Tom Haws Posted December 18, 2016 Report Share Posted December 18, 2016 Are there books or articles I can read that discuss objectivism and helplessness or objectivism and dependents? (In case this isn't clear, I am thinking of the young, aged, sick, and disabled.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterSwig Posted December 18, 2016 Report Share Posted December 18, 2016 This should get you started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Haws Posted December 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2016 (edited) That is indeed a good start. Are there any books or essays that describe in fictional or philosophical detail the operational possibilities of a model objectivist society that includes and discusses people in their respective degrees of interdependency and varying ability including infants, ill, and aged and those objectivists who relate to them most closely? Edited December 19, 2016 by Tom Haws Addition Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicky Posted December 19, 2016 Report Share Posted December 19, 2016 Child rearing is a subject of its own (widely covered in Objectivist circles). Don't have any links for you, but they shouldn't be too hard to find. As for illness, it is addressed through medicine (sorry for stating the obvious, but since you haven't...). Objectivism believes that all science, including medical science (both basic and applied), should be free from government coercion. Given the current state of the world (in which medical science and the healthcare industry are not free), most Objectivists are focused on pointing out the flaws of socialist systems, rather than on creating or imagining a healthcare system without government corercion...simply because such a world is so far from reality, given current politics. But there may be materials I'm not aware of, that do that as well. So don't let me stop you from searching for them. dlb585 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eiuol Posted December 20, 2016 Report Share Posted December 20, 2016 6 hours ago, Tom Haws said: Are there any books or essays that describe in fictional or philosophical detail the operational possibilities of a model objectivist society that includes and discusses people in their respective degrees of interdependency and varying ability including infants, ill, and aged and those objectivists who relate to them most closely? I don't think there are any, at least not in the sense that there is a detailed model to follow. It's not in the spirit of Objectivism, that is, egoism and individualism, to provide such a model. A lot of it depends on a myriad of details, so any discussion you find will probably discuss trading value for value, independent thought, voluntary exchange, and helping those that deserve it. Principles, not details. If you are really interested in operational possibilities, studying free market economists and thought regarding medicine and aid would be good. Does that seem about right? DonAthos 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Haws Posted January 5, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2017 That is a pretty good answer, Eiuol. If I am hearing right, you are saying that Objectivism has something to do with free market economics. I thought that the information might be easiest found in fictional stories or novels since the birth of Objectivism or at least the most influential/persuasive descriptions of it seem to be in the fictional novels of Ayn Rand including Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead. Since those two novels don't treat the subject of this thread, I wondered if there might be other novels or essays by Rand or subsequent Objectivist thinkers/practicioners that go in that direction. If I understand you correctly, you are telling me that there are not. And you are suggesting that the closest thing might be the subjects of medicine and aid from an economist perspective that might be expected to have Objectivist leanings. If I have understood correctly, I thank you for your help answering my question. Enjoy your new year. Have a great 2017. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Haws Posted January 31, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2017 p.s. I also like the idea that child rearing is a good related subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eiuol Posted January 31, 2017 Report Share Posted January 31, 2017 On 1/5/2017 at 9:58 AM, Tom Haws said: Since those two novels don't treat the subject of this thread, I wondered if there might be other novels or essays by Rand or subsequent Objectivist thinkers/practicioners that go in that direction. You'd get ideas, but that'd be more like thinking about possibilities. Rand and others will tell you principles, but not the details like "how should I help -this- person who is in a bind?" For you, reading novels by say, Robert Heinlein might be cool, he has a bunch of Objectivist-ish ideas. But you might like academic details on economics from a free market perspective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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