tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4224339055433915363.post8230483064881271678..comments2020-07-20T14:57:22.006-07:00Comments on Bobby V's Blog: Obama versus Ayn RandBobby Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03530625914213463734noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4224339055433915363.post-74185601148867514032010-01-03T22:06:40.815-08:002010-01-03T22:06:40.815-08:00Clay -- You've posted that exact same comment ...Clay -- You've posted that exact same comment on other blogs, so I'm just going to reiterate the comment that I made on Tom Palmer's site.<br /><br />You've seriously misunderstood Ayn Rand's ideas. Ayn Rand's idea of selfishness is certainly not that of the brute that slaughters others to indulge his own desires -- as Christianity and other forms of altruism claim must be the case. It's where each individual pursues his own life and happiness here on this earth -- not sacrificing others to himself or himself to others -- in accordance with his best rational grasp of the facts.<br /><br />That's not compatible with Christianity in the slightest. Christianity extols sacrifice as the moral ideal -- the sacrifice of the morally perfect to the worthless sinners. It denigrates wealth -- or any pursuit of values on this earth -- as evil. It demands faith in an unproven, fantastic, self-contradictory myth -- and threatens an eternity of hell to those who refuse to accept that. Ayn Rand very clearly rejects all of that as evil.<br /><br />Or, to put the point another way: Would Jesus have blown up a housing project for the poor to protect his intellectual property, as Howard Roark did? Of course not!<br /><br />If you're interested in studying Ayn Rand's ideas further, you might find my still-in-progress collection of podcasts on "Atlas Shrugged" of interest. They're here:<br /><br />http://www.ExploreAtlasShrugged.com<br /><br />-- Diana Hsieh. Ph.D, Philosophy<br />-- http://www.DianaHsieh.comLOG ME INhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15238302513816129464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4224339055433915363.post-79993637300281061022010-01-03T17:00:05.506-08:002010-01-03T17:00:05.506-08:00Clay, thanks for the comment. I've written el...Clay, thanks for the comment. I've written elsewhere on "Selfishness and Greed" in my blog. Most people are influenced by the false view that self-interest, or selfishness, is predatory in nature and they can't conceive of a view of morality with life as the standard. I think Obama and those who support him hold the negative view and it moves them to promote some of the most harmful policies. They can't seem to understand that if you destroy profit in the name of morality, you make life and morality impossible.Bobby Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03530625914213463734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4224339055433915363.post-19331063889651071022010-01-03T16:18:34.310-08:002010-01-03T16:18:34.310-08:00Is it self-centered greed or legitimate self-inter...Is it self-centered greed or legitimate self-interest that concerns most about Ayn Rand? Many who admire and criticize Ayn Rand’s beliefs about people standing on their own feet say she promoted selfishness, thereby greed, which is self-centered and anti-individual creativity. That is not Ayn Rand. She admired creative individuals like railroad builder James Jerome Hill, on whom she was reputed to have based her character Nathaniel Taggart in Atlas Shrugged. Independent “I’m OK, you’re OK” people are OK with Rand, not thieves and takers. Howard Roark’s summation to the jury, from Fountainhead, does not show a self-centered individual destroying his work. If greedy he would simply accept his payment. Roark was an other- and outer-centered individual in love with his own dreams and creations, as one would love a spouse, child or family and refuse to allow them to be assaulted. That is the self-interest that built America. Though love for anything more important than self is not inconsistent with Christianity. Claysamerica.com.ClayBarhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08969859914336837392noreply@blogger.com