[Mr. Jeeves]

It's funny how objectivism has interesting ideas, but Objectivists are a group of flakes; libertarianism has interesting ideas, but Libertarians are a bunch of flakes; constitutionists have interesting ideas, but Constitution Party members are a bunch of flakes...somehow there has to be a way to meld the best ideas from these schools of thought into a coherent philosophy and political movement that isn't thickly populated with Junior Varsity Napoleon Bonapartes.

[ffusco]

I actually dated an architect major who had a picture of N B on her dresser. All artists are born dictators.

[CatoRenasci]

I think the difficulty you note says a great deal about the difficulty of philosophy generally and modern man's dilemma with respect to the loss of religious faith. Most of the people who become followers of any modern system of belief, be it marxism-leninism, modern liberalism, objectivism, fascism, libertarianism, like those who gravitate to the most rigid forms of Christianity or the various Eastern religions, do so in order to find a comfortable certainty around which to order their lives and world view. Actual thinking is damned hard work, and accepting uncertainty and developing a moral or philosophical perspective in the face of the uncertainty that has existed since the Enlightenment is probably beyond most people's abilities.

[templar]

It's funny how objectivism has interesting ideas, but Objectivists are a group of flakes; libertarianism has interesting ideas, but Libertarians are a bunch of flakes; constitutionists have interesting ideas, but Constitution Party members are a bunch of flakes...somehow there has to be a way to meld the best ideas from these schools of thought into a coherent philosophy and political movement that isn't thickly populated with Junior Varsity Napoleon Bonapartes.

Try pragmatism (the shortened version: "what works is real"). We're the only ones that aren't flakes, and we can use any of the worthwhile parts of all the others as (and if) they prove themselves to be of real merit (or true), while finding no need to accept (or apply) the remainder.

[numberonepal]

... somehow there has to be a way to meld the best ideas from these schools of thought into a coherent philosophy and political movement ...

I hearby announce The Common Effin Sense Party.

[Doctor Stochastic]

So how do the Republicans and Democrats, without displaying any ideas at all, attract so many flakes?