Jump to content
Objectivism Online Forum

Alethiometry

Regulars
  • Posts

    93
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    1

Everything posted by Alethiometry

  1. Join The Undercurrent. Spread the Right Ideas. Get Paid. Who: Full-time students seeking experience applying Objectivism to today’s world. What: Paid internship, $1000 stipend (100 hour commitment). When: Fall (Sept-Nov) How: Apply here: http://the-undercurrent.com/fall-paid-internships-apply-today/ The Undercurrent draws participants from across the country, and therefore interns will work from home, collaborating over email and regular teleconference meetings. Work hours are flexible (averaging 10 hours per week) to allow interns to combine their TU work with normal classwork and other obligations. Candidates should be familiar with Objectivism but need not be experts in the philosophy. Candidates must be full-time students. Intern Testimonials "I enjoyed the experience thoroughly. Having the opportunity to meet people working tirelessly to change the culture is quite the highlight!" —Former adminstrative intern “I enriched the persuasiveness of my ideas, both in conversation and in writing, as I learned to think more objectively. I regularly found myself asking, ‘What facts make this argument convincing’ and, ‘how do I best communicate these facts to those I’m trying to convince?’” —Former editorial intern Let me know if you have any questions about either internship! If you know any full-time students that might be interested in this opportunity feel free to forward them this information.
  2. Calling everyone interested in Objectivist student activism! Staff members from The Undercurrent will be at Quinn's Bar on Thursday at 9PM to discuss our plans for the next academic year. If you're interested in communicating Objectivist ideas — either in print or in video — or starting/strengthening a campus club on your campus, join us! We're dedicated to promoting the Objectivist student movement. The event will be held at Quinn's Bar on the first floor of the Marina Tower of the Sheraton San Diego Hotel during OCON 2012. You can RSVP for the event on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/400008730034786/ Please feel free to e-mail us with any questions about The Undercurrent or the event at [email protected]
  3. You can now preview an article from the Spring 2012 Edition of The Undercurrent here: http://the-undercurr...ife-well-lived/. In this article, Alex Hrin defends the value of energy to life itself, which gives real weight to the threat represented by government regulations like cap-and-trade. If you find this valuable, consider ordering this edition of The Undercurrent to distribute locally or on your campus. Other articles in this issue investigate the nature of revolutionary movements like Occupy Wall Street and the morality of government education. If you haven’t put your order in for this issue, please do so on our order page at: http://www.the-undercurrent.com/order If you cannot afford to distribute, but would like to do so, we may be able to find a donor to sponsor your efforts. Don’t hesitate to send your requests to [email protected] The order deadline for print copies is March 5th, 2012. Thank you for your continued support!
  4. The newest edition of The Undercurrent is now available to order! In this issue, we will look at issues ranging from the effect of government involvement in education to the recent surge in revolutionary movements. With regards to the latter, Valery Publius offers an analysis of what makes revolutions desirable and successful, and why movements like Occupy Wall Street are ultimately destined to fail to bring about positive change. Noah Stahl examines the tendency of social and political debaters to focus on superficial aspects of issues, and argues that we need to instead encourage a focus on fundamentals. Nicholas Marquiss asks about education: what is fundamentally important in creating an effective school system? He argues that government involvement, far from being a core necessity for high-quality and widely-available education, is fundamentally destructive to those aims. Finally, Alex Hrin shows why restrictive government policies on energy like cap-and-trade fail to consider just how deeply important energy is to human life. Place your order here http:/the-undercurrent.com/order/ or e-mail your name, address, and the number of copies you would like to [email protected]. The final day to order copies is March 5th, so get yours today! The Undercurrent is sold at or below cost to print and ship the paper. Here are the prices for the Spring 2012 issue (including shipping and handling): 250 copies $30.00 500 copies $60.00 750 copies $85.00 1000 copies $115.00 1500 copies $165.00 If you would like to hand out copies but cannot afford to do so, please let us know. We may be able to find a donor to sponsor your distribution efforts. Don’t hesitate to send a request by e-mail to: [email protected]. On the other hand, if you have no time to distribute, we would greatly appreciate a donation. We’ll use your donations to fund student distributors in your local community or region of the country, or to support deserving distributors in other locations. You can find more information about donating to TU here: http://the-undercurrent.com/donate/, or by e-mailing us at [email protected]. Last year was a remarkable year for both TU and Objectivist movement generally. Over 49,000 copies of TU were distributed and over 440,000 copies of Atlas Shrugged were sold in 2011. With your help we hope to do even more in 2012!
  5. You can now preview the Fall 2011 Edition of The Undercurrent as a PDF here: http://www.the-undercurrent.com/blog/the-fall-2011-edition-of-the-undercurrent-is-now-available-to-order Articles in this issue investigate the nature and value of capitalism. If you haven’t put your order in for this issue, please do so on our order page at: http://www.the-undercurrent.com/order The order deadline for print copies is September 6th, 2011. Thank you for your continued support!
  6. The latest edition of The Undercurrent is now available to order! This edition focuses on the nature and value of capitalism. Valery Publius begins with a question: "Would you give up the internet for a million dollars?" In his article, he explains why our love of technology should be accompanied by appreciation of the creative and productive individuals that make it possible. Inspired by Ayn Rand's identification of capitalism as fundamentally moral, Noah Stahl argues why morality is necessary in technology and life itself. Finally, Alex Hrin offers a sober reflection on the anniversary of 9/11 of the Islamist mission to replace the individual rights enshrined in a capitalist system by submission to supernatural will. The Undercurrent is sold at or below cost to print and ship the papers. Here are the prices for the Fall 2011 issue (including shipping and handling). 250 copies: $30.00 500 copies: $60.00 750 copies: $85.00 1000 copies: $115.00 1250 copies: $140.00 1500 copies: $165.00 You can order copies at http://www.the-undercurrent.com/order today, or e-mail your name, address, and the number of copies you would like to [email protected] and we’ll try to find a donor to sponsor your distribution efforts. If you have no time to distribute but would like to sponsor distribution in your local community or region of the country, we would greatly appreciate your donation. For more information about donating to The Undercurrent, please visit http://www.the-undercurrent.com/donate or e-mail us at [email protected].
  7. We now have an exciting preview of The Undercurrent’s April 2011 Edition up on the website: http://the-undercurrent.com/blog/april-edition-pdf-is-online-its-not-too-late-to-order Visit http://the-undercurrent.com/blog/april-edition-pdf-is-online-its-not-too-late-to-order to order your copies. The next edition won’t be printed until the fall, so get your copies today!
  8. I hope you’re having a great year so far. The Undercurrent is proud to announce its newest edition for April 2011! We are currently accepting orders at http://the-undercurrent.com/order. You can also send your name, address, and number of copies you would like to receive to [email protected]. This is a great issue, containing articles on the proper ways to view a college education, our duty to our country, the need for intellectual polarization, and the problems with the theory that green energy will lead us to a brighter future. You won't want to miss this, but April 11th is the order deadline for this edition, so order your copies today! The Undercurrent is sold at or below cost to print and ship the papers. Here are the prices for the April 2011 edition (including shipping and handling): 250 copies: $30.00 500 copies: $60.00 750 copies: $85.00 1000 copies: $115.00 1250 copies: $140.00 1500 copies: $165.00 Can't afford the cost? Does The Undercurrent sound like exactly the sort of thing for you, if ONLY it weren't so expensive? We have fantastic news for you! If you want to hand out copies, but cannot afford to do so, simply send us an email at [email protected], and we will match you with a sponsor to subsidize your distribution efforts. The Undercurrent is a non-profit organization, and our primary value is getting our paper into the hands of people like you! If you don't have time to distribute, but you want to support the work that we do regardless, we would greatly appreciate a donation. All money that is donated is used to fund student distributors in your area, or deserving distributors somewhere else in the world. If you are interested, and want more information about donating to us, please visit http://the-undercurrent.com/donate or e-mail us at [email protected]. We wish everyone a happy and successful year, and know that your activism efforts do not go unrewarded. Objectivist ideas are spreading throughout our society like never before, and it's thanks to you all. We have an unparalleled opportunity now to make a difference. Keep fighting the good fight for reason, and rational self-interest!
  9. Could you describe how you think this song relates to We The Living?
  10. Will a recording of this be posted somewhere? I really want to watch the whole thing.
  11. The contrast between Lily's and Nina's character is not about "fixing" anything. Yes, going out with Lily did not help Nina. I'm not arguing that going out with Lily was a good thing for Nina to do, or that it should help Nina in some way. You are completely missing my point. Throughout the entire movie, you are beaten over the head with the differences between these two girls. Nina is mentally unstable and on a quest for perfection. Lily doesn't care about perfection, is hedonistic, but comes out looking more mentally balanced in the end. Nina ends up stabbing herself, Lily doesn't. Lily congratulates Nina on her excellent performance in the end and isn't psychotic. The connection between insanity and a quest for perfection is made because both of these elements are present in Nina's character. The connection between "balance" and mental stability is made because both of these elements are meshed together in Lily's character. These two characters foil each other: you get compromise and mental stability, or a quest for perfection and insanity. That's part of what's going on with this movie. But the other part of what's going on is that her quest for perfection is linked to her mental illness. The more she struggles to be perfect, the greater her mental illness. I do see a problem with showing this futile quest for perfection as the main characters struggle. In the Romantic Manifesto, Rand writes: "Since a rational man’s ambition is unlimited, since his pursuit and achievement of values is a lifelong process—and the higher the values, the harder the struggle—he needs a moment, an hour or some period of time in which he can experience the sense of his completed task, the sense of living in a universe where his values have been successfully achieved. It is like a moment of rest, a moment to gain fuel to move farther. Art gives him that fuel; the pleasure of contemplating the objectified reality of one’s own sense of life is the pleasure of feeling what it would be like to live in one’s ideal world." What kind of man wants to see a film or a work of art where the plot revolves around a futile quest for perfection undertaken by a crazy person? Who wants to see a film that connects perfectionism to insanity, and compromise to mental health?
  12. I agree with this. I think the movie connects Portman's statement "I want to be perfect" with her mental illness. This is underscored by the fact that Lily (played by Mila Kunis) does not aim for perfection, but instead is loose with her dancing and personal life. She eats cheeseburgers, does drugs, sleeps with random men, and does not strive for technical excellence in her dancing. However, she is depicted as mentally healthy and isn't severely injured at the end of the movie. She has the "virtue" of "balance" or "compromise" in her life, and that sets her free from mental illness and injury in the end. The contrast between Lily and Natalie Portman furthers the message that aiming for perfection is part of mental illness, and should not be attempted. Rather, one should strive for "balance" by mixing food with poison, and in the end, everything will be okay.
  13. Just wanted to let you all know that we've extended the ordering deadline to February 11th! You have until this Friday to order this exciting edition of TU. If you cannot afford to distribute papers but you would like to, please let me know. In all likelihood, I'll be able to find a donor to sponsor your efforts.
  14. I just wanted to let you know that The Undercurrent has some exciting news: we’re moving to a schedule of four editions per year in 2011! In 2010 we printed only two editions, and over 77,000 copies of the paper were distributed throughout the US and Canada. With your help, we hope to increase the spread of rational ideas in our culture by producing twice as many issues of TU and printing even more copies of the paper in 2011. Start the year off right by placing your order for the February 2011 Edition at http://the-undercurrent.com/order today, or e-mail your name, address, and the number of copies you would like to [email protected]. This edition will feature articles on Obama and idealism, drug prohibition, green energy, and government spending. The order deadline for this issue is February 7th, so be sure to order your copies as soon as possible! The Undercurrent is sold at or below our cost to print and ship the papers. Here are the prices for the February 2011 issue (including shipping and handling): 250 copies: $30.00 500 copies: $60.00 750 copies: $85.00 1000 copies: $115.00 1250 copies: $140.00 1500 copies: $165.00 If you would like to hand out copies but cannot afford to do so, please let us know. Send us an e-mail at [email protected] and we may be able to find a donor to sponsor your distribution efforts. On the other hand, if you have no time to distribute, we would greatly appreciate a donation. We’ll use your donations to fund student distributors in your local community or region of the country, or to support deserving distributors in other locations. For more information about donating to The Undercurrent, please visit http://the-undercurrent.com/donate or e-mail us at [email protected]. We wish all college Objectivist clubs another successful year, and hope that everyone will continue the activism that has catapulted Objectivist ideas into the classroom and the media as never before. Now is the time to turn an increasingly statist political climate into a cultural opportunity
  15. The Undercurrent, an Objectivist newspaper distributed at colleges nationwide, is currently recruiting new staff members. The Undercurrent has two openings for the Spring Semester Internship Program for full-time college students. We have one opening available for an administrative intern, and one opening for an editorial intern. As an intern, you can work flexible hours from home, gain valuable experience, and promote Ayn Rand's ideas with a phenomenal team! Details for each of the internships may be found on our website at: http://the-undercurrent.com/join. Each intern is compensated with a $1000 stipend. Apply now! The application deadline is January 6, 2011. Join us in our mission to promote rational values in the places that matter the most: college campuses.
  16. Stadler is not evil because most of the money he earns comes from the state. Is Roark depicted as evil, even though he obtains funding from otherwise despicable firms like Guy Francon's or Snyte's? He isn't. He gained some value from those jobs, and knew that working at these firms was a stepping stone to a position he actually wanted. Rearden says this to Dagny after she meets with Stadler: "And that's what Dr. Stadler needed from you--it was you who had to act as if he were a great man who had never tried to destroy your rail and my metal. I don't know what it is they think they accomplish--but they want us to pretend that we see the world as they pretend they see it." Stadler wants someone to validate his evasions and his false views of the world. That's why he's evil. He doesn't fight against the metaphysically erroneous book that Dr.Ferris writes, even though he knows it's wrong. Ultimately, Stadler's refusal to see reality destroys him. It's not his acceptance of government funding that does it.
  17. The Fall 2010 Edition of The Undercurrent (TU) is now available to order! Influence new students at your school and increase your club’s campus presence by passing out TU at back-to-school club fairs. This edition will feature articles on the destructive premise underlying America’s un-American immigration system, the root of popular opposition to scientific progress, and how the false alternative between hedonism and duty frustrates achieving academic goals and having fun. Place your order at http://the-undercurrent.com/order today, or e-mail your name, address, and the number of copies you would like to [email protected]. The Undercurrent is sold at or below our cost to print and ship the papers. Here are the prices for the Fall 2010 issue (including shipping and handling): 250 copies $26.50 500 copies $50.00 750 copies $71.50 1000 copies $95.00 1500 copies $131.00 2000 copies $181.00 Can’t afford to distribute The Undercurrent? We can help! Send us an e-mail at [email protected] and we may be able to find a donor to sponsor your distribution efforts. If you don’t have the time to hand out copies, we would greatly appreciate a donation so we can continue to provide papers to students free of charge. If you’d like to support distribution efforts in a particular region or university, we can contact distributors and club leaders in the area you indicate. As The Undercurrent is a 501©(3) non-profit corporation, your donations will likely be tax deductible. However, please check with your tax professional to be certain. For more information about donating to The Undercurrent, please visit http://the-undercurrent.com/donate or e-mail us at [email protected]. There has never been a more opportune or critical time for Objectivism to positively impact the culture. Help us make a difference.
  18. I used to work at an ice cream shop with about 30 flavors. Lots of people who came in complained that there were "too many choices." I never got it. What's wrong with having a bunch of ice cream flavors to choose from?
  19. Communication is very important in a relationship. Make sure you communicate how this makes you feel to him, not just to us. Have you read the 5 Love Languages? I don't agree with the Christian overtones in this book, but I do think people tend to express their love for someone in one or two of the "languages" primarily, not all of them. The five are: words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service, and physical touch. Maybe this guy prefers to express his feelings for you in words, or in the time he spends with you, not in terms of monetary value.
  20. If you want your kids to not fear failure, don't tell them they're smart. Tell them they are hard workers. "Carol Dweck, a researcher at Columbia and Stanford, is a leading researcher in the effects of praise on students. She and four female research assistance studied the effect of praise on 400 fifth graders in New York schools. Students were divided into two groups: the praise group and the encouragement group. All of the students were given a series of puzzles that were easy to complete. The praise group was told, "You must be smart at this," while the encouragement group was told, "You must have worked really hard." After the one line of praise or encouragement, the students were given a choice of the type of test to take next. They could either choose a harder set of puzzles that they would learn more from attempting or an easy test like the first. Of those children given praise for their efforts, 90 percent chose the harder set of puzzles. The majority of students that were told they were smart chose the easier set. Dweck concluded that, "When we praise children for their intelligence we tell them that this is the name of the game: Look smart, don’t risk making mistakes." This is exactly what the students did, they were afraid of failure and chose the easy road. Dweck and her researchers then did a second and third round. In the second study the students were given puzzles that were very difficult, two grade levels above their abilities. Everyone failed, but their responses were the interesting part. Those praised for their efforts assumed they just hadn't tried hard enough; tried a variety of solutions; got very involved; and still enjoyed the test. Those praised for their smarts assumed they just weren't smart after all and were miserable." http://hubpages.com/hub/How_should_we_praise_our_children
  21. This song is so philosophically disgusting. If everything is upheld as a miracle, then nothing can have miraculous qualities. And yes, I am so glad SNL decided to parody this.
  22. Just because someone chooses to not be fashionable doesn't mean they have low self-esteem. Putting together nice outfits and wearing great clothes takes time, especially if you're a woman. However, I don't think it's wrong to choose to wear clean, well-fitting clothes that offer a great deal of utility, but may not be the most fashionable. Instead of spending hours on hair, makeup, etc. the person choosing to wear these clothes may decide their hours are better spent reading, studying, or enjoying time with their loved ones. For example, I could spend an hour and a half getting ready every day and look my most fabulous. Or, I could spend 15-30 minutes getting ready for the day and look good. The hour or so that I save can be used for thing I value more highly than looking fabulous, like writing papers or working. Sometimes I do choose to look fabulous, but it's not every day.
  23. The newest issue of The Undercurrent (TU) is now available to order, and will arrive on your doorstep at the beginning of March! The Spring 2010 Edition will have a distinctive, exciting focus: the nature of virtues. Articles in this issue will focus on virtues such as productivity and integrity. Start your year off right by placing your order at http://the-undercurrent.com/order today, or e-mail your name, address, and the number of copies you would like to [email protected]. The Undercurrent is sold at or below our cost to print and ship the papers. Here are the prices for the Spring 2010 issue (including shipping and handling): 250 copies $26.50 500 copies $50.00 750 copies $71.50 1000 copies $95.00 1500 copies $131.00 2000 copies $181.00 If you would like to hand out copies but cannot afford to do so, please let us know. We may be able to find a donor to sponsor your distribution efforts. Don’t hesitate to send a request by e-mail to: [email protected] On the other hand, if you have no time to distribute, we would greatly appreciate a donation. We’ll use your donations to fund student distributors in your local community or region of the country, or to support deserving distributors in other locations. For more information about donating to The Undercurrent, please visit http://the-undercurrent.com/donate or e-mail us at [email protected]. Last year was a remarkable year for both TU and the Objectivist movement generally. Over 64,000 copies of TU were distributed and over 500,000 copies of Atlas Shrugged were sold in 2009. With your help we hope to accomplish even more in 2010!
  24. #### UNDERCURRENT CAMPUS MEDIA RESPONSE--02/02/10 #### The Supreme Court decision to uphold free speech rights of corporations continues to be the most talked-about news item on campus opinion pages this week, with the majority of commentators coming down against the decision. Because this debate is an excellent opportunity to enlighten student writers about the true meaning of individual rights and free speech, The Undercurrent urges volunteer writers to enter this ongoing debate and take a stand for the individual's right to express his political opinion, by himself or through a corporate proxy. Help us create a national, coordinated campaign to focus the campus debate on the most crucial philosophical issues. IN THE SPOTLIGHT: In its staff editorial, The Harvard Crimson argues that the Court's decision is "one of a growing number of decisions that overlook individual rights in favor of corporations." [http://is.gd/7x00r] RESPOND: Speak your mind and let the staff of The Harvard Crimson and writers at other papers know that misunderstand the concept of individual rights. Please focus your response on one of these talking points: *Corporations are voluntary associations of individuals; restraining their freedom to fund political speech violates the freedom of these individuals. *Freedom to spend money is necessary for the freedom of speech: without it, no newspaper can claim the freedom to pay to print its papers, publish its web site, or employ its staff. *No corporation can silence the voices of other individuals simply by spending money. TAKE ACTION: *Send CMR [[email protected]] a brief letter to the editor responding to The Crimson. If we like it, we'll help you edit it, display it on our blog, and help you submit it to the paper. *Leave a comment on the Crimson article online at http://is.gd/7x00r *Write a letter or comment in response to another one of the many campus opinion pieces on the same side as The Crimson. Send us your response to these, as well: The Michigan Daily: http://is.gd/7x1F2 The Columbia Spectator: http://is.gd/7x1Ja The Washington University Student Life: http://is.gd/7x1LY The MIT Tech: http://is.gd/7x1OE The Minnesota Daily: http://is.gd/7x1Qw *Write your local campus newspaper a letter including one the talking points above. Tell us if your letter is published. #### Learn more about how you can join our cause and influence the debate on college campuses: http://www.the-undercurrent.com/cmr ####
  25. The Supreme Court has finally decided to uphold the free speech rights of businesses. But the decision is already under attack in the campus media. CMR urgently seeks writers to enter the campus debate and defend the freedom of corporations to assert and argue for their values. Help us establish a beachhead in this battle! Case in point: Chelsea Lawliss, writing for Wisconsin-Madison's Badger Herald, calls corporations "collective entitie" which will "smother" and "muzzle" the voices of individuals. [http://is.gd/7468V] Speak your mind and stand up against Lawliss and other opponents of the freedom of speech. Help us create a national, coordinated campaign to focus the campus debate on at least one of these talking points: *Corporations are voluntary associations of individuals; restraining their freedom to fund political speech violates the freedom of these individuals. *No voluntary association can ever "muzzle" the voices of other individuals simply by spending money to spread a message. Individuals can think for themselves, and needn't be influenced by propaganda. Take action NOW: *Send CMR [[email protected]] a brief letter to the editor responding to Lawliss: We'll help you edit it, display it on our blog, and help you submit it to the paper. *Leave a comment on Lawliss' article at http://is.gd/7468V *Write your local campus newspaper a letter urging the talking points above. Tell us if your letter is published. #### Learn more about how you can join our cause and influence the debate on college campuses: http://www.the-undercurrent.com/cmr ####
×
×
  • Create New...