Ninth Doctor

It's the opposite of a torch song. It conveys the kind of attitude that may help the OP move on. Sorry if you didn't like it.

I have a feeling this song might help, even though it's about a good relationship that's (evidently) not going south.

What are your thoughts on death bed conversions, or re-conversions? I'm thinking of people (like myself) who received the childhood imprinting of religious doctrines, particularly that you need to be right with God at the moment when you die, otherwise your soul is going eternally to the hot place. Christopher Hitchens even allowed that he might call for a priest at the last minute, and asked that people be kind to that poor suffering entity who was no longer himself. I wonder about the limits of "healthy transformation" in the face of childhood imprinting.

This came to mind, though she's not a psychologist: If you know someone going through it, good chance this talk will be relatable. The transition from Catholic to Atheist is long in my past, so I'm more interested in people's thoughts/experiences with the social context of being a member of this particular oppressed minority. Especially at work. I avoid the subject at work, and when asked try to leave it at "I'm not religious". But there's always some nosy parker. I once had an outside consultant I had barely met tell me, intending it as friendly advice, that the only thing he knew about me is that I'm an atheist and that I shouldn't let people know that. He was from a communist country and hadn't been raised with religion, so he was speaking as one atheist to another. "Just tell them you're spiritual". Up to that point I'd only had one person quiz me about my religion, starting with "where do you attend church?"; suffice to say she was not about to take "I don't" as a final answer, and she was one to make the most of her time around the water cooler. And I didn't even use the "a" word. This was years ago, and I didn't stay there very long. Nevertheless, it rankles.

ARI has just uploaded all of Peikoff's FHF lectures, with the Q&A's, to YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/user/AynRandInstitute/videos?disable_polymer=1 This one was of interest to me, not for the lecture (it's the same as what Rand delivered) but for the material before and after concerning her illness and death. It's been available before, but I'd never heard it.

That last part might leave a wrong impression. When he was middle aged he tried to get into an arranged marriage, and it had to be with a virgin. This was because of his deep Catholic religious commitment, not that he was a pervert. I bet he died a virgin himself. On at least one occasion the father had to tell him he was too old. Here's a funny (and/or creepy) anecdote. Bruckner was one of Hitler's all time favorites, along with Wagner, Lehar, and Kalman (also a particular favorite of Rand's (and a Jew)). The conductor Herbert von Karajan related a story (this is in one of the bios of him) that he went to St. Florian's at Hitler's behest, and Hitler accompanied him to the crypt below the altar where Bruckner is buried, and had him stay alone there for an extended period (half an hour or so) to absorb Bruckner's spirit. He said it was just dark there and that whole experience was uncomfortable (not at all inspiring). One of Hitler's last orders was that the 2nd movement of the 7th be broadcast on the radio immediately after the announcement of his death. He specified this recording:

Are you sure it's not "everyone is fallible" instead of "everyone is irrational"? From my experience with Shermer (and Randi), I expect that's the mix-up (/equivocation) being made by whichever reviewers you've seen.

Ted's sister just posted a reminiscence on OL. http://www.objectivistliving.com/forums/topic/16758-ted-keer-rip/?do=findComment&comment=277620 The end is particularly memorable: " May this parting bit hopefully bring a smile...He was buried with a copy of Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology minus a few pages from which the kids crafted origami boats and sent off some honorary ashes downstream where he often wandered. " This calls to mind Leonard Bernstein being buried with his score of the Mahler 5th. He performed the Adagietto at the memorial service for Bobby Kennedy in 1968, here's that recording:

Jung was one of Campbell's primary influences, so we're on the same page. Unless you meant to swap out Dr. Laura. Peterson's view on religious belief reminds me of her. I recall a quote from her, paraphrasing it amounted to: everyone needs a religion, so pick one.

In this book: https://www.amazon.com/Ideas-Ayn-Rand-Ronald-Merrill/dp/0812691571/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1529846162&sr=8-5&keywords=ronald+merrill there's a theory that Atlas Shrugged parallels the biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah. The number of people in the valley is key to this theory. I recall it being a worthwhile book, though it has been a long time (more than two decades) since I read it.

So is the idea that Iranian agents murdered an exile who was living in the US?

I won't be attending, but I recently got an email saying Jordan Peterson is going to appear. He's to do a panel with Dave Rubin, Yaron Brook, and Onkar Ghate. That session will probably make its way to YouTube. I find Peterson interesting. I'd characterize him as a cross between Joseph Campbell and Dr. Laura. He's certainly not an Objectivist.

Just that Dave Rubin has accumulated quite a history of excellent interviews over the past couple years. Yaron Brook did an outstanding job particularly on his first appearance. Larry Elder, Thomas Sowell (naturally), and Alex Epstein's appearances are particularly worth checking out. https://www.youtube.com/user/RubinReport/videos Rogan is a new name to me.

As opposed to: Nothing like the human "long childhood" for these critters. They hatch, and they "know" what they have to do, right away.

When the topic of human instinct comes up, I think of this clip: Is it instinct that kicks in at 14 months? Some combination of nature and nurture?

Stephen, what was Ted's user name on this site? I couldn't find anything by him here. Just a reference to him that I made once.

This is terrible news. Ted was one of the best people to interact with in Rand-land. Always so stimulating. He stopped posting years ago, and has been much missed. I'll let the folks at OL know.

"The sterile will sterilize me as their last form of reproduction." Beautifully crafted sentence. Do you aspire to be a writer?

Have you studied Edwin Locke's work? Looks like there will be a good amount of overlap.

When you're done pick up Rand's Art of Fiction. She talks about Hunchback there. https://www.amazon.com/Art-Fiction-Guide-Writers-Readers/dp/0452281547/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501850514&sr=8-1&keywords=rand+art+of+fiction

I agree Mysterious Affair at Styles ought to be read first (it being the first in the series), but Ackroyd is special. And it shouldn't be spoiled for anyone who hasn't read it. Please don't look it up on Wikipedia first, you only get one chance to read it the first time. I've never been able to get into Finnegans Wake. Even with Joseph Campbell's book length analysis laid side-by-side.

AP Calculus in 10th grade? Sounds like the prequel to Good Will Hunting.

Foucault's Pendulum - Umberto Eco The Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco Mason & Dixon - Thomas Pynchon Ulysses - James Joyce The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman - Laurence Sterne The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Victor Hugo Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency - Douglas Adams The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert Heinlein The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Agatha Christie All the Jeeves novels (plus the short stories) of P.G. Wodehouse

Try looking into the history of the 18th century monarchs who were influenced by the Enlightenment. Joseph II of Austria is a prime example. With the stroke of a pen he freed the serfs and gave Jews equal rights. There was a backlash, and he ended up writing his own epitaph: Here lies Joseph II, who failed in all he undertook. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_II,_Holy_Roman_Emperor