Jill

You're not a Russian citizen. If you work more, you earn more and can pay for your own private medical care.

I don't understand how your analogy applies. Can you explain more explicitly?

So as long you never to go beyond what you pay in taxes it's moral?

Why and how does it make sense exactly? If state care in any form was the best option available for you at any point in your life, shouldn't you be grateful it was there? How can there be any integrity of your criticism of the welfare state if you are literally alive thanks to it? Why aren't you earning your own medical care? Or why can't you get people voluntarily to pay for it?

Thomas, why didn't you solve your problem without welfare? Does it make sense to vilify something when it helped you in your life?

I haven't seen all the films you mentioned, but I know what you mean. It's all anti-science fiction. Besides its name, what's bad about transhumanism? It's about improving humankind beyond any limitations that would make one's life worse, like our animal condition.

Here's is a fantastic article about him I've just found: A QUESTION OF CHARACTER: The Objectivist Versus The Machiavellian

What does that journalist mean by predatory bankers?

Maybe read biographies of bodybuilders and martial artists you admire for encouragement?

I'm confusing doctors. Sorry. Should have checked first. I really meant Dr. Floyd Ferris, when he says: PETA has killed animals.

I watched this at school. My guess what he is calling disgusting is the obligation to descend to help the unfortunate even if they might kill you. Which is exactly what John Galt did not. I think far more interesting situation would is the guy in the Matrix who loses it because the truth is far uglier than the virtual world he can't possibly enjoy anymore.

I like the acronym, but you need something for the SY, otherwise it's cheating. The thing with PETA is they are not even good for animals. They are like socialists. PETA = Dr. Simon Pritchett

It's a good portrayal of a dream, how it looks like and how dream people (which are one's own subconscious thoughts) behave in it. I also like how the main character is clued to what is happening to him, but neither him or the viewer quite gets it until the very end. Interesting, although a bit of a wasted idea, not fully explored to its potential. Yes, good point. I tend to think that they can only do damage to one's children if they remain unexplained and uncriticised by the parents. Do you mind to summarise what was bad about it (Polar Express)? I didn't watch.

And the man in this statue genetically altered himself to have wings in his back. Another right way to fly.

Simulacra, the rich are not all born rich and are not all uncharitable. Read this for instance.

Did the canadian goverment forbid private healthcare?

It's not ability that earns people individual rights.

Do you think a national healthcare system will be bad for the person who is having a heart attack and won't call 911 because they don't have the money to pay the hospital bills? Do you really think people that cannot support themselves deserve to die?

It could a case where you think it was proven right, but you could be missing information. A laissez-faire capitalist society is just a theory. It never existed. I'm absolutely sure I exist. How can you be fallible and certain? Thanks for your explanation David, I will have to think that through.

I think people are fallible and can commit mistakes. People also can think they have found the ultimate solution for a problem, that they have enough information to be sure of something, while they actually don't. For instance, people in the past looked at the sky and thought it was enough to see the sun travelling accross the sky to know that it orbited around the Earth. A fallibilist wouldn't say "capitalism forever" they would say "capitalism until it's proved wrong" and I think they are right to do such. It's foolish of them to say, though, "I cannot be sure I exist, it's only my best theory." Or "I cannot be sure I am writing in English." Why doesn't that dichotomy exist? What does the passage you quoted reveal? Sorry, I'm not very familiar with Objectivist epistemology as you to get it.

Ageism is like racism and sexism: a sad prejudice. There's till a real problem to take in consideration, though, because nobody is born with instant knowledge and self-responsibility. When a child is still ignorant and dependent on one's parents, the parents have to be responsible for the child. For instance, it would be unfair to arrest a toddler for taking an item from a shop. As the child grows knowledge it can gain more responsibility. This is progressive, not sudden, and it's not age bound either. The suddent boundary between childhood and adulthood is artificial and is simply a practical matter. Age laws also have a degree of social responsibility. We live by the idea that parents cannot or even should not watch their children all the time, and as such cannot be blamed for all wrongs they commit.

I'd appreciate if you could explain where does this guy gets it wrong? Thanks. http://curi.us/1435-certainty

The cartoon?

Sorry to hear about your mother, MissLemon. First advice I give you is, if you enjoy drawing and painting, do it, don't wait for others to confirm you have talent and it's worth doing. Also remember to feel proud of your achievements no matter how small and don't be put off that people more quickly see your flaws. You are a passionate beginner and show promise, but you have a lot to learn. You're very lucky that with the Internet there are a lot of free resources, references and communities that offer support and critique. So many that it's overwhelming, really. If you are interested in figure, I've heard that Loomis, Bridgeman and Vilppu are the best to learn from. I personally only learned from Loomis a bit so far. I can share a reading list I see often recommended to artists, if you like. Several problems I see with your drawing are common beginner mistakes. Oversketchyness, scribbly shading. I suggest learning bling contour (I think that is taught in "Drawing on the Right side of the Brain" and how to hatch following the planes of the volumes. I'm not sure what is happening in this scene you depict either. Is she chosing a fabric from a shop? Is that her bedding? Something she is going to wear?

I could care less. I still like it.