AwakeAndFree

China is no longer a communist state. It's still very much authoritarian, but it is moving towards freedom at a steady pace. Plus, there is no practical way to avoid buying things produced in China. They are everywhere, and sometimes it's literally impossible to find certain products which were NOT manufactured there.

My take: if a man is dishonest or foolish enough to warrant "talking down" to him, why waste your time? If he's honest and interested, why talk down to him? Two habits that are hard to break, but should be avoided: Don't give your evaluation of the ideas before examining them. For example - don't say: this is stupid, and then continue to show why. Just start with the reasons you think it's wrong. Maybe ask a question to draw their attention to their contradictions. Also, try to refrain from looking impatient or patronizing when they give you their view. It's true - you've probably heard it a million times before, and the answer is so clear in your mind. Still, to the guy talking it's obviously a serious concern and if you value him enough to talk to him, try to be nice.

How about: 1. Atlas Shrugged: Who is John Galt? 2. Atlas Shrugged: The Motor of the World 3. Atlas Shrugged: Atlantis Anyone who wants to take the responsibility on adapting Atlas Shrugged to the screen, will have to have a tremendous self-esteem, a deep understanding of both literature and cinema, experience, and fearlessness. The guy will have to make changes that will undoubtedly will make some Objectivists mad, like cut out great scenes, or merge some characters together. As it is, Atlas Shrugged is not a trilogy, but a "twentilogy" at least. :-)

In Germany the swastika has been forbidden since WW2, I believe. So the Neo-Nazis just invented a new symbol. It's like a swastika with 3 "legs" instead of 4. I'm not sure, but this might have been forbidden too, after some time. Anyway, it is really downright foolish. These governments make sure the children learn, through public schools, the very values of Nazism: nationalism, socialism, altruism and unreason - and then fight symbols as if they had any significance in themselves.

Yeah, the comment about the Romans is out of place. And anyway there will be no persecution of Objectivists in the US. In other countries, you don't have to be half as radical to be persecuted. Another thing, Objectivists don't make good martyrs. One of the reasons they Christians were persecuted was they disregarded their own safety for the sake of their creed.

And some are evil even though they profess to adher to Objectivism, and seem to do so under the public eye - but not privately.

David, I'd be happy to meet you, and maybe we can arrange a meeting with some other guys, like MinorityOfOne. Contact me if you're interested. In New York I enjoy visiting Battery Park, where you can look into the ocean and see the statue of liberty. You can also go on the Staten Island ferry, which is pretty impressive. The view from the Empire State building is a likely basis for a new religion. Thou shall not miss it. And I don't know why exactly, but I really enjoy visiting F.A.O Schwartz toy store at 5th and 58th. The rest has been said before. Cheers!

Woah, man. This is the most ridiculous claim I've heard so far on this forum, and that's saying a lot! You are totally ignoring the issue of love. If you love your wife, you will still do anything you can to make her happy. And that should be the reason from the start, not some silly competition. More than that, I think it's incredibly dishonest to do something while dating that you will not be willing to do while married.

As someone coming from Israel I can only say this: Israel is an extremely complex case. Any attempt to say that Israel is a good or bad place will be over-simplification. Israeli culture is mostly secular. 70% of people would define themselves non-religious. Most prominent politicians are non-religious and people would not vote for a religious prime minister. However, politically the wall between church and state was never built, and because of the multi-party system small religious parties actually command more influence than they should. Some laws make it harder to grow and sell pork, for example, or for businesses to stay open on Jewish holidays. Most Israelis oppose this "religious opression" (the term is often used in Israeli politics). Israel is very much socialistic, as a remnant of its founding. However, the actual population is quite torn on this issue, and I believe more than 50% of Israelis would like to see more privatization, and lower taxes. Unions are still strong, but Netanyahu as a Minister of Finance had been brave in fighting those bullies, who oppose privatization and stand in the way of progress. In terms of trends, it is very hard to predict. But my estimate is that Israel will get freer and freer economically, and the barrier between church and state will start being built. Some say that Israeli society will become more and more religious. I'm not sure that's the case, but that is one possible scenario. One thing I find myself missing after leaving Israel is the straightforwardness. Most people are usually brutally honest there, and it is hard to adjust to the restraints and lack of candor in a "polite society".

Retrain by repetition of the proper behaviour. Keep reminding yourself of the truth, like you would when trying to learn to type on a different keyboard. (This last is an example I've read somewhere on this forum, but I think it's a great one).

A government should never have to power to incarcerate for life without a trial. There's no question it is a gross violation of individual rights. The only exception is prisoners of war, but by definition those are caught on a battlefield or a foreign country and not inside the US. And even in this case there should be some kind of due process to determine that they are in fact prisoners of war, i.e. - enemies.

Notice especially the IN and OUT dolls - one for inside the cave, one for the rest of the world. And I wonder - do these dolls have a body under the cloth? Is it even possible to remove it? Probably not.

If you want to gain an insight into Ayn Rand's view on the military - read the speech she gave at West Point. It's the first essay in her book Philosophy: Who Needs It.

Yeah, when I'm using Netscape the same thing happens to me. In IE it doesn't, though.

Welcome! As much as I like this forum, the best way to learn about Objectivism is reading Ayn Rand's own writings. Which of her original writings have you read?

I'd actually recommend starting with Leonard Peikoff's excellent Objectivism The Philosophy of Ayn Rand, which gives a very good explanation of all the different elements and how they combine to form a unified whole. Then you can dive into each of the more specific books, to gain further insight, and enjoy Ayn Rand's unique nonfiction style.

Two words: Terry Goodkind. We had a few threads on his wonderful fantasy series. Look them up.

The joy of ownership is a psychological pleasure no looter can experience. It will also give you a new appreciation for art, software, and the likes - since you will now have to decide if you care to pay for it. I found that certain things, like music or MS Office, are worth a lot more than they cost. While others, like computer games - have to be exceptionally well done to be worth the investment.

IMHO, the policy should state that posting on these forums is akin to giving a non-transferable, unlimited right to ObjectivismOnline to present the materials in the context in which they were posted.

Sure, and if you live in Iran - get it now! But you were asking particularly about ObjectivismOnline knowing your IP address. Nothing can make ObjectivismOnline give your IP address to a foreign government. You should only be concerned if your actions are either a crime inside the US, or a violation of ObjectivismOnline's rules (in which case we can use your IP to ban you).

I'm sorry, I searched the best I could and couldn't find it. Perhaps I am mistaken... though I was pretty sure at the time I wrote it. Can anyone help here?

We know your IP, if that's your question. So does any other website you've been surfing to today. If you're going to commit a murder and then brag about it here - we're going to get you. Other than that - I fail to see why you should be nervous about posting here.

Not only did Ayn Rand oppose individuals posessing nucelar weapons... she spoke against them posessing machine guins as well. Those are machines of mass murder in the hands of civilians. No other possible purpose.

Thanks for the recommendation! I am certainly going to read it now.

Jimmy Carter is not a leader of our world any longer, thank God! And the only leaders I care about are Sharon and Bush. Bush said "God bless his soul" - but that really wasn't any kind of endorsment, except the natural Christian kind. Sharon already gave his statement... which amounts to a not very subtle "good riddance".