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realitycheck44

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Everything posted by realitycheck44

  1. Has anybody seen the show Penn and Teller Bullshit on Showtime? I was on an orchestra trip the other day and happened to be rooming with another guy who enjoys "educational" tv too. I had no idea what it was at first because I caught the last couple minutes of an episode, but they were giving all these facts so I "stayed tuned". It turns out it was on again and I watched the whole episode. It was the funniest show I have seen in a long time. The topic for this show was recycling. They talked to all these environmentalists and then disproved every fact and theory the environmentalists held. At one point it even said something along the lines of "the recycling program is paid for by force; actually all taxes are force." I tried to find some quotes, but couldn't. (Maybe I'll search some more later.) The only problem is its on Showtime, which I don't get. Also, it is riddled with four-letter words, which are actually kind of entertaining, mostly because it's a slam against political-correctness. Anyway, this is definitely an awesome show. It is both extremely funny and informative. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. Zak
  2. Definitely! These are the things my friends and I talk about at school that I find the funniest. I love that look on the irrational person's face, especially when accompanied by some incoherent stuttering.
  3. Since you (AqAd) have read OPAR, could you please counter the argument that it is impossible for god to be omnipotent and/or infinite? (If you don't have a copy, I can type the quotes in, but I'd rather not. ) These seem irrefutable to me, but you must not think so. Thanks, Zak [edit to specify who "you" was]
  4. I not sure on this one, but I do have something to add/ask that might perhaps help you. It was my understanding that the reason man has rights is he is a volitional being. Man is the only being that can conceptualize and his conciousness is not automatic; it is volitional. That means that all men have rights, whether or not they are capable of reasoning. The only way to have rights taken away is by violating other's rights. If you want to bring up children; I'm not entirely sure. Perhaps children have control of their rights, but they need a caretaker. So, it is more acting on permission of the guardian, than not having full control of their rights . (?) Zak
  5. GWDS: Why do people need morals? I think you are saying that they do need morals, but the morals are subjective. So, morals are subjective, yet "Evolutionary psychologists theorise that it was what allowed us to livein groups, aswell thre is the fact that no group has gone withought some type of morality." If morals are subjective, then why do we need them? To whose whims are the morals subjective to? The popular vote? Zak
  6. Okay, I've been looking in on this thread a while, and you (GWDS) really need to read the first essay in The Virtue Of Selfishness. It's called "The Objectivist Ethics". It explains it better than any of us (no offense guys ) can. I belive someone earlier recommended it too. Please take this advice. I thought I understood ethics after Atlas Shrugged, but this essay takes it to a whole new level. Honestly, I cannot stress how important and incredible this essay is. It is like taking off a pair of un-needed glasses (or putting them on, if you have bad eyesight). It deals with the excellent questions that Felipe asked, which by the way, you evaded. On a side note: have you given any thought to metaphysics? Are there absolutes in reality, but just not in morals? Zak [edit to clarify who "you" was]
  7. Yeah, he is awesome. (I play violin too). If I'm not mistaken, he also did the soundtrack (or just a cd) for A Westside Story. It's such a good cd. "The Red Violin" is a great movie. Zak
  8. On #4, anybody who believes Miss Rand was a rascist is just flat out wrong. She discusses this issue in The Voice of Reason. Racism is a subtle form of collectivism. On #7, Rand disliked Beethoven. Many people here enjoy his music. On #10, the moral is that which is life-affirming. Morality can apply to a person trapped alone on an island. See threads on this for more info. On #11, start a new thread or read the first chapter in OPAR. Zak [Edit to add last point]
  9. Is it even possible to be idealistic and pragmatic at the same time? Zak
  10. Dude, you really need to drop the sarcasm. If you read the Forum Rules it says that people should avoid posts with sarcasm. (or something to that affect) I suggest you read the rules, and quit posting with so much sarcasm. You're confusing alot of people. Other than that, Welcome to the forum. Zak
  11. You might want to start a new thread in the Introduction section and let everyone know who you really are. I honestly took you for a Marxist, and I'm relatively sure many others did too. Zak
  12. Yeah, I got a bit aggressive. Sorry Sara. I really just wanted to know why you side more with socialism than capitalism. I will continue (or discontinue) this discussion of politics at your will. Zak
  13. He's probably refering to the "lies" of the Bush administration, which were "exposed" by Fahrenheit 9/11.
  14. Hey, welcome! How long ago was it that you discovered Objectivism? What have you read of Rand so far? I'm guessing you think its good, 'cause you're here... Zak [edit to put a space between sentences ]
  15. I'm not sure this is a valid argument. What the Consitution does is give the government the ability to tax, it does not specify where taxes go, nor how much people should be taxed. That is Congress's job. This sucks because it allows the government to turn totally socialistic with the approval of Congress. I do support privatizing education, but this argument is faulty. Zak
  16. Recommended from my mom. Apparently she used to listen to it with her parents. Zak
  17. That's really too bad they're not on tape. I know almost nothing of Rand's aesthetics. I know about The Romantic Manifesto, but that's near last on my list to read by her. What is OCON, by the way? I've seen it referenced before, but I don't know what it is. I will be looking forward to your posts! Zak
  18. Please explain to me what it is you don't agree with. If a government's function is to protect the rights of individual citizens, and rights don't contradict, what do you think is wrong with laissez-faire capitalism? Btw, I'm going to bed b/c I got like four hours of sleep last night and the night before. Zak
  19. This is kinda random, but what about Diane Kruger for Dagny? She's the girl from National Treasure and I thought she did an excellent job looking both sexy and intelligent at the same time. Zak
  20. With what? What you said was true, government does exist to protect the rights of the people. Are you disagreeing with yourself?
  21. You can agree with Capitalism and not want to infringe on their rights, while still disagreeing with their morals. This is essentially what the government should do. Now, man's rights are a complex subject, of which most people (I don't know if you are included) have no clue. Capitalism is the only system which protects people's rights. I think you will understand, you're just a little confused. Zak [edit for punctuation]
  22. From whom do the workers need to be protected? Each person has free will. Under capitalism, nobody is forced to work a certain job. If they don't like the pay, quit (minimum wage laws); if they are children and don't want to work, they don't have to (child-labor laws); they can work as much or little as they like, within reason (regulations of hours). The only one I agree with you on is fraud. Fraud is dishonest and a lie. The government exists to protect its people's rights; and in fraud, their rights are being broken. Why does there have to be limits? Rights are, according to the Declaration of Independence, inalienable (sp?), meaning they cannot be taken away. What limits do you propose and why? Will they violate anybody's rights? Here you have just contradicted yourself. I know you are new, and I'm not lamblasting you or anything, but rights do not contradict. A is A. When you have a contradiction, check you premises, one of them has to be wrong. This is a good discussion, please do not think I am attacking you. Zak [Edit to get quotes right.]
  23. Yep, exactly. Thanks to Felipe for generating that equation. I knew what I was looking for, but was not smart enough to put two and two together. Good job! I also forgot that you could put a graph in a post. I just graphed it on my calculator and tried to convey what you should be seeing. It didn't work especially well. I'm one of those people who needs a pencil in hand no matter what. (It helps me think. ) Zak
  24. Objectivism. Why are you a socialist? Not to attack you; I'm merely wondering. Its good that you are not rejecting capitalism before fully understanding it, but I still would like to know why you believe socialism is better right now. What concert, by the way? Zak
  25. Okay dude, I'll give it a whirl. The equation 2abs(x) * (36-X^2) is the equation of the base times the height (or length time width). You go x coordinates laterally. You multiply that by 2 because its only half of the total base lenth. (Its absolute value because you can't have a negative side length) You multiply by f(x) (because 36-x^2 gives you the y-cordinate for a specific x value) to get the total area. Make sense? Zak
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