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Forum : Article Discussions : The Individual and the General in Our Lives

Monday
January 22, 2007

The Individual and the General in Our Lives by Tibor R. Machan

Often people who speak out on various issues will do so as if they knew what is true about all of us. This is the source of all the "we" talk in public discourse. "We have such and such rights," "We need this or that vitamin or exercise or educational program." Medical science certainly weighs in with such pronouncements all the time, claiming that coffee is or is not healthful, that cholesterol must be lowered or a certain ratio of age to height to weight is right for everyone. (Read more...)
Discuss this Article (3 messages)

Monday, January 22, 2007 - 3:23pm

Excellent piece. This article cites real world scenarios that people can relate to, and would be an excellent bridge building piece to introduce people to the ideas of principled individualism. I will forward it on appropriately.

Monday, January 22, 2007 - 5:38pm

I agree. This is a concept which the media seldom takes the time to take into account. It would be so easy to preface statements with words like "in some cases" or "for most people" and so on.

The BMI is a classic example of "one size fits all. The idea that one number can be used to judge the healthy range of weights for people of vastly different heights, builds, ages and so on.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007 - 6:42am

Many people consider the BMI to be a complete joke. It does not take into account lean muscle mass.