Tuesday
September 11, 2007 |
 America and Libertarianism
by Tibor R. Machan
Because America is still widely regarded as a pretty decent country, even while Left, Right and the rest find a lot of fault with it, the question of whether Democrats, Republicans, Liberals, Conservatives, Populists, or Libertarians are the most faithful to its central ideas and ideals is important to ask and answer. (Read more...)
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 Rights, Games, and Self-Realization Part 1
by Stephen Boydstun
In Part I we shall uncover, for two socially isolated people, some semblance of rights against personal injury and some semblance of rights to liberty. (Read more...)
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Wednesday
September 5, 2007 |
 Advice for Those Considering NCSSM
by Luke Setzer
Between 1982 and 1984, I attended a state boarding school called the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM). Founded in 1980, it became the first such state school for eleventh and twelfth graders showing exceptional aptitudes in the fields of science and mathematics. It has inspired the creation of eighteen other similar schools around the world and has become part of the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology (NCSSSMST). This article represents a body of "lessons learned" for those young people considering attending NCSSM today. It examines general considerations, motives, benefits, detriments, and alternatives related to the NCSSM experience. It concludes with a suggested plan of action. These lessons remain general enough to apply to any young high school student considering any advanced, rigorous, residential high school program -- or even college. (Read more...)
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 Burdens of Proof
by Joseph Rowlands
A lot of debates revolve around where the burden of proof lies. Which side needs to prove their point, and does the other side simply get to argue against that point, or do they have to prove their own position? (Read more...)
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Ayn Rand, I and The Universe Part 1
by Manfred F. Schieder
Editor's Note: As mentioned previously, we are running Manfred's book as a chapter-a-week serial on RoR. Here is the first installment which includes the introduction, table of contents, and chapter 1. Due to the length of these articles they will be run on each Friday to give reader's ample time before a new article takes the headline space. (Read more...)
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Rights, Games, and Self-Realization
by Stephen Boydstun
Individual rights are those moral claims of one person upon another for which enforcement is morally permissible. The question of whether the use of deliberate force is morally justified turns upon the value to be secured and the strategic implications of resorting to force. What value could justify the use of force and in what circumstances? A short answer would be that only the defense of individual freedom can justify the use of force, that freedom can only be abridged by force, and that, therefore, no one has the right to initiate the use of force against another. The initiation of force becomes the hallmark of the violation of a right. In this essay, I offer an answer closely related, but informed by game theory and reaching a new view of rights in land and the nature of government. (Read more...)
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 Is Altruism Really About Self-Sacrifice?
by Joseph Rowlands
Sometimes it's difficult to communicate radical ideas to people unfamiliar with them. An excellent example of this is the Objectivist view that altruism is at its essence a morality of self-sacrifice. If you were to describe altruism as aiming at self-sacrifice, or suggest it is a morality aimed at death, you'd proba... (Read more...)
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Ayn Rand and Rational Egoism: The dynamo of human progress
by Manfred F. Schieder
[Editor's Note: This article forms an introduction of sorts to a book written by Manfred that we will be publishing here in the form of a chapter-a-week serial.]
Excepting the followers of Ayn Rand’s Objectivism, those others who seemingly promote the application of Capitalism as the system required to produce general wellbeing, defend it on the wrong basis of religious principles. Capitalism as a social system does not originate on such doctrines but corresponds to a completely new stage of human evolution. (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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 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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Ron Paul Isn't Being Censored
by Tibor R. Machan
Some of the folks who are eager supporters of Representative Ron Paul as the Republican presidential nominee are sadly misspeaking themselves these days. On the Free Market News Network web site the question of whether Paul is being censored by mainstream media has been posed, as one of the site's polls, and the overwhelming majority has answered "Yes". But this is very confused. (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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Must the Senate Butt In?
by Tibor R. Machan
As I do my frequent working trips around Europe, I often listen to webcasts from various good radio stations. I am especially fond of one that offers all piano jazz, all day round, with just a few ads.
There is a persistent message, though, that the management airs, having to do with a bill in the US Senate that aims to establish what its promoters call Internet Radio Equality. One Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA) has introduced one in the House that would reportedly overturn a recent ruling that requires webcasters to pay a flat rate per song streamed, rather than the traditional percentage of their revenue.
The website about this bill reports that something called "the Copyright Royalty Board recently raised rates on Internet webcasters, who will soon face greatly-increased fees for streaming music on their stations." It goes on to state that when this occurred it "affected not just Internet broadcasters but noncommercial groups like NPR, and the broadcasters filed an appeal of the decision earlier this month, but were denied." The management of the piano jazz station to which I listen so loyally urges listeners to call their senators and leave messages urging the passage of the Senate version of Jay Inslee’s bill so they can continue to offer the music they feature without what they fear will be onerous fees. (Read more...)
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 Don't miss more than you have to.
by Ed Thompson
I wrote this to piece to encourage myself to live more happily. I'm sharing it in case there is someone else here who could gain some value from it. As a work of art, it's actually not that great of a poem (it's "campy") -- but some of you may still like it. (Read more...)
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Who Needs Philosophy
by Ed Thompson
Below are quote excerpts from Rand's "Philosophy: Who Needs It" (p 4-5), supplemented with Rand-validating quotes (from each philosopher in question) which display the thinking errors of each of these 8 philosophers. Exercise for interested readers: Feel free to attempt to invalidate the supplemented ("validating") quotes; or even to attempt to invalidate Rand, if that is your position! (Read more...)
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A Review of Andrew Bernstein's "The Philosophic and Literary Integration in Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged"
by Edward W. Younkins
This is a timely review of Andrew Bernstein’s 1995, 8.5 hours long, 7 tape, audio course, The Philosophic and Literary Integration in Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged. It is timely because the year 2007 marks the fiftieth anniversary of Ayn Rand’s masterpiece and many people will be wanting either to revisit Rand’s magnum o... (Read more...)
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The True Meaning of "Civil Rights"
by William Scott Dwyer
The modern version of civil rights is now a fait accompli -- an uncontroversial part of the American culture. Yet the original meaning of "civil rights" as introduced by Thomas Paine has all but been forgotten, if it was ever understood to begin with. In it's original incarnation, "civil rights" meant essentially the same thing as the "unalienable rights" referred to in the Declaration of Independence. Today, however, the term "civil rights" has devolved into the opposite of its original meaning and is now synonymous with ethnic rights, which are the antipode of the individual rights endorsed by Paine and Jefferson. (Read more...)
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Experiencing Objectivism through Quicken
by Luke Setzer
Sadly, even primarily capitalistic nations like America suffer from socialized institutions that suppress mind, the source of economic power. Government schools in capitalistic nations neglect to teach students how to think like capitalists. As a result, most students graduate high school or even college utterly clueless about how to manage their own personal economics, i.e. the production, distribution, and consumption of the material values they need to live well as individuals. This appendix from the forthcoming book The Vision-Driven™ Individual seeks to accelerate the reader up to speed on this most crucial aspect of living well in a free society. (Read more...)
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Proof of Free Will
by Tibor R. Machan
Some of my readers may be getting tired of and even exasperated with me about my repeated discussions of free will. Part of this is because the topic has been around for ages and some hope for some kind of final resolution. There will never be that! But this doesn’t mean there cannot be a right answer, only not one that will lead to some kind of world wide consensus. Indeed, is there any inquiry that leads to that? (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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Adam in Chains.
by Brede Armozel
This poem was inspired by the song of the same title by Billy Idol. It came as a realization of many life long problems I've been wrestling with or had. Enjoy. (Read more...)
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Politics: the choice that determines humanity's fate
by William D
Politics is the branch of philosophy that explores the interaction between members of society. Society is a group of individuals that choose to trade with each other. Interaction between two (or groups of) individuals can take only two forms. The first is force, the second is choice. (Read more...)
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How Do You Turn a Man Taliban?
by Ted Keer
From Ernst Roehm to John Walker Lindh, the sublimated pervert killer has served as the willing victim/martyr/sacrifice to turn his shame into glory. Are the Doctor Bombers of Britain any different? (Read more...)
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What Do We Celebrate on the Fourth of July?
by Tibor R. Machan
One way to appreciate the meaning of the Fourth of July is to reflect on what nearly every one of the Republican and Democratic presidential hopefuls focuses on in his or her interviews and speeches. Apart from Texas Representative Ron Paul, who is openly libertarian while running as a Republican, all the rest are emba... (Read more...)
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Normative versus Positive Statements
by Tibor R. Machan
Professor Walter Williams is a very good economists but not so good at moral philosophy, as is demonstrated by his recent column (titled in my local paper, "Don't Confuse what is with what should be".) In this piece he lays out what can fairly be said is now a widely discredited theory about whether moral judgments, like those in the various sciences, are subject to proof. He states that "Normative, or subjective statements deal with what's good or bad, or what ought to be or should be" and adds, that "there are no facts whatsoever to which we can appeal to settle any disagreement." He goes on: "One person's opinion on [a normative] matter is just as good as another's." (Read more...)
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