Objectivist Round Up #136

Once again, I’m really happy to be hosting the Objectivist Round Up. This blog carnival is a collection of posts written by individuals who are advocates of Objectivism: the philosophy developed and defined by Ayn Rand.

If you are new to Ayn Rand and would like to discover more about her philosophy, I recommend you read her two great novels, Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead. If you know her novels, I recommend her non-fiction starting with The Virtue of Selfishness, and Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal. The Ayn Rand Institute and the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights provide relevant information and commentary.

Following, in the order in which they were received, are the posts for this 136th Objectivist Round Up.

Burgess Laughlin presents A writer's working library? posted at Making Progress, saying, “Among a writer's resources are several distinct kinds of books that help writers do their jobs. This article identifies five kinds for one writer, offers examples from his library, and invites others' suggestions. Behind this article stands an unstated but nevertheless evident love of books.”

Rachel Miner presents Couple Time posted at The Playful Spirit, saying, “Some tips on the sitter side of things along with a special take on date nights that my husband and I have come to relish. The key idea is to share an improving action that makes the date a growth experience. We were certainly unusual taking flute lessons together in our twenties!”

Rational Jenn presents Atlanta Objectivist Society posted at Rational Jenn, saying, “Our new community Objectivist group is officially up and running! Hope to see you at a Social event soon! :o).”

Trey Givens presents The Multiverse: You Can't Get There from Here posted at Trey Givens, saying, “This week, I caught up on a bunch of posts I had started but never finished. This was one of them. It's a discussion about why I find a particular version of the multiverse theory flawed. Thrilling, I know! But I included a music video, so you'll love it.”

Jim Woods presents In Defense of Lincoln posted at Words by Woods, saying, “In response to an attack upon President Lincoln in 'honor' of his birthday, this post examines Libertarian attacks on President Lincoln through a dialogue between a Confederate Apologist and a Unionist.”

Jim May presents Wide as an Ocean, Shallow as a Puddle: Epistemological Primitivism IV posted at The New Clarion, saying, “I build upon Paul Marshall's excellent critique of Anthony Daniel's criticism of Ayn Rand, to show how his criticisms of Daniels expose the key weakness of conservatism per se.”

Joseph Kellard presents Channeling Ted Kaczynski posted at The American Individualist, saying, “If you’re motivated to read, firsthand, what passes for intellectual leadership in America today, then I have a telling essay for you.”

Rory presents In which Rory lays down the laws of Philosophy essay writing posted at Mind To Matter.

Edward Cline presents Obama the Pseudo-Narcissist posted at The Rule of Reason, saying, “The hallmark of a tyrant or dictator is selflessness, requiring an endless quest to keep reality and perceived enemies at bay, which requires accumulating power over reality — by creating nothing, but becoming a parasite of other men's achievements — by way of power over others — they somehow know the secret of life, and their approval and obedience are necessary to the selfless man‘s survival and sense of security.”

Tod presents Working for Love or Money posted at A Blog by Tod, saying, “Which is the better motivator for your work -- love or money?”

Paul Hsieh presents Ten Small-Scale Reforms for Pre-Existing Conditions posted at We Stand FIRM, saying, “The problem of patients with ‘pre-existing conditions’ will not be solved by new government controls. Instead, we need free-market reforms.”

Diana Hsieh presents A Critical Account of Anthony Daniels on Ayn Rand posted at NoodleFood, saying, “A fantastic essay by Paul Marshall on Anthony Daniels' recent attack on Ayn Rand.”

Cogito presents SEE: Why start an Objectivist Campus Club, and Precision in Language posted at Cogito's Thoughts.

Gideon Reich presents Capitalism Unbound posted at Armchair Intellectual, saying, “A recommendation of Andrew Bernstein's latest book.”

Ari Armstrong presents What Are the Implications of 'Personhood?' posted at Free Colorado, saying, “Why defining a fertilized egg as a person is a very bad idea.”

John Drake presents Translating 5 year goals into action posted at Try Reason!, saying, “Continuing my series of posts on 5 year goals - I share some tips I use to ensure my daily activities enable my long-range goals.”

Andrew Dalton presents Like flies on a turd posted at Witch Doctor Repellent, saying, “This is how government-run education empowers committed irrationalists (in this case, Christian fundamentalists) to indoctrinate millions of children.”

Jason Stotts presents Achilles and Patroclus posted at Erosophia, saying, “A small rant about anachronistically changing history to meet your own conceptions of what is right. Case in point: were Achilles and Patroclus lovers?”

Earl Parson presents Creatures of Prometheus posted at Creatures of Prometheus, saying, “This is my first post at my new blog, where I describe the name and theme of the blog. This post is mostly about Beethoven and Greek mythology, but Ayn Rand makes a pretty nice cameo appearance.”

Kelly Elmore presents Why Our Lives Should Not Be Child-Centered posted at Reepicheep's Coracle, saying, “How to be selfish and loving without driving you, your children, or anyone else crazy”

and

Hypothyroidism Update posted at Reepicheep's Coracle, saying, “An update on my visit to the endocrinologist and my thyroid treatment.”

Stephen Bourque presents The Separation of Education and State posted at One Reality, saying, “The free market cannot guarantee that schools will teach objective history and science. But what the free market does guarantee is that objective facts will not be silenced or smothered by force.”

Doug Reich presents Boom-Bust Index (Part 1,2, and 3) posted at The Rational Capitalist, saying, “In this series of posts, I attempt to show that today's crisis is a classic instance of the boom-bust cycle, that bad epistemology (namely positivism and/or empiricism) renders modern economists incapable of understanding the crisis, and by reviewing 19th century monetary history, show how government intervention and ‘misintervention’ caused panics and volatility, ultimately concluding that a 100% reserve gold standard and completely free banking system is the solution.”

Sandi Trixx presents On the Census posted at Sandi Trixx, saying, “The only question permitted by the Constitution: How many people live here?”

Daniel presents Baby Book Review: Goodnight Moon posted at The Nearby Pen, saying, “This short review names the reason why Goodnight Moon is such a popular and wonderful bedtime story for children.”

That’s it for this week. Enjoy!

Next week’s Round Up will be hosted at The Secular Foxhole. Submit your posts using the carnival submission form.

Comments

Jenn Casey said…
Thanks for being a fabulous host! :o)
Lynne said…
Thank you for being a fabulous blogcarnival maintainer! (That is one among your many official titles, isn't it?)

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