fountainhead777

No you're on-topic. Someone quoted that recent interview and then a couple people felt like tearing it apart for irrelevant points on the court issue. we all know he wants to redistribute wealth, it's part of how he got elected. and that is the whole argument finished. But now Publius on an objectivist board is trying to demonstrate that the founding fathers did not believe in individual rights and liberty but instead on welfare ideals which had not yet even been practiced experimentally. This topic has gotten several kinds of ridiculous but i guess irrationality is expected where Obama is concerned

Why is it that there are only two people on this forum who cannot rationally understand the same meaning of the article as the rest of us? Regardless the fact remains that Obama is in favor of wealth distribution. Wealth redistribution is anti-American. America is the nation where people made their ways on their own ability, not hand outs. Our country is based on life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Redistribution of wealth destroys liberty because it makes some slaves to others. There is no pursuit of happiness because happiness is state-distributed. Life to us becomes unlivable when our wealth is seized to help the inept. Mammon all you do is find Obama topics, and attempt to tear apart every argument with cynicism and negativity claiming they are making faulty arguments when you allow no more backing of your point.

i just kind of glanced over this topic but a star isn't an organism with one goal. it's just laws of physics and chemistry in motion. plants act as wholes to maintain their goal of life. Saying a star is near-living is like saying an engine or motor or reactor is near-living because it accomplishes a task. Instead it is just physics applied and put into action to react and produce action. the main flaw i see with viruses being goal-oriented is that their goal is to die and create more. This is a goal i suppose but they have no means of sustaining themselves until that point. they just go along, attempt to infect, make more and continue. As a single unit they dont seem to have a real goal because it inolves their death and all they can do is sustain the number of themselves.

Is it possible for an economy to run without some kind of selfishness? I just don't see donations as economically stimulating. Maybe he just wants another Dark Ages where religion and selflessness ruled.

haha, I get that a lot. I actually thought these ideas were pretty extreme and stupid but I guess most people do not. Makes me wonder if they reflect these ideas.... I guess if I do a second version I will have to make it even more extreme.

I think God and religion is primarily a means to explain the apparently inexplicable. Gods were cited as the cause of natural occurrences like lightning or the creation of the world. As we discover more with science we disprove these faith-based theories. But why do people resort to the explanation of a God instead of a more logical idea? I think God is the result of deficiencies in rationality and self-esteem. Instead of actively seeking an explanation in their reach people decry that it is inexplicable, undermining the power of their minds and vesting it in some supposed higher being. I would say a lot of people do not generally have confidence in their own thinking so they resort to something that is by default beyond them. Instead of putting forth the hard work to improve they pray and hope that things will work out. That's my theory atleast

I am a freshman in Mechanical Engineering. I am not 100% on what i want to do because i still have to see where experience and learning more about the major leads. I would like to work with motors and engines though. Just seems like there is room for improvement and there have not been drastic changes or advancements made for a while. On the topic of John Galt I would say he would need a good knowledge of both ME and EE. And I am certain he could do the equivalent of a double-major

One of my favorite parts in AS is when Dagny boards the train of the John Galt Line and a reporter asks "Who is John Galt?" to which she replies "We are!" To the looters and aimless people of John Galt the question was a means of giving in to the darkness of their time but to people like us it's a reminder of who drives the world. That's how I think of it in most cases at least. I definitely used it some after the new president was elected.

Values are that which one seeks to gain and keep. The highest value in objectivism is one's own life. And from here proceed the three primary values reason, purpose and self-esteem. From reason you arrive at the virtues of honesty(that reality is not to be faked in any way) and justice(that one must never seek the unearned in matter or spirit). Obtaining a value by fraud will inevitably cause you to lose it. If you are loved for false reasons you will lose that love once the truth is revealed. If you are given great amounts of money but cannot manage money or yourself you will run out as you consume it without being able to replace it. You attempt to defy reality and reason by seeking something you do not have or deserve. If you could have obtained a value and you receive it unearned then it is not necessarily bad provided you do not violate the rights of others. Stealing candy though violates the rights of the seller. Deception can be an effective tool but it has little effect on a reasoning and independent mind who respects facts. In the end reality will prevail over your deception and all your ability of deception will count for nothing. Essentially you place your worth or ability higher than it is in actuality. For example in warfare you may attempt to exaggerate your forces through deception but if a confident adversary calls your bluff it is worthless and you lose the value of an upper hand you obtained through deception You can attempt to defy reality and seek the unearned but reality and reasoning minds will catch up with you. If you try and defy reality to yourself you counteract the process of living. Your worth will catch up to you whenever you try to obtain what you lack the ability to.

Honesty is all about integrity and adherence to reality. If you were teaching a subject you would not purposefully teach incorrect knowledge. Also if you were the one learning you would not consciously seek to learn false knowledge. A scientist could not attain new knowledge working from non-truths. Objectivism is largely taking the rationality you would apply to the rest of your life, such as work and schooling, and also applying it to the rest of your life. Honesty here is that you never try to evade reality for you or anyone else. Even if you tell a lie to someone else you are still undermining your sense of reality. Take for example anyone who tells a lie so much they begin to believe it. Dishonesty can harm the ability of others to be effective but objectivism is mostly concerned with the self. By undermining reality, you undermine your ability to perceive and reason. That is why it is a virtue As for love or money not being values if obtained by fraud. Love and money are considered to be forms of payment for your highest values. Money is the payment for the product of your reasoning mind, creativity, and purpose. Love is the tribute given to those who embody your greatest values as payment for the best within you. If you won a trophy by cheating it would hold no value because you had not earned it. By getting money or love which you do not deserve you once again put yourself above your ability and attempt to refute reality. Eventually you will lose these rewards unless you are fit to receive them. Hope this helps

ah, my mistake. Still according to what aequalsa said it still ends when it ceases to be profitable at looting. so the general premise remains the same

hahaha. He did not do it for any principles or morals, he did it because the gain was not there anymore. Most taxes are done by percentage. If the price just dropped by over half of its value and demand has decreased then there is not enough gain to make it worth doing. Think of it this way he is a looter who just realized there is not enough to loot from big oil anymore so he has to find another industry to exploit.

I have always been right economically because my parents instilled beliefs of hard-work and personal pride. socially most of the crucially changing issues did not affect me(i.e. gay marriage, abortion) but if i had to choose it was more left. I was fairly libertarian but the party seems kind of like a joke compared to what it should be. Objectivism is a more complete philosophical and political set of ideal though hence why I am here now.

Only disappointing thing i see is that there are no physical sciences or engineering majors. Business and Economics are good but the driving force behind both is improvement of the means of production.

It's not a trick. its a prototypic face for female attractiveness. It comes from an experiment where they research features of beauty and alter some features with computers. It really doesnt change too much you can see it here: link

I appreciate all the recommendations. I have been looking for new music for a while and this is great help. and to TheEgoist since other bands own their sound could you list a few. I like their sound but have not been able to find much like it.

I wish i could put up Hessian Peel but there no full youtube video of it. Anyways here is another favorite along the same lines

This is hands down my favorite band Opeth is a Swedish Progressive death metal band that has been around for over 10 years. The primary element of the band is the vocalist and guitarist Mikael Akerfeldt. He writes most of the music and certainly has a dedication to music. I know not everyone enjoys metal especially death metal, but Opeth is unique in blending elements of folk, rock, jazz, acoustic, and progressive rock altogether to create a varied and interesting product. They also have many softer songs that are very relaxing so Here are a couple of mellow songs: Harvest Windowpane And for any who prefer heavier stuff Deliverance Take a listen, I am sure you can find something to enjoy and it would be nice to have other people who shares similar philosophy and musical tastes

haha, good job catching the acronyms. I had fun with that. That is the main feedback I have gotten that people actually do find this a good idea but I figure they are not very rational so it would be difficult to reach them. I think the earlier paragraphs build up background more and the last two are the satire heavy ones. Thanks though.

Okay to give some background I wrote this for a satire literature class. It actually has 3 parts but this to me was the best. It satirizes progressive economic policies through heavy irony. But if you look at it on a personal level it also ridicules reliance on others in living. One final note the title of the satire is "The Poverty of Nations" Thanks for any feedback

A certain intelligent and progressive senator recently stated “It’s time to be patriotic…time to jump in, time to be part of the deal, time to help get America out of the rut.” I must commend the social responsibility of such a dedicated public servant. Most liberal politicians and economists advocate an increased tax rate for the wealthy like this senator, but I say we take a step further: all citizens pay more in taxes but also receive increased returns through governmental social programs. Currently, federal income tax rates range anywhere from ten percent to thirty-five percent; I propose that all income tax rates increase between ten to fifteen percent, of course allotting larger increases to the more affluent. This may seem drastic and counter-productive but there is a method to the madness. Obviously such a tax program will generate huge volumes of revenue for the government and the question becomes how to spend this income. The answer, however, is simple; think of any time you possessed an extra bit of money whether it was by accident or intention. Of course your first thought was to use this money to help someone else, which is exactly what I propose here. To achieve such a purpose an agency known as the Office of Monetary Governance will be established to manage these funds. It is necessary to maintain our current social institutions such as Social Security, Medicare and Welfare. These have all served wonderfully to end the blights of poverty and with more support may be able to assist all citizens in their pursuit of happiness that the founding fathers envisioned. To achieve such a goal these programs will use additional funding to expand their coverage to a wider range of citizens. For example Welfare is currently granted to low-income individuals or families, often subject to some form of work requirements; with added subsidies, assistance can extend into the middle classes and the work requirement can be abolished altogether. In addition, increased assistance to Social Security will allow people to retire earlier than ever removing the burden of work from their lives. The greatest social advancement will come in the form of new programs. Universal healthcare under the Office of Health Enrichment for Living Longer will finally become a fully tangible possibility, encouraging all to be healthy in order to lower the cost of healthcare for everyone. Each neighbor will push their fellow citizen to kick negative habits, to exercise more and eat healthier because they have a financial investment in their well-beings. Another crucial area to assist with is housing; for this purpose there will be the Organization for Subsidization of Housing In Towns. This institution will assist families in the purchase of their homes so that they can have an environment suited to their new lives. It will be administered locally so the assistance may feel more personal and familiar. I also propose a new program called the Social Image Council which will be established in each local area. These programs will certainly improve the lives of all citizens but we must think of their esteem. With increased tax rates, commodities may become rarer among citizens and this can be quite disparaging. It will be the occupation of the Social Image Council, an elected board, to allocate wealth to people for the purpose of buying material goods. Plasma televisions, luxury cars, stunning jewelry, GPS systems, video game systems, cable television, and any other luxury you could think of will be available to all those who are in need. The aforementioned reasons are the tangible benefits but consider the social implications of such a policy. Every man and woman will be supporting their fellow Americans while also relying on their neighbor in a vast web of interdependency and love. Think of the panhandler on a street corner, dressed in tattered rags and holding a cardboard sign with the message stenciled in black marker “Please help, God Bless.” Now think of the immense pride you feel when you hand over your hard-earned money to him as alms so he can eat. Under my plan, with every paycheck you may feel that warmth and pride of assisting your fellow man. But you are also the humble, downtrodden panhandler asking for assistance and relying on the good will of your neighbor. Each and every citizen will become sensitive to his neighbor’s problems and short-comings as they become a concern to his well-being also. The rationality and success of such wonderful policies is a certainty and if you cannot follow its logic, then simply have faith in the selflessness of your fellow citizens. I see a day where this philosophy proceeds far enough that everyone will pay in taxes all of their income except what they absolutely need so they become more interdependent with their fellow Americans. The United States certainly has a bright future as anyone who pays attention to current events would know. Despite such a standard I foresee even greater improvement with a plan as I have proposed.

I think if i ever got a tattoo it would be of one of the things that I am passionate about and will always be passionate about. Maybe as a way to commemorate it becoming a large part of my life. For example I am an engineering student and when I create something that is mine and if a great product of my mind I will probably commemorate my love of engineering and my value for it.

I think I will agree that Dent was not easily corrupted. But I do not think it was solely because he lost Rachel. Yeah he lost the woman he loved but he also saw his system of justice and security corrupted and turned back against him in the taking of her life. This I think was what destroyed him because it did not just destroy his values but turned the end of one to the destruction of the other. I suppose I could understand Batman's value being Gotham's safety but he undermines his own fight for justice by denying himself justice. He takes the full burden of Two-face's crimes. I think that denying justice and truth to cause people to reform is an empty goal and victory if achieved because it is built on a falsehood. Not to mention without the truth they cannot fix their police force which likely had more corrupt members than Two-faces victims. The Joker is a nihilist definitely but he seems to be the only character who does not change due to circumstances. It seemed like everyone was compromised but him. I do not agree with his view but he showed a kind of fervor that was somewhat impressive in its absolution.

For me the most beautiful attribute is definitely rationality. The moment anyone I know abandons logic and reason they lose a lot of value to me. I think I would want a girl who is in engineering like myself because of the required mindset for it. Now there are other important components as well such as confidence, drive, and capacity of happiness but to me all these in a way stem from rationality.

Humor can be just as moral as didactic literature. Satire is one of the greatest tools of reform. It takes the ridiculous, the immoral, the inane, and the idiotic and derides it through irony and humor. Humor is a great tool to bring about reform because it causes prolonged thought and eventually leads to analysis of the topic if done correctly. Satire is rampant in Rand's novels where ideas antipodal to morality are conveyed but in such a way that is enlightening of their flaws. This is the proper role of humor, exposing fallacies and irrationality in such a way that they are encouraged to be changed.