Philosophy of happiness?

[Kimmler]

With greatest of respect and I ask this question with some trepidation. But, if objectivism is supposed to be a philosophy of happiness why are nearly all it’s followers so bitter and angry?

[Mike11]

With greatest of respect and I ask this question with some trepidation. But, if objectivism is supposed to be a philosophy of happiness why are nearly all it’s followers so bitter and angry?

I'm not an Objectivist and I'm bitter. Frankly I am angry that you exclude me.

[ValueChaser]

This is a good question. Could you give examples from which we may induct ahypothesis?

My first thought is that the attainment of consistent happiness, with nary a contradictory emotion, is the emotional leitmotif of human survival according to Ayn Rand. But like plants and animals, we are dependant on the material surrounding us for successful survival and therefore human virtue alone will not guarantee that everyone be happy in every respect. Perhaps they are angry because they cannot apply Rand's ideal in practice-- due to what they have to work with and cannot change. Or, perhaps they are angry because they cannot apply the ideal in practice--because they are undergoing problems in the task of survival, yet are not making the most of what they can work with, which to do so would bring consistent happiness to them. But this is speculation without concrete examples to work with!

--John (welcoming myself back

[Selene]

With greatest of respect and I ask this question with some trepidation. But, if objectivism is supposed to be a philosophy of happiness why are nearly all it's followers so bitter and angry?

Steven:

Once again, you throw out an assumption with no definitions or supporting data. Define objectivism for me? Is there some sort of study which concluded that objectivists are "bitter" or "angry"?

Your statement that "nearly all" requires some facts. It would assume that you know the total number of objectivists in the world which is interesting because I believe you started a thread a while back asking that question.

Finally, assuming that if you have any of this information, then what is your point in starting this thread?

Adam

Edited December 13, 2010 by Selene

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Kimmler,

I guess it depends on which Objectivists you are looking at.

Something a little more precise than "Objectivists" would be useful.

(Are all Christians bible-thumpers? Are all Marxists violent? Are all English males gay? See... these are the kinds of oversimplifications people find offensive. You keep doing that with Objectivists.)

Michael