"Everybody on this planet has done things in this world that they wish they had done differently. And those things they may be a little bit ashamed of now or embarrassed by now. So what? Welcome to the human race. The real issue that separates the good guys from and the not so hot guys is what do you want to do about it now?" Nathaniel Branden at 9:24 I love this! Probably the best short critique of Rand's novels I've ever heard.

I used to loath Ayn Rand, and her [selfish] Objectivist philosophy for years, until late March 2018. It also did not help that she was an atheist, as I used to be very atheist adverse as well. However, I heard Ayn Rand's philosophy mentioned in a [somewhat] positive light by Jordan B. Peterson - who I've been listening to for several months - and decided to take a fresh look at her ideas by starting with two movies, The Fountainhead, and, Atlas Shrugged. Now I am completely captivated by OBJECTIVISM and have ordered six of her books this week.

@woodsofchaos

6 жыл бұрын

Funniest thing I've read in a while.

@Brindapr

6 жыл бұрын

Daniel Berry welcome aboard

@thecapone45

5 жыл бұрын

Just finished Fountainhead yesterday and bought another one of her books. Her ideas changed my life honestly, and helped me be a happier and better person.

@LintRiggs_

5 жыл бұрын

The word 'selfish' has deliberately been misconstrued and made into a provocative term. Society wants you to be a 'team player'. In other words, not thinking for yourself. Selfish is synonymous with individuality. It's the individual pursuing ones own interests. That's all. It's nothing to do with walking over others to meet your ends. This is what most people can't get their minds past. Rand's work is about the individual using his or her mind, volitionally, since we are all born with rational minds and must figure things out for ourselves. This is what separates us from the plant and animal kingdom, yet we are encouraged not to use our minds but to live our lives following others who may or may not have this thing called life figured out. The irony about those who bash Rand's work is that they have clearly abnegated their minds, themselves, in that they have clearly not looked into her work to figure it out for themselves but have took on a collectivised opinion of it.

@rnnr3719

4 жыл бұрын

how did it go?

To the people blindly hating Ayn Rand: Try reading some of Rand's books before spewing all of your hateful nonsense towards her.

@BuyTheDip627

7 жыл бұрын

OppressedAnarchist true good advice

@carpenter3069

4 жыл бұрын

I agree 99.99%

@AdamSmith-qo6km

4 жыл бұрын

Buttercup58 he said “blindly”

@danil874

4 жыл бұрын

@Buttercup58 so, "numbnuts", what do you have to say about them?

@-RandomBiz-

3 жыл бұрын

There are plenty of critics, professional and amateur, that are previously experienced in her work. It is precisely that experience which guides them to opine. Perhaps you are the one that needs to be more objective. Rand should have called the book The Ugly Virtue of Selfish Arrogance

Personal responsibility & accountability.. These are virutes that have been erased in America today. Everybody is either a victim of something or can point the finger of blame somewhere else. The 'societal experts' have fed us this mind-numbing garbage for decades. Look at the decline that has occurred in the last 40-50 years. Dumbing-down in every sense. I'm reading Atlas Shrugged' and it is an eye-opener. I've also read the works by Nathaniel Branden...very good reading.

@drmodestoesq

10 ай бұрын

Accountability? To who? The human race? I thought this was the moral justification of ego and self aggrandizement at the expense or at least indifference to other people's needs or wants.

That mention of redemption in Rand's work reminds me of two of her characters; Andrei from We the Living and the Wet Nurse from Atlas Shrugged. Both received redemption of morality.

@girumzemichael704

4 жыл бұрын

ephidel285 She was captivated by Dostoevsky as so many of us, that I bet was her influence with the redemptive ending..

Wow! After all these years, he still speaks with this much reverence for her. I guess it goes to show that even the devil recognizes God's brilliance

As a young know it all with an almost lifeless soul, I was thrown a paperback copy of Atlas at the age of 21 with the admonition, "here, read this! Who knows, you might like it!" The rest became the history of my life. When the break-up between Rand and Branden became public, the results to many, many, "Objectivists," were traumatic. You see, at that time (sixties), many, many, minds and souls were drawn to Rand because they were either seeking a replacement for Jesus, or fleeing from him! Their "savior" or "potential savior," was demonstrating herself, in spite of her seemingly unprecedented intellectual horsepower and literary skill to, alas, be but one of us - a human being. Most of my fellow sycophants immediately felt that they must "take a side." They overwhelmingly chose Rand. No one, save me, chose Branden. I actually didn't choose him, I just didn't automatically side with Rand. The reason? While Rand had awakened my darkened soul to the world I had cynically ignored or impugned, Branden awakened it to ME! His book, "The Psychology of Self-Esteem," was as profound a read as was Atlas, though for different reasons! I have since met both Rand and Branden - the former in 1976, the latter in 2008. Both meetings are memorable. If I read or hear of an admirer of Rand impugn Branden, I immediately ask "why?" It is on rare occasion that I get what I consider to be a "reasoned" answer. I shall always be grateful to both of them that I am able to judge such a circumstance, confidently using reason as I do so!

Wow 14 years ago... Great interview and interesting insight into the world of Ayn.

Damn he looks good for 83!

@sandythomas8911

4 жыл бұрын

He was 78.

@mokunju8296

3 жыл бұрын

@@sandythomas8911 He still looks good!

@fexurbis123

3 жыл бұрын

Yep! Attractive dude.

@asstone7

3 жыл бұрын

Have you seen how the most prominent proponents of organised objectivism (aka obleftivists) are biological dead-end immigrants? Why do we call them obleftivists? What differentiates rightists with leftists is not the difference about capitalism vs socialism, it’s not even about individuality vs collectivism. It is not even a view of hierarchy vs equality. In fact the difference is even deeper. It is a world view based on socio biology vs a worldview based on the blank slate view of human nature. If you just look and analyse these obleftivists you will see why they say what they say. These are not biologically gifted people. They are not tall, handsome and muscular. They may have a speech impediment and their accents in their new countries separate them negatively from the natives. Also they do not have very high IQ levels and thus envy the people above them that do. You see being tribalist is in our DNA, and these obleftivists do not wish to be discriminated against, since this discrimination does affect their quality of life i.e. by not getting the good job or the promotion, or the man/woman they desire. These obleftivists wish to attack the natural socio-biological differences in humans in order to benefit their life (mostly benefit financially). Like all leftists they attack the naturally gifted, the naturally charismatic, the ones that come from a privileged background, the ones that were born smarter (higher IQ) and/or more handsome/beautiful. They attack the Howard Roarks of this world. Their statement is simple. Free will man!!! If you just think it you can become anything you want. This is the fundamental message that obleftivism is selling to all its naïve victims. Scientology without the aliens. The truth about humans and all DNA based life is that we are simply NOT individuals. We are living organisms that stretch across countless generations. Our ancestors live through us and we will live through our descendants. The accomplishments of your ancestors are your accomplishments. Everything they could do, you can do. Everything you can do, your descendants can do. You were not born from a vacuum, you were not born from individuals. You are the product of a tribe’s gene pool, an entire history’s worth of choices mashed together and separated wheat from chaff to create the algorithm of preferences in your brain, the brain that your DNA coded for, including your case specific preference for sacrificing the herd for your own wellbeing. With the right information/situation at your disposal you would sacrifice yourself for the herd, be it in form of pushing your own son out of the way of a speeding car and getting run over, or working a lifetime so that your children can live better lives. You are not alone. You came from something much bigger than yourself, and you have only got one people left in the world that can reciprocate your good will if you choose to direct it outward. Remember where you came from, what you are, and where you are going. Naturally a woman who chose to die childless, who chose to remove herself from her people and her history, would not be able to educate others on the truth. This explains why her heir declared her philosophy to be closed. He did it in order to insulate it from the truth, in order to cover his own failings in life and in order to attract similar failures. We shall call these people with one simple word. Obleftivists!!!

@alexleibovici4834

2 жыл бұрын

Possibly a (minor?) stroke and also onset of Parkinson's

Just saw the movie. It was awesome. Can't wait for part 2.

That issue about redemption mirrors my thoughts exactly. I thought it would have been so good if Ayn Rand had shown how one could become moral, that is, the progression from immorality to morality. She always presented her protagonists as if they were born with morality. This is not possible according to Objectivism, because it states that man is not naturally moral, and so must make the decision to become moral.

Very good interview.

Redemption - "what do you want to do about it now" Simply brilliant

It's amazing that Nathaniel said to a book store owner, "I'm a big admirer of Rand," and the book store owner could not have imagined that Nathaniel had a sexual relationship with Ayn Rand. In fact, the book store owner would have never believed it.

@fazbell

9 ай бұрын

Ayn Rand was approximately as sexually attractive as Jabba the Hutt.

@quakers200

4 ай бұрын

And what a relationship. He was a married man at the time and Rand just figured his wife shouldn't mind it. When he ended the relationship Rand tried to ruin him and succeeded fairly well. Delightful woman.

There is no hate in her philosophy, simply a rejection of the prevailing philosophy of altruism, a rejection of the belief that the highest virtue is sacrificing one's individualism for the benefit of another or for the benefit of society. I have watched her interviews and her solo videos and see no contradiction, only consistency.

@drmodestoesq

10 ай бұрын

Yeah...we need a moral philosophy telling people to be more selfish. We don't have enough immoral and amoral narcissistic greed. We need someone to preach the message of not giving a flick about other people.

@73split

10 ай бұрын

@@drmodestoesqwhat we need more of is a bunch of liberals who are so arrogant that they think they know what’s best for everyone else and they think so little of their fellow humans that they think they are incapable of knowing what’s best for themselves and are incapable of making decisions for themselves. And don’t kid yourself, people with the mindset I pointed out are some of the most selfish self centered arrogant individuals you will ever meet who only pretend to care for others to feed their own egos.

@ZeroRyu7

9 ай бұрын

@@drmodestoesqYou have a fundamental misunderstanding of her philosophy

@margaretwordnerd5210

9 ай бұрын

Why does no one complain about the evils that contaminated the last years of Rand's life? Medicare and Social Security benefits!!! Why do none of you see that by allowing her to sell her integrity for a few doctor visits and living expenses, the nanny state spoiled the pure virtue of her selfishness? A true devotee would be angry with the government for tempting her to live like the kind of useless parasites she hated. What a tragic injustice that they stole her right to die free and made her get medical care from doctors who insulted her by correlating her cough with a harmless capitalist habit like cigarettes.😕

It's good to know that people are admired for intelligence...the media wants everyone to believe that the only important thing is physical appearance.

@SaintNektarios

Жыл бұрын

These days the only thing that makes an individual important is her or her victim status.

@joelobe187

10 ай бұрын

which media??? zionist satanist owned media..... hohohoh.

@mrtibbs8335

10 ай бұрын

Yeah but he might not agree, his forehead doesn’t move.

@danwallach8826

9 ай бұрын

The "media." It isn't a monolith run by an alien brain. Anyone who dumps all his or her complaints on the "media" isn't doing much thinking. Also, my time spent caring about what Ayn Rand said or did is currently zero.

Well said. Very well said.

"Feel Deeply to think clearly"

@BodyByBisson

2 жыл бұрын

This resonated with me massively

Thank you, very nice, I like his books :-)

By "value life", I mean an individual person should value his life, and also the lives of other persons. This means survival, but it also means to pursue happiness, pursue values, to have a sense of life beyond just getting by, etc... “in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute”

Great interview

Fascinating insights.

OUTSTANDING!

The Wet Nurse. 8:30 in to the video, Nathaniel says "there is no treatment of regeneration of your life, of the motion from failure to success in the moral sphere." The Wet Nurse in Atlas Shrugged is my favorite scene. He was THE redemptive character Mr. Branden is talking about.

Branden has wrote the books on self esteem. I think for Branden he loved all the values that Rand showed and lived and likewise, rand loved the values nathaniel lived. Rand stated this is love. And this is why Nathaniel said this is why we had a relationship.

Interesting, but as somebody who used to work in science, I have witnessed first hand the amazing science the Soviet Union denizens could do on a shoestring budget. Incompetence was mostly in all administrative processes.

They were both brilliant.

Thank you

@6:24 Thank goodness that Nathaniel Branden sets the record straight here (as he has in print) about libertarianism and objectivism! Ayn Rand promoted a totally irrational, destructive, movement-destroying, freedom-destroying rejection of the libertarian movement that both preceded her, existed during her life, and continued growing after she died. The ARI philosophical hair-splitters and infighters who have taken Rand's name have mostly continued this in-fighting. Thank you, Nathaniel!

On my opinion, after reading the whole of Branden books, and some Rand's books, errors of morality can be redimed like errors of knowledge, because morality is knowledge of oneself...They should be redimed, and only by oneself. Is the essence of Branden philosophy: responsibility.

I will be honest and admit that I wasn't a big fan of Atlas Shrugged, but I would highly recommend reading her non-fiction work, I find it to be a lot better than her fiction. Try "The Virtue Of Selfishness" and "Philosophy: Who needs it?"

A = A, It is what it is, holmes.

Haha, I love his smile at the very end of the video! I just finished reading My Years With Ayn Rand. He is amazing!

Nathaniel Braden=Great Mind!

@RolandStGermain Then of course there is the issue of Rand's husband Frank O'Connor. The affair not only went on in front of him, but before they started the affair she sat him down and explained to him that she was going to have this affair with Branden and why it was rational and acceptable to do so - again that is something that this well known to biographers of Rand from multiple sources including Branden as well as others who were in her inner circle at that time.

I wonder what happened with that marijuana incident.

@MVHS85

4 жыл бұрын

To what are you referring?

Song in the background?

@MayasHaddad

8 жыл бұрын

+luke hall Kevin MacLeod - Tango de Manzana

When I lived in St Petersburg, Russia I couldn't find any book by Rand in any book store.

Why do I get the weird impression that he's talking like a robot and doesn't blink like a human?

So many people commenting who clearly haven't taken the time or effort to understand what Rand was saying. Atlas Shrugged has sold more copies than any other book besides the bible. Bible 2000 years, AS 60 years. It is above the comprehension of many it seems.

I found the snippet starting at 4:50 chillingly reflective of the current status of the US.

Ayn Rand didn’t tell us what to do; Ayn Rand told us how to go about it! Forever changed by reading her books, studying her philosophy and putting it into action. I’ve never encountered a Rand critic, that didn’t misconceive, lacked worldly or human-knowledge, or themselves a were a fraud! After studying many years of philosophy, I feel you’ll go far further by putting into practice her ideals and precepts… 😊

@PanhandleFrank

8 ай бұрын

“a Rand critic that didn’t misconceive”? She denied the existence of her Maker. No misconception there …

Dr. Stadler made moral mistakes in Atlas Shrugged. He sees the error of his ways and begins to move in the right direction. John Galt doesn't absolve him by the end of the book, but a reasonable extrapolation of his storyline moves towards moral redemption.

@MadMax-dr6mf

5 жыл бұрын

Vincent Adultman No he doesn't. Exactly the opposite. What book were you reading?

@chrismcgraw2112

3 жыл бұрын

lol wut?

I'm speaking of Justice as the personal judgments, good or bad, positive or negative, that each of us makes, whether or not the Rule of Law is properly observed. There's "what works," but how do you know what works? What guides you? If we don't make the effort to figure out what's best for ourselves, our lives hold little meaning and our acts of Justice and Mercy turn chaotic. And, it gives others the chance to reign over us, because they'll assert themselves where we won't!

@wbarquez There is also a fallacy of composition involved when people say "mathematics, love and generosity" are "just physical" Ultimatelly the foundation of all reality may be some energy/matter dynamics be itquarks or Higgs Bosons or whatever may be discoveed next. However once these assemble into complex systems relating to each other then we have "love, generosity and mathematics" What would love & generosity even mean outside a physical framework ? Mathematics can be more tricky....

I would like to point out that Ayn Rand does offer a story of redemption in 'Atlas Shrugged'. If you recall the character "The Wet Nurse', who worked for Hank Rearden, he was a subjectivist and a collectivist in the beginning but by the end he changed his character. Unfortunately, he died shortly afterward, Not much of a story of redemption.

Thanks for your comment, your position is very interesting. Could you give an example of this happening with one of these people in real life?

I am fascinated with the relationship between Rand and Branden--and he was 18 years her junior? Maybe his self-esteem issues at the time played a role in his being in the relationship with her for so long. I'm trying to learn from the experiences of others. Branden's self-esteem books may help me stay out of trouble..

@CARMELOGP

11 ай бұрын

They used to bang.

@MACKATTACK1970 Ad Hom. Invalid

"Each person possesses and inviolability founded on justice that even the welfare of society as a whole cannot override. For this reason, justice denies that the loss of freedom for some is made right by a greater good shared by others." - John Rawls John Rawls is without a doubt the world's most influential post-ww2 political philosopher, and he will probably remain that way for the next several centuries or so. If you don't understand John Rawls, you don't understand modern political thought.

Ayn Rand was a genius. People seeking truth in the end wind up students of Rand.

@user-sk9sp7pe4y

8 ай бұрын

That's a fact. She can't be denied. Ever!

@user-hy9nh4yk3p

8 ай бұрын

nah .... Fare thee well.

In an Objectivist sense, Mercy blends into Justice, because Justice is about both advancing life-affirming values and dispensing with non-values. Mercy is the recognition after damage is done that the great potential has more value than the harmful potential, and is hence worth preserving. It's like the old adage, "A friend is somebody who knows you but likes you anyway." But seen from the friend's perspective! Mercy is potentially myopic, though, unless the potentials are weighed reasonably.

He needs to work on learning how to blink his eyes.

@larrygardner1328

9 жыл бұрын

Anthony Badessa I, too, found myself quietly wishing that he had run out the door that moment and got themselves some. But, alas, it was not meant to be.

@MVHS85

4 жыл бұрын

He was very ill at this point. Happy now?

@ryan84160 Yes, it's a shift in thinking. I find the model idea most useful when encountering things like errors and information that challenges my current models. I simply put everything into a 'maybe' state and reserve all judgement until I'm comfortable with my analysis. Strangely enough my stress levels have gone down tremendously because of it. I also find that I can explore deeper analytical lines because of this 'maybe' state. Whatever, you seem like a good bean. Cheers.

Within mathematics there is a genuine problem of universals and Ayn Rand didnt quite deal with it trying to dodge between the skeptic antirealist-nominalists and the platonistic mystical-realism. Thats quite an ambitious project for anyone to come up with "THE ANSWER" to these metaphysical dilemmas. It keeps philosopher academics employed and still writing books long after Plato vs Protagonistes, & aristotles debates.

oh man.. splitting a fat brownie with Ayn woulda been cool as hell.

Rick Deckard is apparently a weak-minded irrational coward. I said nothing "rude" to him and yet he removed my comments from his thread instead of addressing them. Notice how he doesn't want YOU to know what I actually wrote. Does those sound like someone who cares about the strength of his own arguments, or someone who's evading reality? In fact, I was nice enough to write some rather long-winded responses to someone else in that thread, about where rights come from, etc. I even volunteered to discuss Objectivism with someone else, saying that they're probably misunderstanding the philosophy. I guess that warrants deletion too. I think Rick got his feelings hurt when I pointed out to him that he contradicted himself.

@blujesus

9 жыл бұрын

". I said nothing "rude" to him and yet he removed my comments from his thread instead of addressing them. Notice how he doesn't want YOU to know what I actually wrote. Does those sound like someone who cares about the strength of his own arguments, or someone who's evading reality?" I've noticed that Rick Deckard has removed a number of comments, including some of mine. I agree with you 100 percent, if rick had confidence in his arguments it's doubtful he would have done so.

Ayn Rand's philosophy is interesting. Although anytime you take any "ism" theory to its extreme it fails. They all fail because of human nature. Ayn Rand's worlds were lacking real details. A much better but difficult world would be a world of reasonable capitalism and socialism. The problem with doing this is balancing issues on the tip of a needle. Its interesting how society pushes the social pendulum back and forth. When everyone is most happy and productive when it is in the middle.

He's speed is so high

i would really like to know wheter they wound up trying it and what happened

@Larry065

6 жыл бұрын

Monchi2006 they did. It made them lovers

@AashiquiTheri The focus is different. "Purpose" suggests an interest in ends and conclusions. I think those things are nice, but not worth obsessing over.

you make sense.

One hour is one hour for everyone.

No sarcasm intended at all though I can understand how you might see it that way. Interesting about Nixon. Thanks.

He is fantastic. His books have influenced quite a bit. Especially "6 Pillars".

What a great little interview! It has a few well made points and then ends. Especially interesting are his remarks about "redemption" as a missing topic in the works of Ayn Rand.

Killing in itself isn't an evil or immoral act. The initiation of force is considered "bad". Murder is murder whether you it is done it self defense or in ruthless cold blood. If you have killed someone you have murdered them, the only important part is whether this was a moral or immoral action. Killing to defend yourself is murder and justifiable. Killing to kill is murder and unjustifiable.

Why cant we make a ayn rand biography picture with aubrey plaza as rand.????

You present the great analytic/synthetic dichotomy. Allow me to point out - you "subjectively" deny the "objective" idea that killing is bad? If I am to understand you correctly - meaning in your opinion, the fact that murder is bad - is okay in other countries where murder is frequent? (sorry about the late response, I enjoy this talk though so send word if you like)

@SculptedThoughts You are correct - the map is not the terrain. Ayn Rand / Aristotle, however, don't have a very good grasp of this.

Geh. When I said "dispensing with non-values," I meant doing away with non-values. And speaking philosophically, values can be as simple as food, as complex as friends, or as abstract as freedom.

Gee, I wish I were as smart as Saul Kripke and Ayn Rand, having the profound insight to write entire books about how "X=X," or the hit that plays off of Aristotle, "A=A," and for the more political or economic crowd, "facts=facts, reason=reason, truth=truth," etc... Why is that so tantalizing, just because it affirms identity?!?

@xyzGooabc I can understand that. The dogmatic approach to an interesting philosophy is a killer of the philosophy. It could be that I'm a slow learner, but I still consider myself a student of...not just objectivism. Funny thing is, I got the message from Rand that you can't take her word for things; you had to go discover for yourself. If I got that message wrong, she's not the philosopher I thought she was. I'm often surprised by the interpretations, but is just that.

@bobbygnosis (Although it could be said that it was in his long term self-interest if it helped him to avoid contracting an STD. That's the only credit I can apply, and even then, you don't need "marriage" so much as a single partner.)

@MetalBox10 Rand's glorification of The Capitalist is pretty unreasonable; while there is much validity in it, there are also good arguments to be made against this. Still, she was a very valuable and able social commentator who I very much enjoy and often agree with.

@AashiquiTheri I also understand where you're coming from too. I used to think my models were 'reality.' My models were shown to be nonsense. I got upset. I realized that an Objective Reality apprehendable by all humans was clearly impossible so I gave up on the notion. People kill each other over definitions of 'reality' you know. I want none of that. So I started reading Lao Tzu. I think he's much better than Ayn Rand.

@bobbygnosis I understand where you're coming from, but look at it this way. Objectivism is a philosophy about living on Earth. I deal everyday with people, with work, with the elements I have come to rely on as being constant in my life (stone is hard, wood is durable, water is good, concrete is rough, etc.) Do I really care to theorize on whether these and everyone I meet are only existent in my head? No, I do not. Why? Because when I go to sleep in five minutes, I will wake up tomorrow.

@bobbygnosis As has been the case for as long as I can remember. A has always been A, and the only thing to have ever changed is my perception of it. I care only that I live my life to the fullest potential, while respecting all others that do the same and not wasting my time with others that don't. I respect you for your perspective and understand it, but I believe in the rightness of Objectivism in living life. Why? Because A has always been A for as long as I have had the rational sense to

I can't believe they boiled that down to 10 minutes.

@jaybb789 He was married to Barbara Weidman at the time and she's considered quite attractive. In fact, Weidman wrote "the book" on Ayn Rand and it was rather objective despite what her husband did.

@RolandStGermain Aside from the personal attack, that is pretty accurate. Anyone who knows anythng about the life of Rand knows that the breakup was explosive. She denounced him in her newsletter, forbade those in her inner circle to attend his lectures or to have any communication with him. Those who did were 'excommunicated'. Rand wasn't the always rational, all knowing and inffalible 'god' with all of the answers to life's problems that so many of her followers seem to think she was.

The definition of murder: to kill unlawfully. Self defense is lawful, thus not murder. This is an analytic truth made by the definition. Logically to retaliate against an oppressive/abusive society or government means to demand a stop by means of voice, if this does not work - welcome to America, perhaps. When someone demands that they MUST agree, they will eventually pick up a gun - and that is a pretty good indication that logic has ceased (if it can not be talked about).

Well, said Patooty85

Reading Ayn Rand changed my life!... I developed chronic backache carrying Atlas Shrugged to the library and back :-)

@user-hy9nh4yk3p

8 ай бұрын

I received a dose of mental heaviness and limitation - me heart hinted - at going to meditate and I immediately felt lighter and this continues yet. Fare thee well.

Rand wouldn't tolerate disagreement. She was just plain wrong about a lot of things. Judge others and prepare to be judged? That's crazy.

I read Anthem when in college. It truly excited me with its message that individuals can do things to help others in building a better world (autruism). I don't think that was the message Ayn meant. 😜

@chuckschillingvideos

10 ай бұрын

I think that was your ignorance at work.

So did Picasso give away his art or did he sell it. That is where reason plays a role. He reasoned, I am an excellent artist and i will use my talent to make me happy by selling it.

@tekproxy Mathematics and love are abstract concepts or mental constructs but they exist in reality and we see them in the physical world. We see two cups and two cups make four cups. We see concrete acts of love shown by one person to another. The human nature and consciousness are not things we can touch, but they manifest in the physical world so that their reality cannot be denied. We come to know about essence (metaphysics) through existence (physical).

To elaborate my statement: The fact IS that there is rational and irrational behavior. Rational be it achieving a goal in life, irrational be it someone who picks up a gun and demands your money. What is rational to you, if you are of logical mind, is thus rational to another logical mind.

Knowledge and skills should be shared, as they are based on a lot of kowledge that you recieve for free. I hate people that think they go 'John Galt' only because they are to selfish and unempathic to see that their reluctance to share is the cause of the ugliness they want to remove themselves from..

Let me clarify - for those who are in foreign countries that are involved with bad societies/governments etc. If they can not escape then certain actions should be taken up to and including self defense by killing if absolutely necessary. But still, you are using the term murder wrong. It becomes immoral to take another life if it is not just - such as self defense. My argument for that - if one accepts life they live and must act to survive, thus value something. To take it is sacrifice.

@bobbygnosis It is an act of perceiving and responding to value. It is more than a model of the brain that interprets a sunrise to mean pleasure. It is a set of values corresponding to your uniqueness in genetics and your uniqueness in circumstances and experiences. How you have chosen to behave in your life will give you your values. Your brain does not give you these based on models of interpretation.

@theredscourge ..but how would the "average person" dictate the appropriate work load, for that is not their choice to make. A captain of industry will always want to maximize profits which means more work by fewer men. The only way an "average person" could have a say in such matters would be to unionize. By the way, Ayns life constantly contadicted her own philosophy...read Nathaniels book! Nobody could live like Henry Rearden.

Objectivism deals with principles folks. Some of you hear are showing your intellectual powers which are very small.

THE FUCKER NEVER BLINKS OMG

I am aware of the bold and courageous Pizza confrontation. It proves nothing nor do angry often profane bloggers. What proves anything in our great 'land of the free and home of the brave' country is a successful criminal or civil lawsuit where 'the innocent must be first proven guilty by a jury of peers' until and 85 year old man with his lovely wife gets threatened at a small restaurant. That is unless we are replacing our method of achieving 'guilty' decisions to vigilantism.

@theredscourge What would govern those limits??

@bobbygnosis The Stoics and I are both acting on the same interpretation of the data. We are in pain. But it is the individual who must act to remedy or reinforce the situation. Any individual who wishes to live has to consider reality as it is presented. It may just be a stream of sense data, but it is the same data for all of us. Objective reality does not change, ever. This is the premise of Aristotle's "A is A". How you interpret, or evade, the A is up to you. But it is always there.

@ryan84160 No. Something either will or will not help you to function for the long-term. Did I say that I was quoting Rand? No.

@bobbygnosis If you disagree with reality, on what basis do you act? Towards what purpose? Objectivism asks you to work towards your best interests in life, on this planet. If you really, truly disagree with that ideal, than what would you prefer? To die and live in Heaven? To live in perpetual sleep? Are you waiting for a nirvana you can not know until you die? I live on this planet, with full conscience of what it means to do so. This is Objectivism.