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  1. Okay, so you're saying that the Catholic standard is that feeding tubes cannot be removed if they are keeping death away, but they can be removed if they are prolonging death? Delving deeper, does the Catholic church offer a reason for the distinction between a feeding tube versus blood or electric current or air to the lungs. What makes a feeding tube less extraordinary than other treatment. How would you state the standard by which the ordinary and extraordinary can be distinguished? (As for the Florida woman being Catholic, I think that is one factor the courts should have considered in determining her intent. )
  2. Yes, I understood what you said, but was wondering about whether the duration would be relevant to a Catholic. I think you are saying that duration and quality of life are valid if one is deciding whether to remove one's life-saving equipment. You are also saying that to a Catholic, deciding to remove one's feeding tube is disallowed. So, the pope would be immoral by the Catholic standard if he asked that his feeding tube be removed. Since he did not ask that, his case is different from the Florida case. Am I understanding you correctly. You probably realize that to an Objectivist, the distinction between feeding tube and another life-support device is meaningless. But, you were not arguing that point, you were commenting on the idea that a contradiction is involved.
  3. Is it different? How? Could you provide an example of something that is impossible rather than arbitrary?
  4. Does the church allow make any distinction between a procedure that will prolong life for a day, versus one that will prolong it for a year?
  5. Don't know what Ms. Rand would have done. Ten years ago, I would not have lied. Today I would do so with clear conscience.
  6. Controlled by the Jewish bankers, no doubt. Or, do the modern conspiracies prefer to blame Saudi bankers?
  7. Rights are definitely not god-given, nor are they "prior to human existence". Put simply, they're a concept that names an essential element that is required to transition from individual morality to life in society. They are the bridge from Ethics to Politics.
  8. Are you also implying that you know that you require people to respect your rights if you are to be happy, but you cannot understand why they should do so. You understand your need for rights but you question your need to respect the rights of others? Just trying to clarify your focus so I or others can point you in the right direction.
  9. You can link your blog to this forum (I think using your profile). If you want discussion and replies, better use threads.
  10. In LFC, this is not a sustainable situation. Briefly, the marginal worker gets fired and a cheaper one hired, wage-rates come down, and the fired worker is re-hired. The proof that a "living wage" will always be possible under LFC is a little more complicated. I can explore it, but first I ask you this about where you live, in Germany. Suppose a single young person in decent health has to earn enougn to live. And if there are no laws saying things like "5 people cannot share a single room apartment". Suppose this person was willing to economize extremely. How much would they need to live for a year if they save nothing?
  11. I walked past a poster on a lightpost. It said "Discover the truth about 9/11" and it had a web-site address (no doubt some Michael Moore fan). I was thinking then if we can use posters "Who is John Galt? Discover tht truth at... www.objectivismOnline.net"
  12. Sorry I misunderstood you. I thought you meant how do we explain to people who do not want to give us the right to life. I see that you are actually asking a deeper question. You are asking if rights are axiomatic (i.e. "obvious") or if they can be derived from other ideas and concepts. Correct?
  13. Edit the poll so there is a read-only choice with a single vote (yours). The choice says "Prime mover".
  14. Non objectivist gave me an Ayn Rand book because he thought I might find it odd enough to be interesting.
  15. plaintext

    Abortion

    Enjoy! Problem is threads are all tangled up. There is a lot there but needs organization. One day maybe I will see a book in the ARB catalog "Hot Topics among Objectivists" by J.M.Snow. (Abortion, Homosexuality, Women as President, ?? what else??)
  16. I found this site through a web search. How did you? If I know how people are finding this place, I can tell what advertising works and what does not work.
  17. plaintext

    Abortion

    Suggest you read this thread and the other ones on abortion. Someone has already stated your case.
  18. Absolutely! It is immoral for anyone to place any restrictions on this kind of scientific research. It is a great concern that luddites and mystics are denying people their right to do such research.
  19. Your question is of economic theory rather than philosophy. You ask about the practicality of Capitalism rather than its morality. The economic theory would say this Leaving aside the disabled, start with a simple agrarian society where a man can just about produce enough for his sustenance. With division of labor and modern devices, he can produce more than that.
  20. Explain it to those who are so ready to relinquish their own right to life. Ayn Rand called it "The Sanction of the Victim".
  21. According to this recent post (very slow link) the FBI has requested the owner of an "Anarchist Blog" to supply them with information of IP addresses of blog members.
  22. You know her best and know how you talk. "Were you a bit drunk at the party last week?" "Do you like getting just slightly drunk?" "why?" Listen first.
  23. Does this forum software allow sub-groups that only certain members may READ? Does it allow posts to a sub-forum to be emailed to members of that sub-forum? I ask for this idea... "Rational parenting" (RPList) is a mailing list that members pay to join. Maybe about $50 a year. Members post discussions and ideas via email to the admin. If approved the email is broadcast out to all members. Suppose we offer the "Rational parenting" group a sub-forum. Only the members can see the posts. Good for them because posts are organized nicely into threads. Searching is possible. Archive is available to members without searching old email. Advantage to OO.net is to get some of those people interested in the more general discussions on objectivism. It might be worth it to pay RPList some money ($200 a year == 4 subscriptions) as incentive. If they dont like the plan, maybe they can run an advertisement for this forum.
  24. So, it would follow that opinions are fine in objective journalism, as long as the opinions are objective. What we should object to is not opinion, but opinion presented as fact? "Capitalism is a moral political system". Opinion or fact?
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