[645] in libertarians
Re: objectivism vs. libertarianism
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Raymie Stata)
Sat Feb 11 18:13:16 1995
To: S Jens <sjens@MIT.EDU>
Cc: libertarians@MIT.EDU, raymie@blizzard.lcs.mit.edu
In-Reply-To: Your message of Sat, 11 Feb 95 14:38:26 -0500.
<9502111938.AA15998@w20-575-103.MIT.EDU>
From: Raymie Stata <raymie@larch.lcs.mit.edu>
Date: Sat, 11 Feb 95 18:11:59 EST
> <sgens@mit.edu>
>
> ...anyone coming to a conclusion about politics through logic as do
> objectivists will have a tendency to tell people who disagree with
> them that they are stupid. [People who feel this way and can't keep
> their opinions to themselves will generally hurt the movement.]
More sweeping remarks about "objectivists"... I've dealt with a lot
of objectivist---including those aligned w/ ARI---and I haven't heard
too many going around calling others stupid. They _do_ go around
telling other people they are _wrong_. Now, there's a big taboo
against doing this in our society, esp. when it comes to ethics, so
people tend to get insulted by this and they also tend to translate
"you're wrong" into "you're stupid." But you can't lay that at the
feet of "objectivists."
People who come to their conclusions through logic do not hurt the
movement toward liberty. Nor do people who advocated realism,
rationality, egoism, and individualism---these are the values on which
liberty is based. What does hurt the movement is people who come to
their conclusions through "gut feelings" and "divine revelations," and
also people who go around to everyone---socialists, drug-users,
environmentalists of the man/science/technology-hating variety,
etc.---and argue not that their fundamental believes and goals or
wrong but rather that those believes and goals would be better served
under a capitalist social arrangement.
> Question one: MBLA?
Man-boy love association
> Question two: if Tsongas manages to form his Centrist Party and it
> takes off (judging by media coverage it looks like the Centrist
> Party would be a nondoctrinal libertarian party), would objectivists
> transfer?
1. "Objectivists" do not follow a party line of any kind; each
objectivist will make up their own mind. 2. I wouldn't switch.
RS
