dmcanzi@watdcsu.UUCP (David Canzi) (03/10/86)
This I got from the inside front cover of a paperback edition of
Ayn Rand's book, _Philosophy: Who Needs It?_:
As a human being, you have no choice about the fact that you need a
philosophy. Your only choice is whether you define your philosophy by
a conscious, rational, disciplined process of thought... or let your
subconscious accumulate a junk heap of unwarranted conclusions...
Elsewhere in her works (though I don't remember where), on some
subject, she advised her readers not to take her word for it, but
rather to figure it out for themselves. Clearly, she valued
independent thinking.
I find the phenomenon of organized Objectivism rather amusing...
imagine people forming clubs and gathering to think independently
together...
--
David Canzicramer@kontron.UUCP (Clayton Cramer) (03/11/86)
> This I got from the inside front cover of a paperback edition of > Ayn Rand's book, _Philosophy: Who Needs It?_: > > As a human being, you have no choice about the fact that you need a > philosophy. Your only choice is whether you define your philosophy by > a conscious, rational, disciplined process of thought... or let your > subconscious accumulate a junk heap of unwarranted conclusions... > > Elsewhere in her works (though I don't remember where), on some > subject, she advised her readers not to take her word for it, but > rather to figure it out for themselves. Clearly, she valued > independent thinking. > > I find the phenomenon of organized Objectivism rather amusing... > imagine people forming clubs and gathering to think independently > together... > -- > David Canzi The conformist nature of many of the people involved with Objectivism is the reason that Objectivists are frequently known in libertarian/ anarchist circles as "Randroids".
orb@whuxl.UUCP (SEVENER) (03/12/86)
> > I find the phenomenon of organized Objectivism rather amusing... > imagine people forming clubs and gathering to think independently > together... > -- > David Canzi This comment demonstrates the absurd individualism of Objectivism. There is not a philosophy ever invented which did not involve a circle of individuals in interactive *discussion* and *debate*. If not through immediate personal conversation then through the medium of books, articles or letters. Indeed thought itself is primarily conducted through language or symbolic manipulations which are culturally and socially produced and transmitted. Try to extract the philosophy from a person who has been raised with virtually no human contact. You won't get very far. This is why philosophies inevitably reflect the social and cultural milieu of their time and it also explains the well-documented fact in the history of science that some 33% or more of scientific discoveries are dual discoveries. I.e. two scientists made the same discovery independently without knowing of the other's discovery. Why? Because the time and conditions in science as an organized social entity were ready for it. Let us promote discussion and dialogue- not solipsism! tim sevener whuxn!orb
cjh@petsd.UUCP (Chris Henrich) (03/13/86)
[] In article <2153@watdcsu.UUCP> dmcanzi@watdcsu.UUCP (David Canzi) writes: > >I find the phenomenon of organized Objectivism rather amusing... >imagine people forming clubs and gathering to think independently >together... >-- Well, um, isn't that what a research-oriented university is supposed to be? You recently posted an interesting article on the way English words for objective truth and falsehood are contaminated with evaluative senses of good and evil etc. I cannot say whether this is a local hang-up of our culture or a more general property of human nature; either way, anyone who aspires to think "objectively" will desire (and need) the moral support of others with the same kind of aspiration. Regards, Chris -- Full-Name: Christopher J. Henrich UUCP: ...!hjuxa!petsd!cjh US Mail: MS 313; Concurrent Computer Corporation; 106 Apple St; Tinton Falls, NJ 07724 Phone: (201) 758-7288 Concurrent Computer Corporation is a Perkin-Elmer company.