Posted on 03/06/2007 2:42:33 PM PST by RWR8189
I look at Atlas Shrugged on my book shelf and wonder if I should bother.
You must read it, it's like a prophecy of our current political environment. It's uncanny in it's accuracy.
Wrong. We are born with these rights. Read any American history?
I'd love to see some evidence directly tying lack of Christianity to tyrannical, inhumane orders and/or Marxism. I think you've bit off a bit more than you can chew on that one.
USSR, Communist China, Cuba
>>And???<<
And you might do the same. ;)
But seriously folks... it makes a few good point but is mostly a preachy capitalist, atheist mantra.
The thing with capitalism is that it is the most powerful economic system in existence and, like all things powerful has the capability to do the most good - or the most evil. In a Judeo/Christian culture it can be very good indeed. Otherwise, it could be the most cruel and evil thing this planet has ever experienced. And the world envisioned by the fictional John Galt would be a worse hell on earth than the one the looters were creating (as bad as it was).
That last paragraph can't be topped. You missed the nail completely.
Are you sure you didn't mean to say you disagree?
That particular nail was not in the book. It is one I created myself.
I just finished reading Atlas Shrug this weekend, and that was my biggest complaint about the book, I wanted the to find out how the villains came to their end. Other than that, I enjoyed the book and it felt it made me look at life a little differently.
"No, you go elsewhere and get a different job. You are not compelled by force to stay."
Excepting slavery, convict labor (where the convicts are individuals convicted on trumped up charges), and debt bondage created by local monopoly company stores, I'll grant your point.
"Have you ever heard of company towns that force workers to stay at the point of a gun?"
No, but I have heard of coal mining operations hiring Pinkerton agents or other private police to shoot or intimidate miners organizing unions. It isn't that much of a stretch for me to imagine them enforcing workers to stay at gunpoint, just like factories used to lock workers in, just like Wal-Mart does today. I confess to not being thoroughly historically versed in early 20th, and late 19th century coal miner history.
Thank you for the Thomas Sowell link. Although I feel like I have a thorough grounding in Macroeconomics, I'll take a look. Although I favor less regulation on businesses than we have today, I recognize the fact that unrestrained monopolies will eventually take on the same powers as governments do, including police functions. A thorough reading of the history of the railroad, and coal mining in this country might be warranted if you do not agree with me.
Um, no. I've never made a 70-page speech or chased anyone around with a riding crop.
Doubtful, but thanks for your great insight.
"But legislating morality is a recipe for tyranny of the majority and the beginning of the end of individual liberty."
I'm not talking about legislation or government. I'm talking about culture and society.
"So you admit that religion is stupefying. What makes capitalism unstable, pray tell? Or are you directly quoting from Marx?"
Religion is stabilizing and keeps people from trying to rob each other of their property and rights.
"Wrong. We are born with these rights. Read any American history?"
I'll just repeat then, since it wasn't read the first time:
Human rights ARE assigned by the government (or the society as a whole), even if you dress them up in fancy language and cultural assumptions about dieties. I'm lucky enough to live in a society where the religion of the culture at large assumes many of the same rights I would find to be logically consistant with a healthy society.
Could be.
I don't think the breakup of Standard Oil brought about BP or Royal Dutch Shell.
The breakup of AT&T, on the other hand, led to, IMO, the entire IT, internet, WWW, and wireless worldwide revolution.
yitbos
Tsk. Tsk. You fall into a trap set by the collectivists. PC
See tag below.
yitbos
Altruism as obligation most certainly is. It's theft and nothing else.
...or "looting" as one author might put it. : )
Read "Letters of Ayn Rand", by Ayn Rand (Author), Michael S. Berliner (Editor), Leonard Peikoff (Introduction).
yitbos
Well, I would agree with you, except that I know a lot of people who can barely spell their own name, much less that of John Galt or any other literary protagonist.
Especially here on the Internet, there are a lot of people who don't know "to" from "two" from "too," or "their" from "there" from "they're," or "hear" from "here"; also a lot of people who think "alot" is one word; also a lot of people who will post boners like "I just want someone to except my love." ;)
Maybe some of these folks are just typing too fast, but I wouldn't bet the rent on it. It's not fashionable to spell correctly anymore, you see. You just gotta understand that making students learn the mechanics of the English language just wastes their time and gets in the way of their creativity. /sarc
In particular, I have a hard time thinking of Angelina even playing an intellectual, upper-class woman, just based upon the tidbits of her private life that make it into the headlines every week... although I think she did a pretty good job with the Lara Croft Tomb Raider movies.
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