Janice:
My-my-my!
No wonder you're confused by dear Ayn:
>>You make Edison sound like the Unabomber. Hitler and Stalin can scarcely be characterized as socialist-collectivist. Dear me! Where on earth did you pick up these notions?<<
Did you read the unabombers manifesto? He is a statist, anti-technological luddite mystic. And that's just for openers!
And Hitler and Stalin NOT socialists????? My dear, what Earth have you been living on? It must be some parallel world, because even the names have socialism in them: "Nazi" was an acronym for National Socialist, and the USSR stood for Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. They preached and practiced socialism at two different ends of the same spectrum: Nazis practiced fascist-socialism and Lenin-Stalin practiced communist-socialism. Both were collectivist societies.
>>Altrusim--if it's your choice--helping you neighbor, all that--is "immoral"? According to Saint Ayn, of course. Most of us wouldn't agree. Utter selfishness is the ne plus ultra of "morality"? How exactly would you define this "morality"? (Something tells me I'm gonna get a tautology as a reply.) "I'm wonderful, screw you?"<<
You do not understand the definition of altruism or how it is applied. Altruism is NOT charity. Charity connotes goodwill; Ayn had no problem with charity. Altruism mandates that the good is to serve others at the expense of your self, that others have a lien on your life because of their need. Altruism is enforced by coercive laws, tyrants, or misplaced guilt brainwashed into accepting people through misguided religions.
Your self must come first, or you will die. Your interests must come first, or you are nothing but a slave to another person, another group (mob) or the "State".
When you have high "self-esteem" you have high honor and respect for other men and their rights. Altruism, conversely, creates hatred for men, thievery, lawlessness and the eventual abrogation of all rights.
Father Terrence |
