Thursday, March 18, 2010

Objectivist Round Up #140


Welcome to the March 18, 2010 edition of the Objectivist Round Up!




Ayn Rand says:
I am not primarily an advocate of capitalism, but of egoism; and I am not primarily an advocate of egoism, but of reason. If one recognizes the supremacy of reason and applies it consistently, all the rest follows.

This—the supremacy of reason—was, is and will be the primary concern of my work, and the essence of Objectivism.

"Brief Summary," The Objectivist, Sept. 1971, 1.

If you would like to know more about Ayn Rand and her philosophy, the best resource is Ayn Rand herself.  Read her fiction - it's thrilling!  But if you'd like just a taste of what Objectivism is all about, try reading some of the posts below, or browse the excellent web site of The Ayn Rand Institute.

And now, on with the Round Up!


Amit Ghate presents Force and Violence: How the Left Blurs Terms posted at Thrutch, saying, "A post in which I introduce a new editorial."

Jared Rhoads presents Reversing the takeover posted at The Lucidicus Project, saying, "Krugman is right about one thing: this takeover is the culmination of decades of government intervention in healthcare."

Rachel Miner presents Thyroid Latest: Reverse T3 posted at The Playful Spirit, saying, "I wrote an update on my thyroid issues for those collecting data points on this concern being experienced by so many."

Rachel Miner presents Autism Follow Up, Sensory Integration Dysfunction posted at The Playful Spirit, saying, "I answer a question explaining more fully the sensory issues which can be combined with autism, but may be exhibited alone. I think the book recommendation I include is useful for any child because every kid, by their very nature, is learning to integrate sensory data."

Sandi Trixx presents World Malaria Day - Blame Environmentalists for 3 Million Deaths a Year posted at Sandi Trixx, saying, "The left, without admitting their wrongdoing, have decided to have a warm and fuzzy World Malaria Day so they can feel all good inside."

Jared Rhoads presents Hold a sign, speak out posted at The Lucidicus Project, saying, "Washington officials are saying that this could be the last week in the healthcare debate. So get out and be heard!"

Jim Woods presents My State of the Union Address posted at Words by Woods, saying, "What is the state of our union? What should be done?"

Earl Parson presents We Are All Coloradans posted at Creatures of Prometheus, saying, "In the face of the recently passed Amazon Tax, I declare my solidarity with those working toward its repeal."

Paul Hsieh presents Health Care Endgame posted at We Stand FIRM, saying, "This is make-or-break time for health care -- and for the future of freedom in this country. Find out what you can do."

Trey Givens presents Who Pays on Guy-Guy Dates? posted at Trey Givens, saying, "This week, I'm submitting some lighter fare for the carnival. As I understand it, heterosexuals don't even have consistent rules of conduct about this and homosexuals are not struck dumb and blind at their first thoughts of sodomy, but, still the question comes up with surprising frequency. That and "Who leads when you slow dance?" That question will have to wait for another day. But here you have a rather definitive guide to figuring out who will pay on guy-guy dates to apply in your own lives. ENJOY!"

John Drake presents Mind mapping software posted at Try Reason!, saying, "I give a quick overview of a tool for that is said to support the Getting Things Done personal productivity framework. Mind mapping might be a really useful to for getting ideas organized."

Rational Jenn presents Interesting TED Talk on Motivation posted at Rational Jenn, saying, "In many ways, the Mommy job is very similar to other people management jobs I've had in the past. A TED Talk about motivating employees got me thinking again about the issue of motivating children."

Stella presents "Too much" care posted at ReasonPharm, saying, "How much care is "too much"? It's individuals who should decide."

Amy Mossoff presents My New Hobby posted at The Little Things, saying, "I really had to work hard to be selfish when starting up an Objectivist discussion group."

Jason Stotts presents Relationships: A Continuum of Permissiveness posted at Erosophia, saying, "In this essay, I want to explore the concept of permissiveness and exclusivity as they relate to relationships. I want to explore the idea that relationships exist along a continuum of permissiveness with a completely jealous relationship at one extreme and an open relationship at the other, with exclusive relationships and swinging relationships in between."

Adam Reed presents Healthy Weight posted at Born to Identify, saying, "The ideal dragoon, and therefore the ideal Prussian conscript, had to be light enough to ride all day without exhausting the horse. If one accepts the Prussian pseudo-standard, 68% of Americans are overweight or obese."

Ari Armstrong presents The Amazon Tax and the Affiliates Amendment posted at Free Colorado, saying, "Detailed analysis of Colorado's "Amazon Tax.""

Rory presents In which Rory pursues knowledge for the sake of knowledge - Part One posted at Mind To Matter, saying, ""Coupled with a healthy recognition of the value of knowledge to one's life, it is good to pursue knowledge for its own sake - that is to say, because one finds satisfying one's curiosity to be valuable and enjoyable - without necessarily knowing the concrete practical ends which that knowledge might or might not achieve.""

Mike Zemack presents The Wreckage of the “Climate Consensus” posted at Principled Perspectives, saying, "For the second time in my lifetime - 1970s global cooling and today's global warming - an climate catastrophe movement is unraveling."

Diana Hsieh presents Pushing the Boundaries of Personal Privacy posted at NoodleFood, saying, "Personal privacy is dying with the rise of social media. Is that a good or a bad thing?"

Diana Hsieh presents Welcome to Modern Paleo! posted at Modern Paleo, saying, "I've just launched my latest project: Modern Paleo. It offers writings and other resources by Objectivists on the principles and practices of nutrition, fitness, and health most conducive to human flourishing."

C.W. presents Fed and the Money Supply: Details posted at Krazy Economy, saying, "Understanding exactly how our money supply expands is important both for intellectual combat and making personal decisions. This post should complete the discussion of the Fed."

Qwertz presents Rand's Razor v. Gay Marriage posted at WoPSR.net.

Kelly Elmore presents Parenting Toolbox: Family Meetings posted at Reepicheep's Coracle, saying, "This is another tool I am adding to my parenting tool box."

Sandi Trixx presents The Last Word posted at Sandi Trixx, saying, "A follow up to my earlier post on World Malaria Day"

That concludes this edition.  Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Objectivist Round Up using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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4 comments:

  1. RE: Rory's comments about knowledge for its own sake.

    I like what Rory says in this blog. Knowledge is--to a degree--an end in itself. Acquiring knowledge gives us pleasure and thus adds to life. That which nourishes life is the good. jd

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  2. Thanks for hosting! I really appreciate it, and I never mind helping out hosts when Blog Carnival acts up. :o)

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  3. Hi! Thanks for posting this week. Sorry I'm a bit late with my comment - I've been off on holiday and have only reconnected myself back "into the grid".

    Regarding Jim's comment: indeed, to pursue knowledge is enjoyable, and that kind of knowledge-pursuit, the kind that makes us just go, "Wow, this is interesting!" is definitely the kind one ought to be pursuing in the context I describe.
    However, just to clarify: what I am talking about is more than just that. It's the unique perspective which O'ism offers which I am clarifying, that the reason we get pleasure from knowledge is indeed because it is a value, but it is a value precisely because man's distinctive life is one of turning knowledge into productive ends: even if he does not know what he is getting out of it, he gains enjoyment from learning precisely because (though he may not explicitly recognise it) his life depends upon it, because to a man of soul-body integrity, there is no split between knowledge-pursuit and practical life.

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  4. [...] Yesterday, this week’s Objectivist Roundup was hosted by Amy [...]

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