RandyG
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Posts posted by RandyG
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Given the controversy regarding the rail, I think that where you have yellow/gold Dagny would choose blue-green. Or possibly silver with a slight blue-green tint.
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There's already a place for those who want the social experience and other trappings of a church, but not necessarily the religion: Unitarianism. Many UU members self-identify as atheists. Which does not imply, of course, that they are guaranteed to be committed to rationality.
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Ooo, straw men! What a surprise!
I've been to a dozen or more countries, some of them decidedly Third World. It was blatantly obvious, to the point of banality, that the poorest countries were the least free, while the richest had been relatively free for some time. Yet this somehow eluded that writer, who claims to see laissez-faire capitalism everywhere it isn't.
I have no desire to sign up with Salon but did leave a comment on their FB page. Let's see if I get any intelligent replies.
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1. Dumas Malone's six-volume biography of Thomas Jefferson.
2. Patrick O'Brian's astonishing Aubrey/Maturin series of novels (first one is Master and Commander). I have found no other writer who takes such joy in language. And the protagonists, while not Objectivist heroes, are admirably rational Men of the Enlightenment.
3. Great fun: Bill Bryson's earlier books, including The Mother Tongue, The Lost Continent, Neither Here Nor There, Notes from a Small Island.
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There is no better general historical overview than The Story of Civilization by Will and Ariel Durant. I read this marvelous series some years ago, and heartily agree with this reviewer: http://www.theobjectivestandard.com/issues/2011-spring/will-durant-story-civilization.asp
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Selfishness and greed had led to the chaos and Depression of the Thirties? How interesting! And they couldn't be arsed to get the year of her death right. The Beeb, it ain't wot it useta be . . .
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The Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian -- Master and Commander is the first.
The two protagonists are not Objectivist heroes -- in fact, the author goes out of his way (too far in my opinion) to 'humanize' his characters with 'flaws', which then have no bearing on their behavior 99% of the time. What they are is Men of the Enlightenment, and this is dramatized in every possible way, in the context of an amazingly thorough re-creation of the early nineteenth century. Astonishing, laser-sharp writing, in which every word counts.
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Decades ago I concluded that 90% of attacks on Ayn Rand and Objectivism are merely variations of the straw-man fallacy. I was wrong, of course. The percentage is much higher than that.
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I would find the "defriend" button, click on it, and waste no more time thinking about that person. If I felt compelled to send a kissoff message, it would be on the order of, "I am not on Facebook in order to read snide remarks or argue with irrational people. Goodbye."
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The cafeteria was underground, and Galt sits in a dark corner, at least in the scene where Eddie reveals to Galt that DT and HR were lovers.
I suggest you reread the initial description, in Part I, Chapter III. There is a distinct contrast between the underground cafeteria and the rooftop bar which Jim frequents.
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I have a image in my head, from reading the book, of a dark 50's cafeteria,
the ambient denoting economical depression, and so badly iluminated
than you can't see Willers's interlocutor.
That might work for the movie. However, someone is sure to come along and point out that it is the exact opposite of how Rand described the cafeteria.
Thought experiment; just for fun
in Ethics
Posted
Sorry if this sounds snarky, but are you not aware that this has been a popular theme in science fiction for the last seven decades? Before reinventing the wheel, maybe you should get acquainted with the classics of the genre. I suggest you start with Asimov's robot stories.