TheEgoist
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TheEgoist last won the day on December 25 2011
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About TheEgoist
- Birthday 12/04/1988
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Proud Nerd
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RyanRearden
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Law, Music, Literature, Science Fiction, Guns
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New York
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Male
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Straight
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Single
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Ryan
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NewYork
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United States
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Ryan Calhoun
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University At Buffalo, North.
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TheEgoist's Achievements
Senior Member (6/7)
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Harrison Danneskjold reacted to a post in a topic: Javelin Argument for Infinity
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Harrison Danneskjold reacted to a post in a topic: Government Run by Computers?
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Direct Quotes From Rand on Alcohol/Drugs?
TheEgoist replied to Summer's topic in Questions about Objectivism
I remember Peikoff, I believe it was, saying that Rand gave it a go with marijuana use once, to see what it was like. She apparently hated it. Personally I find that if it's one drug that makes me a little bit stupider, it's alcohol. Weed can make you paranoid, but nothing dumbs me down like a few mixed drinks. -
Post-modernists are not the only ones who think that existence is inferred, not directly known. There's a long tradition in philosophy of this, from the pre-Socratics all the way up present day analytic philosophers. Of course, as some already pointed out, this is an argument over the existence of conscious experience. There's less doubt about the transparency of conscious experience in modern philosophy, though it does exist.
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The notion that a government can in any manner be objective in the salient sense is historically falsified by the American empire. That there is a centralized force to administer justice only means justice is even more corruptible, if you're to by the arguments for capitalism offered by many Objectivists. Beyond the moral issue, there is also the fact that there is no way for economic calculation of a monopoly to take place. Government is monopoly on force, so how do we determine how costly justice is? We submit it to a market place, but statists demand that justice not be a matter of market determination. Also, for the record, market anarchism does not start with Rothbard. The first in spirit market anarchist was Gustave de Molinari. Rothbard and other respected market anarchists usually admit to his being the first and most robust theory of private justice.
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An update from an earlier post, I now smoke pretty regularly. Nausea is usually from a dizziness that can overwhelm first time smokers. I'd say coughing a lot contributes to that. I know if I have a hard coughing session, I'm very out of it for a little while after. From your description, it sounds like you smoked an indica. That gives you much more of a body high, and sometimes that's good and sometimes, especialyl for a first timer, it can't be overwhelming. I mainly smoke sativas, because they allow me to keep my wits about me while also still in that cozy weed head space.
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Election Day Begins! Post Your Insights Here.
TheEgoist replied to Darrell Cody's topic in US Elections 2004/2008/2012/2016
I wanted Romney but only because I am spiteful of reddit liberals. Otherwise, I had no horse in this race, except a bunch of weed laws which all got voted for. -
Who gets your vote on Tuesday?
TheEgoist replied to softwareNerd's topic in US Elections 2004/2008/2012/2016
If he hasn't dropped dead from a heart attack by then. Vote nobody. -
Spiral Architect reacted to a post in a topic: Sf circumcision ban
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No. Would it be moral for someone to report a Jewish man to Nazis because they are getting in your way, even harming you?
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A John McCain presidency
TheEgoist replied to softwareNerd's topic in US Elections 2004/2008/2012/2016
The idea that Israel is treated differently under different presidents for the past 30 years is jsut silly. Obama is not anti-Israel. He isn't even neutral. He is pro-Israel. If he wasn't, he wouldn't have been elected or re-elected. (As I imagine he will be). I think the drone policies would have been pulled back in favor of more direct engagement. We probably would have still gotten another stimulus package, but it would have been altered. We wouldn't see as much a resurgence in people touting limited government, because people are blinded by Republican rhetoric both on the Right and Left. -
The problem with "nature" is that it is terribly uninformative. Nature is what exists, what exists is nature. This rules out nothing except for that which is admitted not to exist, which is not where any of the most interesting problems in science come from.
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"We don't matter in the 'grand scheme of things'"
TheEgoist replied to d'Anconia's topic in Metaphysics and Epistemology
"We are a way for the Cosmos to know itself." End of discussion. -
Jmayng reacted to a post in a topic: The axiomatic nature of consciousness
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Batman and Justice: Symbolism over Substance?
TheEgoist replied to Thomas M. Miovas Jr.'s topic in Ethics
No, the plot makes it very clear that Bane is being manipulative of Gotham's feelings by using populist rhetoric about the rich. His true disdain is not for the rich of Gotham, it's for ALL of Gotham. He says he is there to fulfill Ra's Al Ghul's destiny, and the end twist solidifies that.- 59 replies
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The axiomatic nature of consciousness
TheEgoist replied to Modern Athena's topic in Metaphysics and Epistemology
Rand's view of consciousness says nothing about how or why it is composed, simply that consciousness is inarguable axiom. It commits her to no other physical or metaphysical claims. -
Paul Ryan as Vice Presidential candidate
TheEgoist replied to softwareNerd's topic in US Elections 2004/2008/2012/2016
This myth needs to be stopped. The Republican economic plan is thorough going pro-business government, not laissez faire. Simply because what they call they support capitalism doesn't mean they are arguing for the same concept you are. When they say capitalism, they don't mean unrestrained free market. They mean State Capitalism. -
I'm not a full on determinist about the world outside of volition. In fact, as opponents to a narrow efficient causation view, Objectivists shouldn't be held to the same doctrine as the strict deterministic-fatalists. Things act according to their nature. Anyway,the sort of distinction you're making doesn't make man above nature anyway. Whatever man does, it is part of the natural order of things. It is human action, which is a natural process.