Objectivist Round Up #156

Welcome to the July 8, 2010 edition of the Objectivist Round Up!

The following posts are written by advocates of Objectivism, the philosophy of Ayn Rand:

My philosophy, Objectivism, holds that:

1.Reality exists as an objective absolute—facts are facts, independent of man’s feelings, wishes, hopes or fears.

2.Reason (the faculty which identifies and integrates the material provided by man’s senses) is man's only means of perceiving reality, his only source of knowledge, his only guide to action, and his basic means of survival.

3.Man—every man—is an end in himself, not the means to the ends of others. He must exist for his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself. The pursuit of his own rational self-interest and of his own happiness is the highest moral purpose of his life.

4.The ideal political-economic system is laissez-faire capitalism. It is a system where men deal with one another, not as victims and executioners, nor as masters and slaves, but as traders, by free, voluntary exchange to mutual benefit. It is a system where no man may obtain any values from others by resorting to physical force, and no man may initiate the use of physical force against others. The government acts only as a policeman that protects man’s rights; it uses physical force only in retaliation and only against those who initiate its use, such as criminals or foreign invaders. In a system of full capitalism, there should be (but, historically, has not yet been) a complete separation of state and economics, in the same way and for the same reasons as the separation of state and church.

Ayn Rand, “Introducing Objectivism,”

The Objectivist Newsletter, Aug. 1962, 35.

Without further adieu, here is your weekly Objectivism fix:

Shea presents CPL: A Clarification posted at Shea's Blog.

Jared Rhoads presents Twead #2: Jason Mattera posted at The Lucidicus Project, saying "Last week on Twitter, we posted highlights from Jason Mattera's new book, "Obama Zombies" (Threshold Editions, 2010; 260 pp). Here's the recap."

Peter Cresswell presents What happened to all those ‘green shoots,’ fellers? posted at Not PC, saying "I explain why Krugman-like stimulus is so destructive. Simply and straight-forwardly--and with beer."

Rational Jenn presents MiniCon, AwesomeCon posted at Rational Jenn, saying "The Atlanta Objectivist Society hosted a fun-filled weekend of social activities and philosophy. IT WAS AWESOME! Here is my experience."

Paul McKeever presents Identity, Blatchford, Journalism, and Oz posted at Paul McKeever, saying "this one's for the bloggers."

Jason Stotts presents Holidays: Altruism’s Corruption of the Holy posted at Erosophia, saying "Often, even the simplest things can be pregnant with meaning. Here, I explore the moral significance of holidays."

Sandi Trixx presents NYT: Confirm Elena Kagen, But We're not Sure Why posted at Sandi Trixx, saying "Elena Kagen would not protect individual rights."

Kendall J presents BP and Coffee or “Why I’m Not Laughing” posted at The Crucible, saying "If you think there is any humor in the BP Oil Spill, check your premises."

Kendall J presents OCON Update #2 posted at The Crucible, saying "Yes, there'll be many of these this round up. Here's my latest update on OCON. You can find my first update just before this post."

Lynne Bourque presents Objectivist Rhapsody posted at 3 Ring Binder, saying "This is a post inspired by AOSMCON experiences (which included singing Queen)."

Trey Givens presents Where My Gays At? #OhomoCON #OCON posted at Trey Givens, saying "Let's make OHomos happen! I'm calling on OHomos and the OHeteros who love them to show their support and interest in being activists for Objectivism when it comes to gay interests."

Mike "Zemack" LaFerrara presents Iraqi Democracy vs. Freedom posted at Principled Perspectives, saying "Iraq is "reverting to its former freedom-less ways", according to Stanford University professor Joel Brinckley. Is this the failure of democracy, or democracy in action?"

Stephen Bourque presents Why Americans Like to Play Soccer, But Don’t Watch It posted at One Reality, saying "Following a great weekend at the Atlanta Objectivist Society MiniCon, I had a couple of musings about . . . soccer."

Rational Jenn presents OGrownups Monthly Summary posted at Rational Jenn, saying "Our monthly summary is a great way to get a glimpse into the discussions at OGrownups!"

Earl Parson presents Tennessee House Update: Excavations and Basement posted at Creatures of Prometheus, saying "Updates on my latest design, a house under construction in East Tennessee. Lots of pictures and a drawing!"

Amit Ghate presents Socialism's Second-Guessers posted at Thrutch, saying "A post in which I introduce a new editorial at Pajamas Media. Its basic theme is to show one of the consequences of today's creeping socialism, including the stark contrast with what transpires under capitalism."

Jeff Montgomery presents Pot Microcosm Of Wider Markets posted at Fun With Gravity, saying "This is a commentary on Colorado's treatment of its nascent medical marijuana industry."

Doug Reich presents Obama to Press: Stay Away or Go to Jail posted at The Rational Capitalist, saying "Synopsis and links related to Obama's assault on free speech including info on two recent cases."

Doug Reich presents "And Then Kiddies, We'll All Have Noodles in our Soup" posted at The Rational Capitalist, saying "An amusing 1933 propaganda film trumpeting goverment inflation as the cure for depression and hailing FDR as a great visionary. Yousa, yousa, happy days are here again!"


Thanks for stopping by.  Make sure to catch next week's round up at The Playful Spirit.