Kent Pitman<p>A few thoughts that relate to the above poem (tanka).</p><p>The late Erik Naggum was a controversial figure as a user of programming language Common Lisp and markup language SGML because he was often unreasonably and mercilessly unkind to people he regarded as stupid or people (often newbies) who were unwilling to educate themselves from resources he felt would rescue them from ignorance. I won't make apologies for that. It was beyond rude.</p><p>Nonetheless, he was brilliant thinker and I am not one to ignore useful thought because of its source. That is itself a controversial position but it's one I strongly hold to. To do otherwise puts important thought at risk by manufacturing truths or even discovering legit truth about any author. If you were told Homer or Shakespeare or Thomas Jefferson or Maya Angelou or Mark Twain or MLK or AOC or Bernie Sanders was morally flawed, are you then obliged to disclaim or remove their writing. Society would be forever hostage to reputation peddlers. I maintain that the goodness of writing must be judged by the words of the writing, not the author. It's an uncomfortable but necessary truth, as I see it. </p><p>Indeed, to read even the thoughts of Hitler or Ayn Rand, neither of whom I thonk well of, can be important. To understand the world and its history, it matters to hear all kinds of people [1].</p><p>As I undertand it, Naggum was originally an objectivist. That's how he seemed to present himself to me, as an ex-objectivist. At one time a fan of Ayn Rand and her philosophies. But at some point he had a falling out and came to be a very lucid critic [2], with the sharpness and clarity of one disillusioned by deep and contemplative thought.</p><p>His writing is blunt and sometimes intolerant but makes strong points. I found slogging past the unncomfortably phrased parts useful. There's a lot of interesting stuff there.</p><p>But one thing he, a Norwegian, once said to me was that he felt the really unique and valuable thing about the American capitalist system was its degree of forgiveness. Elsewhere, he said, if you make a mistake and, you are done, sacked with debt you cannot return from, and given no second chance. The American system of bankruptcy means people can recover and learn from mistakes.</p><p>Plainly some do not learn, as one of our co-presidents shows clearly. And you can still do horrible harm that you should not be forgiven for, a problem the other co-president is poster boy for. But there is a place for forgiveness and just tolerance.</p><p>Yet instead, having gotten into the treehouse, the co-presidents are not seeking to bring others along, just to pull up the ladder so that no one else can get in, at least not without paying dearly.</p><p>Naggum also speaks (and this much is in the referenced essay [2]) of the need to accomodate change and diversity and unfortunate circumstances, which he seems to assert is part of the fabric of society that bring intolerant people to sufficient success that they can start to build a society that espouses no need for such.</p><p>These things which are in stark contrast with the writings of Yarvin (the apparent philosophical leader of Vance and the Project 2025 crowd), who seems scarily comfortable with death and suffering [3] [4].</p><p>[1] <a href="https://netsettlement.blogspot.com/2009/05/freedom-to-hear.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">netsettlement.blogspot.com/200</span><span class="invisible">9/05/freedom-to-hear.html</span></a></p><p>[2] <a href="https://www.nhplace.com/kent/Writing/OS/Naggum-on-Atlas-Shrugged.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">nhplace.com/kent/Writing/OS/Na</span><span class="invisible">ggum-on-Atlas-Shrugged.html</span></a> (yes, it has some broken links but the important part is the long embedded quote from email he sent me)</p><p>[3] <a href="https://www.thenerdreich.com/curtis-yarvin-fears-his-authoritarian-fantasy-is-flopping/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">thenerdreich.com/curtis-yarvin</span><span class="invisible">-fears-his-authoritarian-fantasy-is-flopping/</span></a></p><p>[4] <a href="https://netsettlement.blogspot.com/2024/10/vance-notice.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">netsettlement.blogspot.com/202</span><span class="invisible">4/10/vance-notice.html</span></a> </p><p><a href="https://climatejustice.social/tags/objectivism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>objectivism</span></a> <a href="https://climatejustice.social/tags/objectivist" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>objectivist</span></a> <a href="https://climatejustice.social/tags/AynRand" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AynRand</span></a> <a href="https://climatejustice.social/tags/forgiveness" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>forgiveness</span></a> <a href="https://climatejustice.social/tags/USPolitics" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>USPolitics</span></a></p>
Recent searches
No recent searches
Search options
Only available when logged in.
en.osm.town is one of the many independent Mastodon servers you can use to participate in the fediverse.
An independent, community of OpenStreetMap people on the Fediverse/Mastodon.
Funding graciously provided by the OpenStreetMap Foundation.
Administered by:
Server stats:
258active users
en.osm.town: About · Profiles directory · Privacy policy
Mastodon: About · Get the app · Keyboard shortcuts · View source code · v4.3.8
#aynrand
0 posts · 0 participants · 0 posts today
Mark Gardner<p><a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/AynRand" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AynRand</span></a>’s 1962 essay “The Pull Peddlers” critiques the contradictory arguments for <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/ForeignAid" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ForeignAid</span></a>, highlighting the flaws in the “public interest” justification.</p><p><a href="https://NewIdeal.AynRand.org/ayn-rands-distinctive-analysis-of-americas-foreign-aid/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">NewIdeal.AynRand.org/ayn-rands</span><span class="invisible">-distinctive-analysis-of-americas-foreign-aid/</span></a></p><p>Rand argues that foreign aid, rationalized by both <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/altruism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>altruism</span></a> and self-interest, ultimately benefits neither the recipients nor the donors.</p><p><a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/USAID" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>USAID</span></a> <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/Trump" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Trump</span></a> <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/ForeignPolicy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ForeignPolicy</span></a> <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/philosophy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>philosophy</span></a> <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/politics" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>politics</span></a></p>
SouthNorth<p><span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://social.heise.de/@telepolis" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>telepolis</span></a></span> </p><p>By deriving an “ought” (i.e., all people should live out their self-preservation instinct) from an “is” (i.e., all people have a self-preservation instinct), one commits a fallacy in the sense of Hume’s Law.</p><p><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Musk" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Musk</span></a> is increasingly leaning toward an egoistic & anti-humanist worldview in the spirit of the <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Objectivism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Objectivism</span></a> philosophy of <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/AynRand" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AynRand</span></a>.</p><p>In plain terms: he doesn’t give a shit about <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/humanism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>humanism</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/democracy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>democracy</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/ruleoflaw" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ruleoflaw</span></a>.</p><p><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/NoMusk" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>NoMusk</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/notrump" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>notrump</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/runthemoutoftown" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>runthemoutoftown</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/uspol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>uspol</span></a></p>
SouthNorth<p><span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://social.heise.de/@telepolis" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>telepolis</span></a></span> </p><p>Indem man vom Sein (= alle Menschen besitzen einen Selbsterhaltungstrieb) auf das Sollen (= alle Menschen sollen ihren Selbsterhaltungstrieb ausleben) schließt, begeht man einen Fehlschluss im Sinne von Humes Gesetz.</p><p><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Musk" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Musk</span></a> tendiert zunehmend zu einer egoistischen & antihumanistischen Weltanschauung im Sinne der <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Objektivismus" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Objektivismus</span></a> -Philosophie <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/AynRand" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AynRand</span></a> ’s.</p><p>Zu deutsch: er scheisst auf <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/humanismus" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>humanismus</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/demokratie" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>demokratie</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/rechtsstaatlichkeit" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>rechtsstaatlichkeit</span></a></p><p><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/NoMusk" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>NoMusk</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/notrump" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>notrump</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/runthemoutoftown" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>runthemoutoftown</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/uspol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>uspol</span></a></p>
KielKontrovers Blog<p><span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://chaos.social/@HonkHase" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>HonkHase</span></a></span> Ich denke in den USA hat das viel mit <a href="https://norden.social/tags/Objektivismus" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Objektivismus</span></a> Theorie von <a href="https://norden.social/tags/AynRand" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AynRand</span></a> zutun. <a href="https://norden.social/tags/LarryEllison" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>LarryEllison</span></a> und viele der tech Bros sind ja Fan von der Dame, die hier kaum bekannt ist. <br>zB <a href="https://norden.social/tags/AtlasShrugged" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AtlasShrugged</span></a> <a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_wirft_die_Welt_ab" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_wi</span><span class="invisible">rft_die_Welt_ab</span></a></p>
Mark Gardner<p><span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://weatherishappening.network/@wordshaper" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>wordshaper</span></a></span> I’ve noticed more and more the un-Randian ideas that others attribute to <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/AynRand" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AynRand</span></a>. They don’t bother to read the original sources or miss the main point because they already have their own beliefs.</p>
Mark Gardner<p>Last week's <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/AynRand" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AynRand</span></a> Institute <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/podcast" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>podcast</span></a> interviewed Elan Journo and Onkar Ghate on US President <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/Trump" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Trump</span></a>’s stance on the <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/Ukraine" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Ukraine</span></a>-Russia war, which led the latter to call Ukranian President <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/Zelensky" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Zelensky</span></a> a dictator and publicly berate him in the Oval Office.</p><p><a href="https://NewIdeal.AynRand.org/trumps-betrayal-of-ukraine-video/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">NewIdeal.AynRand.org/trumps-be</span><span class="invisible">trayal-of-ukraine-video/</span></a></p><p>Topics covered include <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/America" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>America</span></a>’s approach to the war, Trump’s amorality, his mindset towards <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/Putin" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Putin</span></a> and negotiation, when to negotiate with an aggressor, and the long-term consequences of America’s pro-<a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/Russia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Russia</span></a> shift.</p>
Mark Gardner<p><span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://mastodon.social/@ChristosArgyrop" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>ChristosArgyrop</span></a></span> No, they’re reparations.</p><p>And as it says in my profile, I’m not a <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/libertarian" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>libertarian</span></a>.</p><p>Before it comes up, let's also skip the “<a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/AynRand" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AynRand</span></a> hypocritically collected <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/SocialSecurity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>SocialSecurity</span></a>” bit: <a href="https://NewIdeal.AynRand.org/what-gave-ayn-rand-the-moral-right-to-collect-social-security/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">NewIdeal.AynRand.org/what-gave</span><span class="invisible">-ayn-rand-the-moral-right-to-collect-social-security/</span></a></p>
Mark Gardner<p>Mike Mazza argues that Karl <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/Popper" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Popper</span></a> was wrong to reject scientific induction in favor of merely disproving hypotheses: <a href="https://youtu.be/ad5KEuKz1a8" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="">youtu.be/ad5KEuKz1a8</span><span class="invisible"></span></a></p><p>Popper’s “falsificationism” claims <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/science" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>science</span></a> differs from <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/religion" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>religion</span></a> and pseudo-science in its rational *lack* of certainty. But this only serves to undercut the rationality of science!</p><p>Lecture recorded live at <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/OCON" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>OCON</span></a> 2024 on June 16 in Anaheim. Come to Boston this summer for OCON 2025! <a href="https://events.aynrand.org/ocon/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="">events.aynrand.org/ocon/</span><span class="invisible"></span></a></p><p><a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/philosophy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>philosophy</span></a> <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/Objectivism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Objectivism</span></a> <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/AynRand" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AynRand</span></a></p>
zerph<p><span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://mastodon.social/@jmcrookston" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>jmcrookston</span></a></span> I‘ve tried to listen. After 20 minutes I finally failed: just a narcissistic ego-fuckery of limping analogies — thank you, <a href="https://sueden.social/tags/NewYorkTimes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>NewYorkTimes</span></a> for ennobling this NRxponent providing him with your platform. This guy’s knowledge about historic events is flat like a projection — and that’s still a compliment. <a href="https://sueden.social/tags/AynRand" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AynRand</span></a> warmed after a hundreth times still smells like fermented dog shit. It says a lot about the state of <a href="https://sueden.social/tags/JDVance" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>JDVance</span></a>, <a href="https://sueden.social/tags/PeterThiel" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>PeterThiel</span></a>, and consorts.</p>
Torsten<p>Elon Musk - ein Autist? Das ich nicht lache!</p><p>Er folgt einfach dem Plan seines Vorbilds, der politischen Bestsellerautorin und einflussreichen Psychopathin Ayn Rand, die Gefühlskälte zur Grundlage einer erfolgreichen Gesellschaft erklärte. Und deren Namen ich in den Analysen dessen, was in den USA momentan geschieht, noch viel zu selten lese.</p><p>Es gibt aber einen spannenden Dokumentarfilm von Adam Curtis, der die Connection zwischen Ayn Rand, den Techbros und der aktuellen Stärke der Kalifornischen Ideologie auf höchst unterhaltsame Art beleuchtet. Und der heute aktueller ist, denn je.</p><p>Auf Youtube ist die Doku selbstverständlich nur noch stückchenweise zu finden, aber archive.org bietet die Möglichkeit, dieses Meisterwerk aus Kunst, Aufklärung und Unterhaltung zu sehen.</p><p><a href="https://archive.org/details/BBC.All.Watched.Over.by.Machines.of.Loving.Grace.3of3.Monkey.in.the.Machine.PDTV/BBC.All.Watched.Over.by.Machines.of.Loving.Grace.1of3.Love.and.Power.PDTV.x264.AAC.MVGroup.org.mp4" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">archive.org/details/BBC.All.Wa…</a></p><p><a href="https://opensocial.at/search?tag=Autismus" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Autismus</span></a> <a href="https://opensocial.at/search?tag=AynRand" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AynRand</span></a> <a href="https://opensocial.at/search?tag=ElonMusk" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ElonMusk</span></a> <a href="https://opensocial.at/search?tag=USA" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>USA</span></a> <a href="https://opensocial.at/search?tag=californianideology" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>californianideology</span></a> <a href="https://opensocial.at/search?tag=AdamCurtis" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AdamCurtis</span></a></p>
Mark Gardner<p><span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://hoosier.social/@benfulton" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>benfulton</span></a></span> <span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://toot.community/@openculture" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>openculture</span></a></span> Oh, <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/AynRand" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AynRand</span></a> realized there were incompetent and evil industrialists and businesspeople. Here's a list of such characters from <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/AtlasShrugged" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AtlasShrugged</span></a>:</p><p>- James Taggart<br>- Orren Boyle<br>- Emma Chalmers<br>- Lee Hunsacker<br>- Paul Larkin<br>- Eugene Lawson<br>- Clifton Locey<br>- Gerald and Ivy Starnes</p>
Mark Gardner<p><span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://toot.community/@openculture" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>openculture</span></a></span> I'd rather read about <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/AynRand" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AynRand</span></a> heroes than <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/FlanneryOConnor" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>FlanneryOConnor</span></a>’s grotesque characterizations.</p><p>O'Connor, like most of her contemporaries and intellectuals since, probably didn't read Rand and instead parroted the repeated misrepresentations of a few ideological axe-grinders.</p><p><a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/literature" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>literature</span></a> <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/bookstodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>bookstodon</span></a></p>
Mark Gardner<p>The <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/AynRand" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AynRand</span></a> Institute has launched the <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/AtlasCircle" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AtlasCircle</span></a>. a collaboration between business leaders and thinkers who believe that <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/business" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>business</span></a> is a force for good, the <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/profit" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>profit</span></a> motive is noble, and that <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/capitalism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>capitalism</span></a> is the only *moral* social system.</p><p>First up in a series of actionable guidance to challenges on the “ideological battlefield”:</p><p>* Standing up to <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/DEI" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>DEI</span></a> Activism: <a href="https://theatlascircle.substack.com/p/standing-up-to-dei-activism" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">theatlascircle.substack.com/p/</span><span class="invisible">standing-up-to-dei-activism</span></a></p><p>* Open Letter to Sundar Pichai and the <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/Google" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Google</span></a> Team (on <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/antitrust" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>antitrust</span></a>) <a href="https://theatlascircle.substack.com/p/open-letter-to-sundar-pichai-and" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">theatlascircle.substack.com/p/</span><span class="invisible">open-letter-to-sundar-pichai-and</span></a></p>
Mark Gardner<p><a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/AynRand" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AynRand</span></a>: The Biggest Threat to <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/America" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>America</span></a>: <a href="https://youtube.com/watch?v=5aa9KDsL4-I" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">youtube.com/watch?v=5aa9KDsL4-</span><span class="invisible">I</span></a></p>
Mark Gardner<p><span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://atomicpoet.org/users/atomicpoet" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>atomicpoet</span></a></span> I like Barbara Branden’s answer (as recounted by <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/AynRand" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AynRand</span></a>) to the question: “What will happen to the poor in an <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/Objectivist" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Objectivist</span></a> society?”</p><p>“If *you* want to help them, you will not be stopped.”</p><p><a href="https://a.co/1UCeYwP" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="">a.co/1UCeYwP</span><span class="invisible"></span></a></p><p>(Rand had nothing against voluntary giving but viewed it “as a marginal issue. What [she fought] is the idea that <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/charity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>charity</span></a> is a moral duty and a primary virtue.” <a href="https://a.co/aAXS385" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="">a.co/aAXS385</span><span class="invisible"></span></a>)</p><p><a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/philosophy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>philosophy</span></a> <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/ethics" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ethics</span></a> <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/Objectivism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Objectivism</span></a></p>
Mark Gardner<p>“As for the present, I am not willing to surrender the world to the jerky contortions of self-inducedly brainless bodies with empty eye sockets, who perform, in stinking basements, the immemorial rituals of staving off terror, which are a dime a dozen in any jungle—and to the quavering witch doctors who call it ‘<a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/art" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>art</span></a>.’”</p><p><a href="https://a.co/16DxuMJ" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="">a.co/16DxuMJ</span><span class="invisible"></span></a></p><p>When I read this, I wondered if <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/AynRand" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AynRand</span></a> had been to one of my old bands’ early gigs. 😉</p><p><a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/music" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>music</span></a> <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/esthetics" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>esthetics</span></a> <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/philosophy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>philosophy</span></a> <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/Objectivism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Objectivism</span></a></p>
Mark Gardner<p>The best aspect of <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/Christmas" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Christmas</span></a> is the aspect usually decried by the mystics: the fact that Christmas has been commercialized…</p><p>The Christmas trees, the winking lights, the glittering colors—provide the city with a spectacular display, which only “commercial greed” could afford to give us.</p><p>One would have to be terribly depressed to resist the wonderful gaiety of that spectacle.</p><p>—<a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/AynRand" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AynRand</span></a>, December 1976</p><p><a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/MerryChristmas" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>MerryChristmas</span></a> <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/GoodWillTowardMen" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>GoodWillTowardMen</span></a> <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/capitalism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>capitalism</span></a></p>
Timo<p><span class="h-card"><a href="https://mstdn.social/@DemocracyMattersALot" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>DemocracyMattersALot</span></a></span> I'm holding the view that these companies that people say are 'obeying in advance' are not doing that. These companies are full participants in the billionaire class push to fascism, deregulation, and social isolation of the working people. Working people expect a share of the economies they participate in, and the billionaires want to squish that. <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/Musk" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Musk</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/AynRand" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AynRand</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/fascism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>fascism</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/labor" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>labor</span></a></p>
Mark Gardner<p>Remember the <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/NewYorkTimes" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>NewYorkTimes</span></a>’ confusion over the <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/FirstAmendment" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>FirstAmendment</span></a> two years ago? <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/18/opinion/cancel-culture-free-speech-poll.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">nytimes.com/2022/03/18/opinion</span><span class="invisible">/cancel-culture-free-speech-poll.html</span></a></p><p>Now they’re worried about <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/Trump" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Trump</span></a>’s attempts to violate it: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/17/us/politics/trump-sues-des-moines-register.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">nytimes.com/2024/12/17/us/poli</span><span class="invisible">tics/trump-sues-des-moines-register.html</span></a></p><p>Sadly, they can’t recall <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/AynRand" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AynRand</span></a> warning them sixty years ago while <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/JFK" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>JFK</span></a> was successfully confusing the rights enshrined in the <a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/Constitution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Constitution</span></a>.</p><p>Stream or download her full “The Fascist New Frontier” lecture: <a href="https://courses.AynRand.org/works/the-fascist-new-frontier/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">courses.AynRand.org/works/the-</span><span class="invisible">fascist-new-frontier/</span></a></p><p>Or read her essay on “Man’s Rights”: <a href="https://courses.AynRand.org/works/mans-rights/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">courses.AynRand.org/works/mans</span><span class="invisible">-rights/</span></a></p><p><a href="https://social.sdf.org/tags/philosophy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>philosophy</span></a></p>
ExploreLive feeds
Mastodon is the best way to keep up with what's happening.
Follow anyone across the fediverse and see it all in chronological order. No algorithms, ads, or clickbait in sight.
Create accountLoginDrag & drop to upload