Welcome to the December 2, 2010 edition of objectivist round up. First, I want to share a quote with you from Tara Smith's Ayn Rand's Normative Ethics:
"Many values are optional or discretionary. These do not compete with more basic, universal values; rather, they are the means through which a person pursues more basic values. In pursuing such optional values, a person must respect the requirements of life by not choosing ends that are detrimental to it. As long as he does respect those requirements, however, a great deal of variety in values is compatible with objectivity."
In the Atlanta Objectivist Society, we have a skydiver, some serious Beatles fans, a vintage fashionista, a tennis player, computer programmers, a couple of serious foodies, career parents, some Latin enthusiasts, an accountant, a few partyers, world travelers, a gardener, tutors and teachers, a sodoku fanatic, activists, lactivists, and who knows what else? I want to know what you do, what your particular career is, what your hobbies are, and what the optional values are that make you unique.
This Round Up includes many of these posts, and blogging, I think is an optional value we all share. But I want more. If you are reading this Round up and you blog about your life, please submit it. It doesn't have to be about Objectivism, only about you, an Objectivist, and the things you love to do and to think about.
And now I give you, the December 2, 2010 Objectivist Round Up.
Edward Cline presents Amadeus: A Pinnacle of Cultural Corruption posted at The Rule of Reason, saying, "Many wiser minds have written about the failure of statist economics, the fraud of “social parity,” the scam of anthropogenic climate change, and the injustice and guaranteed poverty inherent in a policy of “spreading the wealth around a little.” But, why does not the wisdom exhibited in these essays circulate as rapidly as does gossip, or hearsay, or scandal? Why is it so difficult to impart a general acceptance that the truisms burst in these essays were indeed lies, frauds, and deceptions?"
Edward Cline presents The TSA: Enabler of “A Thousand Cuts” posted at The Rule of Reason, saying, "Reading several articles about how the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA’s) full-body scans and pat-down “enhanced” security procedures violate the Fourth Amendment, I was struck by the utter irrelevancy of the argument. Citing that Amendment against unreasonable searches and seizures would indeed present an unarguable efficacy if we lived in a political environment in which the rule of law otherwise prevailed. No court could contradict the argument and still retain any credibility . . . But we do not live in such an environment"
Ari Armstrong presents Assault the Enemy, Not the Citizenry posted at Free Colorado, saying, "TSA's invasive searches are the result of a broader failure of U.S foreign policy. The essay draws on the work of John Lewis, Nothing Less Than Victory."
Jenn Casey presents The One about CrossFit at Rational Jenn, saying "I have recently started working out at a CrossFit gym and I'm really enjoying it!"
Diana Hsieh presents Ready for the Day posted at NoodleFood, saying, "I made my first purchase from Quent Cordair Fine Arts recently. Find out what painting, and post your favorites in the comments!"
Paul Hsieh presents Medical Bribery in Canada at WeStandFIRM, saying "Under Canada's socialized health system, it costs $2k to jump the surgery waiting lists in Canada; $5-10k if you also want to choose the surgeon."
Kelly Elmore presents Book Recommendation: The Hunger Games at Reepicheep's Coracle, saying "I just finished the first book in a new (to me) young adult series, and I loved it! I think it is the kind of book that other Objectivists will really like, as well. No spoilers, though."
Trey Givens presents I Hate Thomas Kinkade posted at Trey Givens, saying, "Since it's Christmastime, I know you're all running around trying to find the perfect gift to give me for the holiday. I keep a wishlist on Amazon, but I appreciate when people go "off the reservation" to come up with something really good. So, to help you in your quest, I wrote this post to explain about one thing you absolutely should NOT buy for me -- or even for yourself if you want my opinion -- unless you hate me and want me to hate you back."
Mike Zemack presents A "Teachable Moment" from Tennessee posted at Principled Perspectives, saying, "My state's largest newspaper editorialized that a recent tragedy in Tennessee is an example of what happens when you "shrink government enough", and blamed "conservatives [who] preach the you’re-on-your-own governmental gospel of less". I have a different take."
Jason Stotts presents Book Update posted at Erosophia, saying, "A brief update on my book: I'm done with Chapter 3!"
That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of The Objectivist Round Up using our carnival submission form.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
12/2/10
