Soulsurfer Posted October 6, 2004 Report Share Posted October 6, 2004 Hello. I just discovered this forum via Google, and I think this might just be the kind of forum I was looking for. What was I looking for, then? Well, you see, I live in a country which really aspires to become the next Absurdistan. The people in Sweden tend to regard themselves as the world's moral leaders; thus the socialist propaganda is something really weird. (Just an example to illustrate my point: This week the former leader of the socialist-party proposed that all men in the country should, legally, be punished as a group with a special "men's tax" to compensate all the women who are being abused by their partners. Could you believe it -- all the newspapers are seriously commenting on the issue, and even debating it!) Now, what I am looking for is a serious Objectivist community which does not tolerate or sanction those who, implicitly or explicitly, destroy the very concept of objectivity. For the moment, I prefer to be anonymous for private reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Poppycock Posted October 6, 2004 Report Share Posted October 6, 2004 I know there are a lot of socialist in Europe, but I had no idea it was that bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BurgessLau Posted October 6, 2004 Report Share Posted October 6, 2004 ... I just discovered this forum via Google, and I think this might just be the kind of forum I was looking for. What was I looking for, then? Well, you see, I live in a country which really aspires to become the next Absurdistan. The people in Sweden tend to regard themselves as the world's moral leaders; thus the socialist propaganda is something really weird. ... Now, what I am looking for is a serious Objectivist community which does not tolerate or sanction those who, implicitly or explicitly, destroy the very concept of objectivity. ... Welcome, Soulsurfer. ObjectivismOnline is the best discussion board -- and online community -- that I have yet found. In general, the standards are high. Not every participant is an Objectivist, but that is good news. The discussions benefit from some radical disagreement. Likewise, not everyone makes substantive comments, but they are usually few. The moderators are effective in removing or reproving violations of etiquette (as described in "Forum Rules"). There is a natural tendency for many participants in this forum to discuss their own -- U. S. A. -- issues as applications of philosophy. The U. S. A., at the moment, is the main protector of Western Civilization and the main hope for the future. However, questions and comments from Objectivists in other countries should be welcome because such questions are a reminder that philosophy applies to everyone, everywhere, at all times. I hope you participate regularly and as articulately, informatively, and respectfully as you have done in your initial post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulsurfer Posted October 6, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2004 Thanks for your welcome. I do like what I've seen so far out of this forum. FYI: I was introduced to Ayn Rands philosophy by first reading Anthem, We the living, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged (in that order). Then I wanted to explore this original philosophy in its depth and went out on the Internet to do some research. The only problem was that my initial encounters with self-proclaimed "objectivists" here in Sweden (I am not fluent in the English language) were no good. In fact, their very attitude cut me off: They kept telling me that Ayn Rand had a great mind but a defective personality -- I thought their ad hominem conclusions were insulting to my intelligence. Besides that, I thought these "objectivists" were a bunch of rationalist pretenders, treating an individual philosophy as if it were a science like physics or mathematics. I won't give them a minute of my time anymore. My aim is to study Objectivism as an integrated whole, not as a puzzle of fragments assembled from an arbitrary collection of "tolerationist" interpretations. That is why I am so concerned with finding people who do discuss the philosophy objectively; I just simply don't want to lose any time. (I work 10-12 hours a day and struggle hard to invest new energy and quality in my marriage; this in a country which has the highest taxrates in the world today.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodOrigamiMan Posted October 6, 2004 Report Share Posted October 6, 2004 The only problem was that my initial encounters with self-proclaimed "objectivists" here in Sweden (I am not fluent in the English language) were no good. In fact, their very attitude cut me off: They kept telling me that Ayn Rand had a great mind but a defective personality -- I thought their ad hominem conclusions were insulting to my intelligence. Besides that, I thought these "objectivists" were a bunch of rationalist pretenders, treating an individual philosophy as if it were a science like physics or mathematics. I won't give them a minute of my time anymore. You seem to have pretty good command of the English language to me. Anyways, sorry to hear about your taxes.. nevertheless, Welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Poppycock Posted October 6, 2004 Report Share Posted October 6, 2004 My aim is to study Objectivism as an integrated whole, not as a puzzle of fragments assembled from an arbitrary collection of "tolerationist" interpretations. If you haven't read it already this book should help you a lot. I picked it up after I read the three primary novels and couldn’t put it down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulsurfer Posted October 6, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2004 You seem to have pretty good command of the English language to me. Anyways, sorry to hear about your taxes.. nevertheless, Welcome! Thanks and thanks. If you haven't read it already this book should help you a lot. I picked it up after I read the three primary novels and couldn’t put it down. A nice book suggestion. In fact, I'm listening to the original 1976 OPAR-lectures right now. After that, I read OPAR. After that, I write about OPAR (in my own study journals). After that, I dream of OPAR. (Hmmm... Maybe lucid dreaming is turning me rationalistic?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betsy Posted October 10, 2004 Report Share Posted October 10, 2004 There are some sharp REAL Objectivists in Scandinavia and if you would like to meet them, write me and I'll arrange an introduction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulsurfer Posted October 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2004 Thanks, Betsy, for your kind support. I do want to meet serious Objectivists -- later on. However, right now I'll just focus on my own studies of Objectivism. The social interaction with real Objectivists will be important to me, but I won't be ready for it unless I've gained a little more advanced understanding of the philosophy, by efforts of my own inductive thinking. I will study hard; that way I will have something of real value to offer when I deal with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GiveMeLiberty Posted October 28, 2004 Report Share Posted October 28, 2004 Hi Soulsurfer! I am from Sweden myself -- I just recently moved to the US. You might want to know that every year since 2000 (if my memory serves me right) there have been Objectivist conferences in Oslo, and this year in London. Most participants have been from Norway, Sweden, and the UK. These conferences have been overwhelmingly attended by *real* Objectivists. (The compromising, Ayn Rand-hating types generally stay away form these events.) More importantly, the Europan conferences have been *excellent* values in terms of content. Another good thing about these events is that one can choose how much social activities one wants to participate in. The events are structured in such a way that it is purely optional how much one wants to mingle with other people. The primary focus is always on the lectures. So when you feel ready to get your feet wet meeting other Objectivists in real life, I would recommend going to one of these conferences. (Or to the US conferences, of course, but those are usually 5-10 times more expensive to attend for someone from Europe.) Best regards, Christian Wernstedt (Goteborg, now New York) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulsurfer Posted October 28, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2004 You might want to know that every year since 2000 (if my memory serves me right) there have been Objectivist conferences in Oslo, and this year in London. Thanks for the information, Christian! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnargtharst Posted October 29, 2004 Report Share Posted October 29, 2004 Soulsurfer, judging by you tagline, you appear to be a Rush Fan. Did you happen upon Rand via the references to her in some earlier Rush albums? That was my intro to Rand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulsurfer Posted October 29, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2004 Soulsurfer, judging by you tagline, you appear to be a Rush Fan. Not really a fan, but their music is OK. My wife is the Rush-fan in the family. She also listens to a Finnish rockband called "Nightwish" that I like. Ever heard of it? Did you happen upon Rand via the references to her in some earlier Rush albums?Nope. That was my intro to Rand. Cool. A friend introduced me to Ayn Rand's novels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y_feldblum Posted October 30, 2004 Report Share Posted October 30, 2004 Nightwish is excellent, though a better description than "rockband" would be operatic, symphonic metal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinorityOfOne Posted October 30, 2004 Report Share Posted October 30, 2004 If you like Nightwish, pick up something by After Forever. They're just as great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulsurfer Posted October 31, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2004 If you like Nightwish, pick up something by After Forever. They're just as great. I'll do that. Thanks for the suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Socionomer Posted November 2, 2004 Report Share Posted November 2, 2004 Hello. I live in a country which really aspires to become the next Absurdistan. Now, what I am looking for is a serious Objectivist community which does not tolerate or sanction those who, implicitly or explicitly, destroy the very concept of objectivity. Welcome to our community. Unfortunately you are still in Absurdistan, we just refer to it as "Earth". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ex_banana-eater Posted November 2, 2004 Report Share Posted November 2, 2004 Greetings Soulsurfer If you like Nightwish, you might like the bands Tristania, and Therion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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