My amazing Objectivist Vacation
I just returned from an awesome and amazing Objectivist Vacation. I'll tell you about mine, then you say what your idea of an Objectivist Vacation is.
I had the best vacation. I visited the Hallings, who are marvelous hosts. We had great food (One of the places we ate the Sushi was so fresh I'm sure it was swimming not 5 minutes before it was on the plate), great conversations and in my book just a darn good time. Some sightseeing, some sup boarding, lots of whale watching and meeting people of all over the world, though North America was the predominant origin. It was the most marvelous experience to spend a week talking with rational, logical people.
There were no shades of gray. A is A. I wish db had been my philosophy professor in college. He turns a muddled gray mass into coherent, logical explanations. Kh had me check a premise. It was AWESOME!! The total immersion into rational thought and how right it is was really brought home to me when I was returning home. The sudden onslaught of illogical and incompetent was like a physical blow it was so stunning. An example; my flight from Denver to Missoula was delayed, then we finally boarded and proceeded to the deice station where me sat for over an hour because the weather deteriorated. They were required to return us to the gate and let us deplane if we choose, but we had to remain close.
The girl in the seat next to me on this little Tinker Toy airplane that was only slightly larger than my guitar and stuffed with people and I both decided to get off and use the restroom. The only bathroom anywhere near our gate had barricades put up by the cleaning staff. The girl asked the cleaning lady where the next closest bathroom was, and she indicated a long way off. I asked if we could use the bathroom here anyway because the other was to far from our gate. She just gave me the typical blankout stare and said it's closed. I asked her to see if whoever was inside cleaning would let us in and she said no and walked off drinking her soda. I looked at the girl and said “I hate incompetent people” moved the barricades aside and she followed me inside, where there was no one.
It turned out just as we walked out they were calling us to reboard.
Everyone was in their seats, the doors closed they tell us we have to go deice again, then the Captain comes out of the cockpit. “Ladies and gentlemen. The weather has deteriorated again. The crew and I are willing but our dispatch says that since we would have to go back an deice after this band of snow the crew will be over hours, the flight is cancelled. Sorry.” If only I had known about the cancellation a few hours earlier.
Winterwind and CyberWizard drove through the snow storm to come visit me at the airport between flights. We were having a wonderful time and I was loving the conversation until it was time to get to the other (of course) end of the airport for my flight to nowhere.
Despite any travel woes, lack of sleep in airports (I think the total is close to 3 days no sleep in the airport) I had the best time with wonderful Objectivists. The moral of my story is, that when you spend some time around rational, thinking human beings, it is glaring, shocking and stunning to realize what we are surrounded with on a day to day basis. Patricia in Joe vs the Volcano: “My father says that almost the whole world is asleep. Everybody you know. Everybody you see. Everybody you talk to. He says that only a few people are awake and they live in a state of constant total amazement. “
What does your amazing Objectivist vacation look like?
I had the best vacation. I visited the Hallings, who are marvelous hosts. We had great food (One of the places we ate the Sushi was so fresh I'm sure it was swimming not 5 minutes before it was on the plate), great conversations and in my book just a darn good time. Some sightseeing, some sup boarding, lots of whale watching and meeting people of all over the world, though North America was the predominant origin. It was the most marvelous experience to spend a week talking with rational, logical people.
There were no shades of gray. A is A. I wish db had been my philosophy professor in college. He turns a muddled gray mass into coherent, logical explanations. Kh had me check a premise. It was AWESOME!! The total immersion into rational thought and how right it is was really brought home to me when I was returning home. The sudden onslaught of illogical and incompetent was like a physical blow it was so stunning. An example; my flight from Denver to Missoula was delayed, then we finally boarded and proceeded to the deice station where me sat for over an hour because the weather deteriorated. They were required to return us to the gate and let us deplane if we choose, but we had to remain close.
The girl in the seat next to me on this little Tinker Toy airplane that was only slightly larger than my guitar and stuffed with people and I both decided to get off and use the restroom. The only bathroom anywhere near our gate had barricades put up by the cleaning staff. The girl asked the cleaning lady where the next closest bathroom was, and she indicated a long way off. I asked if we could use the bathroom here anyway because the other was to far from our gate. She just gave me the typical blankout stare and said it's closed. I asked her to see if whoever was inside cleaning would let us in and she said no and walked off drinking her soda. I looked at the girl and said “I hate incompetent people” moved the barricades aside and she followed me inside, where there was no one.
It turned out just as we walked out they were calling us to reboard.
Everyone was in their seats, the doors closed they tell us we have to go deice again, then the Captain comes out of the cockpit. “Ladies and gentlemen. The weather has deteriorated again. The crew and I are willing but our dispatch says that since we would have to go back an deice after this band of snow the crew will be over hours, the flight is cancelled. Sorry.” If only I had known about the cancellation a few hours earlier.
Winterwind and CyberWizard drove through the snow storm to come visit me at the airport between flights. We were having a wonderful time and I was loving the conversation until it was time to get to the other (of course) end of the airport for my flight to nowhere.
Despite any travel woes, lack of sleep in airports (I think the total is close to 3 days no sleep in the airport) I had the best time with wonderful Objectivists. The moral of my story is, that when you spend some time around rational, thinking human beings, it is glaring, shocking and stunning to realize what we are surrounded with on a day to day basis. Patricia in Joe vs the Volcano: “My father says that almost the whole world is asleep. Everybody you know. Everybody you see. Everybody you talk to. He says that only a few people are awake and they live in a state of constant total amazement. “
What does your amazing Objectivist vacation look like?
of a favorite cruise vacation on the Imagination,
visiting caribbean islands never seen before....... -- j
p.s. Thank You For Posting -- refreshing, though
we empathize about the airport time.
This is the second time you made such a declaration publicly here. You better be careful because I might begin believing it ;-)
In truth, I am flattered, because I choose to take it as a compliment.
We have to have fun, don't we?
All the best.
Also, reality changes continuously for ever. In no reasonable way, I think, you can describe it as "time-invariant". So, I believe that your writing in that paragraph is sloppy.
In your previous comment you made an implicit statement that all people "start from different axioms". When I asked you for yours, you claimed not to have them (I did not ask for a "formal" list.) So, now I question your honesty, because you so readily contradicted yourself. There are some very sharp minds in this Gulch, and you cannot get away with a contradiction, without acknowledging a contradiction, if you are capable of spotting it in your thinking.
You used the classic evasion technique by answering a question with a question of your own. With politicians and journalists it might be tolerated by some. Those groups are not renowned for high integrity and honesty. I personally mostly despise that approach to a conversation.
The final blow I wish to deliver to you is a little story from real life. My older son years ago did not know, at the end of high school, what he wanted to do. I suggested engineering (hard work, problem solving, facility with numbers and math) and he started in engineering at Columbia. After the second year he decided to switch to the College (English), still at Columbia. He feared my reaction and I ended up admiring him, because he said: "If you want to write well, you have to think well. So, if you found somebody who can teach you to write well, you have really found somebody who can teach you to think well. He is currently a vice-president of NBC. Sloppy writing and contradictions anyone?
I need to tell you, CircuitGuy, that you do not belong here, because of your ideology and your lack of interest in careful thinking. This is the last time I am addressing you. Goodbye.
Yes, I have axioms. All those in the Euclidian geometry and the three principles of thermodynamics. My definition for axiom and principle is the same: self evident truth which has never been contradicted in the totality of human experience. But, there is nothing mine about these. Instead, I have a personal philosophy and a set of values, which I cherish. I have listed them in another place here in the Gulch. I value consistency and do not have the time to find that comment. Probably you can search it on you own.
More often than problems with axioms, my pitfalls are mistakes in my reasoning or facts that turn out to be untrue.
Can you list here your axioms? I'll tell you if they appear consistent with mine. Thank you.
Can you, please list here your axioms?
Thank you.
My entire point was that we *do not* have a choice, if you're going to work in the mainstream political process.
"You say you are for liberty but love government force in the form of obamacare."
I do not love PPACA. I've always thought it was a mixed bag.
"who is paying you "
Do you honestly think that the only reason people could disagree with you is they're being paid? In an ideal Gulch, everyone would be free to think for themselves, but they'd all arrive at the same conclusions? Are the "occassional rational statements" just the statements you agree with? The world is complex. People can disagree b/c they start from different axioms, they disagree on the facts (at least one person is wrong), or they are using different reasoning (at least once person is commiting a fallacy). So when people have contradictory claims, if we want to understand we difference we have to dig into the details.
"You are not an Objectivist. You support ideals, and agendas that seek to steal my freedom, right by precious right "
I won't engage in cheep insults. Let me know if you want to drill down into something about philosophy or policy.
Scrape off those destructive barnacles, because they will destroy your vessel.
I think LetsShrug asked a very valid question; who is paying you to hang out in the Gulch? Tossing out a strategically timed occasional mostly rational statement when necessary fools very few here in the Gulch.
Do not presume to tell me what you 'think' I mean. I am very clear, unlike you. You are not an Objectivist. You support ideals, and agendas that seek to steal my freedom, right by precious right. MOLON LABE cg.
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