 Locke on Essence
by Merlin Jetton
John Locke's views on essence have much in common with those of Ayn Rand. (Read more...)
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Machan's Musings - Rights, the Constitution, and the Ninth Amendment
by Tibor R. Machan
In our time the Ninth Amendment has been roundly neglected—some have dubbed it "the forgotten" Ninth Amendment as a result. (Read more...)
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The Spirits of Christmas: A New Look at "A Christmas Carol"
by Robert Davison (Wolf)
Those of an Objectivist or Libertarian bent usually vilify "A Christmas Carol", his best-known story, as an overly sentimental paean to altruism. But, there may be less to that theory than meets the eye. (Read more...)
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Machan's Musings - Why Teaching Intelligent Design is Such a Problem
by Tibor R. Machan
Whenever a controversy arises in government funded and administered educational(?) institutions, no one in the mainstream media mentions the real source of the problem. (Read more...)
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Wednesday
December 7, 2005 |
 Capitalism Vs. Gender Inequality?
by Ricky Egeland
This letter is in response to a letter to the editor of the MN Daily titled "System of Oppression" which claims "sexism is essential to Capitalism". I provide the unedited version here, but you can also read the edited version at the MN Daily web site. (Read more...)
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Wednesday
December 7, 2005 |
Machan's Musings - Saddam Hussein Learned from Richard Rorty
by Tibor R. Machan
Mr. Hussein has learned his contemporary philosophical lessons—at least those of some of our most prominent philosophers—very well. He would easily get his PhD in the field. (Read more...)
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My Response to Academic Perfidy
by Marty Lewinter
The price of being an academic is eternal, around-the-clock vigilance, and clear, objective, reasoning that rises above nit-picky, tunnel vision, west-bashers. (Read more...)
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Machan's Musings - Contra Campos
by Tibor R. Machan
Faith is, after all, a non-rational commitment and, except for just a few theologians, is understood as ascent to various beliefs without evidence and argument, indeed, even ascent against evidence and argument. (Read more...)
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The Problem of Benevolence
by Joseph Rowlands
It's one of the big mysteries in life why Objectivist forums contain so much hostility and lack of benevolence. (Read more...)
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The Artistic Battleground
by Dean Michael Gores
Art makes abstract ideas concrete, in whatever form the artist chooses. I have gathered a collection of art, showing examples of both harmful and life affirming art. I discuss the details of their constituents, and infer what ideas they are an abstraction of. (Read more...)
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Machan's Musings - Disingenuous Care for Privacy Rights
by Tibor R. Machan
Another nomination hearing is about to unfold before us and we can count on some of the central themes based on previous hearings. (Read more...)
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 Ayn Rand: Philosopher of Unity and Integration
by Edward W. Younkins
Ayn Rand (1905-1982), the controversial American novelist and philosopher, has done more than anyone else in history to develop a moral case for capitalism. (Read more...)
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 The Rebirth
by Joseph Rowlands
Welcome to the Rebirth of Reason website. (Read more...)
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Wednesday
November 30, 2005 |
 Dreams
by Marty Lewinter
Fuel for the undaunted. (Read more...)
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Persuasion II
by Ciro D'Agostino
The persuasion of others is used sometimes to achieve self-assurance. (Read more...)
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Machan's Musings - Back to More Business Bashing
by Tibor R. Machan
When so many influential people still believe that business ethics is an oxymoron, it's no wonder that journalists and even those in the business community begin to let the notion go unchallenged. (Read more...)
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 Musical Innovation: Devotion or Deviance?
by Joseph C. Maurone
Without falling into the post-modern trap of relativism and denying that some composers are better than others, innovation requires deviation and diversity. The rules, once known, are begging to be broken. If one wants to see innovation in music, one needs to engage in the dialectic of devotion and deviation. (Read more...)
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Machan's Musings - Europe Clings to Its Old Ways
by Tibor R. Machan
I do not wear a sign around my neck saying “I am a champion of human liberty.” Yet I often run into other frequent travelers on the road who share my concerns about the lack of appreciation for freedom around the globe. As I have traveled on the trains in many European countries, I have found myself in conversation with fellow train riders who, in time, would lament, just as I do, the inadequate support so many throughout Europe, even among the newly liberated folks, lend to the ideal of a truly free society. (Read more...)
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On the Origins of the Taking Syndrome
by A. Robert Malcom
The psychology of the two kinds of worldview, the trading and the taking, were and are quite different from each other. The taking syndrome was tribalistic; its members were raised to consider themselves as parts of groups, a valued quality when it comes to matters of organized theft. (Read more...)
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Machan's Musings - Freedom vs. Freedom
by Tibor R. Machan
As I was driven to my hotel upon my arrival here in Santiago, I couldn’t miss all the promotional posters and billboards typical of election seasons in most Western democracies. I asked what, if any, issues are being debated in the current election here that suggest some care about liberty? The answer was that there is indeed a debate about the very nature of freedom. (Read more...)
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Saturday
November 26, 2005 |
Vegetative Robots and Value
by Stephen Boydstun
Thought experiments are notorious for pre-packing the point to be demonstrated into the setup to be contemplated. In an essay in The Philosophic Thought of Ayn Rand (1984), Charles King raised just that sort of objection to Rand’s robot gedanken: "if the robot neither knows nor cares [what happens to things around it], the example seems uninteresting." I do not agree that the robot gedanken is without interest if the robot is devoid of thought and feeling. I will here extend Rand’s gedanken in such a way that it can inform the concept of purely vegetative value. (Read more...)
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Saturday
November 26, 2005 |
Academia is so Open-Minded, Its Brains Fell Out!
by Marty Lewinter
My college is planning a year-long theme that has to do with Muslim culture. A professor (whom I call YYYY) posted an opinion implying that the problem (ignorance) lies with us. I responded. Another professor (XXXX) attacked me. Finally, I responded. It's a jungle out there! (Read more...)
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Valliant Versus the Brandens
by Fred Seddon
Let me begin with a “thank you” to Linz for recommending (highly) James S. Valliant’s book “The Passion of Ayn Rand’s Critics,” (PARC). And while I agree with most of what our fearless leader had to say (I liked the book so much I’ve ordered a copy as a Christmas present for a friend), I do have a few thoughts I want to state for the record. (Read more...)
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Depth Perception
by John Paul Sherman
If life seemed a pebble in an unknown palm ... (Read more...)
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Thursday
November 24, 2005 |
The Corruption of Measurement
by Merlin Jetton
Measurement is a hallmark of science, reason and objectivity. It should be defended. It is too important to allow it to be corrupted by subjectivism. (Read more...)
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