People act unselfishly all the time. Indeed, that is one key to what is wrong with much of the world. It certainly explains why so many love
Question: Why is there no right to health care? Answer: The concept of an entitlement to health care has gained widespread support. Article 25 of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including … medical care.” Both the Democratic and Republican Party Platforms include language affirming their commitments to maintain “accessible” and “affordable” health care.
Question: If happiness is the highest moral goal humans can achieve, selfishness is virtuous and people should only receive what they deserve (no gifts), does Objectivism endorse cruelty or, on the other hand, giving help or aid to other forms of life (including humans) when they increase the selfish person’s happiness?
Question: European views have diverged substantially with Objectivist thinking since the treaty of Maastricht. Given this, what would be a reasonable approach for the United States to influence the thinking of this highly developed region? Answer: Objectivism calls for a political and moral revolution. In politics, it calls for absolute respect for human rights to life, liberty, and property. This means the separation of the state from the economy as well as from religion. For more on this, see my Q&A: " What is the Objectivist View of Law and Government? " or my essay " Radical for Capitalism ."
Thomas Sowell had a fine column yesterday, celebrating the achievements of John D. Rockefeller. Better yet, he put his tribute in proper context: “ Heroes of Old Were Creators—Not Talkers .” That is a bit of an exaggeration, inasmuch as great orators have long been celebrated. Perhaps a better title would have been: “Heroes of Old Were Creators—Not Just Talkers.”
Question: In class we are discussing skepticism, and we are trying to make the distinction between the dream state and awake. I have made the case in class as follows: first "I think therefore I am": the mere fact that we are thinking of these issues implies that we have consciousness. If we have consciousness, then there must be existence in which our consciousness presides. Ergo, existence precedes consciousness.
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.
Question: How does Objectivism see nursing facilities for the aging, such as hospice care? Answer: No Objectivist organization that I know of has a detailed position on nursing facilities for the aging. But here are some general principles any Objectivist would apply:
Question: Relevant Objectivist terms and definitions, as I understand them, are: EXISTENT: something that exists (and has a physical basis) UNIT: an existent regarded as a separate member of a group of two or more similar members CONCEPT: a mental integration of two or more units which are isolated according to a specific characteristic(s) and united by a specific definition
Question: What about taxes to pay for workers who get injured? Answer: What about workers taking responsibility for their own lives and well-being by either buying insurance, pooling their resources with other workers in, say, a voluntary union, or by refusing to work for firms that do not provide adequate disability insurance?
First, in a free society there really isn't as much of a class system as you may think. The correlation between a person's income and that
Question: I would like to know how Objectivism is different from hedonism, at least as far as morality is concerned. They seem very similar
It is neither always wrong nor always right to hold off having sex until one is married. Whether it is right or wrong for you is a personal
I think you are asking to what extent it is right to embrace and follow teachings that are in some aspect known to be false. Examples would
To be objective means to be based on features of reality that can be observed or deduced by anyone. Scientific experiments are objective....
Objectivism does not have a “strict physicalist doctrine.” It merely holds that whatever exists exists, has identity, and has causal powers
Ayn Rand was a radical thinker, i.e., one who went to the root of long-standing philosophical problems. She was self-consciously opposed to
The person who said that simply misunderstood Objectivism .In social relations, Objectivism holds that your rational self-interest is best
As they evolved over hundreds of millennia, human beings developed some innate physical desires and psychological predispositions through
The Atlas Society does not at this time have an official position on the Free State Project. However, I think it is safe to say that the
People act unselfishly all the time. Indeed, that is one key to what is wrong with much of the world. It certainly explains why so many love
Question: Why is there no right to health care? Answer: The concept of an entitlement to health care has gained widespread support. Article 25 of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including … medical care.” Both the Democratic and Republican Party Platforms include language affirming their commitments to maintain “accessible” and “affordable” health care.
Question: If happiness is the highest moral goal humans can achieve, selfishness is virtuous and people should only receive what they deserve (no gifts), does Objectivism endorse cruelty or, on the other hand, giving help or aid to other forms of life (including humans) when they increase the selfish person’s happiness?
Question: European views have diverged substantially with Objectivist thinking since the treaty of Maastricht. Given this, what would be a reasonable approach for the United States to influence the thinking of this highly developed region? Answer: Objectivism calls for a political and moral revolution. In politics, it calls for absolute respect for human rights to life, liberty, and property. This means the separation of the state from the economy as well as from religion. For more on this, see my Q&A: " What is the Objectivist View of Law and Government? " or my essay " Radical for Capitalism ."
Thomas Sowell had a fine column yesterday, celebrating the achievements of John D. Rockefeller. Better yet, he put his tribute in proper context: “ Heroes of Old Were Creators—Not Talkers .” That is a bit of an exaggeration, inasmuch as great orators have long been celebrated. Perhaps a better title would have been: “Heroes of Old Were Creators—Not Just Talkers.”
Question: In class we are discussing skepticism, and we are trying to make the distinction between the dream state and awake. I have made the case in class as follows: first "I think therefore I am": the mere fact that we are thinking of these issues implies that we have consciousness. If we have consciousness, then there must be existence in which our consciousness presides. Ergo, existence precedes consciousness.
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.
Question: How does Objectivism see nursing facilities for the aging, such as hospice care? Answer: No Objectivist organization that I know of has a detailed position on nursing facilities for the aging. But here are some general principles any Objectivist would apply:
Question: Relevant Objectivist terms and definitions, as I understand them, are: EXISTENT: something that exists (and has a physical basis) UNIT: an existent regarded as a separate member of a group of two or more similar members CONCEPT: a mental integration of two or more units which are isolated according to a specific characteristic(s) and united by a specific definition
Question: What about taxes to pay for workers who get injured? Answer: What about workers taking responsibility for their own lives and well-being by either buying insurance, pooling their resources with other workers in, say, a voluntary union, or by refusing to work for firms that do not provide adequate disability insurance?
First, in a free society there really isn't as much of a class system as you may think. The correlation between a person's income and that
Question: I would like to know how Objectivism is different from hedonism, at least as far as morality is concerned. They seem very similar
It is neither always wrong nor always right to hold off having sex until one is married. Whether it is right or wrong for you is a personal
I think you are asking to what extent it is right to embrace and follow teachings that are in some aspect known to be false. Examples would
To be objective means to be based on features of reality that can be observed or deduced by anyone. Scientific experiments are objective....
Objectivism does not have a “strict physicalist doctrine.” It merely holds that whatever exists exists, has identity, and has causal powers
Ayn Rand was a radical thinker, i.e., one who went to the root of long-standing philosophical problems. She was self-consciously opposed to
The person who said that simply misunderstood Objectivism .In social relations, Objectivism holds that your rational self-interest is best
As they evolved over hundreds of millennia, human beings developed some innate physical desires and psychological predispositions through
The Atlas Society does not at this time have an official position on the Free State Project. However, I think it is safe to say that the