Ratio Invictus Posted July 14, 2010 Report Share Posted July 14, 2010 Since I’ve already begun posting on this forum (albeit a whole one post) I figured I should at least introduce myself to anyone who may be curious. I was born and raised in Nebraska with typical Midwestern values but I never understood the whole “religion” aspect of most people. I always felt that, for lack of a better phrase, man should be his own “God”. I was introduced to Ayn Rand via a local talk radio station host and on his recommendation I picked up Atlas Shrugged. I absolutely have to agree with the thousands of people who ranked AS as the most life changing book they had ever read. Since reading that book for the first time, almost every aspect of my life has changed. I had never really considered looking for a forum like this until I ran into a couple of articles talking about Peikoff endorsing John Kerry and then Obama. This was, at first, a staggering shock to me! After reading a little about it and thinking on it more it turned into a mild surprise instead but remains something I absolutely disagree with them on. As a consequence, I started to wonder how many other Objectivists thought along the same lines so…here I am! I’m looking forward to some interesting back and forth on pretty much any subject we can think of… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JASKN Posted July 14, 2010 Report Share Posted July 14, 2010 Always interesting to see how people stumbled upon Objectivism... welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SapereAude Posted July 14, 2010 Report Share Posted July 14, 2010 Welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rudmer Posted July 14, 2010 Report Share Posted July 14, 2010 (edited) Welcome to the forums! I'm more of a lurker than a talker myself, but it's always nice to see new faces ... as long as they aren't trolls, which we get from time to time. Dr. Peikoff is currently, in my opinion, the most salient authority on Objectivism. However, he is fallible like the rest of us, so don't be surprised if you disagree with him occasionally (as I do, on minor things), or even frequently. Just be sure that you are thinking whatever the issue through fully and thoroughly. Then make your judgment and do not be afraid to voice it, just back it up with your reasoning. Once again, welcome. (Edited for grammar.) Edited July 14, 2010 by Rudmer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khaight Posted July 14, 2010 Report Share Posted July 14, 2010 Dr. Peikoff is currently, in my opinion, the most salient authority on Objectivism. However, he is fallible like the rest of us, so don't be surprised if you disagree with him occasionally (as I do, on minor things), or even frequently. Just be sure that you are thinking whatever the issue through fully and thoroughly. Then make your judgment and do not be afraid to voice it, just back it up with your reasoning. Yep. Peikoff's endorsement of the Democrats in 2004/2008 was certainly controversial within the Objectivist movement. Peikoff is generally pretty hostile to the Republicans because he views the rise of religion as the greatest long-term threat to freedom in the United States. (We're talking about a time-frame of decades here.) He made his most detailed case for this in his OCON 2010 lectures earlier this month, and it's certainly a sobering argument for a frightening future, and should not be dismissed lightly. That said, I believe he has endorsed voting Republican in the upcoming mid-term elections "just this once". I agree with this, because I think it's important in the short term to maintain a close balance of power between the two parties. We need gridlock to buy time for cultural and intellectual activism. The important point to grasp is that neither the Democrats nor the Republicans are friends of freedom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratio Invictus Posted July 15, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2010 I absolutely agree with the notion that, with the current make-up of the two main political parties, the best recourse is gridlocking everything. I just found it very strange that any Objectivist could endorse in any way a man who literally announced to the world that this country will embrace everyone being "his brother's keeper". I was just waiting for the "from each according to his ability..." before I started planning my own strike! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratio Invictus Posted July 15, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2010 (edited) And thank you all for the welcome! It's been a long time since I honestly felt I was in the company of people with intellect and it is very refreshing. I added my location to the map so if anyone is in the area, feel free to stop by and chat! If you're a "troll" though, know that I'm a big fan of the 2nd Amendment and in Colorado we have the "Make my day" law... Edited July 15, 2010 by Ratio Invictus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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