AwakeAndFree

Welcome, Laura. And may your dueling majors reach a settlement.

What we're talking about here is more an issue of self-esteem than anything else. You know that Mr. X is wrong, and should be judged. You just don't know if you are good enough to do the judging. Well, start being. I often judge people who make the same mistakes I used to make. I also judge myself on these same mistakes, and just as severely as I judge others. The one virtue I claim is always being open to reason, and dropping every "sin" as soon as I understood it was wrong. You may find it helpful to give yourself a fresh start. As of today, you are not the same person who made all these mistakes. You are a changed person, and you will act according to your new standard of values. Then you can criticize your old self without feeling unworthy.

Both the Republic and the Empire lasted for centuries, so it will be hard to generalize. In many senses the late Republic is very much like the early Empire under Augustus. Of course, in one crucial sense they were different: the concentration of power in the hands of one man instead of many.

Guys, let her finish The Fountainhead before you try to tackle her on political-economical systems! Sara, welcome to the forum. You are heading for the ride of your life!

Welcome to the Forum! I join the others in expressing an interest in hearing/reading what you have to say about Ayn Rand's aesthetics.

There is no objectively correct time limit for intellectual property. It's like asking what's the objectively correct age people should be allowed to vote. There are principles that can guide you, but they won't lead you to a specific measurement, a number. And yes, it IS a matter for professionals, and it is so involved that you and I can hardly begin to imagine all the different considerations here. And just as a general observation, you seem to be so rationalistic in your thinking about this subject, that if you were the one making these decisions, I'm afraid you'd have ruined the US economy in an instant.

Chainfire is my third favorite, after Stone of Tears and Faith of the Fallen. It's much MUCH better than Naked Empire.

You did it all yourself. I think no thanks is necessary. My regards to your boyfriend. Send him over here sometime to hear a lecture about why going to see a doctor when you're in pain is NOT wimpy. As for the destructive power of prayer: yes, you are right on the money. The prayer gives you the FEELING you're doing something, when in fact you're doing nothing to solve your problem. So even though it does not PREVENT you from acting, it does lower the emotional urgency of solving the problem yourself. In more serious cases, not acting immediately can result in death.

Or postmodernism in History: Objectivity is impossible? Let's tell attractive stories that promote our leftist agendas.

State of Fear is a very interesting book, and a very enjoyable read.

Oooh, I found this precious list of quotes from Dr. House. The names after each quote is the name of the chapter. Dr. Foreman is black, and has a criminal record from his teenage years. Dr. House has a walking cane, and is addicted to painkillers. QUOTES: [Edited to add a few more typos]

Yesss! In the first episode he told her that he only hired her for her looks. When she protested that she is a great doctor, and among the top of her class he told her: but not THE top. She asks him: are you saying there were better candidates but you picked me because of my looks? House: Sure, is that so hard to believe? I needed someone to brighten up the place. Now what are you going to do, sue me for unlawful hiring? Then later on they discover he hired the brilliant black doctor because he has a criminal record, and House needed someone to break into patients houses to find out causes for their disease. So politically incorrect! You gotta love it.

Yes, I guess any substance when you take it at these ENOURMOUS qualtities for a long time has SOME withrawal symptoms. But AA is not built around those chemical reactions, but around the real problems of alcoholics - the psychological ones that make them WANT to get drunk.

What, nobody mentions House?!? This new medical drama on Fox, here in NY is run on Tuesdays, 9pm. Greg House is a modern adaptation of Sherlock Holmes to the character of a genius doctor who runs his own department specializing in severe and exotic cases. He's addicted to pain killers, sarcastic, and seems to care nothing about his crew or his patients. He constantly rides everyone and he is brutally honest. He breaks every possible law and regulation. He cares only about one thing: solving the problem, and saving the patient. The show is brilliant, and House is my new hero. If you don't check it out, you're not real Objectivists.

You can't possibly put the addiction to booze and the addiction to Heroin in the same category. You can stop drinking anytime, and the only effect you'll have is having to face your problems again. Stop taking Heroin for a while, and the physical reactions are tremendous. You'll have troubles sleeping, eating, digesting, or enjoying yourself in any way. Of course you can stop taking Heroin, your volition is not stipped away - but it DOES cause something extra to mere psychological dependency.

End the relationship NOW! I'm just kidding, but what are you asking here really? Is it okay to have a relationship with someone you disagree with? You seem to already know the answer, and you told us you'd ignore any suggestions to the contrary. So what do you need us for? A stamp of approval?

If she's a Marxist, then her reaction is the typical leftist response to a country that defends itself while using (God forbid) superior military force She'd probably react the same way to an American flag, if she wasn't hoping for Democrats to win sometime in the future.

I think very few women today are intellectually inclined, and even less are inclined to reason, and so those who are find it easier to communicate with men. All the women I liked in the past, actually, compained about not having female friends. Hmmm.

Almost daily?! Yes, I think you are. I check almost weekly, though.

Yes, I checked a few dictionaries and I agree now. The word hazing refers necessarily to something humiliating, and unnecessary. In essence, the test the guy needs to pass here is the ability to abandon his self-esteem, and let people treat him like garbage. However, certain kinds of tests are experienced as humiliating just by those who fail them. For example playful banter among groups of men, or a drill sergeant yelling at his recruits that they are a bunch of sissies.

He could also be an ignoramus, which is arguably better than dishonest. But YES - Objectivism is an Atheistic philosophy. You can say you agree with MOST of Objectivism, but you can't be an Objectivist and still believe in God.

I think hazing is a natural and necessary phenomena among men. Whether organized or not, we tend to test a new man's strength before we accept him into our group of friends or any other exclusive circle. When a new guy joins our class, we test his knowledge and intelligence. When we meet a new guy in a social setting we may tease him and see if he's intelligent and confident enough to reply appropriately. We don't fully trust people who can't pass our simple tests. And the more we need to depend on the guy, the harder the test is. If my life depended on each and every one of my unit members, I'd INSIST on hazing before I will be convinced that these are strong, capable, confident men. A man who can't take a little pushing around is not a man you want around in battle. Or in your fraternity before an important exam, for that matter.

I don't think I'd necessarily get tired of life... but I would need to keep my choice of life versus death. Suppose I am kidnapped and tortured... would immortality mean I can't kill myself? An eternity of suffering?

Well, considering I have an undergraduate degree in History... Yes, I had to. Not as thoroughly as I should like, though. I just read the relevant chapters to whatever it is I was researching.