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On 7/6/2021 at 4:05 PM, Easy Truth said:

Meanwhile, communitarianism/collectivism/altruism is a myth since it is a nonsensical/(ultimately supernatural) story that people tell each other about fantastic beings called society and government that have these wonderous powers and responsibilities 

What's the point of equivocating mythology with false beliefs? This does even match how people usually mean the word myth, which are narratives that express cultural values as stories. You might as well call Objectivism a mythology if collectivism is a mythology. There is no basis you gave to think otherwise.

Do you think using mythological metaphors somehow makes mythology a valid analysis? I mean, it sounds like you are making a mythology to explain the psychology of people you disagree with politically because you can't comprehend what their beliefs actually are. No, they don't believe in a mythology of government as a father figure. Not that a secular mythology is impossible, but in this case mythology has nothing to do with it, you are talking about collectivism in general. It's like saying Plato was literally making a mythology to believe by writing the Republic, but that wasn't what he was doing.

As far as the idea that believing in the soul is at least somewhat compatible with individualism, it just doesn't work that way. It might make more sense for us as atheists to think of the soul as something like an individual, but that's not accurate. It's distorting their belief to make it more compatible with yours. I guess everyone mythologizes.

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12 hours ago, MisterSwig said:

Then I have a stronger argument, because I'm not arguing for a permanent alliance. You ally in order to defeat a common enemy. Once the left is crushed, there will be no need for an alliance against the left.

The pertinent point being that the aim here is NOT to ¬convert¬ anyone to rationality; the nature and ridiculousness of faith hardly needs more invalidation than has been stated by Objectivists and others a thousand times. The religious know the critical arguments very well. Those differences won't change, nor would the rational opposition, but continuing to hammer the basic divergences only becomes gratuitous (shooting fish in a barrel comes to mind).

The only point, is and remains - who can one work with? Who can best be 'converted' to recognize the best political/economic/social outcomes (leaving aside ethics and metaphysics)? Who else, in a conservative majority that is not shared by the small minority of Objectivist-libertarian types, can be aligned to our cause? (Not we to theirs).  

Edited by whYNOT
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8 hours ago, Easy Truth said:

why not go all the way and propose an alliance with the Nazi groups, Q Anon, White Supremacist and the people who want a "worker's party" etc.

Going all the way with the religious right doesn't lead to Nazis and Qanon. It leads to rightist groups defined by religious identity. But I'm not sure we need to associate with the fringe religious groups, it might be enough to work with or lend political support to mainstream ones that are friendly to Objectivists.

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I have heard a conservative acknowledging that the fringe groups on both sides eventually converge at the bottom (when seeing the right and the Left departing in "a circle" instead of a flat line extending out to their extreme ends) and are one as bad as the other. That received my agreement, she was one who can be worked with.

Edited by whYNOT
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16 hours ago, Eiuol said:

What's the point of equivocating mythology with false beliefs? This does even match how people usually mean the word myth, which are narratives that express cultural values as stories. You might as well call Objectivism a mythology if collectivism is a mythology. There is no basis you gave to think otherwise.

Based on the definition you are going by, that may be the case.

I am going by "a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events."

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1 hour ago, Doug Morris said:

What exactly did he say, and in what context?

Speaking to 2nd Amendment concerns during a press conference “you know the thing .. you bleed the tree uh water the tree.. uh anyway if you’re gonna get at the government you come up against F15 s and nuclear weapons “ barely paraphrasing .

So the context was those who may disagree with Federal gun control regulations , by whatever form whether by legislation or executive order will be met with the full force of the armed forces.

Being Presidential , Biden style I suppose .

Edited by tadmjones
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14 minutes ago, tadmjones said:

Speaking to 2nd Amendment concerns during a press conference “you know the thing .. you bleed the tree uh water the tree.. uh anyway if you’re gonna get at the government you come up against F15 s and nuclear weapons “ barely paraphrasing .

You need to give more specificity and context about what exactly he was answering.

Was he talking about dissent or violence or what?

Was someone suggesting that people need weapons so that they can overthrow the government if necessary, or what?

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Michael Reagan, who criticized the statement, quoted it as “Those who say the blood of Patriots, you know, and all the stuff about how we’re gonna have to move against the government … if you think you need to have weapons to take on the government, you need F-15s and maybe some nuclear weapons.”  Biden was saying that anyone who wants to overthrow the government by force needs "F-15s and maybe some nuclear weapons.” 

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He was talking about how there has always been a limitation on weapons since the inception of the 2nd amendment, and that his administration would have a zero tolerance policy toward gun show dealers who willfully violate existing existing laws and regulations.

He started with the admonition that if you are going to come after the government you need F15s and nuclear weapons. He framed his remarks as a response to hypothetical gun regulation resistance at the outset of the comments with a tried but jumbled Jefferson quote about the tree of liberty. So his remarks were aimed at people who think American patriotism consists at least in part of the recognition that the right to keep and bear arms is an essential component of a nation of free individuals.

I take those remarks from a sitting President to be rather authoritarian and frankly chilling.

What rational person would not agree that criminals should not be given easy access to firearms , who is the threat aimed at? What is the need to preface remarks in such a manner ? And to whom are they aimed , the President routinely threatens his fellow citizens with their own military ? No more posse comitatus? Gun show licensing is his Rubicon ? 

Edited by tadmjones
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Has it ever been the case that ordinary citizens could overthrow a government without a military force?

The founders recognized that aspect of societal structure , no? That is what was meant about state militias , allowing the individual sovereign states the ability to defend from encroachment of the federalized forces , yes ?

 

Edited by tadmjones
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I’ve also always assumed the intent of the phrasing meant the militias would be funded by the separate states. Was there ever a period where the states had a tradition of militia as regular intrastate function?

Ive never looked into that aspect of US military history, but again assumed the practice was common mostly from reflecting on the naming of units in say Civil War histories.

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Good question, DC v. Heller means , currently, SCOTUS holds that the right to keep and bear arms is vested in individuals , but allows for constitutional regulation.

 

 

https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/second_amendment

 

I haven't looked too deeply into the various legal arguments and legal theory surrounding the Amendment, but I wager it has to do with the 'commas' and wording "..necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms , shall not be infringed" .

But to me, it 'feels' like, the intent was to allow for militias as a government function of the individual states ( as protection against federalized encroachment and to secure themselves against possible actions from other free states) , and including the right of individuals to own fire arms, because of the use of the words 'free state' and subsequently the use of the word 'people'. The phrase 'shall not be infringed' implies they viewed possession of fire arms as a 'natural' right.

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  • 2 weeks later...

We interviewed David Kelley about his history in the Objectivist movement, that time ARI tried to buy him out, and his view on open Objectivism among other things. I'm a closed system guy so we debated that issue a bit starting around 40:07. Check it out!

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Scott and I discuss Yaron Brook's debate performances and Craig Biddle's dialogue with Dennis Prager. We take a critical look at their different approaches to outreach and engagement with the opposition. I hope you get some value out of it, and thanks for listening.

 

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On 7/20/2021 at 2:26 PM, MisterSwig said:

We interviewed David Kelley . . . 

 

Thanks for the interview. I sampled it. Learned some details of history. I recall one additional point about the early relationship between Peikoff and Kelley (who had mentioned it to me in about 1990) was that it began with discussion between them concerning perceptual form. Disappointed, of course, that Kelley was not questioned about core philosophy issues and especially David's past productions on that, but I understand the variation of interests. Glad to hear near the end of David's continuing work in epistemology.
 
A memento from back in the days:

Scan 10.jpeg

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7 hours ago, Boydstun said:
Disappointed, of course, that Kelley was not questioned about core philosophy issues and especially David's past productions on that, but I understand the variation of interests.

Thanks for listening. I do hope to have a second interview with him and delve deeper into his work, especially on his view of benevolence.

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On 8/11/2021 at 1:13 AM, MisterSwig said:

Thanks for listening. I do hope to have a second interview with him and delve deeper into his work, especially on his view of benevolence.

On history stuff you did explore with David, his remark about having heard of the romantic affair between Rand and Branden, heard in the 1970's in college, was the same for me. David and I are about the same age. He was at Princeton. I was at University of Oklahoma. I rather imagine now there were dots all around the country where this information was shared. There is something to add about this dissemination at that time, at least from the way it occurred in my little circle of young Objectivist types. The idea that there had been an affair was shared with us in the circle by the woman who was host for our gatherings. At the time, she was a grad student in geology.* She was sharing a copy of a private letter, as I recall it, that had gone out from Nathaniel Branden to some number of people around the country concerning the professional split between him and Rand. It included a denial that he had had an affair with Rand. He indicated that she had come on to him, but that he had declined and that any idea that they had had an affair was preposterous due to the great difference in their ages. The important thing though in that message concerning this personal point was that talk about an affair had been previously swirling around among some of his audience. That letter, which would have been in the early 70's, was the only thing I heard of the affair until the '80's, after her death, when it became common public knowledge.

As a young guy, I'd have taken the age consideration as Branden had brought it up as pretty much weight. However, as years went by, I learned from women of the generation before mine how common it was for their husbands to have lost desire, sometimes by medical problems, by the time they were in their '50's. It was sad, and the wives were stranded for good. I don't know, of course, if that was part of Rand's situation, but I wouldn't be surprised. Be that as it may be, it seems very natural, very right, that in those days she should have become attracted to Nathaniel Branden. I'd like to mention also that, especially with consent from the affected parties, I don't think there was a blessed thing wrong with such a second relationship, and I damn the effectively religious-minded folks who say otherwise. Lastly, I'd like to mention the most wonderful, successful relationship with such age difference, which is the one that developed between Tina Turner and Erwin Bach. Beautiful.

Edited by Boydstun
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