 Ayn Rand and the End of Malthus
by Manfred F. Schieder
The existing altruistic type of society that characterized mankind's existence up to now, belongs to the realm of the irrational animals and is, thus, kept within bounds by Malthus' "solutions": hunger, plagues (diseases) and wars. The type of society that characterizes the rational human being, avoids these prospects by applying a totally different code of social existence. (Read more...)
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Wednesday
December 17, 2008 |
The Minimal Secular Agenda Regarding Religious Belief
by G. Stolyarov II
In order to achieve peaceful coexistence among all individuals, Mr. Stolyarov presents a list of understandings which he believes all religious people need to adopt and that any reasonable secularist should expect them to adopt. Adopting the Minimal Secular Agenda Regarding Religious Belief (MSARRB) will defuse tensions among the religious and non-religious and will enable more peaceful, mutually respectful, and productive interactions among them. (Read more...)
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Art and Evolution
by Manfred F. Schieder
Painting and sculpture clearly depict and describe mankind's painful growth to what nature's evolution itself automatically designed it to be: beings characterized by the faculty of reason, a faculty whose development itself history has shown to be a stumbling, hesitant progress toward the goal of total fulfillment. The article analyzes the evolution of man from the point of view of his aesthetic efforts and the colossal task that lies ahead. (Read more...)
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Obama’s Redistribution of wealth
by Miscellaneous Authors
This story has been making the rounds in e-mails. I can't be sure how true the actual incident is, but it does make an excellent point. (Read more...)
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How to Approach Unjust Laws
by G. Stolyarov II
How do we, as private citizens seeking justice, approach the many unjust laws existing today? What is the best way to act in order to ensure that the harms of these laws are minimized and that they are eventually repealed – without bringing harm on oneself or those for whom one cares? Mr. Stolyarov proposes a few guidelines for thinking about these questions. (Read more...)
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Why the Right Should Stop Attacking Homosexuality
by G. Stolyarov II
Mr. Stolyarov makes an appeal to everyone on the political Right to cease attacking homosexual individuals as immoral, obscene, vicious, flawed, self-destructive, or unnatural. He urges the withdrawal of all objections to homosexual marriage or open manifestations of homosexual preferences – provided that those manifestations are done civilly and in accord with the same expectations of good taste as accompany manifestations of heterosexual preference. (Read more...)
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The War on Jihad and the Jihadis
by Kyrel Zantonavitch
Some basic thoughts on "the war on terror." (Read more...)
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Civility: A Powerful Weapon
by G. Stolyarov II
Advocates of political freedom and strong ethical standards have a powerful weapon on their side – if they choose to use it. In an age where too many people are ready to hurl insults at one another at the onset of any discussion or debate, civility sets one apart from the crowd and gives one a chance to actually persuade people of the soundness of one’s views. (Read more...)
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"West of the Wall" -- May It Rise Again
by Rodney Rawlings
The almost-forgotten 1962 record “West of the Wall” by Toni Fisher was intended by the songwriter as a denunciation of the barrier separating West from East Berlin and East Germany. Though it reached moderate success on some charts, there are indications that moral cowardice and ideological factors held the song back. (For example, the record’s performance in the United States was among the lowest, it did not make the charts at all in Britain, and a German release was halted.) The song is still relevant to our time, and deserves to be revived in whatever form possible.
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Sacrilege
by Eric Rockwell
When the likes of Ellsworth Toohey attacks something you value, what is the proper response? (Read more...)
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Always Irrational
by Joseph Rowlands
Emotionalism is a policy of making decisions based on your feelings, and not on your rational judgment. Some people may choose it intentionally, thinking their emotions are some secret insight to the truth. Others may do it because they just don't want to resist their emotional responses. Like all irrational moral p... (Read more...)
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Thursday
September 13, 2007 |
The Omnipotence Premise
by Joseph Rowlands
Philosophy is a powerful tool for developing an integrated understanding of the world. It sheds an enormous amount of light on most topics. You learn to see connections, to think in fundamentals, and to recognize principles. Philosophy enables you to see past the specifics of a single situation in order to see the b... (Read more...)
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Determinism is a Form of "Relativism;"and the Concept of Morality Entails "Agency"
by Ed Thompson
I found the truth of this title especially enlightening for the debate on 'determinism'. I reached this epiphany while re-reading what Alasdair MacIntyre had to say in his 1994 essay: Moral Relativism, Truth and Justification [found in the 1998 book entitled: The MacIntyre Reader -- edited by Kelvin Knight, and published by the University of Notre Dame Press in Indiana].
Below, I have included excerpts from The MacIntyre Reader, with comments on each from myself. I have interjected the concept: determinism -- for the more general, but inclusive, concept: relativism, as well as for some of the uses of the concept: morality. My interjections (regardless of subject matter) are in bold ... (Read more...)
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Rejection is Not The Answer
by Joseph Rowlands
One day I'm arguing with a scientist. She informs me that she's an agnostic when it comes to religion. I ask if she actually believes there's a god, and she says no. But she won't rule out the possibility that there is one. In fact, she offers, she won't rule out anything. She believes that a scientist's job requi... (Read more...)
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Human Certainty: The only kind there is.
by Ed Thompson
The kind of certainty discussed above in the example of Sally and Betty is philosophical certainty -- a certainty about the relations between things in a given context. It is this same kind of relational, contextual certainty that allows us to form contextually-absolute genus-species definitions about things. The other kind of certainty (mentioned just above), psychological certainty, is more appropriately called a pseudo-certainty because it refers more to a feeling or conviction than to any veridical cognition. The feeling/conviction which psychological certainty affords comes from credulity; being easily convinced that something is so. (Read more...)
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Walter Lippmann: chronicler of evil
by Michael E. Marotta
Both Hoover and Roosevelt enacted collectivist responses to the Great Depression. No one seriously advocated laissez faire -- or if anyone did, they were not taken seriously by serious people. So said Walter Lippmann. For admirers of Ayn Rand's works, Walter Lippmann is the epitome of what was right and wrong with liberalism. (Read more...)
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Ayn Rand in Argentina
by Manfred F. Schieder
Ayn Rand’s Objectivism continues to spread worldwide. This time it’s Argentina, in the southern part of the world, where the Spanish version of several of her books was presented at an international books trade fair. (Read more...)
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North Carolina Governor's School Experience
by Luke Setzer
The campus director informed the parents from the outset that it would be "best for their children" if they refrained from visiting for the first two weeks of the program. He asserted that early visits from family would disrupt the students' "adjustment" to campus life. He also sternly informed students that "if you have any kind of prejudice against others, check them at the gate. We will be too busy pursuing new and valuable ideas to have those kinds of barriers holding us back." It all seemed just a little ominous. (Read more...)
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How Do You Prove Photography To A Blind Man?
by Skeptico Blog
A believer in psychic phenomena poses a question to a skeptic: "How would you prove to a blind man that photography exists?" Here's the skeptic's reply, which didn't make the believer happy. (Read more...)
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Wednesday
February 21, 2007 |
Sanctity of Reason
by Joseph Rowlands
It's one thing to reject reason in favor of the mystical. People do that all the time. But they do more than simply reject reason. They pervert it. (Read more...)
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Socialist or Capitalist, What are You?
by Dean Michael Gores
Socialists: say producers must provide the bare necessities for Everyone (by forcing producers to give to others) Capitalists: say producers must have full control of their own products (and let less fortunate people die if no one is willing to help them using their own resources) Why do people choose... (Read more...)
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Electoral Rebuke
by Andre Zantonavitch
Thoughts on foreign policy and America's recent election. (Read more...)
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The Power of Moral Ideals
by Joseph Rowlands
A colleague of mine told me about a business trip he went on to a foreign country. When he got there, he found himself under the attention of an attractive young woman. She had surmised that he was a wealthy businessman from America, and was offering more than just a good conversation. Being the married man that he ... (Read more...)
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The Three Parties
by Andre Zantonavitch
Some thoughts on the important political parties, and America's upcoming November 8th, 2006 elections. (Read more...)
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Wednesday
November 1, 2006 |
Sacrificing Minds
by Joseph Rowlands
Occasionally I find myself in a conversation with someone who has a completely distorted and chaotic worldview. And when I say chaotic, I can't emphasize the word strongly enough. Their systems of belief are totally non-integrated, combining conspiracy theories, bad science, a malevolent view of mankind, and some of ... (Read more...)
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