The Irrational Foundations of Conservatism: David Hume
Some conservatives argue that David Hume was the first true conservative – see the link. He argued that causation does not exist, that inductive reasoning was not valid, and that rational ethics was impossible (is-ought problem).
Conservatism is an attack on reason, the Enlightenment, the scientific revolution, Locke and the founding principles of the United States. It is time that conservatives admit that their whole philosophy is based on irrationalism.
Conservatism is an attack on reason, the Enlightenment, the scientific revolution, Locke and the founding principles of the United States. It is time that conservatives admit that their whole philosophy is based on irrationalism.
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His Right to Travel means you can stop someone from entering your house but not your property. Even an agreement between States cannot constitute a legitimate border that can be regulated or defended because someone else's individual right to travel trumps your (your nations) right to security without just case. Example, let Syrian refugees in because we have no cause to think they will go boom...until one does and the continental US is up shiite creek form sea to shining sea.
Rational thinking.
Thanks, I'll check it out.
Incidentally, I'm not terribly faith oriented person but I do speak up when the topic arises. It's more out of a mutual respect than an opportunity to change minds.
I appreciate philosophical idealism but we live in reality. In reality we have private property and all manner of boundaries at various levels, including one that encompasses the totality of the continental 48 states. A national border is private land. If anyone wants to pass through get permission or rent a boat and go around.
Btw I haven't been taking your points...I prefer just to talk.
here in the gulch. . it appears that we have some interest in
driving conservatives away. . this would be regretful, if true.
in my experience, conservatives are peaceful, reason-oriented
lovers of the U.S. as founded who bear no resentment
for anything which we objectivists profess. . my father was
so conservative that he invented recycling before society
could think it up. . conservation began with him as he studied
forestry and loved the Smoky Mountains as a refuge from
the irrational society in which he worked and lived.
at my request, he read AS and his only difference was the
fact that Dagny had more than one lover. . he believed in
chastity until marriage, you see. . and the spirit of conservation
which meant total dedication to elimination of waste.
should we not be building bridges to welcome conservatives
into objectivism instead of trying to drive them away?? -- john
.
What I think I will do is start a post setting the basis for what they did to our project, but also how wide this issue has metastasized into. It's huge.
btw, I agree with 1-10. I disagree with the Right to Travel. But, you know this.
You simply can't cherry pick rights or deny them to others if you wish to live with them yourself. They are inalienable to all men.
While fear can be a useful emotion at times (it'll make you duck in a gun fight), reactions to it without reason generates pure primitive animalistic responses and builds upon itself. It's been a useful tool forever against humanity's struggle of reason with priests and charlatans and terrorizers, and it's generated tremendous wealth and attention for the Rushs, Hannitys, and Becks of our world, and particularly promoted conservative politicians.
But here, a site committed to reason, it's invited in and let loose those already here to come in and dominate the discussion in such a way as to not only nearly halt discussion and posting of the principles and ideas of Objectivism, but to drive out many reason contributing members.
Where one would have reasonably assumed that the battle on the site would be against liberal and Christian trolls, we've been trolled over by conservatives.
Odd. Does one cell in a human body reason with the next? Does a white blood cell reason with a cancer cell?
Any creature has self interest - a plant, a fish, a snail, a bird, an ape - essentially any living thing. Self interest is what all of them need to do to survive and it can be entirely instinctual (a plant leaning into the sunlight) or genetically coded (a foal walking), or taught from their parent (using eating utensils with hot foods). Humans are not significantly different biologically than animals, correct? If thats true then reason is a higher-thought process that humans use to determine which things suit him/her better so they can achieve maximum value to self from their decisions/actions.
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