 The other day I had a conversation with a co-worker about politics. At one point I said I don't really think it matters who wins the next election, because the real war is not being fought on that level. I explained that politics is an extension of ethics, and as long as our culture embraces altruism, you can never expect a real improvement.
Joseph Rowlands
http://rebirthofreason.com/Forum/ArticleDiscussions/0677.shtml
The left accuses the right of not really wanting to accomplish the altruistic goal, and so they question their motives. The right can't question the motives of the left, so they have to claim that they are well meaning but their approach has problems. And that is how most of the political debate goes. We're in a unique position of understanding that altruism is taken for granted by the left and the right, since we don't accept it ourselves. So we can understand why they talk past each other, and why the right will always seem heartless and the left will always seem brainless.
Joseph Rowlands
http://rebirthofreason.com/Forum/GeneralForum/1661.shtml#10
But the Objectivist view is that government shouldn't violate our rights. We're not interested in small government. We're interested in strictly limited government. We're not limiting it because we think someone could abuse it. We're limiting it because a government that initiates force is already bad. Illegitimate power is not something that can be abused. Its very use is wrong from the start, and abuse is just people's way of saying that it isn't being used the way they prefer.
Joseph Rowlands
http://rebirthofreason.com/Forum/GeneralForum/1661.shtml#3
Suddenly the focus of the morality has shifted from simply helping other people to sacrificing in order to do it. You're judged as virtuous if you sacrifice a lot for the cause. In fact, how moral the act is gets measured by how much you benefit or sacrifice for it. If you benefit, it lowers how moral it was. If you sacrifice for it, it increases the virtue of the act by showing how dedicated you are to helping other people.
Joseph Rowlands
http://rebirthofreason.com/Articles/Rowlands/Is_Altruism_Really_About_Self-Sacrifice.shtml
I think there are two kinds of incompetent people. Those that treat violence as a first resort, and those that treat it as a last resort. The former are thugs. The latter are cowards.
Joseph Rowlands
Gulching and Shrugging
Whether someone calls themselves an Objectivist is an interesting matter. I see it as offering acknowledgement to Rand's ideas and formulations. It isn't to declare allegiance to her every word, or to pretend to speak in her name. I find it interesting that those trying to maintain the purity of the philosophy end up making it incredibly difficult for people to simply acknowledge her ideas. It's like they don't want anyone to believe any part of it, or to credit any of the ideas, unless they accept it all without criticism.
Joseph Rowlands
If a soda and a candy bar each cost a dollar, and you've got one dollar, you have to choose. If you have two dollars, you can have both
Joseph Rowlands
From The meaning of life by, Joe Rowlands
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