Objectivist questions

[Egosum—]

1. Are people who hold government positions altruistic?

2. If environmental laws imposed by the government serve to benefit a million, but impose an industry, is it still rejected?

3. God doesn't have an identity because he is infinite, right?

4. What is the difference between a concept and an identity?

x.) I bought some non-fiction books about Objectivism but they won't arrive for quite some time (a week). I just can't stop wanting to know more.

Edited December 5, 2009 by Egosum—

[softwareNerd]

1. Are people who hold government positions altruistic?

Most people are altruistic today. I don't think people in government are more altruistic than the average population. Of course, from their position of power they can force their altruism on others. If you're asking about whether a legitimate government job (police, army, etc.) is necessarily altruistic, then the answer is "no, it is not". Legitimate government jobs are productive and can be chosen for selfish reasons.

2. If environmental laws imposed by the government serve to benefit a million, but impose an industry, is it still rejected?

There are lots of existing threads on environmental laws.

3. God doesn't have an identity because he is infinite, right?

Check out some previous threads on God: here, here, here. Search for more.

x.) I bought some non-fiction books about Objectivism but they won't arrive for quite some time (a week). I just can't stop wanting to know more.

Sounds like fun.

[khaight]

1. Are people who hold government positions altruistic?

Some are, some aren't. If the broader question is whether it is moral to hold a government job, the answer is that it depends on the exact nature of the job and your reasons for holding it. Some jobs, e.g. policeman, are part of the legitimate function of government. Others, like public university college professor, aren't part of government's legitimate function but are still legitimate job roles -- i.e. there would be university professors in a free society, just not working for the government. Still others are inherently illegitimate -- like business regulator and tax collector.

2. If environmental laws imposed by the government serve to benefit a million, but impose an industry, is it still rejected?

"Benefit" in what sense? Objectivism holds that the only proper function of government is the protection of individual rights. You don't benefit the million by violating their rights.

3. God doesn't have an identity because he is infinite, right?

Well, God doesn't have an identity because there is no such thing as God. Existence is identity, ergo non-existence is non-identity. Certainly the fact that those who allege God's existence can't provide a non-contradictory description of his alleged nature is one of the many reasons for concluding that there is no such thing.

4. What is the difference between a concept and an identity?

'Identity' is a metaphysical concept; it is the nature of a thing that exists. 'Concept' is epistemological; it refers to a mental integration, an identification of a kind of relationship between the identities of various existents.

[JeffS]

Most people are altruistic today.

That's an interesting position to take, softwareNerd. I wonder, do you think most people are altruistic in their actions, or only in their desires?

By that I mean I find most people to be hedonistically selfish in their actions - thus the negative connotation of "selfish" prevalent in society, yet openly advocating an altruistic philosophy - they want to be perceived as "good" by the majority who hold the likes of Mother Theresa up as the pinnacle of the good.

Perhaps I'm simply hanging out with the wrong class of people?

[VECT]

Oh they are altruistic alright, altruistic in the sense that if you ask an average Joe whether the people should make sacrifice for others or that whether the government have the right to sacrifice the interest of a minority for the good of the majority, chances are they will say yes.

The funny thing is, if you ask this same person whether HE should make sacrifice for others or that whether the government have the right to sacrifice HIS interest for the good of the majority, and depending on the amount of sacrifice you are asking him to make, you can observe some pretty interesting reactions.

Most people are altruistic today in the sense they are hypocrites who have no problem voicing others to make sacrifice for the public good, but when you put him on the spotlight of the sacrificial alter, ohhh boy, that's an issue they want to evade at all cost.

[softwareNerd]

That's an interesting position to take, softwareNerd. I wonder, do you think most people are altruistic in their actions, or only in their desires?

If I were being exact, I'd say in neither, but in their philosophy.

[brian0918]

3. Regarding God - indeed, many of the descriptions of "God" involve infinite abilities, and so lack identity. But even without omnipotence, omniscience, omni-etc, the descriptions of "God" still lack identity if they refer to contradictions. And the actions of "God" the Creator Being must necessarily lead to contradictions:

A consciousness conscious only of itself, existing in non-existence, acts in non-time, to bring about existence, time, and objects of which to be conscious.

Edited December 6, 2009 by brian0918