• The Real History of Capitalism

    Take a look at the history of “trucking and bartering” itself; look at the history of modern capitalism, about which we know a lot. The first thing you’ll notice is, peasants had to be driven by force and violence into a wage-labor system they did not want; then major efforts were undertaken – conscious efforts – to create wants. In fact, if you look back, there’s a whole interesting literature of conscious discussio...

  • Violence is not just Physical – Words that Underpin Intolerance

    Violence is not merely killing another. It is violence when we use a sharp word, when we make a gesture to brush away a person, when we obey because there is fear. So violence isn’t merely organized butchery in the name of God, in the name of society or country. Violence is much more subtle, much deeper, and we are inquiring into the very depths of violence. When you call yourself an Indian or a Muslim or a C...

  • The Virtue of Selfishness

    (Ayn Rand Quotes) The men who attempt to survive, not by means of reason, but by means of force, are attempting to survive by the method of animals. Poverty, ignorance, illness and other problems of that kind are not metaphysical emergencies. By the metaphysical nature of man and of existence, man has to maintain his life by his own effort; the values he needs—such as wealth or knowledge—are not given to him aut...

  • Private Institutions and Poverty

    So long as power remains privately concentrated, everybody, everybody, has to be committed to one overriding goal: and that’s to make sure that the rich folk are happy — because unless they are, nobody else is going to get anything. So if you’re a homeless person sleeping in the streets of Manhattan, let’s say, your first concern must be that the guys in the mansions are happy — because if they’re happy, then they’ll...

  • Private Institutions and Poverty

    So long as power remains privately concentrated, everybody, everybody, has to be committed to one overriding goal: and that’s to make sure that the rich folk are happy — because unless they are, nobody else is going to get anything. So if you’re a homeless person sleeping in the streets of Manhattan, let’s say, your first concern must be that the guys in the mansions are happy — because if they’re happy, then they’ll...

Posts tagged Reason

What are the formal steps of right reasoning according to Descartes?

Dec 16th

Posted by Andrew Crichton in Other Sites

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In Rene Descartes book, Discourse on Method, he devises four premises to the right steps of reasoning.

1. Accept nothing as true which is not presented to the mind so clearly and distinctly that there is no reason to doubt it.

2. Break problems down into as many smaller problems as possible.

3. Begin with what is most simple and easily understood and build on this by degrees to large and more complex matters.

4. Review the entire chain of thinking to ensure nothing is omitted.

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If you were given a choice between contentment and reason, which would you choose?

Feb 11th

Posted by Andrew Crichton in Other Sites

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Here is the story of Lily the chicken:

Once upon a time, there lived a chicken named Lily. She lived on a farm surrounded by hundreds of other chickens and was fed, watered and sheltered daily by a caring farmer. In her free time, Lily was able to socialise and enjoy all aspects of her life. She felt content and happy. Although she had little freedom, she was only a chicken and this life was all she had ever known.

It was Christmas Eve and Lily was eating her delicious dinner when she thought to herself about all the advantages of her More >

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