Atlas Society
Top 10 Articles
Andrew Bissell
Love, Lust, and the Mind-Body Dichotomy
Categories:
Objectivism |
Question: How does Objectivism define and classify sexual desire and lust? It seems they do not actually flow from convictions, but instead have a biological basis. Since sex is a large part of an individual’s self-identity, what role do sexual desires and actions play in an Objectivist's life? Doesn't sexual desire undermine the whole Randian theory of mind-body synergy?
Love
Categories:
Objectivism |
Question: Could you give me a more in-depth explanation of Objectivism’s perception of love?
Answer: Love is an essential value we obtain from other people. In giving love, we are responding to our own values realized and made beautiful by another person. In receiving love, we receive a kind of reward for the virtues, habits, and qualities we have cultivated in our own characters.
God
Categories:
Objectivism |
Question: Where does God come in the picture?
Answer: Well, if you’re referring to an objective, rational view of the universe as it really is (the perspective Objectivism adopts), God simply doesn’t come in the picture. He does not exist.
Gay Parenting
Categories:
Objectivism |
Question: What is the position of Objectivism in regards to children in gay marriages? How does one reconcile the duties of a father and a mother to their children into the duties of two mothers or two fathers? As only a father and mother can naturally create children, it seems that nature has built in a bias against homosexual relationships—nothing is produced (physically, i.e., a child, romantic life notwithstanding) by the union of two homosexuals.
Fundamentalism (Non-Religious and Objectivist)
Categories:
Objectivism |
Question: What is Objectivism’s stand on and definition of fundamentalism as it applies to non-religious movements and what is Objectivism’s own fundamentalism?”
Family and Gifts
Categories:
Objectivism |
Question: My parents want to give me an extravagantly expensive graduation gift—a telescope. I would like to own it, but I know that it would cost them more than they can afford. I want to accept, but I feel it’s inappropriate. They’ve already spent the past 22 years providing me with all of my needs. A telescope is not a further need.
Externalities
Categories:
Objectivism |
Question: Please explain the meaning and significance of externalities, how they arise and to what extent they can be corrected by government intervention.
Evolution of Morals
Categories:
Objectivism |
Question: People have evolved with intuitive ‘moral’ values, through natural selection, i.e., our ethics system gives the person the best chance of successful reproduction. Is it possible that some of the axioms of Objectivism are based on these values, such as an aversion to lying or killing? Why is it important that we respect the rights of others?
Collectivism, Freedom, and Happiness
Categories:
Objectivism |
Question: Can pure happiness be attained through selfishness and possessiveness rather than truth and love? Does Objectivism’s individual mean that a collectivist is cowardly and inferior? Can you imagine an independent India or South Africa without collectivist personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and many more?
