 Virtue of Loyalty
by Joseph Rowlands
Loyalty is traditionally viewed as a virtue. And yet it my experience, Objectivists tend to reject loyalty as a kind of irrationality. That's not particularly surprising. Loyalty is often viewed as sticking by someone's side no matter how irrational they are or improper their behavior. It is thought of as turning a... (Read more...)
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A Virtue of Optimism
by Joseph Rowlands
One of the characteristics that is common to most of the Objectivist virtues is an identification of things that have the possibility of getting in the way of acting effectively and rationally. Honesty, for instance, points out how acting on the unreal is counterproductive, and that only a focus on what's real can lea... (Read more...)
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Wednesday
September 7, 2011 |
Preface to Flourishing and Happiness in a Free Society
by Edward W. Younkins
Preface The central premise of my argument is that human beings are moral agents who ought to live to achieve happiness in their lives here on earth, with this happiness understood to involve their success as rational yet also unique natural beings. Each person has as his or her proper go... (Read more...)
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Handling Conflicts Productively
by Luke Setzer
People can argue all day long about who is "right" or "wrong" as the broad spectrum of today's news commentators and politicians shows. So let those irrelevant others "feel" they are right using this technique. Meanwhile, pause to savor how you have learned to save your precious time and energy for what you enjoy most without ever actually sanctioning your enemies. (Read more...)
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Get Your Freedom Soda Here!
by Jeff Landauer
There are many small tragedies that we all suffer every day at the hands of an overbearing government. And one of these tragedies, for those of us living in the USA, is inferior sodas sweetened with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) instead of real sugar because of a combination of sugar tariffs and corn subsidies. (Read more...)
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Wednesday
September 12, 2007 |
Overcoming Akrasia
by Eric Rockwell
When we determine a plan of action that is in our long-range self interest, sometimes we see it through to completion and are happy with our success. But other times, we fail to follow through. This article examines the nature of such behavior. (Read more...)
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Sumerian Philosophy
by Kyrel Zantonavitch
The world's first recorded deep thinking. Philosophy before there was philosophy. (Read more...)
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Balance vs. Integration
by Joseph Rowlands
Years ago I attended an Objectivist meeting where the participants discussed short-term vs. long-term interests. What struck me at the time was that neither standard made sense as a complete moral standard. (Read more...)
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Wednesday
February 14, 2007 |
PROPEL(TM) Universal Club Brochure
by Luke Setzer
This article contains the text of the proposed PROPEL™ universal club brochure. To appreciate it fully, download the Portable Document Format (PDF) version of the file here. Note that the Web address has not yet gone live. (Read more...)
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Wednesday
February 7, 2007 |
Announcing PROPEL(TM)
by Luke Setzer
Creating a name with a catchy acronym that encapsulates the best of local Objectivist clubs proved a challenge. The honor of identifying that name belongs to the RoR Global Distributor J. J. Tuan. We call it: PROPEL™: Passionate Rational Objectivists Promoting Exuberant Living™. (Read more...)
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Human Happiness: The only kind there is.
by Ed Thompson
The subtitle to this piece indicates that's there's only one kind of true happiness (ie. the human kind). It has to do with how humans uniquely experience the act of living. A contrast with non-human beings (animals) may help illuminate what it is that human happiness is. What is required (for the illumination) is to somehow differentiate happiness from mere elation and the mere satisfaction of current desires (those things most close to happiness; which animals also experience). (Read more...)
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What is Love
by Michael F Dickey
Love, and emotion for that matter (in a healthy brain) is our response to our highest values. Love is the emotional price you pay for *valuing* something and seeing it expressed in another human being. All of our emotions are responses to the things we value most being expressed. When we value the health and well being... (Read more...)
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Honesty versus Brutal Frankness
by G. Stolyarov II
A popular misconception of honesty equates the virtue with always “telling it like it is” and not holding back any of one’s thoughts about a person, idea, or situation—no matter what the consequences of those thoughts. This view and its real-world applications are antithetical to genuine honesty. Mr. Stolyarov describes genuine honesty as being true to oneself above all and always striving to act on one’s best understanding of reality and one’s genuine self-interest. (Read more...)
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Saying Yes to Life
by Jenna W
What matters is that you do good work. What matters is that you produce things that are true and will stand. (Read more...)
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The Benefits of Wine
by Ciro D'Agostino
For SOLOists, here are some quotes I found about the benefits of wine.
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Self Defense, Part 1
by Duncan Bayne
Are you prepared to protect your life, and the people and things in your life which you value? Your wife? Your children? Your dog? Your house? Your collection of gently aging Shiraz? The reason I ask is that I thought I was prepared, some months ago—then reality asserted itself and proved otherwise. (Read more...)
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The New Arabian Dream
by Max Schwing
Dubai is different, Dubai is modern, Dubai is a good future. As one of the six United Arabian Emirates, Dubai shows us how Islamic beliefs can be integrated into a modern society. It also gives any liberal ideologist around the world goosebumps, because in Dubai we see our dreams coming true. (Read more...)
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Sergio Manuel Sanchez Covarrubias Kilbourne
by James Kilbourne
Today, you are triumphant, and our love conquers all fear and doubt. Tomorrow we will deal with tomorrow, and we will deal with each tomorrow thereafter together. Today, July 8, is my birthday; your courage and strength have given me the greatest birthday present I could ever receive. And I no longer fear tomorrow. Our love makes any tomorrow bearable and every today a joy. (Read more...)
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For Mario Lanza
by David C. Adams
No critic's sneering hate for life and skill
Can penetrate the rapture you conveyed
In raging passion shaped by human will,
A sacrament in breathless serenade.
You sang each word as if with final breath;
Your song remains, a voice transcending death. (Read more...)
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Coming Out of the Country Closet
by Jason Dixon
As someone enamored with the romantic idea of culture, sophistication, and elegance I thought my equally strong love of country music was a reflection of a divided self. Thanks to another friend I realized that it isn’t me who’s contradictory, it’s the fans and artists of country music. And as a person passionately attached to his values, I’m happy to admit aloud what once was a secret pleasure. (Read more...)
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Some Great Men
by Jeffrey Perren
Some of the lesser known, but still worth knowing about, great men of history. (Read more...)
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Seven Deadly Sins
by Lindsay Perigo
Seven Deadly Sins ought to be enough to be going on with. As will be readily apparent, they are overlapping and mutually reinforcing ... I hope that in getting my exasperation with them off my chest, I have written something of value to the reader in his quest for Nem-status and eudaimonia. It can be summed up as follows:
This above all, thine own self create, and to it forever be true …
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The Pitfall Of Passivism
by Lindsay Perigo
To be a passivist is to be vulnerable to dogmatists pretending to know it all, when in fact they are no more qualified to live your life than you are to live theirs. It is to risk abandoning the virtue of independence in favour of conformity to someone else’s dictates. (Read more...)
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Wednesday
November 24, 2004 |
Thanks, Indeed
by Jennifer Iannolo
Yes, my fellow Americans, it is time once again to return to the family table. I hope you have your bottle of wine ready. ;) (Read more...)
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Wednesday
November 10, 2004 |
On Smoking
by Barbara Branden
[Editor's note - this article is reproduced with her permission from Barbara's web site, in light of the "addiction" thread currently on this board.]
In the endless conversations, essays, articles, television shows, letters to the editor, and debates about the tobacco industry versus the government, one issue is considered unarguable: that cigarettes are addictive. (Read more...)
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