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Jason Brennan Joins the Brigade of People Misrepresenting Ayn Rand’s Views

Posted by Zenphamy 9 years, 9 months ago to Philosophy
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" blog post by Jason Brennan of Bleeding Heart Libertarians, in which Brennan claims (among other things) that Rand and Objectivists are, according to the implications of ethical egoism, “committed to the view that you should rape, dismember, and murder others when it serves your interests.” Of course, Brennan does not and cannot quote Rand saying or implying this or anything of the sort. Nor does he or can he get around the fact that the implications of Rand’s ethics are precisely the opposite of what he claims them to be—as Rand herself made clear."

Is this going to be Objectivists battle for ever? Or is it a major indicator of the successes of AR's philosophy?


All Comments

  • Posted by 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    You might better start your own post on the subject. This post is meant to be about people that mis-quote or mis-interpet AR.
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  • Posted by $ blarman 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    The only attempted explanations or explanatory materials I saw came from a link by jbrenner. If you have an understanding of quantum mechanics and wish to enlighten us (or to resolve the seeming inconsistency), PLEASE DO.

    It is a fact that science currently lacks the ability to explain or reconcile the observed behaviors of sub-atomic particles which prima faciae contradict A=A. In this instance and lacking the conciliatory knowledge to preserve A=A in the face of real and observed phenomenae, I must challenge the theory insofar as it is presently constituted and conclude that the inconsistency does indeed pose problems of a real, and not an epistemiological nature. It is not unlike challenging the Theory of Relativity in the face of the discovery of strings or challenging Bohr's model of the atom once examining more complex elements. One must be willing to challenge what they thought they knew in the face of new evidence or one invalidates the scientific process, corrupting it through confirmation bias.

    If you aren't versed in quantum mechanics or have no desire to explore the topic, that's fine. I, myself, am only the casual student of theoretical physics, but asserting that everyone arguing against your point of view are idiots is hardly the scientific approach to resolving the matter. We welcome your assistance in resolving this seeming inconsistency, but there is no shame in being stymied with the rest of us while we wait for a breakthrough on the topic.
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  • -1
    Posted by Maphesdus 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Fun fact: Karl Marx and Frederic Engels actually believed that the ideal form of government was a democratic republic, such as the one described in the U.S. constitution. Unfortunately, Vladimir Lennin took Marx's ideas and twisted them around to make it sound like Marx was advocating dictatorship, when in actuality Marx had always been an opponent of dictatorship. And then Lennin's twisted, tyrannical misinterpretation of Marx became the blueprint for every Communist nation from that point forward. It's one of the great tragedies of history.

    True Marxist Communism, which was supposed to be democratic, has never been tried. What we have witnessed in every Communist nation has only ever been the authoritarian dictatorship of Lenninist Communism, which is obviously very tyrannical and horribly oppressive. But then, dictatorships are always horribly oppressive, regardless of what sort of principles they're founded on. That's why it's so vitally important to ensure that government remains beholden to the people through a system of democracy.
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  • -1
    Posted by Maphesdus 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    What textbooks did you read in your graduate level courses? Surely you can answer that...
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  • -2
    Posted by Maphesdus 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Peikoff? Please, I try not to read anything written by that brainwashed dolt. Do you know of any books written by non-Objectivist authors who would say anything similar? If not, you have no argument.
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  • Posted by ewv 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    No rage, just a form of contempt as a byproduct of knowing what Maphesdus is doing. The details of his misrepresentation of both Ayn Rand and Bloom should be informative to those Maphesdus tried to manipulate as he counted on readers not being familiar with his phony citations.
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  • Posted by ewv 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I could answer that I do know quantum mechanics, having studied it through the graduate level and since then, even though I did not choose it as my specialty. But more fundamentally, _no_ valid science inherently contradicts either reality or itself. One does not have to know quantum mechanics to understand that much, without or without a "PhD".
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  • Posted by ewv 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Scientists do not "speculate" about a "subject they do not know". As usual, Maphesdus ignores everything said in response to him, replacing it with his imaginations of "anger" as he dodges and weaves in yet another personal attack. He does not belong here.
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  • Posted by ewv 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Your comment is asinine. I did read what you wrote and responded to it, so drop the explosions of personal insults. Maphesdus is wrong as usual, and so are you in asserting that quantum mechanics "do [sic] cause problems for the law of identity". If you "disregard" the explanations given, you will never understand it. Any "science", and any pundit, that claims the law of identity is not valid literally has nothing to talk about.
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  • Posted by ewv 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    It doesn't require a "book" to explain that change does not contradict existence and identity. Normal people know that a river has water flowing through it, which is required by the concept and does not contradict it. They understand perfectly well that they can and do can step into the same river twice, and don't go into an intellectual frenzy over it, let alone concoct an irrational philosophy like a Hegel denying identity.

    Several books have of course already been written about it. For those interested in the progression of ideas and fallacies in philosophy, and how Ayn Rand answered it, see Leonard Peikoff's lecture series on the history of western philosophy. It is now very inexpensive to download the whole series.

    https://estore.aynrand.org/p/95/founders...

    https://estore.aynrand.org/p/96/modern-p...
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  • Posted by Robbie53024 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Actually, Dems/Repubs USED to merely be labels. There were conservative and liberal in both parties (unfortunately, the progressives have invaded both). But yes, the only difference that I see today is to whom they genuflect.
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  • Posted by Timelord 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Yes, you're right on that one and it can probably be said that collectivists and conservatives are two sides of the same coin just like we say that about the Democrats and Republicans. The biggest problem is that "collectivist" is a very large group. My statement would have been more accurate if I had compared progressives and conservatives.

    Unfortunately, these days the lines between those two groups is beginning to blur.
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  • Posted by Robbie53024 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I stand corrected, again. Though I'm not so sure that collectivists are against corporate welfare, per se. They want all to be on the common dole.
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  • Posted by Timelord 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    You're going to have to stand corrected one more time. I wrote, " Libertarianism shares beliefs with conservatives and collectivists, such as no social welfare and no corporate welfare, respectively."
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  • Posted by Robbie53024 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I stand corrected.

    However, you also state that Libertarians support both social and corporate welfare. I hope that is in reference to the Libertarian party, and not to libertarianism as a political theory. The party may support various positions that have nothing to do with actual political theory.
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  • Posted by Timelord 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    "I'm with you except for the part about libertarianism being in sync with conservatism."

    Good, because I wouldn't be with me on that, either! I never said that libertarianism is in sync with conservatism. I did say this, "Libertarianism shares beliefs with conservatives and collectivists ..."

    You should read more carefully.
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  • Posted by Robbie53024 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    The question is, will you stop receiving the benefit when you reach the value of what you contributed?
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  • Posted by Robbie53024 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I'm with you except for the part about libertarianism being in sync with conservatism. Conservatism advocates free-market capitalism, but limits on social policy - marriage, drug control, etc. The economic freedom is more important, as without it the rest is moot, but the social restrictions are far from libertarian.
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  • Posted by CircuitGuy 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    "I matter. My life matters, and I value it. I refuse to surrender."
    It's amazing how these same people are very comfortable saying other people are important and matter. But of other people says it themselves, it's terrifying to them.
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  • Posted by $ winterwind 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Steve said it shorter, but the hate is a direct result of coming face to face with another human who says "I matter. My life matters, and I value it. I refuse to surrender."
    And that absolute is SO TERRIFYING that their only response can be hate. *say this part very softly: "but whom do they really hate?"
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