Exultation: The Romanticism of Opera
by Arthur Silber
Opera's business is exultation, and it is a successful business indeed. Arthur Silber tells us why... (Read more...)
Discuss this Article (4 messages)
Valuing Values
by Arthur Silber
The passionate commitment and dedication to the pursuit of values lies at the very heart of Objectivism. Ayn Rand's philosophy recognizes that, in the most general sense, we enter the world with only our minds to guide us as we make our way through life... (Read more...)
Discuss this Article (7 messages)
Thursday September 12, 2002 |
Blogs: Welcome Signs of Life
by Arthur Silber
In a fascinating recent article in Slate, writer Jack Shafer discusses the phenomenon of "Right-Wing Envy." Shafer notes: "[I]t's not just money that makes right writing so much fun. While the right seeks converts, trying both to persuade and entertain, the left spends its journalistic energy policing the movement. . . . [C]onservative journalists are more likely to allow readers to enjoy a magazine article without strong-arming them into signing the ideology oath that seems to come packed with most lefty journalism." The increasing effects of this very real, and welcome occurrence, are perhaps most noticeable in a relatively new Internet development: the world of blogs. (Read more...)
Discuss this Article (2 messages)
Tuesday September 10, 2002 |
Stacking the Deck -- And the Courts
by Arthur Silber
As reported in the San Francisco Chronicle, on July 26, 2002: "San Francisco's judges have become the first in the state to cut ties with the Boy Scouts because of the organization's refusal to admit gays and lesbians." (Read more...)
Discuss this Article (12 messages)
Philosophy Lessons -- Courtesy of Opie and Anthony
by Arthur Silber
While it is certainly true that ideas underlie all events, sometimes philosophical instruction comes to us from unexpected directions. Consider the recent case of two radio "shock" jocks, Greg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia. The New York-based radio hosts, whose show was nationally syndicated and carried in 17 additional markets, had their show canceled by station WNEW-FM on August 22, 2002. An uproar had ensued when Opie and Anthony, as part of a "stunt" on their show, had offered their listeners a live broadcast of a man and a woman apparently having sex in St. Patrick's Cathedral. (Read more...)
Discuss this Article (2 messages)
A Friend... To Values
by Arthur Silber
Certain stories, almost mythic in nature, connect to our deepest values. For this reason, our response to them reveals our sense of life in a manner that most other events do not. I know that many people who identify themselves as Objectivists, to one degree or another, may not understand why I view the following story -- a true one -- as inspiring, and profoundly moving. (Read more...)
Discuss this Article (4 messages)
|