the jerk

I heard of Objectivism through my brother, but never paid too much attention to it until last summer. I remember him making some remarks on why capitalism was the only proper economic system a few years back, but at that time, I used to think "Doesn't the prisoner's dilemma disprove all of that?" To which he would say things like, "you have a very narrow view of what self-interest means", and "so you're saying that the ends justify the means?" Last summer, my brother was reading 'The Fountainhead' and suggested I read it too, it would give us both something to discuss. Wow, was I in for an experience! I must say, I'm glad to have been exposed to this. (Before this, my guiding philosophy was basically Platonism. How silly!)

Well, it's been a while, but I thought I'd chime in my subjective views again. In general, there's always been something about great virtuosity and the high romantics that's appealed to me. It rarely ever strikes me as empty scale-playing or whatever people accuse it of being. Take the Liszt Piano Concerto in Eb. The climax between the 3rd and 4th movements isn't just vanity -- it's that 'lightness' Dagny talks about, when one is important; it's confidence in one's ability to enjoy life; it's grace and elegance and unashamed respect for one's own ability. And it's beautiful. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a44yCA5uh2w...feature=related I would agree that the Rach 2 is more cohesive (and so purpose driven across all three movements). I kind of see where you are coming from. But... I feel that the Rach 3 is more active, that there's more going on. And the last 5 minutes of the finale is what always comes to mind when someone mentions being driven hard towards a purpose. And I absolutely love the part right before the climax where the 1st movement cadenza is quoted in a somewhat frantic manner, but then it transcended, as if the fear/anger it corresponded to has no more power, and only life remains. Interesting that you bring that up! I find Prokofiev's 2nd concerto's 5 minute cadenza to be exactly this 'black magic'... I can't listen to it too much, cause it's just TOO MUCH and TOO DARK. Now, the most powerful moment in all music... how about Beethoven's 3rd symphony, 4th movement, variation 8 (I think)? As for Bach, I've still a ways to go. I will say several of his works struck me as very clever and playful, very enjoyable. E.g. Keyboard concerto in D. (That one makes me laugh after the first three notes; it's so 'courtly'!). And the Goldberg variations are pretty crazy. There are some that fly by in a flurry of 32nd notes, and by the time the final note is resolved you wonder, "Holy crap, did that just happen?" My mind lags a moment behind the music, heh. But as for getting goosebumps, I think I've only got that from his Passacaglia & Fugue BWV 582. The Passacaglia has all these wonderful variations on this simple yet very satisfying melody. And the Fugue is just... violent. Maybe this is a bit like 'black magic', so beware.

The Rach 3 is better.

Video games are absolutely a medium of art. Whether you consider a particular game as reflecting any of your values or not is a different issue. Is it a selective re-creation of reality according to metaphysical value-judgments? Yes. It is a recreation of some interactive conscious experience. The mechanisms through which you interact are supposed to represent what the creators found enjoyable. Based on whatever value judgments they have. What is an enjoyable action? What is a purposeful action? These are the questions being answered in the GAMEPLAY component of the piece. The music, sound, images, everything else in themselves are a selective recreation as well, though they are not on trial here. I see no more justification required. Indeed, in this poster's opinion, the defining part of life is that it is interactive. That a new art form emerged which includes actions as a primary interface with the world, should be a testament to the ingenuity of mankind, as a new and powerful medium towards expressing the enjoyment and value of life. Does swinging from ledges relate to anything important? Absolutely. Grace and motion towards a specific purpose and a glorification of living. I'm sorry that you cannot see this. (Of course, a particular game may have implemented it horribly, or with little purpose, but that is not an excuse to criticize the medium.) Recall in Atlas Shrugged (no plot spoilers), how many times does Dagny talk about how she must push herself onward, to DO. A game glorifies action. Whether a particular game allows you to choose between being the good guy or the bad guy does not disqualify anything. If anything, it is a statement of the artist's judgment about how different those two lives would be. If they make no difference, well that's a statement whether you agree with it or not, whether it was a well-thought-out statement or not. (I disagree with that statement, but that's besides the point.) This is not a gray area. This is an absolute and definite answer, that a game has as much a claim to being art as does a painting or a movie. If you dismiss video games, it is only a potential benefit (and a great one besides) that you miss out on.