Jrose

Seeing as how they were nowhere near Africa, I would have to say "No." As far as the "racist portrayal," Africa or no, I say, "Absolutely." Peter Jackson did a fine job of accurately portraying the mentality and correspondingly vicious behavior of a "race" of savages. Anyone who wants to scream about portraying savages as savages could better put their lecherous mouths to use by praising the men of the mind for not going strike (yet). I doubt the natives they claim to defend would be so benevolent. The savages in the movie, though, as wild and vicious as they were, were remarkably able craftsmen...

Maybe I should have mentioned this in my first post, but my answer is only intended to apply if we're discussing how a rational (or semi-rational) thinker comes up with "what I want to do with my life," which is how I understood the question. I think you're missing something. Values don't "come from" anywhere. Values are chosen by the individual as the standard by which he will think, speak, and act. Perhaps I should not have used the word "accept," because that is not entirely accurate. An individual chooses his particular set of values. I'm sure you'll agree that there is nothing arbitrary about deciding to make "reason" or "my life" a value. An individual doesn't value a career for the sake of that career. He chooses a career based on the likelihood that "this particular career" will afford him the best opportunity to give physical shape to the values (sense of life) he holds in his consciousness. The question, as I understood it, was "why do we choose a particular career?" not "how do I determine a set of values?" Both require a process of volition, which can be performed consciously or subconsciously, but a career choice is highly dependent on what an individual's value set consists of. For example, Ayn Rand held "to present my vision of the ideal man" as a value. The ability to present her concept of "man" was very important to her. Whether consciously or subconsciously, she determined that writing was the best way for her to give physical form to this particular value. And so it goes with all men. And, to address your two brothers, of course there is volition involved in their choice of professions (even interests). I hope my answer to this is clear already, but, on the fundamental level, each individual chooses a set of values (or accepts some by default) and then determines what profession is best suited to giving physical form to his particular values.

I find your post to be unneccessarily convoluted, which might lend (in part) to your difficulty in grappling with this issue. My initial response is to start with the quote, "Happiness is that state which proceeds from the achievement of one's highest values." and combine it with, "Man lives in his mind, and existence is the attempt to bring that life into physical reality." An individual adopts a particular set of values (subconsciously or consciously) and, either through a process of reason or trial and error, determines that he will be happiest when he consistently achieves and experiences those values during the moments of his waking life. In choosing a profession, an individual takes this conclusion one step further by determining what career path offers him the best (highest amount of) opportunity to accomplish this. There is no whim involved. Hank Rearden realized very early on that his particular set of values and vision of existence would be best fulfilled by working in the field of metallurgy. Through a process of reasoning, he was able to discover that his unique set of personal values could be best achieved by working with and developing metal.

Well done, Inspector. Thank you.

Surprisingly (to me), I'm the first to mention High Noon with Gary Cooper (many Cooper films, in fact; Mr. Deeds Goes To Town is another), and The Princess Bride. I also recommend Destry Rides Again with Jimmy Stewart, and The Unforgiven with Clint Eastwood (though I'm less than certain of strict adherence to Objectivist principles in this last one). It seems to me that Objectivist principles will be found more in Westerns and Sci-Fi/Fantasy than other genres, on the whole. And older films, in general, seem to have less altruistic sentiment. For that matter, try any Clark Gable movie, he was the ultimate rational male egoist; It Happened One Night is good. Also (in spite of the religious beliefs of the characters), A Man For All Seasons is a great film.

A definition is a description (by essentials) of a concept. A biochemical process performed by brain particles is a (physical) description of thought. Just as a concept is not its definition, a thought is not its biochemical process, strictly speaking.

If you try to bulk up without gaining any fat, your progress will be very slow (likely). It can be frustrating to set two (somewhat adverserial) goals for yourself and attempt to achieve them simultaneously. In general, most bodybuilders "bulk up" for a cycle (2-3 months), then "slim down" for a cycle. I believe we'll be entering "growing season" very shortly. When bulking up, as long as you're doing a sufficient amount of strength (anaerobic) training (in relation to your caloric intake), you shouldn't worry about gaining fat, but check your body fat percentage every few weeks to be sure. Once you're ready to slim down, it will be much easier to shed excess bodyfat while maintaining lean muscle, than to make muscle gains while losing fat at the same time. As for satiation, complex carbohydrates and fats are generally the most 'satiating,' so try experimenting with lowering one, then the other, then both, or eating more simple carbs (fruits and leafy greens) as opposed to complex (breads and pastas). Chances are, however, that you'll want a decent amount of fats (especially EFAs) in your diet, especially while bulking up. Here's a link to the website I order my vitamins and supplements from: https://www.fitnessone.com/ Quick tips for everyone- McDonald's has a 'Fruit and Yogurt Parfait,' for $1-$2. Very good, and great as a snack. Also, do not fear the cheesecake. I, personally, do not eat dairy, but the fat content of an average slice of cheesecake can keep you satiated and offer energy for up to four hours. FYI - My knowledge and experience comes from roughly 4 years in the fitness industry (Manager/trainer - 24 Hour Fitness - 98-2001), and one year as a competitive body builder (1999). So, I try to keep my information basic and fundamental, as I'm not up on current trends and have been somewhat "out of touch" with the industry since 2001.

Inspector - What is your fitness goal, specifically? Are you trying to build muscle? Or are you simply trying to "eat healthier?" I've gone through dozens of different protein powders, and my current favorite is the EAS '100% Whey Protein' (Chocolate). It's low in calories and sodium, and high in protein (28g per scoop). I mix it straight up with water and it dissolves well, and tastes good. But if you're looking to bulk up, you should go for a high calorie, high protein 'meal replacement' shake, as opposed to a protein supplement. Either way, standard practice regarding muscle tissue maintenance is to ingest at least 1g of protein per pound of muscle. So, if you haven't already, you should get your bodyfat tested (very simple process, any trainer at a gym can do it for you in minutes). Considering what mailegreene said, it is true that everyone has a distinct satiation ratio (in terms of fats, proteins and carbohydrates). These tests are rather simple as well, and can help you find out what percentage of your caloric intake should come from fats, what percentage from protein, and what percentage from carbohydrates, so that you stay satiated throughout the day, and don't feel the urge to "cheat." If you do feel the urge to cheat, it's because there is a nutrient that you're not getting enough of via your diet, that's what a "craving" is. Also, Oddwalla recently came out with some really good meal replacement bars, one of which is a chocolate protein bar, I believe. You should give those a try. Overall, make sure you're taking a multi-vitamin, and very simple arithmetic can keep on the (basically) right track: If your consume more calories than you expend, you will gain weight. If you expend more calories than you consume, you will lose weight. The trick is to eat the enough of the right nutrients, so that your body does not break down muscle tissue to get them when your diet is lacking. I hope this helps, I'm happy to offer any more information, as I can.

Thank you, Dikaiosyne, for starting this topic; because of it I went and saw the movie last night, and loved it. Yes, especially Kaylee's "Screw this" line. The end scene between Mal and the villain reminded me of the Javert/Jean Valjean dynamic (and conclusion thereof) from Les Mis.

This is from "Essentials of Objectivism" on the ARI website (http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=objectivism_essentials) Ethics "Reason is man's only proper judge of values and his only proper guide to action. The proper standard of ethics is: man's survival qua man—i.e., that which is required by man's nature for his survival as a rational being (not his momentary physical survival as a mindless brute). Rationality is man's basic virtue, and his three fundamental values are: reason, purpose, self-esteem. Man—every man—is an end in himself, not a means to the ends of others; he must live for his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself; he must work for his rational self-interest, with the achievement of his own happiness as the highest moral purpose of his life." Thus Objectivism rejects any form of altruism—the claim that morality consists in living for others or for society

Felix - You are missing the fact that man's survival qua man is the goal. Moreover, to exist as a rational man, as opposed to a simple swamp animal (for example, an R.O.U.S.), capable of achieving just enough subsistence for avoiding death to propagate the species. I also reiterate JMeganSnow's words to say that happiness is what you experience when you live successfully as a man: utilizing your rational faculty, and confronting reality - in full, to achieve objectively defined values. Most people are miserable not because they are failing at survival qua survival, but because they are failing at survival qua man. They either refuse to use, or have given up on the power of their minds long ago, and have since become the subjects of shopping-mall study. Again, life is the ultimate value, but that is life as a rational man. When you are living as a rational being, actualizing the potential unique to man by nature, practicing your virtues and achieving values, you experience happiness. In discussing this subject, the attempt to extricate survival from survival as man is an error. For someone who is unhappy, but is still "surviving" as such, it can be said that that person is not (fully) living as rational man.

Have you seen these ads: http://slate.msn.com/id/2119668/ I am reminded of... "Andrew Stockton had been in the sort of position which most of the business men envied. The rush to convert to coal had descended upon his shoulders like a weight of gold...There were not many dependable foundries left; he had become one of the main pillars supporting the cellars and kitchens of the country. The pillar collapsed without warning. Andrew Stockton announced that he was retiring, closed his plant and vanished." I'm all for alternative (i.e. better) energy sources, but this seems rather ominous. I'll get behind this campaign when I can be certain we're making forward progress. Merged from a redundant thread. - Felipe