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Mudo

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    Ohio
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    United States
  • Experience with Objectivism
    Former Altruist. Discovered Objectevism. Got better.
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  1. As a person who once was a socialist, and is now a capitalist, I feel I should say something here. Note: If you are trying to convert socialists to capitalists with debate alone, God help you. The people who debate regularly or formally are often the people who are the most convinced of thier ideas, and least likely to make a complete philisophical 180. However, ifyou have any personal friends or aquaintences you want to accept capitalism, the best advice I can possibly give is this: Lead by example. If you are leading a happy and productive life, people will notice it, including socialists. If you go a step further, and remain as friendly as possible, (without bending over for people) It demonstrates that capitalism isn't just for heartless bussinessmen and pirates, as socialism holds. Additionally, if you give someone a with illogical ideas a video or book demonstrating logic, it is likely they will simply reject it. If you provide an example of the benefits of a proper lifestyle, more people will be willing to consider your philosophy. Advising Atlas Shrugged or the Fountainhead too early can be detrimental in this way. I would recommend begining with something a bit more easily digested. A shorter novel, (Anthem for instance, was the first thing I read by Ayn Rand) a movie, an album, or a video game with a good moral can be great ways to introduce a new concept. There is a lower chance this way that a socialist will immedietly dismiss the ideas put forth, and remain open to capitalism in this way.
  2. Excellent news! I'm a student of French, and have been looking for a good novel to reread in the language for practice. I think I'll be buying this.
  3. For the sake of completeness, here is Rand's take on the subject of donating money. (Taken from The Ethics of Emergencies, The Virtue of Selfishness, page 53) "If one's friend is in trouble, one should act to help him by whatever nonsacrificial means are appropriate. For instance, if one's friend is starving, it is not a sacrifice, but an act of integrity to give him money for food rather than to buy some insignificant gadget for oneself, because his welfare is important in the scale of one's personal values. If the gadget means more than the friend's suffering, one had no business pretending to be his friend." I think this quote takes Softwarenerd's comment above and condenses the idea a bit. No, giving away money is not morally wrong, provided that one does not lose value from the transaction. I think that this can be extended also to relative strangers or to organizations by means of large scale donation. It is not by no means evil to contribute a few thousand dollars to ARI if one has enough money to do so, and holds the spread of Objectevist thinking as a value. It is not immoral for ARI to give out a few hundred dollars in scholarship money as a reward for a well written essay; it both promotes the well being of upcoming Oists, and it provides a value for ARI. I just read this bit a short time ago, and felt it could be well applied here.
  4. I can tell you that I'll be watching this. I was impressed with your filming work on Patrick, especially for your first serious film, but it had three big flaws that even I could point out. An unsteady camera, cluttered backgrounds, and weak acting in dialouge. From what I've gathered though, each of those problems has been adressed thoroughly in Thieves. The camera seems to move very smoothly in both the scenes from the teaser and the trailer (I'm looking at the punch thrown at the end of the trailer in particular). The lighting and backgrounds seem brilliant and well designed, as opposed to Patrick's dream scene in suburbia. As for dialouge and acting, this is mostly personal preference, but Mr. Arthur's acting gives me chills. I love it. I'm really looking forward to seeing Thieves, and planning on keeping an eye on Zenisphere in the future.
  5. No, we're not screwed, but we've got one hell of a hole to dig ourselves out of. Deciding that there is no hope for the future is thinking of the world as malevolent. Yes, we're in trouble, but we certainly haven't reached the point of no return.
  6. I'll second that request. I don't have the software on this computer to watch the videos, but I'm interested by the rest of the sources you made available. The pictures provided are especially interesting, and I'm impressed by your use of lighting. I'm also interested in watching Patrick, in order to get a better idea of what to expect form Theives. I've gathered that it's on Youtube but as I said, I can't view it at the moment. This is the proper link though?
  7. Mikee, you wouldn't happen to have a transcript of this event, would you?
  8. I've been mulling this over lately, and a little input would be very nice, if you could manage it. I checked the forum for already existing topics, and found this particular one helpful, but a bit too specific to really answer my question. Should any substance be considered illegal due to it's properties? For instance, I beleive the vast majority of the people here support the legalization of guns. But what about mustard gas, napalm, bombs, or cyanide? Where does one draw the line, or does one draw the line at all? Additionally, what about potentially productive resources like Uranium or Plutonium? I for one would be happy to see more nuclear power plants, but would be a bit nervous if nuclear weapons were privitized. I'm already nervous enouth about the the government's stash. This is a bit of a dramatization, granted, but I believe the principal stands. A better example would be something like genetically altered vegetables. In both cases, the substance could be used for one's own profit, and would be a great benefit to consumers as well, but the risks are nonetheless, extremely high, and in the wrong hands, could be disasterous. If we do allow these dangerous substances, what criteria should decide if the owner is qualified to handle these materials?
  9. Ah, I feel more informed now. I had heard about the 53% movement before, but didn't register the connection.
  10. My family has a somewhat strange religous history. My mother is a Catholic turned Prodestant, and my Father is a Mormon turned Atheist. Go figure.
  11. How did you first get interested in Rand, and which branches of philosophy do you like to discuss?" Honestly, I couldn't tell you what branches I'm interested in. I haven't yet had the chance to discuss philosophy with other Objectevists, so for the moment, I'm open to anything. My discovery of Objectevism is a long, (and probably boring) story, but I'll summarize. Started out believing all the altruist axioms, though socialism was a the next big step, yadda yadda and so on. Anyway, in the least intellectual way possible, I discovered Oism when a friend of mine recommended the videogame Bioshock. For the less gaming oriented, this is a game that features many references to Ayn Rand and Objectevism as a whole, though not in a way I think Rand would have appreciated. I was intruiged with the ideas however, and did some research on the subject. I discovered The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, and after reading them, there was no going back for me. I won't tell you I changed my entire philosophy just after reading one of Rand's novels, but after just one, I began to reevaluate all of the false premises I was holding. After about a year of slow progress, I decided I was an Objectevist. And now I'm here. P.S. softwareNerd, what does the 53% symbolize? I've been lurking this forum's old topics for about a week now, scoping things out, and I've enjoyed quite a few of your posts. However I wasn't able to figure out what that number was for.
  12. Well, here I am. I got fed up with being the only Oist I know, and I decided it might enhance my life to be able to talk with some people who I can agree with.
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