Objectivism Archive

Objectivism, Modern Politics, and the Non-initiation of Force

January 13, 2008 · Category: Current Events, Individualism, Intellectual, Objectivism

A friend made some claims in a friends-only post at LiveJournal, and a disagreement between us ensued. Since it was a friends-only post, I cannot really quote his post here in public. The issues raised were important ones, however, and ones that require some time to disentangle. So I'm posting my reply here where others may add to, and benefit from, the dialogue if they wish. * * * It sounds like we agree that the important overall question is "What major party candidate, if any, is most likely to make America a more free country?" In your original post, you do ...

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Vadim Perelman’s “House of Sand and Fog”

October 23, 2007 · Category: Atlasphere, Objectivism, Reviews

Last week I watched the DVD of Atlas Shrugged movie director Vadim Perelman's House of Sand and Fog. (For more background about the Atlas Shrugged movie, I can't recommend highly enough Robert Bidinotto's new article "Major Updates on the Atlas Shrugged Movie" at the Atlasphere.) Since Perelman's going to be the proverbial "god" of the new Atlas Shrugged movie, I figured it would be worth witnessing his previous cinematic work first-hand. This is a dark movie, no question about it. I can easily imagine some Ayn Rand fans liking the movie, and others actively disliking it. The writing, acting, and ...

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Every Man As an End in Himself

June 20, 2007 · Category: Individualism, Objectivism, Politics

Did you know that all 328 pages of Tara Smith's book Ayn Rand's Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist are available online through Google? [Correction: Apparently only part of it is available.] I stumbled across the book (which I've not yet read) while searching for a quote from Ayn Rand's The Virtue of Selfishness, which appears as follows in Smith's book: The basic social principle of the Objectivist ethics is that "every living human being is an end in himself, not the means to the ends or the welfare of others..." (citation: Virtue of Selfishness, p30) This particular quote by Rand is, in my ...

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Friendship Set on Fire

June 7, 2007 · Category: Atlasphere, Objectivism, Personal, Photos

Today we published Peter Saint-Andre's excellent essay "The Art of Friendship" at the Atlasphere. I am particularly fond of this essay. Kathy e-mailed it to me in July 1999, shortly after we had met in Vermont and struck up an active e-mail correspondence. Mid-way through reading the essay next morning, multi-tasking on the way to work, I remember getting a chill down my spine and thinking, "Any woman that would send me this essay is worth taking very seriously." I promptly broke things off with a woman I'd been dating casually, and told Kathy that I was no longer seeing ...

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Are Mormons Happier than Objectivists?

August 18, 2006 · Category: Objectivism

Will Wilkinson thinks so. If he's right, then why is this the case? And what philosophical implications (if any) would it have? This is a topic I've touched on before, to some extent. From Will's post: I’ve made this point a number of times, but apparently I’m not tired of making it, because I’m about to make it again. One of the tenets of Objectivism is that adherence to the principles of Objectivism is a necessary condition for true happiness and maximum longevity. I am completely confident that this is false. So I am also willing to bet that Mormons, for example, are on ...

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Objectivist Blogs – Updated

August 13, 2006 · Category: Objectivism

With some help from reader Chris G, I've been steadily updating some of the links on the Objectivist blogs page. Check it out if you're interested.

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Reflections on “Growing Out” of Objectivism

August 11, 2006 · Category: Objectivism, Personal

Objectivist Former Objectivist Jay Allen has written an interesting post cataloging some of the ways in which Ayn Rand had a permanent influence on him. I found some of Jay's descriptions a bit rough (his humor ranges from side-splitting to simply bawdy, IMO), but there were some gems on the list. In general, I am always interested to observe what people keep, and what they discard, when they "move on" from Objectivism. Usually, I'm surprised by how much they keep -- and yet how much, at the same time, they come to dislike being thought of as "an Objectivist." This makes me think that ...

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Sex Advice from Objectivists

July 20, 2006 · Category: Atlasphere, Humor, Objectivism, Personal

Last week, a writer from Nerve.com invited me, as owner of the Atlasphere, to participate in a column titled "Sex Advice from Objectivists." It's part of their regular "Sex Advice from..." series, including advice from tribute bands, Santas, and poker players. Get the picture? As I read through the questions I would be answering, I remember thinking that many Objectivists are just about the last people I'd want to be asking questions like this. Anyway, they published the Objectivist-themed column today, so go judge for yourself. Overall, I think they actually did a decent job of picking writers. Below are my own answers, preserved ...

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What is Mind Identification?

July 15, 2006 · Category: Buddhism, Eckhart Tolle, Meditation, Mindfulness, Objectivism

I just posted the following on the Rebirth of Reason web site, in response to Luke Setzer's negative review of Eckhart Tolle's book The Power of Now. Luke writes: "[Eckhart Tolle's] thesis that 'mind identification' serves as the source for all strife in the world stands squarely at odds with reason as man's only means of knowing and his method of survival." Actually, this is not true. To explain why, we have to look at what mind identification consists of, and what the alternatives would be in everyday life. First, here's a working definition: 'Mind identification' is an unconscious process by ...

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Check Out Jay Allen’s Blog

June 28, 2006 · Category: Buddhism, Integral, Intellectual, Meditation, Mindfulness, Objectivism

I recently discovered the bloggings of another Rand-influenced meditator, Jay Andrew Allen. Yes -- for those of you who remember -- this is the same Jay Allen that was a spirited defender of Leonard Peikoff from back in the day on alt.philosophy.objectivism. Jay tells me that he doesn't consider himself an Objectivist anymore, and I'm hoping to hear more of his thoughts on that subject at some point soon. In the interim, I've been greatly enjoying the diversity and incisiveness of his writings. You can find his old blog at jayandrewallen.com, but today he's blogging much more actively on his Zaadz blog, the ...

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