scottkursk Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 Hello. Where to begin. Lessee....was an athiest since at least 82 at the ripe age of 12. Was introduced into the free market by a group called 10 Pillars Foundation that took mush brained kids in public schools about how important free market economics is. They also had a group of kids called the Constitutional Corroborators. They had 8 kids that memorized the constitution. Not a simple feat. The groups now employess people like Burton Folsom and Jacob "Bumper" Hornberger to teach public school teachers about free market capitalism so that they can then take it to their kids. Oh yes, growing up in Pasadena, Tx (see the movie Urban Cowboy for reference, he was a negihbor BTW), being an athiest wasn't easy. Highest ratio of churches to people in the US. I was the kid that did the invocation at the local football games for four long years. Talk about hiding! But then the humor was I removed almost every reference to any kind of god from the prayers and almost nobody noticed. Very funny. Thousands of people praying to an atheists prayer..... In 1988 at the U of Houston a VERY religious Bill Buckley fanatic that I outed my atheism to mentioned that he thought the Students of Objectivism were both capitalists and athiests. (a notion I hadn't considered being possible) I talked to a student named Brian and immediately went to Barnes and Noble to get a copy of Capitalism: The Unkown Ideal. I sat down in the food court of the mall and kept reading until the book was finished. I was blown away. I knew this Russian lady had me spot on. How did this lady write down what I've been secretly thinking all along?! Whoa. I mowed through all of her non-fiction and eventually read the fiction. My favorites are anything dealing with economics and the capitalist system. I've got a real weakness in the whole epistimology and metaphysics but I'm learning....... As for the practical application of what I learned, I majored in business and work in the brokerage industry. At one point managed about $900 million in assets for my clients and my company and was putting in 80 hrs a week at the peak. I really hated that job because I learned that the "social storke" you get isn't important but dealing with people and making a difference was. So I went to work where I was my own boss and can provide the level of customer service I know clients deserve. My proudest accomplishment is getting a very mint copy of Capitalism first edition first printing. It is the keystone of my collection of 1st editions. I managed an antiquarian bookstore for a few years before becoming a broker and have a deep love of the printed word. As for the physical, I enjoy the sport of powerlifting. Basically the sport is lifting as much weight as humanly possible. However, it's not as mindless as people think.... in order to build muscle and perform, you have to have an absolutely logical rational approach to working out or else. Just a milisecond of loss of focus and something internal will tear. Though I don't strictly follow his methods, I recomend you check out Mike Mentzer, the Objectivist bodybuilder. Quite the real world version of Anthem athletics wise. Hmmm. Hope that is descriptive enough. Oh, I'm glad to find that such a sight as this exists. It's a great solution for the irrationality I face each day to know smart logical people exist. Man am I glad I followed the link from the A&M O'ist club... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nimble Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 wow, thats a very interesting story. Nice to meet you. I am nimble. I am learning Objectivism too. I know most of the ethics and politics, and I came to alot of my own conclusions from the basic premises of Objectivism, but I am currently reading Intro to Objectivist Epistomology. I need help in that area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPW Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 Welcome Scott! Nimble: Don't worry. I've read Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology more times than I can count - no matter what other books I'm reading, that one is always with me - and I still learn something new from it every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AwakeAndFree Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 Welcome Scott! I think ITOE is AR's greatest philosophical achievement. It's rarely back on the shelf... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y_feldblum Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 Eran, in the interest of being concise, you can eliminate "I think" from your latest post in the thread. ITOE is AR's greatest philosophical achievement. (Or: Congratulations! your opinion corresponds.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshRyan Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 ...ITOE is AR's greatest philosophical achievement. I don't know...it may be a toss-up between that and Atlas Shrugged. Welcome to the board, Scott. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y_feldblum Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 Atlas Shrugged is Ayn Rand's greatest literary achievement. Since her purpose was literary achievement, Atlas Shrugged is Ayn Rand's greatest achievement. Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology is Ayn Rand's greatest philosophical qua philosophical achievement. The purpose of philosophical achievement, for Ayn Rand, was ultimately literary achievement. They're both quite good, at any rate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betsy Posted July 1, 2004 Report Share Posted July 1, 2004 ITOE is AR's greatest philosophical achievement. It's either that or "The Objectivist Ethics." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y_feldblum Posted July 1, 2004 Report Share Posted July 1, 2004 That they're all good is a point I am eager to concede. Very many of her essays are stellar achievemens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPW Posted July 1, 2004 Report Share Posted July 1, 2004 It's either that or "The Objectivist Ethics." Ah yes, but to paraphrase The Objectivist Ethics: It is only the Objectivist epistemology, that makes the Objectivist ethics possible! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottkursk Posted July 1, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2004 Capitalism the Unknown Ideal will always be first and foremost in my heart since it was the 1st book I read. It snapped a light over my head to say "Wow, I'm not alone. Other people think like I do." My other favorite is The New Left specifically The Comprachicos article. That was the article that really sunk in and helped me survive college. Of course, My favorite fiction is Atlas Shrugged. I think I read it in one or maybe two marathon sessions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bold Standard Posted July 1, 2004 Report Share Posted July 1, 2004 Hello Scott, I'm from Houston also (and also new to this list). There is an active Objectivist group here called the Houston Objectivist Society. You should check them out if you haven't yet. From what I've heard you kind of have to keep e-mailing them. I have been trying for a couple of weeks and still haven't met up with them yet I'll try more when I move downtown in a few weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottkursk Posted July 1, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2004 Hello Scott, I'm from Houston also (and also new to this list). There is an active Objectivist group here called the Houston Objectivist Society. You should check them out if you haven't yet. From what I've heard you kind of have to keep e-mailing them. I have been trying for a couple of weeks and still haven't met up with them yet I'll try more when I move downtown in a few weeks. Warren and Bryan used to be pretty active on Capitalist Magazine but I haven't seen them write much recently. And yes, I've heard that they can sometimes be hard to reach but then I've rarely met a group whether a philosphical society or a car club that was any different. Not to besmurch them quite the contrary. Groups, for lack of a better description, are a real labor of love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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