Sarrisan
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Posts posted by Sarrisan
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I remember posting there a while ago, back was when I was still a newbie in Objectivism. I regret it, now, because there is absolutely no quality control at all (I,e, no requirement to prove or disprove whether a specific opinion is compatible to Objectivism - all that "open system" stuff, etc), and I ended up confusing myself terribly, but perhaps that it is more my fault than theirs.
They allow anyone to post, but from what I remember, there were more TOC-style "Objectivists" and such than any other type. Try joining and see what it's like for yourself - just take everything with a heavy grain of salt (But then, you should probably do that with whatever you read here, too).
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This is great, I'll be attending college in Tulsa by August, so hopefully I'll be able to drive out and meet with you guys every once in a while.
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Is it me, or are Eastwood films these days becoming obsessed with suffering and sacrifice? Flags of my Fathers echoed this tune, with the heroes of show suffering constant guilt for being the ones who came home (As opposed to the ones who died) and discrimination (In one hero's case, for being of Indian race). It just gets worse and worse until the ending, which is hardly inspiring or even the least bit satisfying at all.
I haven't seen all of Eastwood's films, though, so am I over-reacting?
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There are two libertarian groups that are already trying something less drastic. They pledge to move to a specific area and slowly "take over" and change the place via running for office and/or voting for libertarian candidates and bills. Checkout:
http://www.freestateproject.org/
and
http://www.freestatewyoming.org/
Outside the US, I hear Costa Rica and parts of Mexico around the Sea of Cortez have ex-pat enclaves with libertarian atmospheres. The one in Mexico raises some concerns due to the drug wars in the country; Costa Rico less so
(Yes, I realize Objectivism and Libertarianism are not the same - but I think adherents of each could co-exist nicely...)
There have been many threads so far on that project, and I believe the sentiment for it is almost universally bad. Try doing a search.
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Am I wrong in thinking that having sex with lots of people is okay... as long as all of those people are really awesome and people you value (And there is no deception involved, of course)? Or must sex be something that is always monogamous?
This is just a hypothetical by the way -- I don't have sex with lots of people (Or any, in fact...).
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Hmm, the commercials made it seem like second-rate trash, but I just might give it the time of day now. Thanks!
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Well, the list of things someone could potentially lose by simply trying could be very long. Entering into any serious relationship can have pitfalls depending on how either or both parties enter into the relationship. That's not to say that the risks aren't necessarily worth assuming, but "simply trying" can be far more complicated than you might imagine.
Perhaps, but aren't there significant risks in any relationship? Even if you find someone perfectly compatible philosophically, there is no guarantee that it will work out. Thus, taking some time to be sure you're good together seems reasonable in any situation - and if you don't have anyone else, well, why not try, as long as you make clear with her your possible long-term commitments (Or lack thereof)?
Being a Christian though, I can imagine she might have a problem with such an idea. Depends on whether she's the hardliner type or the more casual religious person (My parents both consider themselves Christian, and see nothing wrong with being semi-married for the better part of a year).
EDIT: Apostrophe troubles.
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I've heard good things about the Anglo Far-East Bullion company - anyone have thoughts on them that they'd like to share? I'm new to gold as well, though I'm making sure to do all my research. I'm primarily interested in using gold as a form of savings, not an investment (I also plan on holding at least some gold physically, though as my savings increase I can imagine that it would simply stop being feasible eventually). Any thoughts on that as well would be welcome.
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I may be a bit out of my league (I've never had a really serious relationship like you are talking about), but is there anything that will prevent you from doing a, ahem, "trial run?" My parents lived with each other for eight months before they got married, and they say it was the best thing they ever did, allowing them to know get to really know each other before they made the ultimate commitment.
I guess what I'm asking here is, what is there to lose by simply trying?
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Am I only one who found the battle scenes to be extremely painful to watch? Slow-mo can be used effectively (See 300, for example), but it is just WAY overused used in the episodes I saw (1 and 3).
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Brook seems to be a guest on Fox Business often. Past videos are available on ARI's website (I think).
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If you're scared of debt, then one thing you can do (Instead of piling on high useless cash dollars) is start investing in a physical commodity which can hold it's value through long periods of time (And through a depression, obviously). One of the best commodities for this is, of course, physical gold, as long as you do your homework before buying. In fact, I think doing such a thing would be a good idea at any time, at least as a reserve tactic in case of a sudden downturn in the currency value.
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If you think that's bad, just watch the music video. Yech.
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Absolutely beautiful. It's always great to hear how Objectivism helps improve people's lives, and even better when they have something physical to show for it.
If I were you, I would think about marketing myself a bit. I'm not much of a boat-person, but those look purchase-worthy to me.
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It's been quite some time since I've read either Atlas for The Fountainhead, so correct me if I'm wrong, but does she specifically mention pain in the sex scenes, or just violence?
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Do you love your job? If so, you should stay in it and do your best to advance yourself. No, you do not have to support or advocate for government intervention, but in some businesses these days, you simply have no choice. You shouldn't give up your happiness just to hold up some abstract principle for the Glory of Capitalism (That would be the ultimate contradiction of Objectivist ethics).
If you can't find a private theater, than simply pick the least-worse one you can find. Do what you can to advocate for privatization, but remember not to ruin your relationships with your coworkers over it (A job, I'm sure, can be hell if you're in a hostile environment). Do your activism outside of the workplace if you need to (Or don't do it at all - there is nothing that says you must be an activist to be an Objectivist).
Basically, just ask yourself "what is in the best interests of my long-term happiness?" Is whether a theater (Or wherever you find employment) accepts government money or not an essential quality you should be looking for? If it is a non-essential factor, then you can probably find other qualities that outweigh it and still make your job meaningful.
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You may be interested in Rational Jenn's blog (http://rationaljenn.blogspot.com). She is a practicing Objectivist who often posts about her trips through parent-hood (As a matter of fact, I really should check for updates more often... my RSS reader has spoiled me).
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I think one reason why gold has always been so popular it because of it's material properties, as well. It won't tarnish, it can be split over and over, it's very soft, etc. It's simply one of the best sources of value for trade (Though I am definitely a layman in this area, so take what I say with a bit of salt).
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Does anyone have a solid opinion on FLCL ? I gather it's crazy, but it's coming out on a new box set in UK, thought I'd try it.
It's an interesting watch (And probably worth it for the production values alone - the animation is absolutely fantastic). It's definitely crazy, but in an odd sort of way, as if your sure you've nearly grasped the thin thread of logic that the director has hidden in all of the wild colors, but just can't keep a firm hold on. I certainly won't call it art, but if you've got the cash to spend, then by all means, you could do much worse.
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I'm not one for poetry, but these are amazing. It's as if he read Atlas Shrugged a kid.
I especially like Merchant Adventurers and Just Anti-Social (Though Learning to Write is one hell of a competitor!).
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The Manga is about ten trillion times better then the Anime. There are no fillers, which are distracting and actually misrepresent the characters in my opinion. The art works a lot better because it's in the original black and white which sometimes doesn't translate to the anime very well. It's a lot more enjoyable, and you can easily find the manga online to browse through.
Thanks, that's what I was hoping for. I might not have bothered, though -- in my experience, only very, very rarely does an Anime out-do it's original Manga source material (And in some cases, a when a Manga is made after the anime, it's still better...).
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I usually like anything with a more or less Steampunk bent (For instance, worlds where the main technology is Steam, as opposed to electricity and such). One example is Castle in the Sky, a Hayao Miyazaki masterpiece about two kids who search for the legendary flying-city of Laputa (Or at least I think... it's been a while since I've seen it). The shear amount of wonder and creativity present in a simple two-hour feature is simply incredible, and that doesn't even address the lovable characters and the absolutely beautiful animation (Something apparent in all Miyazaki films).
I don't watch too many series-specific Anime, but among them I must say that I enjoyed the shows Last Exile, though it's ending wasn't very memorable; Full Metal Alchemist, which is a fun show with admirable characters that even gets a bit philosophical every once in a while; and I've recently watched Rahxephon, which is one of those "giant mecha" shows with many Surrealist Art themes.
Also, while I'm here, I'd like to ask a question regarding the previously discussed Bleach. Since it apparently has a few fans here, I'd like to know if anyone could give their opinion as to whether the Manga is any better (Or as good) as the Anime version? I ask because time and money limits me from getting into any super-long series right now (I believe Bleach has something like 200 episodes?), and Manga are a lesser commitment.
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I remember playing this back in it's infancy, when it first launched. It wasn't too interesting then, but most of the features (And the economy) weren't really working yet. It was still fun though. I'll have to check it out again, thanks for the heads up.
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I have some misgivings about the main message of the movie and comic, but I very much enjoyed the theatrical nature of V. That, and his attitude. He is completely solid in his purpose, he feels no guilt for the actions he takes because he knows them to be moral* (Whether or not specific actions he took were moral is another story).
*P.S. this is only true the the graphic novel - in the movie they have to "soften the blow" of his rigid character by making him have a short guilt-trip later in the movie.
EDIT: Spelling errors.
Dubious quotations from The Sword of Truth
in Sword of Truth
Posted · Edited by Sarrisan
I always wondered about this as well. Outside of matters of his gift, Richard is shown as a man of reason and integrity - "instinct" is the last thing I would imagine guiding his actions. But then Goodkind constantly reminds us that his gift, and by extension his entire nature as a "war wizard," is guided not by his conscious, rational thought, but by his feelings and emotions.
As an example (A bit of spoiler ahead, if you haven't read it yet), when Richard and Berdine first visit the Wizards Tower -- he admits explicitly that the only reason they did not die horribly is because Berdine was constantly distracting him, thus allowing his gift to "guide" him through the traps, without the interference of his focused intent disrupting it.
Furthermore, every time he does something really fantastic, it is attributed to him being really, really pissed off, beyond all rational thought, and thus in the perfect position for his gift to take over and kick the bad-guys asses.
On the other hand, throughout the majority of the books, Richard does figure many things out through conscientious application of his reason to the matter at hand -- which just makes it more confusing when Goodkind proceeds to tell you that Richard's nature is that of instinct, not choice.