Brule

Thanks for the welcome. I certainly do enjoy playing games but I love the ideas involved in game construction and explanation. The further relation to politics and military tactics is fascinating. My current interests in philosophical study were not included in my original post. I am focusing on the often perceived gap between abstract philosophy and real life application. There is no gap but this is often a giant stumbling block for students as they progress from the base of metaphysics and epistemology to ethics and beyond.

I have lurked on these forums for a time, among several. After jumping into a few discussions I think it wise to introduce myself more formally. I am a laid back guy from Nebraska in my 20's. I was introduced to Objectivism sometime in middle school where I read Anthem followed by The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. Despite the predictions from several authorities at the time I have not outgrown my interest, instead remaining fundamentally unchanged with a maturing understanding of Objectivist principles. I attended the University of Nebraska in Lincoln for several years where I helped found a campus club and held the position of club president in our first official year. While in school I majored in computer science while also studying Objectivism privately through various books, discussions, and tapes generously supplied by ARI. We had the joy of bringing in Dr. Bernstein for a public speech. On a side note to those who have not met Dr. Bernstein, he is a great speaker and all-around witty and friendly person. Because of medical problems I am forced to take a break from formal education at this time. I run across two problems when posting online. The first is my spelling and casual tone which I will try to change for the more formal tone of this board. The second involves conveying humor and context in the virtual setting. On more trivial concerns, my favorite Ayn Rand character is Ragnar Danneskjöld. I have an interest in most every area of academia from chemistry to psychology and beyond. Personal interests include firearms, sports, music, computers, and games of all sort. So much for the brief part. Ben

Welcome to the board. I hope you do not leave forums such as this and other worthy associations when you leave the economy. (in your present position at least) I too am less hopeful in the future as many Objectivists seem to be. If you have reached a position where the second-handers have stunted your ability to create values your actions should be applauded. I wish you luck in finding a better situation however. Do you have a hidden island somewhere I, among others, would love to know about?

The Native Americans had no concept of land ownership beyond what land could be grabbed up by use of force. The western settlers lived in a "more free" society than the Native Americans and had every right to expand that freedom and rule of law. The way in which they acted was not perfect by any means. By a similar mode of action the American republic was "more free" than their colonies and had every right to come into existence. No sign of incredulousness was found in ym query.

Heroic would not be the best word to describe the situation. It would be sad and unfortunate first, but heroic would apply. Yes, there is no contradiction with making that claim. While life is the standard of value that "life" is not just physical existence. Stalin lived for many years but his life was of no positive value. If that person could choose to live without violating another's rights and decides he would rather die then he would be acting irrationally.

The original post indicates that this is a disease which is treated on a continuous basis if I read it correctly, so would this really be an emergency situation? (as opposed to taking someone's shirt to stop a bleeding wound) If one continues to live off of stolen goods they certainly are acting immorally. Morality certainly still counts in an emergency. The nature of an emergency leads to an "act first, think second" response which is not equal to a license to kill. In a real life situation the person will have more options than die or steal as ex_banana-eater stated. I would certainly choose death over living the life of a thief.