Posted on 02/25/2010 6:50:35 AM PST by Walter Scott Hudson
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – The Tea Party must embrace egoism and reject the “false morality” of Judeo-Christian altruism if it hopes to effectively advocate for a capitalistic society, says a leading advocate of objectivist philosophy. Craig Biddle, editor of The Objective Standard and author of “Loving Life: The Morality of Self-Interest and the Facts that Support It,” spoke Tuesday at an event hosted by the University of Minnesota’s Ayn Rand Study Group. His presentation was entitled “Capitalism: The Only Moral Social System,” and covered the fundamentals of objectivist philosophy applied to politics.
During a question and answer session, Biddle was asked about the Tea Party movement and how it might effectively advocate for capitalism. The answer delved into territory Biddle described as controversial. Biddle stated the Tea Party movement had reignited interest in Rand, citing increased sales of her book Atlas Shrugged. Biddle claimed the novel is commonly misread. “It is not fundamentally a political novel,” he told those assembled. “It is fundamentally a philosophical novel challenging Judeo-Christian ethics by advocating a morality of selfishness, and showing that morality [to be] what freedom depends on.”
Biddle opined the Tea Party should think beyond politics. “[The debate] is about ethics,” he said. “More fundamentally, it’s about epistemology and metaphysics.” The core issue is egoism versus altruism, or selfishness versus sacrifice, according to Biddle. If it is true that sacrifice is morally good, Biddle argued, you cannot defend capitalism, because capitalism enables selfishness. People who want to advocate capitalism have to “muster the courage to challenge the status quo morality.”
A summary of Biddle’s presentation: Capitalism is widely regarded as the most practical social system. Empirical evidence supports the premise that freer societies are also wealthier, and therefore better able to service their needs. Objectivist philosophy argues capitalism is also the only moral social system, because it is the only system which recognizes and protects the requirements for human life. In short, those requirements are rational thought and productivity; one must secure food and shelter to continue living, which is obtained through productive action guided by rational thought. The only thing which can prevent one from acting on their rational thought to fulfill a self-serving interest is force. Every alternative to capitalism relies upon force to prevent selfish action and compel sacrifice on behalf of the group. Sacrifice is the exchange of something of greater value for something of lesser value, a suicidal practice on a long enough timeline. This is why capitalism is both demonstrably more practical than any other system, and the only moral system.
Based on the above argument, Biddle claimed there is no reason to support the premise one should act altruistically. The difficultly in arguing for egoism, Biddle says, is that altruism is taught by religion, specifically from the bible. Tea Partiers need to “challenge what their mommy and the preacher told them” about morality, Biddle said. The stakes he presented were nothing less than existential. “Do we want to live and achieve happiness? Or do we want to suffer and die?”
“Glenn Beck, and Rush Limbaugh, and Thomas Sowell, and Walter Williams, and Jeff Jacoby, and all the people on the right who claim that they want capitalism and claim that they want freedom [are still] going to church on the weekends,” Biddle concluded. “You can’t win by ignoring [this issue]. You’re either going to challenge the false morality that’s caused this problem, and advocate the true morality that can solve this problem, or you’re going to go the wrong direction.”
Yet another reason why the Tea Partiers need to make sure they don’t get hijacked. The Objectivists are as kooky as the rest of the retards currently worming out of the woodwork.
I largely came away with the same impression. I intend to follow up with an opinion piece on my blog, had to report this straight for NPJ.
The Tea Party has all it needs, fidelity to the U.S. Constitution and their values and first principles. What else do you need?
We have had a lawyer register the name of our local tea party ... They are using the ruse of “(city name) Tea Party” in their registration and then demanding the Tea Party in that City stop using the registered name. Lawyers are doing this in order to try and frighten people away.
Just be aware of the ruse ...
We have had a lawyer register the name of our local tea party ... They are using the ruse of “(city name) Tea Party” in their registration and then demanding the Tea Party in that City stop using the registered name. Lawyers are doing this in order to try and frighten people away.
You wouldn't happen to live in Florida by any chance? I heard that was happening there. I'm sure it's a tactic that will be tried all over. It's somewhat clever, but bound to fail.
"....Now, one thing individualism implies -- as we shall see -- is God. Therefore, ideologies that promote individualism in the absence of God (and this includes some varieties of conservatism, e.g., Ayn Rand) are not only intellectually bizarre but frankly destructive and disorganizing. ..."
bttt
Yep, Florida, it’s part of the Democrats strike back against the Tea Parties.
Yes it’s real.
"....Now, one thing individualism implies -- as we shall see -- is God. Therefore, ideologies that promote individualism in the absence of God (and this includes some varieties of conservatism, e.g., Ayn Rand) are not only intellectually bizarre but frankly destructive and disorganizing. ..."
Intriguing quote. I intend to follow-up on the link. Thank you.
It reminds me of something which struck me during Biddle's presentation, which I didn't include in the article. At one point, he talked out property acquisition, evoking Locke as a precursor to Rand. He said if one's labor, their productivity guided by rational thought, adds value to something, it becomes their property. For example, if you take clay and craft it into a pot, you own that pot. He specifically said, "if you create something, it belongs to you." That immediately made me think of God. If Biddle's interpretation of Locke is correct, does that not mean we, along with all creation, belong to God? He would presumably say there is no proof of God, and it is an irrational question. But it seems to me God is implicit in his property acquisition theory. If you're saying a pot belongs to a potter because it took thought to create, it stands to reason it also took thought to create the clay... and the potter.
The Tea Parties DON’T NEED ANYTHING, especially advice. What a waste of news space to keep bringing this up. And every time it comes up it is urging us to create leadership, etc. It is a POPULIST movement, not an ORGANIZATIONAL movement. It is LEADERLESS with “Restoring the Constitution and Taxed Enough Already” as its core issue. I am the Tea Party, so that guy is speaking to me ... I really don’t care what HE thinks. The only thing that counts is what I think .. me and millions of others like me. Go give advice to the liberals an progressives, they’re going to be in a lot more trouble than the Tea Party Folks!
The one direction the Tea Parties can go in which they are not co-opted to the purposes of others, is to the organizations which they have already joined in purpose: the individual States.
The individual States are the one political group left that still has the power to return our national government to sense. And the States have made the first tentative steps to do so, with the 10th Amendment movement. Resolutions asking the national government to back down from infringing on the rights of the individual States and the people.
But the national government is truly out of control. It neither sees, nor is able to react to this notice.
So the individual States must continue with their momentum, and move to the next phase: to discuss and debate a constitutional convention among themselves.
And this is where the Tea Parties come into their own. Not with direct action, but in supporting and encouraging our State legislatures and officials to start discussing how to fix our national government with a constitutional convention.
There are already many suggestions as to what needs to be changed in our constitution to restore our national government to order. These need to be debated both within individual States, and between individual States.
Then there is the other thing the Tea Parties can do. Right now, they are preparing for our national elections. And we have to ask candidates a big question: If the individual States try to convene a constitutional convention, will you support them in doing this, or try to subvert their efforts?
This is asking them to do something difficult. If they become a congressmen or senator, are they willing to stand back and let the individual States take power away from the national government?
It is an honest question, and a hard question to answer. Having fought for, and won a seat in the national government, it will not be easy to just be a “caretaker”, until a new constitution has been written.
So they need to be asked this question soon, because it will not be an easy question to answer.
No elected or appointed government official can be a delegate to a constitutional convention.
You’re welcome. I agree.
I think “Tea Party” participants should start using a different term, such as “Sons of Liberty”. We need something stronger that, when heard, immediately captures the outrage that we are feeling towards these unconstitutional power grabs by Washington.
The historical association with the Boston Tea Party is lost on many Americans ... especially with the liberal media’s initial blitz of calling them “Tea Baggers”.
Just a suggestion...
Intellectuals like Biddle are the exact people the Tea Party is trying to stay away from. Does he actually think the Tea Party is going to take his advice? lol The world would be a lot better off without people like Biddle
Its intellectuals like Biddle that the Tea Party is trying to stay away from. Does he think that the Tea Party is going to actually take his advice? lol The world would be a lot better off without people like Biddle.
BS - a constitutional convention threatens the loss of the Constitution itself. This whack-job idea was hatched by leftists to eliminate what we know as the Constitution and it was fought to a standstill long ago... and will be stopped again if need be.
Rand wrote some good books, and was right on occasion ... but, overall, she was a bit of a nut. William F Buckley knew her personally and professionally, and completely disavowed her on both fronts — that’s enough for me. I’d take the word of WFB over almost anyone ... certainly over Rand and her cultish followers.
SnakeDoc
The trouble is that most people have not studied Objectivism nor have they taken the time to consider the ramifications of this philosophy.
In reality - there are few people that have studied any philosophy and understand the ramifications of the different variations thereof. We no longer teach philosophy in schools, therefor the masses are ignorant of one of the greatest tools we have in understanding ourselves and our true wants and needs in life.
We think - “If it feels good - - do it” and that stands in place of a real life philosophy. “If it doesn’t hurt anyone else it must be ok” is another hippy dippy version of modern thinking.
As a society we are in deep doo doo when it come to dealing with life in a real meaningful way.
My support for the Tea Party movement is based on three primary issues:
1) Insane Government spending
2) The ridiculous tax code that destroys business
3) A government that adheres to the US Constitution
I do not want to get in an argument with the good,religious folks over moral issues and do not want any ACORN/Ron Paul supporters/RINO politicians corrupting a grassroots organization that promotes REAL change.
I want the government out of my home,paycheck and life.
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