Hello all

[tobarstep]

I am a fan of Rand's theories, but I've been rather put off by the (dare I say dogmatic?) approach taken on most mainstream Objectivism sites. So much so that I took to calling myself an Individualist rather than an Objectivist for some period of time. Most of those sites also focus on philosophical debate, to the near exclusion of any other topic, especially how Objectivism actually applies to our daily lives. As I'm not a philosopher by trade, this latter aspect is what I am most interested in.

I read in another introductory thread that the Brandens' works focus on this. I'm keen to find out more. In reference to that other thread, I'm a former Army Sigint/Linguist guy. I had occasion to work with some PsyOps (37F?) guys and it was always a good time. As for my current situation, I'm 35, single/divorced, 10 year old daughter. Currently I'm a computer programmer, though not by training. It's just something I fell into. I'm about to return to school after a 7 year hiatus to finish my BS in Accounting. I'm toying with the idea of going to law school after. I'd like to get my CPA, but I live in Florida - one of the few remaining holdouts of the two-tiered system which requires one to not only pass the CPA exam but to essentially apprentice oneself to another CPA for a number of years before being able to acquire the actual designation.

Anyway, I hope to learn here and I look forward to reading what you all have to say.

[Chris Grieb]

Todd S.; Welcome! Sounds like you have some things to offer.

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Welcome, Todd.

As to the dogmatic approach you have encountered in the Objectivist subcommunity, I feel your pain.

I hope you enjoy it here.

The focus of this site is on thinking for yourself, not preaching the Good Word.

Michael

[tobarstep]

The focus of this site is on thinking for yourself, not preaching the Good Word.

I can't tell you how refreshing it is to see that

Edit follows:

I've had a chance to look around some here. I've read a few of the articles and I enjoy the general tone. I'm especially pleased to read both Barbara and Nathaniel Branden's thoughts here (Barbara's as posted by herself, even). I've already paid visits to both of their own personal web sites and am impressed with their ideas.

Edited April 28, 2010 by Todd S.