J.S. McGowan

Could there be a future with a country built on Objectivism... could all us Objectivists not pool our resources and buy an island or something?

Jacob:

Where is the starting point in the time line for "modern environmentalism?"

By the way, Happy Birthday!!!

Adam

thanks! :-D

does anyone have anything to say about Silent Spring by Rachel Carson?

I'm doing an essay for History about the history of modern environmentalism. I'm wondering whether anyone can give me some pointers or information on that matter...

See if the eco-phreak movement started way back when with the Conservation Movement.

Ba'al Chatzaf

what is the Eco-phreak movement?

I'm doing an essay for History about the history of modern environmentalism. I'm wondering whether anyone can give me some pointers or information on that matter...

wow, Ayn Rand saw a flying saucer... that's something I never expected to hear...

Just curious as to what people think about all the alien conspiracies. I find them fun to explore and I often have to slap myself out off believing them. (Whitely Strieber's Communion book had me sleeping with the light on )

I also love reading all those ancient alien intervention books like Eric von Daniken's books and Iv read the Lost Book of Enki by Sitchin. I read them more as science fiction.

Has Ayn Rand ever said anything about alien visitation?

any one here who believes?

I really enjoyed reading the piece you wrote Micheal, very plausible.

I went to see John Carter. It was good fun. and I agree with you Blackhorse on the importance of a black and white morality.

I seem to remember reading in the Virtue of Selfishness that Ayn Rand saw the invasion of countries under a dictatorship by a free countries is morally justifiable. Doesnt this justify America getting involved in the affairs of other countries and hence give some justification to the Kony 2012 movement?

I disagree with the whole thing. It all seems like Hipster Socialist jibber jabber, but under what specific circumstance is american military interference justified?

I'm being really lazy here in asking so bluntly (I'm not in the mood to traverse the posts in the election related forums) but:

which presidential candidate/ candidates does the Objectivist community sympathize and support most?

(a little brief explanation as to why would also be appreciated )

Jacob:

Predominantly Dr. Ron Paul would be my best guess.

His positions on:

1) cutting Federal spending to balance the budget and roll back the destructive debt disaster;

2) ending the Federal Reserve;

3) ending the wars and returning the troops to the US;

4) eliminating Federal Agencies and Departments;

5) ending regulations;

6) strict adherence to Constitutional protections of individuals rights;

7) strict enforcement of all Constitutional clauses; and

8) a return to the gold standard;

These are basically the positions that I am aware of. There are others of course.

Adam

Wow: he sounds like the key to a laissez faire America. I hope y'all vote for him!

Iv been having a little look at some of the candidate debates and such... Ron Paul definitely seems to be the most competent.

Rick Santorum looks like a fun character though!

I'm being really lazy here in asking so bluntly (I'm not in the mood to traverse the posts in the election related forums) but:

which presidential candidate/ candidates does the Objectivist community sympathize and support most?

(a little brief explanation as to why would also be appreciated )

Here, you'd think the whole Karoo was at risk.

Do you say this because of the frantic attitude of the fracking opposition?

More a bit of wry hyperbole on my part to the knee-jerk alarmism, I have been picking up.

I've only lately been educating myself on fracking, specifically in the Karoo.

So far, (while consciously trying to avoid the easy trap of assuming it is all insane Luddism)

Ive read and heard the same old anti-Big Oil, pro- Nature-at-all-costs, rationales - often by people who know less

than I do. Like all environmental issues, one is forced to take sides when there might not be any dilemma between

technology and natural beauty, practically speaking.

The inconvenient truth for any extremists with suspect principles, (nature good, man bad) who may be driving this movement, is that fracking has been tried and tested in many parts of the world - several States of the US, the Netherlands and Australia - for as long as 50 years in the case of Texas. Without incident, that I've seen.

I recommend an article in the S.A. online newspaper "Daily Maverick", written by one Ivo Vegter, on this topic.

He unbundles it very well, and objectively.

BTW, welcome to OL! Are you in the Western, or Eastern Cape? From what you related of your school, I'd guess

it is Bishop's in Cape Town, or St. Andrew's in Grahamstown. Am I close?

I'm from the western cape. and I live on the Garden Route (SA's very own bible belt )

I go to a private, christian ethos school in George... Not yet quite as prestigious as the schools you mentioned... (but we are IEB... )

I'm from the western cape. and I live on the Garden Route (SA's very own bible belt )

I go to a private, christian ethos school in George... Not yet quite as prestigious as the schools you mentioned... (but we are IEB... )

This one looks good, though I haven't finished reading it. The author takes up the burning-water story: http://www.nationalr...williamson?pg=2

Thank you so much for posting the link to this article. I really enjoyed reading it and I think I understand the matter a lot better now. I cant wait to show my friend (who is the president of the Environmental club at my school)

Here, you'd think the whole Karoo was at risk.

Do you say this because of the frantic attitude of the fracking opposition?

A gentleman came to my school today to talk about fracking. He was a very nice man who seemed to know his stuff. Shell and some other oil companies want to Frack in the Karoo. The Karoo is an area of beautiful semi desert which makes up, I think he said, two thirds of South Africa. The South African Government has put a moratorium on the oil companies to come ad prospect: but it is most likely that they will be allowed to start at some point this year. My family owns a Farm house/ holiday home in the Karoo so I am concerned about the implication of Fracking.

Im wondering whether the Oil Companies have perfected their Fracking or whether their environmental impact can still culminates to such levels as causing peoples drinking water to become flammable!

Thanks for all the posts

The link to the Rothbard article doesn't work though

but i think that I am definitely more clued up on the subject.

We are about to start covering the Great Depression at school. I have noticed that my History teacher is very much against capitalism and I fear that I will end up being its sole defender when we begin to explore the issue of the Great Depression.

I was dismayed even more when I read through the section about the great depression in my text book...

I will quote a paragraph:

"Roosevelt's New Deal did much to restore the economy. Confidence returned, prices stabilized, the banking system was reformed and unemployment was reduced. Many Historians believe that the new deal strengthened capitalism by getting rid of some abuses and introducing some necessary state control (regulation) over the economy. However, for the first time in America, the principle of the government's responsibility for the welfare of its citizens was accepted. this went against the capitalist belief that that the government had no role to play in providing for the unemployed, the elderly or the sick..."

the section seems to be fully bias in its support of the New Deal as no defense for capitalism is made.

does anyone have any advice or material for me on the subject?

Folks:

This is a topic that consistently comes up concerning teachers and students.

I strongly assert that a student should never modify his positions, ethics, morals, politics etc. to achieve a grade.

As long as you are not disrespectful or rude stand up for your point of view and fuck the grades,.

Adam

A truly motivational comment Adam.

I often try to see myself as a vanguard for reason here in South Africa. I live in quite a backwards farmer community so its a lonely battle...

My opinions are far from hidden in the classroom

You don't have to spend much time around farm animals to see it all. A goose will make love to a 5 gallon bucket. A rabbit will attempt to have sex with house cats and chickens. Goats can take care of business solo. A few minutes on Google and about any variation can be found. Sex is a powerful drive and the old saying "sowing wild oats" means there are always plenty of male seed to go around. A percentage of non-reproducers in a population often frees them up to contribute in other ways - still providing fitness benefits to close relatives - much as grandparents do after they are no longer reproductive themselves. I don't know the numbers but it is obvious that many bi-sexuals still have children.

I have also noticed during my life the high correlation between substance abuse and bi-sexuality, homo-sexuality, and promiscuity. There is also a high correlation between mental illness and promiscuity - which leads to interesting social cost-benefit analysis.

Dennis

Your comment seems to be a bit negative about human homosexuality. the majority of homosexuals I have met are very nice, healthy and successful people. Are you not prehaps generalizing? Im sure there is a high correlation between substance abusing, mentally ill, promiscuous homosexuals and homophobic prejudice.

I am not attempting to be negative - just stating my observations. I generally don't trust statistics likely to have a slant so I primarily have my own experience to go by.

There are plenty of substance abusing straight people and plenty of mentally ill straight people.

Dennis

I agree with your distrust of the reliability of statistics.

and what you said made me think about a few things. where you live, what is the general attitude of people towards homosexuals?

the majority of homosexuals i have met live in Cape Town (gay Capital of South Africa)

perhaps the observation on the homosexuals are a result of your communities attitudes and values.

I think that if I were gay and I had my teacher telling me that my life choices where bad and unnatural and if I had people mocking me it would have a negative impact on my character.

Here's an update on Buddy and Pedro, the gay penguins so cruelly torn apart by the commissars at the Toronto Zoo. They were not separated because of their gayness but because they are African. The African penguin is so severely endangered that it is imperative for all 50,000 of them to be encouraged to get it on ceaselessly with the opposite sex to save the species.

Buddy has settled down with his new bride and is nesting satisfactorily, but Pedro has been "overly amorous" and turned off his mate and she wants out of the relationship.

On the bright side, a new penguin chick from another couple has been born and it is all fuzzy and adorable. Nobody knows its gender yet (penguins are severely gender confused) but it will be called either Eldon or Ellie.

what a bitterly sweet story

PS Hitchens started out as a socialist but he turned sharply to the right (I think after 9/11).

Oh, I don't know that much about his political views... iv only shimmed his autobiography. The only material of his that I have read is about his views on religion.

Would you regard Hitchins as a worthy character to uphold as a hero for the avocation of rationality and objectivist ideas?

You don't have to spend much time around farm animals to see it all. A goose will make love to a 5 gallon bucket. A rabbit will attempt to have sex with house cats and chickens. Goats can take care of business solo. A few minutes on Google and about any variation can be found. Sex is a powerful drive and the old saying "sowing wild oats" means there are always plenty of male seed to go around. A percentage of non-reproducers in a population often frees them up to contribute in other ways - still providing fitness benefits to close relatives - much as grandparents do after they are no longer reproductive themselves. I don't know the numbers but it is obvious that many bi-sexuals still have children.

I have also noticed during my life the high correlation between substance abuse and bi-sexuality, homo-sexuality, and promiscuity. There is also a high correlation between mental illness and promiscuity - which leads to interesting social cost-benefit analysis.

Dennis

Your comment seems to be a bit negative about human homosexuality. the majority of homosexuals I have met are very nice, healthy and successful people. Are you not prehaps generalizing? Im sure there is a high correlation between substance abusing, mentally ill, promiscuous homosexuals and homophobic prejudice.

I liked the way Hitchens handled it here. The "your opinion" part.

You're friends say you "mustn't try", I disagree with that, but it may not be prudent to keep hammering on it, since she does have a certain amount of power over you.

I agree.

Is this a public school? I am surprised that the teacher is allowed to give her opinion as teachable fact. Here the teachers are not allowed to state personal religious or political convictions as part of the lessons.

Here's another rejoinder: "Yes, it is my opinion which is based on provable facts and science. Yours isn't,"

I go to a Private christian ethos school. Lucky me

Oh and thanks for the youtube video ninth doctor. Even though Hitchins is a bit of a socialist. i cannot help but like him.

I make sure to tell them that I am speaking Hypothetically :-)