The book that changed my life

[attacking911]

the worst book ever fucking brits have no taste at all

[blazednlovinit]

you cant know know that, ignorant pig

[super2pac]

where are you spose to get the booke of life

[aquamammal]

Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Straight Up.

XVX for life, R.A.S.H. 'til Death.

[system0system]

Respect

[freesk8]

"Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand changed my life.

[aquamammal]

Ayn Rand and objectivism is stupid as hell, next to creationism.

[freesk8]

Care to tell me exactly WHY Rand was stupid?

I doubt there is a single objectivist who believes in creationism. Objectivists are atheists.

And all you can do is call people names.

[aquamammal]

You don't have to be a creationist to be deluded.

Objectivism is a foundation for libertarianism, and it puts way too much faith in markets. Rand said something like being altruistic is the greatest evil one can do or some shitte like that.

She had no respect for other cultures that were more group oriented. You have to have a balance of both the group and the individual.

[freesk8]

I am a libertarian, and I think that other political philosophies put way too much faith in government, and not enough in markets.

Rand's definition of altruism and selfishness are different from what is commonly held. She would agree with giving money to people if you really wanted to, and were not doing it out of an un-earned sense of guilt. She is right that letting people manipulate you in order to give them power is immoral.

Can the majority violate the rights of the individual?

[aquamammal]

Markets are a tool, not the end all and be all. Learn something about market failures, aka, what happens 99% the time. Government will always be necessary.

Check out Ecological Economics. Learn about biological altruism and the selfish gene. There is much more deep shitte than just some neo-classical econ theory that totally disregards reality.

Ayn Rand was an atheist, I'll give her that, but we have much more information now that just make neo-classical economics obsolete.

[freesk8]

I admit that markets fail now and then, but only when it is hard to link costs/prices to benefits. Externalities need to be internalized, and there is a role for government here. Government is also necessary to enforce property rights and punish fraud and breach of contract. But beyond that, it is government and prohibition that tends to fail 90% of the time, where markets tend to work much better than governments. Evolution is like a market economy with competition. Adam Smith was right.

[polyphonic456]

Markets don't fail - the best way to "internalise externalities" is to extend property rights.

However, most people don't care about economics.

The main thing to understand is that laissez-faire capitalism is *morally* superior to the mixed economies and dictatorships of today. It is explaining this morality to the general public (ethical egoism vs. religious and secular altruism) which will be the main task in securing the next few decades in which O'ists might have real political muscle.

[freesk8]

I'm on your side, but in my experience, the moral arguments just tend to piss people off. I have much more success with the practical arguments. Free markets provide better conditions for the poor. The poor in free market countries are better off than those with more government control... That kind of thing. Using moral arguments often makes people think you are saying that THEY are immoral.

It is important that the moral arguments are "out there" but ther's a time and a place to make them.

[mrcwalk]

@aquamammal I agree that rand was a bad influence, but at the same time, for religious believers and people who have been weary of completely ruling out god, she is sometimes the first step towards enlightenment, and she displays courage to counter dogma.

altruism is what makes us human and her attitude towards marketsare the product of being the mistress of Philippe de Rothschild. if she was the mistress of anthony grayling, i'm pretty sure she would be brought round to more humanistic views

[NoKingsNoGodsOnlyMan]

@aquamammal There's no "faith" in markets, nor "faith" in anything else in Objectivism. Only reason and logic. The ideas can all be justified using the evidence of reality. How do you balance collectivism with individual freedom? Self-Sacrifice vs. individual rights? Why mix force and non-force? Why compromise the good, individual rights and man's freedom, to the evil...collectivism where humans are considered sacrificial objects, for the good of the whole. An evil trick to enslave

[NoKingsNoGodsOnlyMan]

@aquamammal Oh, please explain and justify your smears.

[therollinstonr]

me too.

[LightxEdge]

weeks.*

[LightxEdge]

Holy shit we're reading this in a few weaks...

[UltraAwesomeChannel]

Yeah slaughter house 5 is great. Kurt Vonnegut is brilliant.

[ThompsonSeedless]

yay, time-travel...i'm a sucker for TT fiction and good literature like Vonnegut. I could also use those aliens to unclog my toilet

[clearmenser]

This is exactly the good gooey human stuff that brings science home, getting into the heads and hearts of scientists. I love it.

[biologyprodigy]

poo-tee-tweet

[AubreyDebrett]

This is such a great idea for a video. I do hope there will be more!!

[LetsGetGroovy]

Kurt Vonnegut is one of the best modern authors.