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It's Time for the 99% to Give Back to the 1%

forbes.com

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Re: It's Time for the 99% to Give Back to the 1%

#41

Post by dmfdmf »

The vast majority of people who have opinions on Ayn Rand or her philosophy of Objectivism haven't read a word of what she wrote and are repeating what they heard or have read it and failed to comprehend her ideas. Whether such failure is due to ability or dishonesty doesn't really matter.

Note the ad hom comments in this thread dismissing the content of this article because Binswanger inherited his money. Nobody has "deconstructed" Rand's ideas because they are true and because modern intellectuals are unable to rebut her arguments they are reduced to smears and gross misrepresentations of an important intellectual achievement.

My advice; read Rand's work firsthand and judge her ideas for yourself.

Re: It's Time for the 99% to Give Back to the 1%

#42

Post by specialist »

CryptoPunk wrote: post #23
peatmoss wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A failed state is as laissez-faire as one can get! The state got so small it drowned in the bathtub, isn’t that the dream?

No it isn't. Laissez faire means everyone leaving everyone else alone, with government acting in the role of a referee. Any party that uses force to rob the life, liberty or property of others is violating laissez faire principles, and is fair game for retaliatory force by the government. Laissez-faire is an anarchic ideology.

How are disputes adjudicated without a referee?

Re: It's Time for the 99% to Give Back to the 1%

#43

Post by danzig13 »

Solyndra was not some one off government boondoggle. It was the recipient of government loan guarantees from the Department of Energy intended to inject investment into the monopoly run, risk averse energy sector. The same program financed and incubated fracking.

Despite this comment, I’m not sure if this is satire or not.

Re: It's Time for the 99% to Give Back to the 1%

#44

Post by specialist »

dmfdmf wrote: post #41

The vast majority of people who have opinions on Ayn Rand or her philosophy of Objectivism haven't read a word of what she wrote and are repeating what they heard or have read it and failed to comprehend her ideas. Whether such failure is due to ability or dishonesty doesn't really matter. Note the ad hom comments in this thread dismissing the content of this article because Binswanger inherited his money. Nobody has…

That's true of every cult's membership.

It's a mistake to confuse proclaimations with beliefs. What sounds like gibberish to outsiders is just ways for members to find each other, validate their shared identity, reinforce their superiority.

Re: It's Time for the 99% to Give Back to the 1%

#45

Post by merdreubu »

peatmoss wrote: post #21
CryptoPunk wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't see him advocating anarchy, let alone one dominated by Al Capones. Somalia is not laissez faire..

A failed state is as laissez-faire as one can get! The state got so small it drowned in the bathtub, isn’t that the dream?

The state may be gone, but the Somali Islamic and clan structures of governance remained in place, and they are deeply tyrannical and anti-freedom to the core.

Re: It's Time for the 99% to Give Back to the 1%

#46

Post by dmfdmf »

specialist wrote: post #44
dmfdmf wrote: post #41

The vast majority of people who have opinions on Ayn Rand or her philosophy of Objectivism haven't read a word of what she wrote and are repeating what they heard or have read it and failed to comprehend her ideas. Whether such failure is due to ability or dishonesty doesn't really matter. Note the ad hom comments in this thread dismissing the content of this article because Binswanger inherited his money. Nobody has…

That's true of every cult's membership. It's a mistake to confuse proclaimations with beliefs. What sounds like gibberish to outsiders is just ways for members to find each other, validate their shared identity, reinforce their superiority.

Have you read Philosophy Who Needs It?, Have you read the Virtue of Selfishness? Have you read Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal? Have you read The New Left:The Anti-Industrial Revolution? Have you read The Voice of Reason? Have you read Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology?

Pick one and refute it instead of spreading the old and tired "cult" smear. You would be the first.

Re: It's Time for the 99% to Give Back to the 1%

#47

Post by carlsborg »

The people of North Korea are encouraged to be grateful to their dear leader. He is a man of many superior talents talents clearly - it’s in a North Korean newspaper and many posters too - and is responsible for improving the life of his citizens who have not created anything of value like Steve jobs or Henry Ford.

Of course western civilisation is not a dictatorship. For example we would never tolerate a leaders son or wife taking control of a countries executive powers.

Re: It's Time for the 99% to Give Back to the 1%

#48

Post by CryptoPunk »

specialist wrote: post #42
CryptoPunk wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No it isn't. Laissez faire means everyone leaving everyone else alone, with government acting in the role of a referee. Any party that uses force to rob the life, liberty or property of others is violating laissez faire principles, and is fair game for retaliatory force by the government. Laissez-faire is an anarchic ideology.

How are disputes adjudicated without a referee?

The above is a typo. It should say laissez-faire is NOT an anarchic ideology.

Re: It's Time for the 99% to Give Back to the 1%

#49

Post by CryptoPunk »

mywittyname wrote: post #36
CryptoPunk wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No it isn't. Laissez faire means everyone leaving everyone else alone, with government acting in the role of a referee. Any party that uses force to rob the life, liberty or property of others is violating laissez faire principles, and is fair game for retaliatory force by the government. Laissez-faire is an anarchic ideology.

> Any party that uses force to rob the life, liberty or property of others is violating laissez faire principles The term to describe this party is, a "government."

Government does not always do this, and not all parties that do this are governments.

A government is an institution which has monopolized the use of force in an area.

Re: It's Time for the 99% to Give Back to the 1%

#50

Post by specialist »

dmfdmf wrote: post #46
specialist wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's true of every cult's membership. It's a mistake to confuse proclaimations with beliefs. What sounds like gibberish to outsiders is just ways for members to find each other, validate their shared identity, reinforce their superiority.

Have you read Philosophy Who Needs It? , Have you read the Virtue of Selfishness? Have you read Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal? Have you read The New Left:The Anti-Industrial Revolution? Have you read The Voice of Reason? Have you read Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology? Pick one and refute it instead of spreading the old and tired "cult" smear. You would be the first.

Do Christians read the bible? Do randians read her works? Do capitalists read Adam Smith? Do Marxists read his Manifesto?

No.

And neither do their critics.

Settle down. I was supporting your point.

And yes, I was once in highschool, read my share of Ayn Rand. Then I grew up.

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