Laika

Logically, the fundamentals are not there for a war. Neither North Korea nor the US could win a decisive victory. North Korea can't invade/nuke the US mainland. Nor can American afford to go into North Korea because its been preparing for a war for nearly 50 years and its population have been brainwashed into resisting any "american imperialist" occupation. Even without nukes involved, it would be a disaster for the region particularly because of how South Korea and Japan could easily be drawn in. So, it really shouldn't be an issue if cooler heads prevail, but it depends on just how ra

Dam those donoughts sound good. hmmm.. I think you have to take into account the way in which what is "healthy" is often a means to communicate collectivist values. For example, alot of the health crazes around nowdays have nothing to do with health at all but are about body image. Society has "decided" what you should look like and how you should be attractive as if your body was the property of society. In part, this is a legacy of the eugenics of the 20th century in which society decides what is healthy and forces the individuals to conform to the health standards set by authorities. H

If I'm not mistaken, Rand's argument against Mixed Economies (i.e. Democratic Socialism) was related to her epistemology. (See Chapter 20 on the new fascism;rule by consensus and 21. the wreckage of consensus in Capitalism; the unknown ideal). To her, it would seem to be arguing that a society can remain "half slave and half free" is fundamentally unsustainable and that the nature of compromise is detrimental to freedom as an illogical position to take. If Objectivism means the separation of economics and politics and of the state as coercion from economic activity, this would seem to be some

because if I want to be an objectivist in real life, I'd (probably) have to be prepared to support private health care as a voluntary exchange based on the market. it is far easier to criticise something than to support something (especially with abstract principles), as the latter involves commitment and risk of failure, discovering the limits of our understanding and reason or making a mistake. supporting something is a much better reflection of productivity and integrity as you have to create. I could criticise capitalism all day, but that doesn't make the alternative good does it?

About a year ago I would have agreed with you on North Korea then I had a better look at the literature. If I had to describe it, it is a specifically "Korean" version of Stalinist Marxism that traces its intellectual ancestry through Chinese Marxism and Maoism, rather than directly from the "Classical Marxism" of Marx and Engels from Western European sources. For North Korea it's taking Marx from second and third hand sources smuggled by the underground from the USSR to China during the Japanese Occupation of Korea probably going through several translations in different languages, whic

the alternative to reasoning with Marxists is to accept that coercion is necessary because people have such a fixed and unchanging view. the futility of non-rational reasoning is perhaps the lesser evil, but it depends on your values. The marxist attitude is "if it works- do it" as its the results not the intentions that matter so using non-rational methods (like propaganda) is fine for them if it helps fulfil their ultimate objectives. It is also why Marxists so often head down the road to violence because it is the "quickest" way of changing things- but by no means the most effective when ta

In the UK, the National Health Service has a sort of cult-like status and immunity from criticism. The principle that healthcare should be publicly owned and free at the point of need is not really questioned at all. If a politician said you should privatise the NHS in public, it may come across as a "flat-earther" to a Brit. The UK Libertarian Party appears to share this view and won't touch the issue of privatising the NHS either. I think as far as the brits are concerned, this is partly because healthcare is such a sensitive area as we all will need it at some point, and we are all g

What would you have done differently to make the survey better? Do you have a set of questions in mind? The level of information about American Attitudes to Communism is very small, so I think the survey is perhaps better than nothing (though it is quite distorted and limited). Interestingly, there has been a spike in membership growth for the Democratic Socialists of American (from 6,000 to 21,000) and the Communist Party USA (up 600 members in the last two months of 2016) as a result of Trumps election. Overall, this is a very slight change and can't really be said to be a trend in the

Not a subject I know well, so bare with me... From a more leftist point of view the American Colonies and the early United States may have had the greatest level of income equality in the world. it wasn't until the late 19th century that "class" politics really came in, so its a rare instance that you can argue that liberty, equality and early modes of capitalism were aligned. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/09/us-income-inequality-its-worse-today-than-it-was-in-1774/262537/ (I haven't read it but) here's the original research paper: http://www.nber.org/paper

It might be worth getting this thread moved to the "Questions of Objectivism" sub-forum and have it pinned so people can keep adding links and resources to it so there is some quick reference material available for people new to the forum. Edit: there is already a pinned thread on studying Objectivism here so maybe add this to there: btw, that's a really great selection of resources. Its especially good to see how varied it is and that its not only coming from Rand herself but from the broader Objectivist movement. I'll have to come back and read more to do it justice.

The Victims of Communism memorial foundations started doing an annual survey on American's attitudes to Socialism in 2016. As its not a subject that gets much coverage, information on public attitudes is pretty sparse so I thought it would be worth sharing. here is the report: http://victimsofcommunism.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/VOC-Report-101316.pdf The raw data from YouGov is here: http://victimsofcommunism.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/VOC-Attitudes-toward-Socialism-Topline-Data.pdf As a summary here are some details of the reports findings (listed below) from the link h

Did Rand believe that "purpose" and "productiveness" were in conflict somehow? Or is it to do with another person's purpose becoming our own (and hence submitting to authority) through altruism?

I think you could go the wrong way if you make the argument is simply "Anti-Marxist". Marxists specialise in deconstructing arguments in "critical theory" and you can't really "win" the argument with a Marxist by going negative. Its the fact that Capitalism, to one extent or another, helped bring about a middle class, free democratic societies, the rule of law and major scientific and technological advances that really counts. Its often things we take for granted and making people remember them can be useful. In the current political climate, the real battle is making a positive case for

Ok. I wasn't 100% sure. The internet doesn't communicate the tone of comments very well. so no worries. In fairness, you're perfectly entitled to point out the inconsistencies in my post. Dialectics is a maze and its easy to get lost. The problem is in trying to come to terms with Marxism being evil and yet so very human. its very "raw" set of emotions, personal and difficult to communicate. Orwell was right when he said that in principle "the party" would go as far as to say 2+2=5 but actually re-learning how to think is a messy business. I hope that sharing the experience still have val

Feel free to pose any question you wish and I will answer it honestly. If you want me to provide detailed sources so you know I am telling what I believe to be the truth, I will. I can't really say any more than that... *shrugs* whether you are dealing with a Marxist or not, the evidence is still the basis of any rational judgement. Not simply the person saying it.