A College Education Can Now Be Found On The Internet for Free
This is a very interesting development for modern times, and I personally think it's awesome.
But... I was wondering how this sort of philanthropic idea of giving away for free something that used to cost exorbitant amounts of money fits into Ayn Rand's philosophy of greed and selfishness (I'm using these words in the same way that Rand used them). We all know that Ayn Rand detested the idea of giving or receiving anything for free, and that anytime goods or services exchanged hands, there should be some kind of mutually beneficial transaction for both parties involved.
Even in Atlas Shrugged, when Dagny goes to Galt's Gulch, she is told that the word "give" is explicitly forbidden. And at another point in the story, when a particular character brags that he has never turned a profit from any endeavor in his life, Dagny responds by saying that she considers nothing to be more evil.
So how does this free education fit into the Objectivist moral philosophy? What do you think?
But... I was wondering how this sort of philanthropic idea of giving away for free something that used to cost exorbitant amounts of money fits into Ayn Rand's philosophy of greed and selfishness (I'm using these words in the same way that Rand used them). We all know that Ayn Rand detested the idea of giving or receiving anything for free, and that anytime goods or services exchanged hands, there should be some kind of mutually beneficial transaction for both parties involved.
Even in Atlas Shrugged, when Dagny goes to Galt's Gulch, she is told that the word "give" is explicitly forbidden. And at another point in the story, when a particular character brags that he has never turned a profit from any endeavor in his life, Dagny responds by saying that she considers nothing to be more evil.
So how does this free education fit into the Objectivist moral philosophy? What do you think?
I'm using Windows 7, though. If you are, that would make it probably a Firefox issue, if not, it could be a Windows, or more likely, Flash issue.
Their value may not be what you consider it to be. Value is not always measured in dollars and cents. Consider that Francisco was not paid a penny for recruiting people to the Gulch, but recruiting people to the Gulch was of very much value to him.
His mines, and family heritage, were of extreme value to him. But he traded them for something he valued more.
1. Do they work for no pay? That is fine by me, charge what you like for your work, or make no charge at all. Your money, your time, your life.
2. Or, are the people behind it, the writers, academics, admin, etc being paid for it, if so by whom? It could be it is someone else, a university, the tax payer, someone who may 'think different' if they knew. There is no pleasure like giving away someone else's money.
This site is a dead ringer for "Peter", since it is in it for the money generated by it's 'hits'. The site educates no-one.
What you say about Roark may apply to any one of the referred educational sites...but without going to each one to see the advertisement activity, I can only guess.
I got the idea Rand was totally in favor of giving stuff away if you want, but totally against manipulating people into giving out of a sense of pity, duty, or sanctimony.
There is a book "Free: The Future of a Radical Price". Another book on a similar, but different, vein is "Linchpin". Automation is giving us almost unlimited mfr'ed goods. All the value is in the creative component. "A Whole New Mind" is a good book focused on that last point.
The school may be giving stuff away to build its brand (See "Tribes" by Seth Godin), and I can't see anyone objecting to that.
We're going into an amazing post-industrial age. Mfr'ed stuff is becoming like water from a bubbler in the park. Okay, tax dollars pay for that water, but it's trivial.
But: just what value is the visitor receiving? You can endure this online schooling all the way until the final exam, but you will never actually receive a 'degree' of marketable value. You may get the personal gratification of learning college level course material, and that may be all the 'value' you expect.
You might even be able to use this to pass CLEP tests in the universities that administer them. This could shorten your path to a real degree....
Grants, if offered, are from taxpayers.