Number of posts : 1919 Age : 52 Location: : Connecticut Registration date : 2007-01-24
Subject: Altruism Thu Jun 02, 2011 11:13 pm
Here's Ayn Rand's take on altruism.
And here's another take on altruism.
What's your opinion of Rand's assertion that altruism is inherently evil? Does man posses altruistic drives by nature? If so then what does it say about Rand's assertion?
Mechajutaro
Number of posts : 55 Registration date : 2010-05-17
Subject: Re: Altruism Mon Jun 13, 2011 12:05 am
Aaron wrote:
Here's Ayn Rand's take on altruism.
And here's another take on altruism.
What's your opinion of Rand's assertion that altruism is inherently evil? Does man posses altruistic drives by nature? If so then what does it say about Rand's assertion?
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, the "Isms"; words that manage to encompass each and every imaginable transgression. And then some James M. Cain's rebuttal(and Rand, however many times post-its bearing scribbles of "philosopher" and "novelist" get slapped onto her tombstone, is a critic through and through)to such debate remains sublime all these years later:
I belong to no school, hard-boiled or otherwise, and I believe these so-called schools exist mainly in the imagination of critics, and have little correspondence in reality or anywhere else.
Aaron Admin
Number of posts : 1919 Age : 52 Location: : Connecticut Registration date : 2007-01-24
Subject: Re: Altruism Tue Jun 14, 2011 8:14 pm
Ken Wilber calls many of these "isms" true but partial. Of course some are more partial than true.
Mechajutaro
Number of posts : 55 Registration date : 2010-05-17
Subject: Re: Altruism Mon Jun 27, 2011 1:34 am
Aaron wrote:
Ken Wilber calls many of these "isms" true but partial. Of course some are more partial than true.
Your thoughts on the trueness(or absence thereof)on this particular subject, Aaron?
Aaron Admin
Number of posts : 1919 Age : 52 Location: : Connecticut Registration date : 2007-01-24
Subject: Re: Altruism Mon Jun 27, 2011 8:26 am
I happen to think Ayn Rand was a little too sure of herself. She makes some good points but her philosophy seems to be grounded on a warped, overly materialistic ontology.
Rand seemed to view humans as purely individualistic and that the drive for individualism was the only drive that really mattered. I tend to agree more with people like Ken Wilber who hold the view that we are holons (whole/parts) with dual drives toward both individualism and communalism.