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The wisdom of Ayn Rand regarding altruism

Posted by $ jbrenner 3 years, 2 months ago to Philosophy
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It is very tempting to send money to support the Canadian truckers and other people/causes. With the crackdown by the Canadian finance minister and crowdfunding companies and the now ubiquitous equating of such donations to "supporting terrorism", now, more than ever, Ayn Rand's persistent bashing of altruism is more relevant than ever.

No good deed goes unpunished.


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  • Posted by sdesapio 3 years, 2 months ago
    "Altruism", as Ayn Rand spoke of it, is the act putting the interest of others above one's own - whether by guilt or obligation.

    Sending money to a cause you believe in, is not altruism. You are not putting the welfare of the truckers above your own interest. Your interests are aligned. There is nothing wrong with donating money to any cause you believe in.

    "My views on charity are very simple. I do not consider it a major virtue and, above all, I do not consider it a moral duty. There is nothing wrong in helping other people, if and when they are worthy of the help and you can afford to help them. I regard charity as a marginal issue. What I am fighting is the idea that charity is a moral duty and a primary virtue." - Ayn Rand, 1964 Playboy Interview
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  • Posted by $ Thoritsu 3 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Yes, but that does not change the basis of my self-interest, or make the action altruistic.

    The moral here is "Don't pass a rifle to a spy, to get it to your ally." However, it did expose the spy to be shunned forever.
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  • Posted by $ 3 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    "... But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. ..." - Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence
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  • Posted by $ Thoritsu 3 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    It will likely support totalitarian governments backing off restrictions to freedoms that I find significant, and it is damaging both US and other leftist/totalitarian movements.
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  • Posted by mccwho 3 years, 2 months ago
    Canada is now experiencing their very own Boston tea party and soon ( I Hate to say) their own modern day version of the Boston massacre, though I hope its not an actual massacre!
    Trudeau has become King George of old! Sounds like they will need to update their constitution to prevent such power grabs in the future. Far too much governance !!!
    Less Governance means more freedom, which people like the totally useless Trudeau rely upon on the people having less of. Not to mention people like Besos, Gates and the other like minded Orwellian totallaltain's depend on.

    As well as we here in the USA will also need to update ours to stop out of control political parties from manipulating the system. I still say we should outlaw political parties all together! They server no useful purpose except to cause separation.
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  • Posted by $ 3 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Let's look at this from a different perspective. In what way is giving money to the truckers in your self-interest?
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  • Posted by Dobrien 3 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    We are at an inflection point , a precipice, if you will.
    Most people don’t want to admit that we are literally in a world war , I have called it the “Uncivil War” for 6 years now. It is unconventional,yet the casualties are not. It really flared up with the anti-fa brown shirts. They were literally were attacking out in the open elderly people right on the streets in dem cities out west during Obama’s reign of infiltration. The baseless smear or “wrap up smear campaign as Piglousey described. The enemy during that time was then committing treason against US by obstruction/ spying / and framing Pres. Trump for over 5 years.

    My wife and I have discussed and have agreed that now the line is drawn. We will never live on our knees, but we will die on our feet defending our inalienable rights to life , liberty and the pursuit of happiness!

    4685
    Sep 12, 2020 2:47:18 PM EDT
    Q !!Hs1Jq13jV6 ID: 6599d9 No. 10619905

    HOW DO YOU AMPLIFY A DESIRED THEME-NARRATIVE?
    MSDNC controls what you see [digital echo].
    Twitter - FB - GOOG control what you see and what trends [digital echo].
    Hollywood ['stars'] swarm to enforce ['trend' echo].
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    ANTIFA swarm to enforce [non_digital echo].
    Rage and emotion follow by those indoctrinated [echo controlled].
    Define 'indoctrinate'.
    to often repeat an idea or belief to someone in order to persuade them to accept it
    Next: grab 'rage & emotion' [organized platform(s)] by indoctrinated and project as 'majority' [zoom and enhance _narrow focus as mainstream].
    System of control.
    Many choose the path of least resistance.
    For many you cannot tell them the truth.
    You must show them.
    Only at the PRECIPICE will people find the will [strength] to change and break the system of control [be free].
    Q
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  • Posted by $ blarman 3 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    They depend on some semblance of order to maintain their tyranny. They can't maintain power if the bubble bursts and society melts down entirely. Now could they turn to a dependence on a police force of their own construction, i.e. Brown Shirts. Surely. But without a projection of force, they are cut off from the very products and services they lust after.
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  • Posted by $ Thoritsu 3 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I meant being punished for supporting another person's enemy is not new. This is an old vindictive behavior. It may be a little "new" that it is overt western government behavior, but it is not new in general.

    Separately, supporting the truckers is not altruism.
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  • Posted by $ 3 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    More accurately, the elitists actually gain more power regardless of which way things go.
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  • Posted by $ 3 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Yes, I think they are new. Now you are seeing people being punished for "donating" to people who are viewed as "terrorists". Two months ago, it was only the parents of Va. students who were branded as "terrorists". Two years ago, it was people who disagreed with Fauci. The difference now is that you don't even have to speak or write to get punished.
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  • Posted by $ blarman 3 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    It probably is, but it's a lot of chaos and panic they're sowing and the lie they tell themselves is that they'll be able to control it. Currency is only as valuable as what it can buy. If you undermine one currency, people will go to a black market/barter system until something better. And who is it that these elitists are relying on? The police. One thing these protests have done is severely undermine the public trust in the designated law enforcement. And when there are tens of thousands ot people to every policeman, it doesn't take much to overwhelm them. We've been watching that for the past two years with the BLM riots. Only these idiot elitists believe it won't go both ways...
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  • Posted by Dobrien 3 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Yes please review “The Great Rest” from the World Economic Forum and Klaus (I wear a mitten on my penis at the beach) Schwab.
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  • Posted by $ 3 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Regardless of whether someone is on "your side" or not, there are significant new negative consequences to yourself for "handing a firearm to a person on your side of a fight".
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  • Posted by $ Thoritsu 3 years, 2 months ago
    I'm not following you professor. Giving money to the truckers, is like handing a firearm to a person on your side of a fight, not a donation to a needy but lazy person. This is not altruism.

    What are you getting at?
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  • Posted by katrinam41 3 years, 2 months ago
    Although Ayn didn't use the word "brainwashed ", everything to do with the rantings of government and media implies it to be so in AS. Without stating it, she managed to capture today's mind control in a very real and harsh light. Time for a re-read to remind me just how much has already become fact.
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  • Posted by Lakestalker 3 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I’m wondering if this economic destabilization was the goal in itself? Destabilize the banks, throw the economy into chaos and simply slide in a few new laws designed to bring about “order”.
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