happiness

Are there any special circumstances under which the use of retaliatory force is warranted other than self defense against an immediate attacker?

If a 15-year old who is otherwise an impressive young person voices support for Obama, should I forgive him on account of his age? I didn't have well-developed philosophical views until 25, but then again I didn't come out swinging in favor of any politician before that, either. So while I don't look down on this kid for supporting Obama and being taken in by his "cool" persona as much as I would an adult for doing so, it does kind of lower my estimation of him that he thinks he's developed enough to open his yap on the subject of politics at all. Do you think my take is correct?

It's a bunch of pathetic white liberals trying to make themselves look good by showing off how "not racist" they are. The same people would have joined the KKK if they had lived in a time and place where participating in racism generated a favorable social reaction.

He's the most gifted athlete I've ever seen.

As others have pointed out, my understanding is that Propecia works by reducing one's androgen levels, which, to me, is a greater evil than hair loss.

Eminem - I've been obsessed with his music for several years now. He's the most gifted lyricist I've ever heard in any genre of music, ever. He's probably a better poet than almost anyone who writes poetry professionally.

no but both grandparents were

I'm in my 20s and recently noticed that I've experienced a degree of hair miniaturization (reduced circumference of hair strands) on my scalp. What used to be thick, strong strands of hair are now noticeably thinner and more brittle than they used to be. I find this quite upsetting since my formerly thick head of hair was the most attractive thing about me. As for the two main hair restoration products on the market, Rogaine doesn't seem to be applicable to my situation, and Propecia has unacceptable side effects (although if things get bad enough I might consider it). Assuming that this process is irreversible, how do I deal with it psychologically and intellectually?

Suppose that someone in your sphere or vicinity disrupts your life and poses a threat to your we-being and that simply getting away from the person is not a practical short-term option. Is it moral to report him to the authorities for drug related activity in the hope of having him taken away?

I hate the fact that he claims to admire Ayn Rand given that almost everything he does is the opposite of what Objectivism demands. He's just giving the left an opening to denigrate Objectivism by blaming the inevitable failure of his policies on Ayn Rand's philosophy.

I disagree with that. They weren't born with the specialized knowledge, but they were born with the aptitude for it.

What do you do if you have a strong interest in a particular field of work, but lack the talent to hack it? For example, suppose you love computers and dream of being a software engineer at a company like Facebook or Google, but you aren't smart enough to compete with the brilliant young engineers who typically get hired at those companies. What do you do then?

Have you explicitly identified your purpose or purposes? If so, would you mind sharing it or them, just to provide examples? I don't know what mine is except to say that my purpose is to find a purpose.

I fucking hate arguing about Objectivism with adversaries. Nothing is a bigger waste of time.

Yeah, I guess it would be context-dependent. I feel kind of dumb now.

This isn't my situation at all, it's just an issue that I've thinking about after reading some stories on Yahoo! Answers. If a man sires a child, but decides early in the child's life that he doesn't want to be a parent and walks out on the child and mother, has he done something morally wrong? And having done so, is it ridiculous for him to try to contact the child later in life when he changes his mind? Should the child have any reason to want to know him? I understand that the biological relationship doesn't count for anything and that a father is someone who raises, not sires a child, so my inclination is to say that if a biological parent misses the first 10 years or so of a child's life, that he basically forfeits the child for life.

That's a good answer, but how do we reconcile that with Galt's willingness to commit suicide over Dagny or Ayn Rand saying that her biggest accomplishment in life was marrying Frank O'Connor?

Is it rational to choose another person, i.e. a romantic partner as one's ultimate value? Or the goal of attaining one if your haven't already? Or does doing so subjugate your lower values, choices and actions to another's judgment?

What's the best way to deal with regret? It seems to me that you definitely want to take a lesson from whatever you did wrong and strive not to repeat the mistake. But aside from that, how do you deal with a painful past? Do you just tell yourself that the past doesn't matter anymore regardless of whether it was good or bad?

1. Is finding romantic love a requirement for happiness? If one can't attain a partner who meets his standards, and isn't willing to lower them, is he doomed to be unhappy? 2. What is the significance of age differences in romantic relationships? Is it inappropriate to pursue a relationship with someone significantly older or younger?

sorry, I tried a search but the term "sex" isn't long enough

From an Objectivist perspective, is there any value in having sex with someone whom you aren't in love with? Suppose that for whatever reason, it just isn't a match, but you find the person attractive and still admire him or her enough to go for a roll in the hay. Is there a contradition there?

If a person is guilty of monstrous injustices, and then faces consequences, is it proper for the victim to enjoy the guilty person's suffering?

.

Can't listen to Krugman. total indignation