[–] buggermeharder ago
I have skimmed The Virtue of Selfishness. The introduction is compelling. I'll return to it later this week.
This is a huge problem with her PR
I agree, but I suspect she knew that when she chose the word "selfish". She wanted to shock the American psyche to force us to question our cultural assumptions, and was correct to do so in my estimation. Had she chosen less emotionally charged words, she probably would not have reached as many people as she did. The trade off is that many thoughtless ignorami, such as myself, find it easer to discar her than to think.
Modern gender relations are so messed up (thanks to feminism)
Agreed. Current wave Feminism is one of the most cultually destructive forces I've ever seen. I've been trying to work out how to fight back effectively.
The important point is that the cause of "socialism and other collectivist garbage" is psychological, i.e., subconscious premises that operate in your mind without your conscious awareness.
Yes. As I see it, altruism is like a back door into the psyche. Marxists use our fuzzy notions of altruism to manipulate us. Just look at what the Democrats (and less often Republicans) talk about in every campaign to see examples of this manipulation. They can't come out and say they want Fascism, but they can get votes via altruistic virtue claims.
So it makes sense that you see this split in Objectivist organizations, i.e. subjectivists who believe anything goes with respect to interpretations and application of Objectivism and intrinsicists who are more dogmatic and try to stick to exactly what Rand said.
Any examples?
regardless of what others think, you will find plenty of real friends committed to the truth.
I'm so unlikable that friendship is more than I could hope for, but I am interested in finding others more interested in truth than blind adherence.
Does ARI hosting Peterson diminish their O-ism credibility in your opinion? If so, why?
[–] [deleted] ago
[–] buggermeharder ago
Also, feminism is just a variant of communism's class warfare applied to gender relations so its days are numbered.
This is exactly what I've been thinking. They aren't interested in discussion or fixing any problems. They are only interested in gaining power. Currently I think it's best to never apologize or admit anything, and don't let them find me alone. This new "listen and believe" / "me too" phenomenon is dangerous even for ordinary innocent men, especially because society now assumes all accused men are guilty.
Are you an asshole ;-) Maybe I shouldn't be talking to you!
Depends on what you mean by "asshole". I'm not easy to be around, judging how few people can tolerate me for more than a few minutes.
I think they are compromising Rand's principles for popularity and money.
Rand spoke of not compromising with "evil" in "How Does One Lead a Rational Life in an Irrational Society". Maybe this is where the exclusionary preferences of some O-ists comes from. I guess if you read her ideas and integrate them into your own philosophy, you may inherit intolerance of "evil" from her.
My initial exposure to the philosophy was via Branden's "The Basic Principles of Objectivism". It's a great presentation of the philosophy, though I don't know whether O-ists still approve of it or not.
[–] buggermeharder ago
I read The Virtue of Selfishness this morning. Thanks for recommending it.