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"Men have been taught that it is a virtue to agree with others. But the creator is the man who disagrees." - Ayn Rand

Posted by GaltsGulch 9 years, 4 months ago to The Gulch: General
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"Men have been taught that it is a virtue to agree with others. But the creator is the man who disagrees." - Ayn Rand


All Comments

  • Posted by Owlsrayne 9 years, 4 months ago
    I'm the least agreeable person around. My wife gets embarassed everytime I decide to debate someones POV. Whether the subject deals with religion, politics, global warming, etc. I become very agressive in demolishing their ideas. If I can leave them in tears or total bewilderment all the better.
    I find that most people hang on to their ideas with the thinest of threads. Their knowledge base is very superficial or they get their ideas from prejudicial website that has nothing to do with actual fact.
    When I get on a roll I feel like I'm Shiva the Destroyer.
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  • Posted by LibertyBelle 9 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    See Roark's courtroom speech near the end of The
    Fountainhead
    . "Creator of what?" It could be an
    idea, or a product. It would necessarily be a crea-
    tion.
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  • Posted by bassboat 9 years, 4 months ago
    I don't have a Kindle, I'm an Apple guy. Will it work on Apple iBooks?
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  • Posted by plusaf 9 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    If a quote only is 'good' in context is what you're implying, I disagree.
    A "good quote" can be applied to 'the context it's relevant to' any time later. The original context be damned..
    Agreeing, By Itself should NOT be taught to be a 'virtue,' because that essentially says that Agreeing is The Right Thing All The Time, which is stupid (imnsho).
    Disagreeing can be good OR bad (effective/ineffective, useful/useless, productive/non-productive) Depending On The Situation!

    For a large part of my working life,
    I came, I observed, I squeaked, I was ignored.
    After a while, I'd leave to find a new/better place to squeak. After not finding such a better place after 34 years "in business," I was offered Early Retirement. I took it.
    In many environments today, even if your squeak Should Be Listened To, it isn't, and Going Galt (or just going quiet) can be a satisfying alternative, although I have hope there are other ways.
    Cheers, all!
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  • Posted by mdant 9 years, 4 months ago
    Very appropriate for the conversations on in the Gulch and I could not agree more. Thanks for sharing. I think I will add this to my screen saver roll.
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  • Posted by mdant 9 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    ??? Threatening to down vote something because...well I have no idea why. I would disagree with you except I, and probably edweaver as well, do not feel you explained yourself well enough to know why you disagree.
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  • Posted by mdant 9 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I agree. I think Cruz and others like him represent the correct balance because they are not disagreeing to disagree. They are disagreeing because they feel very strongly that the party line is wrong and hurting us all.
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  • Posted by $ jlc 9 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    If there is a person, Person A, whom you love and follow and you do everything they say, then that person controls you. If you then decide that you hate Person A and you will do the opposite of what they say, then that person still controls you.

    Freedom lies in the ability to pick and chose what you think are the pertinent benchmarks for guiding your life. (This, by the way, makes Person A irrelevant.)

    Jan
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  • Posted by $ Olduglycarl 9 years, 4 months ago
    Not enough information.
    1. I am not familiar with the quote.
    2. Creator of what? an idea, a product or creation?

    However, I can definitively say that it is not a "virtue to agree with others".
    Even when learning from an esteemed mentor, you first accept but question as to why, then check it out for your self. It is necessary if one is to "Own" that knowledge.
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  • Posted by LibertyBelle 9 years, 4 months ago
    Who is this supposed to apply to in the present
    case? Cruz? He is blamed for not being amenable
    to deals, not going along to get along. I consider
    that a virtue.
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  • Posted by $ puzzlelady 9 years, 4 months ago
    There is a continuum, from docilely going along with anything others say or do, as a second-hander, to being a total rebel against everything in the status quo, wanting to tear down everything others have built. Somewhere between those two extremes is the rational, free-willed individual who accepts what is already in place and beneficial, and changes or innovates what will make his/her own situation better and interact benevolently with others for mutual benefit.

    Disagreeing does not have to mean endless battles. It means taking "first steps down new roads", or discovering new ideas and new knowledge. Pioneers in new technologies, inventors of new solutions to old problems, artists with new visions--their departures from the old and staid don't have to be hostile.

    Disagreements in the service of creativity don't require kicking in others' teeth. It may just be taking the road less traveled to make all the difference. We just have to not limit the freedom for new thinkers to function. We are all their beneficiaries.
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  • Posted by $ allosaur 9 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Yeah, my statement was way too optimistic. +1 for you.
    Bet Ryan panted like a happy lapdog when Obama recently told him "Thank you for making government work."
    I'd still like to use what Ayn Rand said just to rub it in to that little cur.
    "Bad dog! Go home!" could be added to it.
    Oops, I just recalled Hillary barking.
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  • Posted by Herb7734 9 years, 4 months ago
    Agreement depends upon what is being agreed or disagreed upon. Rand liked making statements like that in order to throw a little cold water into the faces of complacent sleepers.
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  • Posted by CircuitGuy 9 years, 4 months ago
    Random says there's no virtue in just being a contrarian. I agree, that's not what I take away from the quote. I think the quote means there's no value in regurgitating the party line.

    This is important because learning usually starts with apparent contradictions: "wait, wait, that doesn't make sense." This goes for science, engineering, and public policy. The natural response is to ignore things that seem contradictory at first and say, "Oh yeah!!??", "Your mama", or "You're denying A=A". We naturally seek people to reinforce what we already think. The value comes from people thinking for themselves and communicating clearly what they think and why.
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