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studentofobjectivism

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Everything posted by studentofobjectivism

  1. A person who is laid off and has no savings is in an emergency situation. Without money he will not survive. Does the fact that he needs something grant him the right to sacrifice others to himself so he can survive? The answer is no. A person has no right to claim the life of another person in any situation and this includes emergencies. Need does not constitute a 'right' to someone else's earnings or someone else's life without their consent.
  2. If that isn't a non-Objectivist statement I don't know what is. Are you going to follow what you're father says, or are you going to follow what you consider your highest value, the purpose of your life?
  3. Geuss what Outlaw289, I'm 16 and in high school too! Let's all get together and have a nice little tea party! Just kidding. I've just recently joined this forum. You'll really like it. It contains a plethora of information from all types of people from around the world. You'll be able to ask any question and get a reply (just be sure to use your own mind and not accept these answers as fact ). I've read WtL, VoS, RM, P:WNI, and am currently reading TF, AoF, and AoNF. Always like to see a youngun' like meself! Tim
  4. Hi all. I am writing a manifesto for my 10th grade English class. I was wondering if you all could comment on the outline's structure, does it present the ideas clearly enough,etc...? Any replies would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. The_Egoist_Manifesto_Outline.doc
  5. Here's my outline in DOC format. Please comment if you can, thanks. The_Egoist_Manifesto_Outline.doc
  6. There will never be opportunities for someone not to face the repercussions of their actions however.
  7. Hi Daniel, I'm Tim and I'm in the 10th grade as well. I'm surprised that no one has found a fault in the example to begin with. In a Laissez-faire Capitalist, Objectivist society there would be no such opportunity as a Man is not allowed to use force against another Man unless that Man has used force against the first Man. If this man was allowed to use force without repercussion, that would not be Capitalism nor Objectivism. It would be anarchism. So clearly one can not give a truthful answer based on a false example. The society presented is not Objectivist, but Anarchist.
  8. For my 10th grade English class the teacher is requiring us to write manifestoes on what we believe. Some chose "family first" and others "God" and still others "dreams and goals" (as if this is not a broad enough abstraction). I chose to write mine on Rational Egoism. I have a copy of "The Art of Nonfiction". In it, Ayn Rand says never to write an essay in which you have nothing new to say (that is the novelty of the essay). If I were to write this manifesto on Egoism, would it be wrong of me to just regurgitate and rehash ideas formulated by Miss Rand? What do you suggest?
  9. I find your sarcasm highly amusing!! Thanks for puting me back in my place in the food chain. I think that a Galt's Gulch type of thing might be needed in the not too far future. That would be a trip.
  10. Would you ever vote for a Libertarian then, even though the basis of all their beliefs is irrational (they try to appeal to almost everyone - from Christians to Homosexuals, etc.)? I think that if the state of America ever needed a huge overhaul (which I forsee is a good possiblity for the near to far future of this country) I think that an Objectivist might appeal to the public.
  11. Why not an Objectivist President? What would be needed for such a feat to be accomplished as electing an Objectivst? That would be the best thing to happen to the USA since the signing of the Constitution!
  12. I always get attached to the characters that Ayn Rand created - so much that I think they actually exist. Same with Terry Goodkind. In fact, I got very emotional at the ends of We the Living with Kira Argounova, Soul of the Fire and Faith of the Fallen with Richard Rahl. Is this commonplace with anyone else besides me? Am I alone in this?!
  13. Don't worry, you're not alone! I'm 16 years old in my sophomore year in a extremely liberal state (I think the vote was 65% Kerry and 35% Bush - but that might not be the exact total vote in the last election) and more specifically in a socialist school - most of the teachers believe that anyone who needs something deserves it. She said that Welfare isn't good because it keeps the person in the system and the person never finds a job. Therefore minimum wage should be raised to at least 'the living wage'. Go figure. Anyway, I've read We the Living, The Virtue of Selfishness, The Romantic Manifesto, and am currently reading The Fountainhead (on pg. 500 or so). I've read parts of "Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand" and it pretty much covers every principle of Objectivism in depth enough for you to have a good understanding of that principle. That is a good place to start. For fiction books, you'll want to look at Terry Goodkind. He is a novelist where the background of his stories is fantasy. However, each of his books has a theme or a "Wizard's Rule". Some include "The only sovereign you can allow to rule you is Reason" or "Deserve Victory". The main character, Richard, is so heroic he almost reminds me of Howard Roark. Anyway, if fantasy is your niche, than definately check his book "Wizard's First Rule" out. Oh and as an endnote - make all knee-buckling liberals wish they had never been born.
  14. "Since there is no such entity as 'the public,' since the public is merely a number of individuals, the idea that 'the public interest' supersedes private interests and rights can have but one meaning: that the interests and rights of some individuals take precedence over the interests and rights of others." - Ayn Rand Wasn't 'the public' originially 'society' in VOS? That was the quote on this website. Anyway, can the concept of 'society' exist?
  15. In a rational society, would we have a moral duty to orphaned, malnourished, etc. children? Since a child is not able to fend for himself (The responsibility lies with the parent) do we have a moral duty to children?
  16. Are you a dogmatic Objectivist? I have been reading The Art of Nonfiction which states you must not use propaganda in writing fiction. What she says about dogmatists who turn Objectivism into a religion is damning! Do you consider yourself to just use catchphrases at the proper moments or do you constantly think about the abstraction at hand?
  17. I know that dialcectical materialism is the philosophy behind Communism. I know that the dialectic is the limit of logic and that materialism is that which believes the mind and body can't be separated. How do these two integrate into one philosophy? Can you give me an understandable definition of the theory? Tim
  18. Thank you for your comment, I think you are right. Richard had a little "box" in his mind which he kept private from Denna so she wouldn't get to it, right? I told one of my teachers to read WFR and he did since he's into fantasy. After he read it I asked him what he thought of the philosophical ideas in the book. He replied: "Oh, you can't take this book seriously, it's just fantasy!" So there you go.
  19. I don't understand how this is possible? I have never heard of such a school. It's almost too late now, I've been in the school for almost 2 years (10th Grade). It's too late to switch.
  20. I do think that rationality is practical. I think I have been tested to the breaking point however. With EVERYONE around me - my friends, family, teachers, etc. - telling me that reason is not possible, that one must look to a higher power. It's expected that I would question my own beliefs on Reason, is it not?
  21. This is not possible. I have already asked before. I live in a lower class city. At the high school I go to, the teacher you have is the teacher you have, there is no money for 'extra teachers'. It's 30-40 kids to a room with kids standing up and such. I have decided to educate myself by my own efforts however. I decided to teach myself what my school can not - how to live a proper life. I have bought this computer and other materials to help me live by working full time (30 hours per week) and going to school full time. It's not easy but it's doable. My goal is to become a professional musician. The teachers also tell me that, 'this will never come true', 'you have good technical skills but this is not a plausible goal - choose something rational instead', among other comments. The comments have shaken me mentally to the point where I think that I should quit high school to achieve what no one thinks I can. This is the truth. Does it now surprise you that a teacher would make comments like that? Tim
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