Jim Henderson

Congratulations on 75 years! I'm only six months behind you and still trying to catch up.

As an example of the popularity of this book, when I was in college in the late 1960s it was already part of the required reading for not only my History of Science course, but also the History of Economics and Sociology.

Here is a link to the current status: https://www.axios.com/2022/05/14/abortion-state-laws-bans-roe-supreme-courto My question is would any Democratic politicians stand up against those seven states who currently allow abortions beyond the moment of viability.

I studied the history of science with David Lindberg as my professor at the University of Wisconsin in the early 1970s. He instilled in me and interest in this topic that has continued till today.

Koch spending $70 million is peanuts compared to $350 million Mark Zuckerberg spent in 2020, see: https://www.npr.org/2020/12/08/943242106/how-private-money-from-facebooks-ceo-saved-the-2020-election . That spending was just on getting the votes counted (for Biden) and wasn't part of the more than one billion spent by the Biden Campaign.

The Rise and Fall of Classical Greece is exceptional in its recognition that Aristotle was right, as demonstrated by the success of the independent Greek city states, when he posited that humans "are distinctive among social animals in our natural capacities to use reason and our ability to communicate complex ideas and information through language." (p 54)

Congratulations on your achievement.

Here is an article discussing the Supreme Court ruling: https://reason.com/2023/04/21/supreme-court-stays-lower-court-ruling-that-limited-access-to-abortion-pill/

Among my favorite fiction books of all time are: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte , The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Jean-Christophe by Romain Rolland, Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar, The Radetzky March by Joseph Roth, The Man Without Qualities by Robert Musil , and A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood.

Here is a link to an article about one success in restraining the power of the administrative state: https://www.wsj.com/articles/supreme-court-rules-against-ftc-sec-in-jurisdictional-fight-f63f1c0b?st=xr51uj3q44n7m8t&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

Have there been advancements in our knowledge of the physics and engineering of nuclear fission that could be employed to defend the continued use of nuclear power?

The link you provide is no longer available. The link at https://newideal.aynrand.org/qa-on-the-best-objections-to-objectivism/ is broken.

With your references to McCarthy, Emerson, and Faulkner, you appear to be a serious reader. By all means read Atlas Shrugged as that novel presents a variety of characters whose positive traits, like Roark in The Fountainhead, provide suggestions for how to develop a life based on the Objectivist philosophy.

This is an important observation. One aspect of education is the home environment. In my family both my sister and I were encouraged to read extensively on our own. Our parents were readers, we had books in the house and each of us had our personal books in addition to use of the public library. Our public school education was typical of the 1950s-60s which means that, for a small town in Wisconsin, it was much better than that offered today. I believe my experience is indicative of the sort of environment that led to "a life of learning" and one "capable of independent thought."

I'm gay as well.

I have read Atlas Shrugged three times, the most recent about a decade ago for a class at The University of Chicago discussing it and comparing it to the Grapes of Wrath. But my introduction to Ayn Rand was reading The Fountainhead when I was in high school. I've also read it a couple of times since then.

Here is an inspirational example from Chopin performed brilliantly by Daniel Trifonov:

Thanks Stephen for your comments and summary of the great work done by Merlin over the years.

Here is another to complement the Barber: Korngold Violin Concerto

une Petite adagio from "The Seasons" by Alexander Glazunov

Richter

Biden is the Commander in Chief and as such is responsible. He can make speeches trying to shift the blame, but he is still the one responsible, especially for his own lies.

Biden claims "we don't keep people there". He is right, we merely leave American citizens and other people who have helped us there to be killed by the Taliban terrorists. It is a disgrace.

You mention that "Philosophic traditions down from the Greeks have constructed arguments to conclude that just acts are good for the agent (the self)." A good example of this can be found in Cicero's book, On Friendship (Laelius de Amicitia). In it Cicero states that "the very essence of friendship" is "a common set of beliefs, aspirations, and opinions." (p 31). He further states that friendship is only possible between those who "act and live so that their lives give proof of faithfulness, integrity, fairness, and generosity; and who are free from any low passion, greed, or violence; and are of great strength of character," (p 37). Most important for true friendship, however, is virtue and "virtue, too, loves itself," (p 165); in conclusion he states, "I say it is virtue that creates and preserves friendships. Virtue is the source of compatibility, stability, and permanence." (p 169) Cicero's stance would seem to be one that in most respects is consistent with Rand's view as it prominently does not depend on "service above self", but is consistent with integrity and treating others with respect while acting virtuously. Quotes are all from How to be a Friend: An Ancient Guide to True Friendship by Marcus Tullius Cicero, trans. by Philip Freeman. Princeton University Press, 2018.