Thread about O'ism on College Message Board

[Alethiometry]

There's a thread on the unofficial NC State message board about Objectivism and the Fountainhead. I'm wondering how you all would respond to the statements made about AR's writing and philosophy in this thread.

I also want to make other students in the area (Maarten, I'm looking at you) aware of this so that they could respond to it if they like.

Here's a link to it.

I was really moved by Diana Hsieh's statements about being an advocate for O'ism in your own community. However, I don't want to spend an inordinate amount of time trying to convince those who will not be convinced. Here's some especially great quotes from the thread.

"Marx appealed to the people of a still-changing and as-yet unformed era (post-industrial).

Rand appealed to the people of the still-changing and as-yet unformed brains (post-adolescent).

both should be dismissed as antiquated cultural curiosities."

In reference to the writing contest: "why are they requiring clear, articulate, and logically organized writing when the person whom the contest is in honor of couldn't even do that?"

[DavidOdden]

So look at those "total post" figures -- pretty impressive. Almost 120,000 posts by the aptly named drunknloaded, or the incisive and profound insight by dentaldamn -- "im an individual goddamn it". We's in deep twubble, folks.

[Greebo]

What should my reply be?

One of two things come to mind:

1) Nothing. It is unlikely that any of those who post such tripe are open to listening to anything rational.

2) If you are unable to simply leave it be, then the following: "For those of you who condemn Objectivity, the philosophy of Ayn Rand, a question: What is it exactly that is so damning about a philosophy which, starting from solid Metaphysical and Epistemological foundations, logically arrives at a morality based system of ethics which concludes that one, Every human being has the right to live freely in pursuit of their own interests and two, No human has the right to impose their will upon another human being by means of force? If you condemn Objectivity, do you then mean to say that humans do NOT have the right to live free, and DO have the right to impose their will upon others? If so, then by what moral basis do you endorse slavery?"

That'll make them love you... (NOT)

[LutherSetzer]

There's a thread on the unofficial NC State message board about Objectivism and the Fountainhead. I'm wondering how you all would respond to the statements made about AR's writing and philosophy in this thread.

Vicki, I graduated NCSU in 1988 and I can see things have not improved philosophically there. In fact, my freshman year roommate left NCSU to attend the more philosophically astute Saint John's College in Annapolis, Maryland. (The NCSU poster showing a cow next to a computer concretized his view of NCSU.) Anyway, I support the suggestion of simply not wasting your time on such a board. The ones who actually have interest will read the books and join boards like this one.

In fairness to myself, I will still defend their engineering school as top notch which explains why I went there to earn a BSME degree.

Edited May 23, 2008 by LutherSetzer

[Thomas M. Miovas Jr.]

There's a thread on the unofficial NC State message board about Objectivism and the Fountainhead. I'm wondering how you all would respond to the statements made about AR's writing and philosophy in this thread.

The aptly renamed anthology Return of the Primitive comes to mind.

I have found that college campuses that do not take philosophical ideas seriously lead to this kind of mayhem; as if one can have a good engineering school with cultural hoodlums like that running around.

If you want to reply, I don't suggest having a discourse with them, but rather make a statement about Ayn Rand's work as a kind of advertising for those interested. They are obviously trying to intimidate their fellow students from reading Ayn Rand. Reminds me of that YouTube video of a guy who received a free copy of Atlas Shrugged and then burning it in front of everyone.

It is also a great example of what a message board ought not to be. As if free speech means being an a-hole and being pseudo-proud of it.

I think some students leave their parents while they are still infants, even though they are of college age.

[FeatherFall]

As far as that quote goes, I'd hardly call a philosophy that has century-old influence and inspired the largest mass murders in history a "culturally antiquated curiosity". It seems to me that the person who said this thinks he sounds smart when he uses big words. If you choose to reply, I think anything more than a brief statement about your thoughts on Ayn Rand would be a waste of time.

[Alethiometry]

They are obviously trying to intimidate their fellow students from reading Ayn Rand.

I'm more tempted to post a simple explanation of O'ism and how it relates to Ayn Rand just to counter all the misinformation.

Correcting every error these individuals are making is probably simply not worth it.

[Benpercent]

These people, I think, share the same problems with the majority of Objectivism's critics: they either rely on ad hominem or straw man arguments, or they simply put forth no argument at all, as is the case with those who say there are "howling errors" without even so much as a hint to what they are. I wonder if we'll ever see an honest attempt to refute Objectivism.

We's in deep twubble, folks.

Sending milk bottles to that campus suddenly seems appropiate.