Alethiometry

This kind of mess happens even with the oversight of a government regulatory industry like the FDA: Think that sheep's milk comes from sheep? DNA doesn't lie

Do you ever read a campus newspaper and want to express your disagreement with articles that attack capitalism or individualism, or uphold multiculturalism, environmentalism or religion? Do you want to promote Objectivist principles as alternatives to conventional opinion on campus–and on a national stage? If you answered “yes” to the questions above, The Undercurrent’s Campus Media Response project may be for you. The Undercurrent (TU) is the national student newspaper dedicated to spreading Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism on college campuses. Campus Media Response (CMR) is a new TU project which aims to create an online clearinghouse for Objectivist commentary on the nation’s campus opinion pages. You can always visit CMR's list of flagged campus opinion articles, which includes ideas for potential letters of response. This week we've added 8 new articles (click "See more of TU's shared items" at the bottom to view earlier entries): http://www.google.com/reader/shared/undercurrent.cmr #### *** In order to ensure that you continue receiving these announcements, please sign up for the CMR email list, here *** : http://groups.google.com/group/undercurrent-cmr?hl=en #### ARTICLES OF NOTE THIS WEEK: "Only" human? The Chicago Maroon, January 15, 2010 http://is.gd/6tsQQ TU: This is another piece by U of C Objectivist club president, George Saad. Commenting on the pundits who lament that Tiger Woods is "only human," Saad identifies the root of the notion in the doctrine of original sin, and shows how the doctrine paralyzes one's commitment to moral judgment. Discussion on Saad's piece has not yet begun, but he deserves support for encouraging us to find earthly moral ideals to which one can and should adhere perfectly. Sky's the limit for benefits of cap-and-dividend carbon regulation The Daily Nebraskan, January 13, 2010 http://is.gd/6tln8 TU: After assuming that there is a consensus that there is a global warming problem that must be solved by reducing carbon emissions, the author argues in favor of a "cap and trade" program as his preferred solution. He argues that the policy is a "free market approach" to reducing carbon emissions, because companies would buy and sell the right to pollute. But is this a "free market" approach merely because it involves buying and selling? When the government rather than the market mandates that pollution must be factored into the cost of one's production, is this consistent with freedom? Christians should seek moral solution to moral issue of health care reform The Daily Nebraskan, January 13, 2010 http://is.gd/6tj8Z TU: The author, a conservative, bemoans his fellow conservatives for failing opposing socialized health care. He argues that people have a "right" to health care on the grounds that Christ and Christian leaders preach that we have a moral obligation to aid the poor. If reforming the health care system requires giving up wealth and liberty, so be it. The author is surely being faithful to religious premises. Conservative readers should ask themselves: Can religion ever promote the freedom to pursue one's own happiness on earth? If it can't, why should someone's private, primitive superstition provide the basis for public policy? Illegal immigration: It's illegal The Tech (MIT), January 13, 2010 http://is.gd/6tdEc TU: This article advances a characteristically conservative argument against allowing more immigrants into the United States: permitting more immigrants would be against the law, and there are good reasons for the existing law: it prevents the entry of criminals, disease-carriers, and terrorists into America. But what about recent evidence that the crime rate in Los Angeles has actually declined (http://is.gd/6tf3y) as illegal immigration has increased (http://is.gd/6tfjl)? And don't immigration laws target many more individuals than the potential criminals? Don't the authors protestations about jobs immigrants "take" from Americans show that the reasons for these laws go beyond defending against crime and terrorism? Do protectionist reasons make moral and economic sense? Beyond affirmative action The Michigan Daily, January 10, 2010 http://is.gd/6t7Su TU: The author states a classic liberal argument against race-based affirmative action: he claims that because educational opportunity does not address the root cause of racial disparity, society's efforts should focus on assisting the development of minority neighborhoods and public schools, to give the members of minorities "tools" to compete on an equal playing field in college admissions. This approach is supposed to obviate charges that minority candidates take the place of white candidates for admission. But does the proposal simply replace one injustice with another? Who will pay for these inner city programs, and what opportunities will these payments cost for those who would otherwise receive them? #### If you want to comment on one of these topics or another you find on our blog, or elsewhere, please write a one-paragraph response as you would a letter to the editor. Submit it to our editors at: [email protected] If we accept your response, we'll post it on the main Undercurrent blog, in the original article's comment section, and send it to the paper as a letter to the editor. Thanks, The CMR team http://www.the-undercurrent.com/cmr

Do you ever read a campus newspaper and want to express your disagreement with articles that attack capitalism or individualism, or uphold multiculturalism, environmentalism or religion? Do you want to promote Objectivist principles as alternatives to conventional opinion on campus–and on a national stage? If you answered “yes” to the questions above, The Undercurrent’s Campus Media Response project may be for you. The Undercurrent (TU) is the national student newspaper dedicated to spreading Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism on college campuses. Campus Media Response (CMR) is a new TU project which aims to create an online clearinghouse for Objectivist commentary on the nation’s campus opinion pages. You can always visit CMR's list of flagged campus opinion articles, which includes ideas for potential letters of response. This week we've added 8 new articles (click "See more of TU's shared items" at the bottom to view earlier entries): http://www.google.com/reader/shared/undercurrent.cmr #### *** In order to ensure that you continue receiving these announcements, please sign up for the CMR email list, here *** : http://groups.google.com/group/undercurrent-cmr?hl=en #### ARTICLES OF NOTE THIS WEEK: Educating for the good life Yale Daily News, January 11, 2010 http://is.gd/6626y TU: This author urges students to take more courses in the humanities, arguing that a pre-professional path leads to a life of bourgeois boredom. Why so boring? Because after taking an MBA, you'll read the New Yorker and won't get the references; you'll go to museums and won't appreciate modern art. Are these really the worst consequences of failing to learn the humanities? That we won't be able to measure up to the wit of our hipster friends? Is there nothing more that the study of philosophy (for example) adds to life besides the chance to be "unemployable, disagreeable, politically eccentric, out of touch with our generation, absent-minded and unready for bourgeois respectability"? Objectivists expand presence The Stanford Review, January 8, 2010 http://is.gd/661W1 TU: This piece in the Stanford conservative student paper takes note of an "objectivist [sic] revival" on campus, led by campus club president Dakin Sloss. But the article misreports the content of Objectivism. It claims that Objectivists reject belief in God because it betrays "mental weakness," that every character in Rand's books is totally good or totally evil, that there is no such thing as honest disagreement with Objectivism. Most egregiously, it claims that students are attracted to Objectivism only because they have "minimal responsibilities to others," and that the philosophy does not work for adults. Clearly some conservatives are not ready for the "attitudinal shift" promised by Objectivism, but is there no evidence that the rest of the country is beginning to exhibit it? Left behind The Chicago Maroon, January 8, 2010 http://is.gd/661Jw TU: In a proposal to bridge the liberal-conservative divide over the pending health care legislation, this author urges left-liberals to make their case by using the language of "freedom"-a concept usually associated with opposition to health care reform. The "freedom" the author suggests is "freedom from sickness." But is this the kind of "freedom" that governments should protect? What happens when a government stops protecting the freedom from coercion, and starts using coercion to protect the freedom from sickness? Down to Earth: Reduce your carbon ski path The Colorado Daily, December 16, 2009 http://is.gd/661zi TU: This article notes how many skiers consider themselves to be environmentally-conscious, and offers advice for how skiers might limit their "carbon footprint" and visit more environmentally-correct resorts. But is it possible for a real environmentalist to condone any skiing? Environmentalists are now pushing for carbon caps that would it more difficult for ordinary people to drive to work and heat their homes. How could an environmentalist possible justify the clear-cutting of mountainsides and transcontinental air travel by which most tourists find their way to the mountains-all or the sake of the recreation of the rich? God and global warming The Harvard Crimson, December 14, 2009 http://is.gd/661qy TU: The author describes the invitation of religious groups to the recent Copenhagen climate summit, and comments on the role of religious motivation, in comparison to government policy, in the implementation of environmentalist goals. The author may be on to more than he realizes. The environmentalist agenda is supposed to be motivated by scientific data about climate threats. Whatever one thinks of the science, could the call for self-sacrifice implicit in environmentalism be plausible without the lingering influence of religion in the West? #### If you want to comment on one of these topics or another you find on our blog, or elsewhere, please write a one-paragraph response as you would a letter to the editor. Submit it to our editors at: [email protected] If we accept your response, we'll post it on the main Undercurrent blog, in the original article's comment section, and send it to the paper as a letter to the editor. Thanks, The CMR team http://www.the-undercurrent.com/cmr

When they turn the pages of history, when these days have passed long ago, will they read of us with sadness for the seeds that we let grow?

The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.

Do you ever read a campus newspaper and want to express your disagreement with articles that attack capitalism or individualism, or uphold multiculturalism, environmentalism or religion? Do you want to promote Objectivist principles as alternatives to conventional opinion on campus--and on a national stage? If you answered "yes" to the questions above, The Undercurrent's Campus Media Response project may be for you. The Undercurrent (TU) is the national student newspaper dedicated to spreading Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism on college campuses. Campus Media Response (CMR) is a new TU project which aims to create an online clearinghouse for Objectivist commentary on the nation's campus opinion pages. If you're not a college student, this is a great opportunity to write to your alma mater's student paper. If you're not sure what pieces you can respond to, we have a variety of articles ready and waiting to be responded to on our blog: http://www.google.com/reader/shared/undercurrent.cmr #### Participating in CMR is simple and time-saving way to get your online activism fix. Here's how you can help us spread rational ideas: 1. REVIEW the comments the CMR team has already written on campus media, to get a sense of what we're looking for:http://the-undercurrent.com/cmr/ 2. READ opinion pieces in your local campus paper that deserve commentary,OR BROWSE our blog listing recent opinion pieces with suggestions for brief responses http://www.google.com/reader/shared/undercurrent.cmr 3. SELECT a topic and WRITE a one-paragraph response (it can be challenging, but aim to focus on a single point). Think about your CMR post as you would a letter to the editor. SUBMIT it to our editors:[email protected] 4. If we accept your response, we'll POST it on our blog, the original article's comment section, and SEND it to the paper as a letter to the editor. Even if your piece isn't accepted as a letter to the editor, you'll still get the satisfaction of knowing that the world can see your commentary on both the paper's comment section, and in an even more prominent position on The Undercurrent's blog. To make it easier for us to contact you with weekly emails suggesting new writing opportunities, please consider joining our Facebook group and Google Group e-mail lists: http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=104862044540&ref=m f://http://www.new.facebook.com/group.p...540&ref=m f http://groups.google.com/group/undercurrent-cmr?hl=en If you have any questions about this, please don't hesitate to contact me via PM or e-mail at [email protected]

I like parts of Silhouette by Thrice a lot. "Your eyes, resting in flame, Leave me breathless again Like hydrogen Split on faultlines or ten years living with exposure to radon"

I read a study where they had two group of men: one drank 4 beers per night, the other drank 4 glasses of wine. The guys who drank 4 glasses of beer per night significantly reduced the amount of chemicals in their body that are bad for the heart. Therefore, I do have some beers at night.

I think women do want flowers, romance, and all that. But there's such a thing as too much or too early. I cherish the moments I get flowers...give them every day and it becomes passe. But give the special kind that's her favorite on a unique day to really make it special. Getting flowers too early, before you've been able to assess whether the giver is virtuous or not, is kind of a turn-off. Flowers and romantic gestures say "Hey, everything you are is special to me". So when the person giving them hasn't had enough time to really know who you are, it's meaningless. In the Fountainhead, Dominique has many men whisper sweet nothings to her, but she finds their freely-given words meaningless. However, when Roark says he loves her, it's much later in the relationship and at the exact right moment. And it means something to her. Being romantic isn't a turn-off, but the timing and frequency and type of gesture is important.

I really liked this movie up until the last 15 minutes The Joker reminded me of Toohey...he knew which buttons to push. He really embodied evil so much better than any villain I've seen in cinema for the past few years. The fact that Batman took Dents sins on as his own really ruined how great the movie was for me.

I'd wager that Toohey's course of action is easier than acting virtuously. What's easier, writing a bunch of manipulative tripe or designing a truly great building? Having a woman like Dagny Taggart or a series of giggling manicurists? I think his decisions are easier and more comfortable for him than acting virtuously. Power over others can be a very potent drug. Toohey probably thinks he's a badass manipulating a bunch of schmucks, and that gives him some sense of superiority and self-esteem.

The standard ethic of my elders was Presbyterianism. The amount of hypocrites I saw in the church really turned me off to religion. However, I decided it wasn't the ideologies fault that their followers were so blackhearted. I thought that if I was going to have to adhere to such an ideology, I'd dive into it completely, no moderation or hypocrisy whatsoever. Soon after becoming a fanatical Christian, I discovered that I felt massive amounts of guilt after doing things that made me feel good. I thought my selfish desires would fade with time, but they only grew stronger. This, combined with severe punishments from my parents for saying anything negative about Christianity, made me abandon Christianity. Fast-foward 3 years. Learning about the founding fathers in AP US History filled me with admiration. Knowing little about any parties other than the big two, I wrote a piece describing why I thought a system akin to capitalism would be best. I didn't know what such a system was called at the time. I desperately sought a philosophy that would make some damn sense after this. A friend gave me Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I thought this was an introduction to all of what philosophy had to offer. I became discouraged with philosophical pursuits, not blaming the system, but blaming myself for not being intelligent enough to understand it. All these factors led to the slew of things I thought and felt when I read The Fountainhead for the first time. It was amazing.

I'm currently writing a long research paper criticizing government-mandated recycling. Right now, I'm looking for sources that prove recycling is impractical due to it's high cost and the ability of the free market to recycle goods when it's profitable. I was wondering if you all could share your anti-recycling resources from books, articles, or academic journals with me. I figure these resources would also be interesting to other users. I'm particularly interested in finding the study that Penn and Teller based their anti-recycling episode of Bullsh*t! on. While I've been looking for resources intently, it's been a huge drain to wade through many articles that are pro-recycling in my search. Thank you!

I see nothing wrong with being addicted to coffee. Then again, I've been on the stuff for years.

I'm more tempted to post a simple explanation of O'ism and how it relates to Ayn Rand just to counter all the misinformation. Correcting every error these individuals are making is probably simply not worth it.

There's a thread on the unofficial NC State message board about Objectivism and the Fountainhead. I'm wondering how you all would respond to the statements made about AR's writing and philosophy in this thread. I also want to make other students in the area (Maarten, I'm looking at you) aware of this so that they could respond to it if they like. Here's a link to it. I was really moved by Diana Hsieh's statements about being an advocate for O'ism in your own community. However, I don't want to spend an inordinate amount of time trying to convince those who will not be convinced. Here's some especially great quotes from the thread. "Marx appealed to the people of a still-changing and as-yet unformed era (post-industrial). Rand appealed to the people of the still-changing and as-yet unformed brains (post-adolescent). both should be dismissed as antiquated cultural curiosities." In reference to the writing contest: "why are they requiring clear, articulate, and logically organized writing when the person whom the contest is in honor of couldn't even do that?"

"So is this mind you keep talking about part of the physical world? Or is that the brain? Is there a difference?" We spent about 3 weeks discussing this in my philosophy class. I'm really interested in reading more of the discussions from your philosophy course.

"When I can’t fire anyone I wish on my paper, I’ll close it and blow up the God-damn building." -Gail Wynand

Have you tried Brain Age for the DS? It has a minigame almost exactly like the card game you described, among many others.

"[Dr. Radiaki], you're a good closer, but those are the times you need to speak up, and tell [the other shift manager] that he needs to be doing other things or doing things differntly." I've worked in restaurants for years as both a supervisor and wage slave. Sounds like this supervisor is trying to get the other shift manager to change his closing procedure THROUGH you, rather than confronting the slacker shift manager themselves. This seems pretty passive aggressive to me. Don't seem like the bad guy because the anal-retentive supervisor doesn't have the balls to confront the other shift manager themselves.

It's rough being in a relationship with an extrovert when you're introverted. I'm introverted and find extroverts to be pretty exhausting at times. Over time, I figured out that I can't imagine myself living with an extroverted man. My old coach described his relationship with his introverted wife to me once. He said that sometimes they didn't talk to each other for hours when they were in the same house and did their own thing for most of the day. That sounds really ideal to me. Maybe you can gain some insight on what is ideal for you regarding the level of introversion in a partner from this situation.

Hi Julian! I reccommend that you check out the Fountainhead high school essay contest on the ARI official website if you haven't already

Can you explain what kind of values YOU think this means someone holds?

Confidence and fortitude.

I am very interested in an Objectivist response to what he's said. However, I'm not sure if I'm interested in mentioning this topic in a large lecture hall. I doubt I'll change his mind. I also don't care to make others think as I do, I'm more focused on becoming a good scientist at the moment.