsociable asshole. Nice to know!
  12. I actually have several posts. I didn't think it was necessary to start a new post when my question was germane to the current post; it would be superfluous.
  13. How may one go about disproving it? I've been contemplating Kant's system for a while, and, although many Objectivists affirm it's falsity, I still haven't arrived at a clear, unequivocal refutation of it. Any suggestions?
  14. Is that what you actually believe, or is that merely what Kant said?
  15. I've become extremely interested in the history of Western Philosophy and have therefore determined to study it. So, my question is simply this: Have you listened to the lecture, and, if so, would you recommend it? Is his lecture biased in anyway? I mean, I know that, since he is an Objectivist, he probably disdains most of the philosophies and philosophers of history; but does he distort or mislead in any way? Thanks in advance.
  16. Thank you! You actually just clarified the matter perfectly for me! I had forgotten about the Law of Identity and what that meant in regard to Causality.
  17. Thank you a for the extensive reply. However, I still have some questions, so let me be more specific. In Kant's view--if I am not mistaken--things like space, time and causality are in the mind, as opposed to immanent features of reality. If he is correct, wouldn't reality be much, much different to the way which we perceive it to be?
  18. If I am not mistaken, Kant postulated that inherent in the human mind are several categories which shape the way we experience reality. I was just wondering, what is the Objectivist stance on this subject? I am certain that Objectivists repudiate such a theory, but I want to know why they do. Thanks in advance.
  19. Unless I am mistaken--and please inform me if I am--Objectivism maintains that concepts, all of them, come ultimately from an observed reality. If so, how does one account for concepts such as the supernatural/chimerical (i.e., goblins, an afterlife, God, et cetera)?
  20. Well, I just feel uncomfortable. I'd like to know that something is disproven before I dismiss it.
  21. So if someone were to say that there are hob-goblins dancing on the moon, that would still be logically possible? I must be mistaken.
  22. Ok, so I have read OPAR, including the section pertaining to Reason and the arbitrary. But I'm still unsatisfied with my understanding. Suppose someone states something really bizarre and unfounded (such as, "There are dragons in my room"). Is the lack of evidence really enough to warrant dismissal? If something has no evidence, couldn't it still be possible, no matter how bizarre?
  23. Thanks, Grames! I'm looking forward to it!
  24. Thank you for the reply, DavidOdden. This is my main misunderstanding in regard to Objectivism.
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