"Be a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy."...and no, its not lost on me that Shaw was a socialist! Kind of ironic that this quote of his is so conservative!
George Bernard Shaw
Why I'm a Gay Conservative [Classical Liberal]
Hello from your host!
Why am I a gay Conservative (i.e. a Classical Liberal)? Because our Founders were! Classical Liberals that is--NOT gay--at least to the best of my knowledge! The Democratic Party has become nothing more than a Marxist front group for malignant narcissists attempting to feed their power-hungry egos with a governmental philosophy that has proved, without a doubt, throughout the ages--to be a flawed & failed philosophy. Tammy Bruce, a 2nd Amendment gun-toting lesbian feminist described them as malignant narcissists in her book "The Death of Right and Wrong". The term itself, according to Tammy, originated from psychoanalyst Otto Kernberg. Tammy--you're absolutely correct. Ronald Reagan said it best, "I didn't leave the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party left me."
This website has been created as a fun, informative, & hopefully somewhat entertaining place for other gay Conservatives to chat, hob nob, and otherwise engage in lively conversation & current events affecting the gay community today. So, for those of you disenchanted with the current state of your traditional political alliances--welcome! I'm happy to announce there is a new place for gay men & women who don't necessarily aggree with the big government, socialist agenda of the current Democratic Party. There are Republicans out there looking out for us. And there are more Gay Conservatives out there than many of you may have expected. Gay marriage is, after all, a very conservative idea.
That said, I'm also not blindly loyal to the Republican Party. Sometimes Republicans can be a very different thing from what our Founders envisioned too. I'm only as loyal to them in as much as they are loyal to our Founders' principles. When they stray from those ideals--I will call them on it & hold them accountable. One thing I've learned about Conservatives--we hold our elected officials accountable when they don't adhere to those ideals. That's what having principles is about. You don't compromise them & modify them to accommodate whatever current political winds happen to be blowing at the moment.
I have been disgusted by the treatment gay men & women have received up until this point by the Democrats. We are taken for granted. I've learned, however, that one thing Democrats do is make promises to minorities that they have no intention of keeping and the policies they often enact that are supposed to be helpful to those minorities end up doing more harm than good. They can't fulfill those promises--otherwise those minorities would cease to be voting blocks for them. I, for one, will not be used that way anymore. President Clinton's "Don't Ask;
Don't Tell" was nothing more than a discriminatory bone thrown out to a group of people that helped get him elected. We could at least be comforted knowing that while he was receiving "favors" in the Oval Office from Monica Lewinsky we could go out & die defending our country...as long as we kept our mouths shut about who we were. What's that? Silence = Death. Hmmm...I think I've seen that on bumper stickers!
Republicans are not going to go away. Not
only that, but, what is the gay man or woman to do who doesn't believe in Socialism & the big government nanny state that Democrats espouse? You will find little, if any, political correctness on my blog. Political correctness is the Left's attempt at controlling free speech and I refuse to abide by it. You see, I prefer to call things what they are. That's the only way to get at the truth of a situation. That's what the malignant Left doesn't like. Their philosophy doesn't deal in truth or logical deduction so they must squelch free speech in any way they can. It's my right to say what I want and it's your right to not be offended. When you allow someone to offend you--you give them power over you. Go ahead, tell me a gay joke. See if I care. In fact, I will probably laugh right along with you. I've tried to tell jokes about women to women who I know are Femi-Nazis (you know, the bad kind of feminist). Wow, if looks could kill! Good Lord, get a sense of humor about yourself. The Left has this country so wrapped up in knots that we walk around like a bunch of zombies who can't see reality. Osama Bin Laden is an Islamo-Nazi! Is that enough reality for you?
I will attempt to post new blogs as often as the inspiration hits me. I've also developed a terrific passion for writing and will, from time to time, post a full "article" if time permits.You can look for those links on the right side of my page under "Articles By Me". They will always be in chronological order from top to bottom, oldest to newest. I will concentrate on current events, Conservative philosopy, answering questions from gay men & women (or straight men and women) who want to know how I reconcile being a gay Conservative. Gentlemen & ladies--I MUST tell you, being a Conservative is WAY more fun than being a Liberal--for so many reasons! The shocked look Liberals give you when you trounce one of their arguments with a tiny slice of logic is the best! Try it out! You might like it!
Welcome to my site! Enjoy!
Christopher Budden
Bulletin Board for Short Notes & New Quotes
Visitor Note: I need to make a correction on my blog post dated Tuesday, May 12th, 2009. In that post I stated, "Judges are not supposed to make law--they are suppose to interpret it." What I meant to say was, "Judges are not supposed to make law--they are supposed to enforce it." Political interpretation of the law is precisely the problem we have with liberal activist judges.
"Nancy Pelosi! I BEG you! Please keep opening your mouth! Oh...its going to be such a pleasure watching you hang yourself along with all of your other little commie allies! Please, please, please--keep talking! Twisting in the wind are we?!!!"
"I challenge any person to compare the ten planks of the Communist Manifesto with the Democrat Party platform and tell me they're not ideologically the same. Don't tell me ever again that since Woodrow Wilson this party hasn't become a force for tyrrany in this nation...along with all the cowardly Republicans and 'so-called' Conservatives who are spineless jelly-fish that don't have the courage to tell the American people the truth. Prior to Wilson the Democrat Party was a legitimately Conservative Party."
"I have a question for all the Democrat parents out there who have spent thousands of dollars putting their children through some sort of medical school. Do you realize that if the Democrats get their way on Universal Healthcare you just inadvertently destroyed your own child's future by voting for all these Democrats? Not only has Universal Healthcare failed in every country where it has been introduced in terms horrific treatment for the patients--but, it also destroys the lives and professions of healthcare workers themselves. Chew on that next time you go to the voting booth!"
"Liberals are like New York cabdrivers who never see the red light coming. Other people slow down as they see the yellow. New York cabdrivers are going 60 miles an hour--RED! Ahhhhhhhh! That's the Democrats with an imminent threat: "No, it's not imminent, it's not imminent--oh, there's a missile headed for Chicago!" Now they'll say it's imminent. Well, thanks! Thanks for that. Thank you.--Ann Coulter
"Why do they call it common sense when it is so uncommon."--Fred Thompson
My comment on Fred's quote above: Exactly. Who in their right mind tries to spend their way to prosperity? Oh wait--Liberal Republicans and Democrats do! What moron comes home to his wife and says, "Honey, we're in debt up to our eyeballs. Let's go out and purchase a Jaguar. That should get us back on the right track!" Democrats and Liberals (Republican or Democrat Liberals) just never learn--do they? It's the simplest of economic ideas and for whatever reason--they just can't let go of it. Really? Is it just me?
Christopher Budden
This Is Outrageous!
from
Tea Party PatriotsEveryone is pocketing our money except us. This is infuriating! The majority of Americans were against the bailout and now the government is adding insult to financial injury!
The below listed politicians accepted the listed amount of funds from AIG after the bailout funds were provided out of our taxes.
Office Name Amount
Presiden Barack Obama $107,332.00
Vice President Joseph Biden Jr. $41,350.00
Senate Chris Dodd (D. CT) $280,238.00
Senate Chuck Schumer (D NY) $111,875.00
Senate John McCain (R AZ) $99,249.00
Senate Max Baucus (D MT) $90,000.00
Senate John Kerry (D MA) $85,000.00
Senate Joe Lieberman (D CT) $57,900.00
Senate Joe Eensign (R NV) $44,569.00
Senate Evan Bayh (D IN) $43,700.00
Senate Tom Carper (D DE) $37,312.00
Senate Richard Shelby (R AL) $31,250.00
Senate Jack Reid (D RI) $30,600.00
Senate Chuck Grassley (R IO) $27,750.00
House Charlie Rangel (D NY) $53,582.00
House John Larson (D CT) $43,000.00
House Nita Lowey (D NY) $31,800.00
House Michael Castle (R DE) $29,350.00
House Garry Ackerman (D NY) $27,750.00
House Jerrold Nadler (D NY) $26,000.00
House Earl Pomeroy (D ND) $20,720.00
House Carolyn Maloney (D NY) $19,200.00
House Joseph Crowley (D NY) $18,500.00
House Howard Berman (D CA) $18,000.00
House Edwin Perlmutter (D CO) $14,650.00
House Steve Israel (D NY) $13,950.00
Thanks for your attention!
A2Z Publications LLC
www.a2zPublications.comAnd more reason to be infuriated!!!!
Yes! All the Leftist Capitalist-Hating Scum are screaming in glee at Bernie Madoff's prosecution! I agree with them--to a point. Yes, he should be prosecuted. But, the Leftist Capitalist-Hating Scum that have hijacked this nation take the opportunity to say, "See--this is why we need more, More, MORE regulation!!! So this never happens again! This is why capitalism is bad!" I say, "No, this is why we have a legal system." We have a legal system to prosecute business related crimes or private crimes. The government regulating the economy is
also what helped get us into this mess. Do I need to mention The Community Re-Investment Act that was given birth under Carter, doubled-down on by Clinton, and promoted by Democrats like Barney Frank
who outright rejected any attempts at regulating what they were doing. I'm fed up with this crap. I'm fed up with the FED. I'm FED up with the constant attempts at government sticking its fingers into capitalism which is what helps creates these bubbles, makes them worse, or drags them out.
I'm going to keep screaming this until people in this country get this through their thick f'n skulls. You cannot regulate capitalism and expect it to work correctly. We haven't had unregulated capitalism in this country for decades; certainly since Wilson and F.D.R. Capitalism and the economy is what it is. It goes up and it goes down. When it goes down we need to stop letting these politicians convince us that they "need to do something the other party didn't do" to help it go up again. Capitalism and the markets have natural cycles--but, these politicians have learned how to use it to their advantage to promote their tyrannical agendas
How about we end the FED and get back on the gold standard to back up our currency and let capitalism take its course the way it was meant to?
Not only should Madoff be prosecuted but so should every politician that has been complicit in promoting this crap for the sake of their own stupid Utopian Leftist agendas...
and that goes for anyone regardless of the letter behind their name whether it is an "R" or "D". Frank, Pelosi, Clinton, Carter, Franklin Raines, anyone involved with Freddie and Fannie, ACORN--and the list could go on. We should be having prosecutions at all levels of our government to find out who the hell knew what, when, and where; otherwise we're never going to get back to the freedoms we've lost.
You simply cannot have individual freedom without capitalism. It is simply impossible. And now we have a full-blown leftist-loving freak in the White House who has done and is doing the exact same things that dictators like Chavez have done. As Glenn Beck always asks, "Why aren't people marching in the streets?"
What kind of country do you want to give to your kids? Freedom or tyranny?
Excerpt from "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand
One of the judges, acting as prosecutor, had read the charges.
"You may now offer whatever plea you wish to make in your own defense," he announced.
Facing the platform, his voice inflectionless and peculiarly clear, Hank Rearden answered:
"I have no defense."
"Do you--" The judge stumbled; he had not expected it to be that easy. "Do you throw yourself upon the mercy of this court?"
"I do not recognize this court's right to try me."
"But, Mr. Rearden, this is the legally appointed court to try this particular category of crime."
"I do not recognize my action as a crime."
"But you have admitted that you have broken our regulations controlling the sale of your Metal."
"I do not recognize your right to control the sale of my Metal."
"Is it necessary for me to point out that your recognition was not required?"
"No. I am fully aware of it and I am acting accordingly."
He noted the stillness of the room. By the rules of the complicated pretense which all those people played for one another's benefit, they should have considered his stand as incomprehensible folly; there should have been rustles of astonishment and derision; there were none, they sat still; they understood.
"Do you mean that you are refusing to obey the law?" asked the judge.
"No. I am complying with the law--to the letter. Your law holds that my life, my work and my property may be disposed of without my consent. Very well, you may now dispose of me without participation in the matter. I will not play the part of defending myself, where no defense is possible, and I will not simulate the illusion of dealing with a tribunal of justice."
"But, Mr. Rearden, the law provides specifically that you are to be given an opportunity to present your side of the case and to defend yourself."
"A prisoner brought to trial can defend himself only if there is an objective principle of justice recognized by his judges, a principle upholding his rights, which they may not violate and which he can invoke. The law, by which you are trying me, holds that there are no principles, that I have no rights and that you may do with me whatever you please. Very well. Do it."
"Mr. Rearden, the law which you are denouncing is based on the highest principle--the principle of the public good."
"Who is the public? What does it hold as its good? There was a time when men believed that 'the good' was a concept to be defined by a code of moral values and that no man had the right to seek his good through the violation of the rights of another. If it is now believed that my fellow men may sacrifice me in any manner they please for the sake of whatever they deem to be their own good, if they believe that they may seize my property simply because they need it--well, so does any burglar. There is only this difference: the burglar does not ask me to sanction his act."
A group of seats at the side of the courtroom was reserved for the prominent visitors who had come from New York to witness the trial. Dagny sat motionless and her face showed nothing but a solemn attention, the attention of listening with the knowledge that the flow of his words would determine the course of her life. Eddie Willers sat beside her. James Taggert had not come. Paul Larking sat hunched forward, his face thrust out, pointed like an animal's muzzle, sharpened by the look of fear, now turning into malicious hatred. Mr. Mowen, who sat beside him, was a man of greater innocence and smaller understanding; his fear was of a simpler nature; he listened in bewildered indignation and he whispered to Larkin, "Good God, now he's done it! Now he'll convince the whole country that all businessmen are enemies of the public good!"
"Are we to understand," asked the judge, "that you hold your own interests above the interests of the public?"
"I hold that such a question can never arise except in a society of cannibals."
"What...what do you mean?"
"I hold that there is no clash of interests among men who do not demand the unearned and do not practice human sacrifices."
"Are we to understand that if the public deems it necessary to curtail your profits, you do not recognize its right to do so?"
"Why, yes, I do. The public may curtail my profits any time it wishes--by refusing to buy my product."
"We are speaking of...other methods."
"Any other method of curtailing profits is the method of looters--and I recognize it as such."
"Mr. Rearden, this is hardly the way to defend yourself."
"I said that I would not defend myself."
"But this is unheard of! Do you realize the gravity of the charge against you?"
"I do not care to consider it."
"Do you realize the possible consequences of your stand?"
"Fully."
"It is the opinion of this court that the facts presented by the prosecution seem to warrant no leniency. The penalty which this court has the power to impose on you is extremely severe."
"Go ahead."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Impose it."
The three judges looked at one another. Then their spokesman turned back to Rearden. "This is unprecedented," he said.
"It is completely irregular," said the second judge. "The law requires you to submit a plea in your own defense. Your only alternative is to state for the record that you throw yourself upon the mercy of the court."
"I do not."
"But you have to."
"Do you mean that what you expect from me is some sort of voluntary action?"
"Yes."
"I volunteer nothing."
"But the law demands that the defendant's side be represented on the record."
"Do you mean that you need my help to make this procedure legal?"
"Well, no...yes...that is, to complete the form."
"I will not help you."
The third and youngest judge, who had acted as a prosecutor, snapped impatiently, "This is ridiculous and unfair! Do you want to let it look as if a man of your prominence had been railroaded without a--" He cut himself off short. Somebody at the back of the courtroom emitted a long whistle.
"I want," said Rearden gravely, "to let the nature of this procedure appear exactly for what it is. If you need my help to disguise it--I will not help you."
"But we are giving you a chance to defend yourself--and it is you who are rejecting it."
"I will not help you pretend that I have a chance. I will not help you to preserve an appearance of righteousness where rights are not recognized. I will not help you to preserve an appearance of rationality by entering a debate in which a gun is the final argument. I will not help you to pretend that you are administering justice."
"But the law compels you to volunteer a defense!"
There was laughter at the back of the courtroom.
"That is the flaw in your theory, gentlemen, " said Rearden gravely, "and I will not help you out of it. If you choose to deal with men by means of compulsion, do so. But you will discover that you need the voluntary co-operation of your victims, in many more ways than you can see at present. And your victims should discover that it is their own volition--which you cannot force--that makes you possible. I choose to be consistent and I will obey you in the manner you demand. Whatever you wish me to do, I will do it at the point of a gun. If you sentence me to jail, you will have to send armed men to carry me there--I will not volunteer to move. If you fine me, you will have to seize my property to collect the fine--I will not volunteer to pay it. If you believe that you have the right to force me--use your guns openly. I will not help you to diguise the nature of your action."
The eldest judge leaned forward across the table and his voice became suavely derisive: "You speak as if you were fighting for some sort of principle, Mr. Rearden, but what you're actually fighting for is only your property, isn't it?"
"Yes, of course. I am fighting for my property. Do you know the kind of principle that represents?"
"You pose as a champion of freedom, but it's only the freedom to make money that you're after."
"Yes, of course. All I want is the freedom to make money. Do you know what that freedom implies?"
"Surely, Mr. Rearden, you wouldn't want your attitude to be misunderstood. You wouldn't want to give support to the widespread impression that you are a man devoid of social conscience, who feels no concern for the welfare of his fellows and works for nothing but his own profit."
"I work for nothing but my own profit. I earn it."
There was a gasp, not of indignation, but of astonishment, in the crowd behind him and silence from the judges he faced. He went on calmly:
"No, I do not want my attitude to be misunderstood. I shall be glad to state it for the record. I am in full agreement with the facts of everything said about me in the newspapers--with the facts, but not with the evaluation. I work for nothing but my own profit--which I make by selling a product they need to men who are willing and able to buy it. I do not produce it for their benefit at the expense of mine, and they do not buy it for my benefit at the expense of theirs; I do not sacrifice my interests to them nor do they sacrifice theirs to me; we deal as equals by mutual consent to mutual advantage--and I am proud of every penny that I have earned in this manner. I am rich and I am proud of every penny I own. I made my money by my own effort, in free exchange and through the voluntary consent of every man I dealt with--the voluntary consent of those who employed me when I started, the voluntary consent of those who work for me now, the voluntary consent of those who buy my product. I shall answer all the questions you are afraid to ask me openly. Do I wish to pay my workers more than their services are worth to me? I do not. Do I wish to sell my product for less than my customers are willing to pay me? I do not. Do I wish to sell it at a loss or give it away? I do not. If this is evil, do whatever you please about me, according to whatever standards you hold. These are mine. I am earning my own living, as every honest man must. I refuse to accept as guilt the fact of my own existence and the fact that I must work in order to support it. I refuse to accept as guilt the fact that I am able to do it and do it well. I refuse to accept as guilt the fact that I am able to do it better than most people--the fact that my work is of greater value than the work of my neighbors and that more men are willing to pay me. I refuse to apologize for my ability--I refuse to apologize for my success--I refuse to apologize for my money. If this is evil, make the most of it. If this is what the public finds harmful to its interests, let the public destroy me. This is my code--and I will accept no other. I could say to you that I have done more good for my fellow men than you can ever hope to accomplish--but I will not say it, because I do not seek the good of others as a sanction for my right to exist, nor do I recognize the good of others as a justification for their seizure of my property or their destruction of my life. I will not say that the good of others was the purpose of my work--my own good was my purpose, and I despise the man who surrenders his. I could say to you that you do not serve the public good--that nobody's good can be achieved at the price of human sacrifices--that when you violate the rights of one man, you have violated the rights of all, and a public of rightless creatures is doomed to destruction. I could say to you that you will and can achieve nothing but universal devastation--as any looter must, when he runs out of victims. I could say it, but I won't. It is not your particular policy that I challenge, but your moral premise. If it were true that men could achieve their good by means of turning some men into sacrificial animals, and I were asked to immolate myself for the sake of creatures who wanted to survive at the price of my blood, if I were asked to serve the interests of society apart from, above and against my own--I would refuse. I would reject it as the most contemptible evil, I would fight it with every power I possess, I would fight the whole of mankind, if one minute were all I could last before I were murdered, I would fight in the full confidence of the justice of my battle and of a living being's right to exist. Let there be no misunderstanding about me. If it is now the belief of my fellow men, who call themselves the public, that their mood requires victims, then I say: The public good be damned, I will have no part of it!"
The crowd burst into applause...
"Mr. Rearden, " said the eldest judge, smiling affably, reproachfully and spreading his arms, "it is regrettable that you should have misunderstood us so completely. That's the trouble--that businessmen refuse to approach us in a spirit of trust and friendship. They seem to imagine that we are their enemies. Why do you speak of human sacrifices? What made you go to such an extreme? We have no intention of seizing your property or destroying your life. We do not seek to harm your interests. We are fully aware of your distinguished achievments. Our purpose is only to balance social pressures and do justice to all. This hearing is really intended, not as a trial, but as a friendly discussion aimed at mutual understanding and cooperation."
"I do not co-operate at the point of a gun."
"Why speak of guns? This matter is not serious enough to warrant such references. We are fully aware that the guilt in this case lies chiefly with Mr. Kenneth Danagger, who instigated this infringement of the law, who exerted pressure upon you and who confessed his guilt by disappearing in order to escape trial."
"No. We did it by equal, mutual, voluntary agreement."
"Mr. Rearden," said the second judge, "you may not share some of our ideas, but when all is said and done, we're all working for the same cause. For the good of the people. We realize that you were prompted to disregard legal technicalities by the critical situation of the coal mines and the crucial importance of fuel to the public welfare."
"No. I was prompted by my own profit and my own interests. What effect it had on the coal mines and the public welfare is for you to estimate. That was not my motive."
Mr. Mowen stared dazedly about him and whispered to Paul Larkin, "Somthing's gone screwy here."
"Oh, shut up!" snapped Larkin.
"I am sure, Mr. Rearden," said the eldest judge, "that you do not really believe--nor does the public--that we wish to treat you as a sacrificial victim. If anyone has been laboring under such a misapprehension, we are anxious to prove that it is not true."
The judges retired to consider their verdict. They did not stay out long. They returned to an ominously silent courtroom--and announced that a fine of $5,000 was imposed on Henry Rearden, but that the sentence was suspended.
Streaks of jeering laughter ran through the applause that swept the courtroom. The applause was aimed at Rearden, the laughter at the judges.
Excerpt from "Liberty & Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto" by Mark R. Levin
Over the next ten weeks I would like to share each of the ten platforms of Mark's Conservative Manifesto--one for each week. Please share with the ignorant amongst us. These platforms are the only thing standing between us and the fate of other Republics before us.--Chris4. GOVERNMENT EDUCATION
Eliminate monopoly control of government education by applying the antitrust laws to the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers; the monopoly is destructive of quality education and competition and is unresponsive to the taxpayers who fund it.
Eliminate tenure for government schoolteachers and college/university professors, making them accountable for the quality of instruction they provide students.
Strip the statist agenda from the curricula (such as multiculturalism and global warming) and replace it with curricula that reinforce actual education and the preservation of the civil society through its core principles.
Eliminate the federal Department of Education, since education is primarily a state and local function.
Next week: IMMIGRATION
"The Golden Door"
"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, the tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"--inscription at the base of the Statue of Liberty
I must credit Glenn Beck with pointing out to me that most people don't pay attention to the end of the inscription above. It mentions a "golden door". That means we welcome all immigrants, however, there is a door that must be "knocked upon" PRIOR to entering. You wouldn't enter someone's house without knocking--and you should respect the land your coming to just as much for what it has to offer. When the door is left wide open for an uncontrollable flood of people the lifeboat can tip over and take everyone down. Thank you Glenn! You're always an inspiration to me!
Chris' Joke Corner!
"For years, the young attorney had been taking vacations at a country inn. The last time he'd finally managed an affair with the innkeeper's daughter. Looking forward to an exciting few days, he dragged his suitcase up the stairs of the inn, then stopped short. There sat his lover with an infant on her lap! "Helen, why didn't you write when you learned you were pregnant?" he cried. "I would have rushed up here, we could have gotten married, and the baby would have my name!" "Well," she said, "when my folks found out about my condition, we sat up all night talking and talking, and decided it would be better to have a bastard in the family than a Democrat."
The old man was critically ill. Feeling that death was near, he called his lawyer. "I want to become a Democrat. Get me a change of registration form." "You can do it", the lawyer said, "But why? You'll be dead soon, why do you want to become a Democrat?" "That's my business! Get me the form!" Four days later, the old man got his registration changed. His lawyer was at his bedside making sure his bill would be paid. (How like a lawyer...) Suddenly the old man was racked with fits of coughing, and it was clear that this would be the end. Still curious, the lawyer leaned over and said, "Please, before it's too late, tell me why you wanted to become a Democrat so badly before you died?" In a faint whisper, as he breathed his last, the old man said: "One less Democrat".
"The Essentials of Objectivism" as outlined by Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand name her philosophy "Objectivism" and described it as a philosophy for living on earth. Objectivism is an integrated system of thought that defines the abstract principles by which a man must think and act if he is to live the life proper to man. Ayn Rand first portrayed her philosophy in the form of the heroes of her bestelling novels, The Fountainhead (1943) and Atlas Shrugged (1957). She later expressed her philosophy in nonfiction form.
Ayn Rand was once asked if she could present the essence of Objectivism while standing on one foot. Her answer was:
1. Metaphysics: Objective Reality
2. Epistemology: Reason
3. Ethics: Self-interest
4. Politics: Capitalism
She then translated those terms into familiar language:
1. "Nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed."
2. "You can't eat your cake and have it too."
3. "Man is an end in himself."
4. "Give me liberty or give me death."
The basic principles of Objectivism can be summarized as follows:
1. Metaphysics: "Reality, the external world, exists independent of man's consciousness, independent of any observer's knowledge, beliefs, feelings, desires or fears. This means that A is A, that facts are facts, that things are what they are--and that the task of man's consciousness is to perceive reality, not to create or invent it." Thus Objectivism rejects any belief in the supernatural--and any claim that individuals or groups create their own reality.
2. Epistemology: "Man's reason is fully competent to know the facts of reality. Reason, the conceptual faculty, is the faculty that identifies and integrates the material provided by man's senses. Reason is man's only means of acquiring knowledge." Thus Objectivism rejects mysticism (any acceptance of faith or feeling as a means of knowledge), and it rejects skepticism (the claim that certainty or knowledge is impossible).
3. Human Nature: Man is a rational being. Reason, as man's only means of knowledge, is his basic means of survival. But the exercise of reason depends on each individual's choice. "Man is a being of volitional consciousness." "That which you call your soul or spirit is your consciousness, and that which you call 'free will' is your mind's freedom to think or not, the only will you have, your only freedom. [This is] the choice that controls all the choices you make and determines your life and character." Thus Objectivism rejects any form of determinism, the belief that man is a victim of forces beyond his control (such as God, fate, upbringing, genes, or economic conditions).
4. Ethics: "Reason is man's only proper judge of values and his only proper guide to action. The proper standard of ethics is: man's survival qua man--i.e., that which is required by man's nature for his survival as a rational being (not his momentary physical survival as a mindles brute). Rationality is man's basic virtue, and his three fundamental values are: reason, purpose, self-esteem. Man--every man--is an end in himself, not a means to the ends of others; he must live for his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself; he must work for his rational self-interest, with the achievement of his own happiness as the highest moral purpose of his life." Thus Objectivism rejects any form of altruism--the claim that morality consists in living for others or for society.
5. Politics: "The basic social principle of the Objectivist ethics is that no man has the right to seek values from others by means of physical force--i.e., no man or group has the right to initiate the use of physical force against others. Men have the right to use force only in self-defense and only against those who initiate its use. Men must deal with one another as traders, giving value for value, by free, mutual consent to mutual benefit. The only system that bars physical force from human relationships is laissez-faire captialism. Capitalism is a system based on the recognition of individual rights, including property rights, in which the only function of the government is to protect individual rights, i.e., to protect men from those who initiate the use of physical force." Thus Objectivism rejects any form of collectivism, such as fascism or socialism. It also rejects the current "mixed economy" notion that the government should regulate the economy and redistribute wealth.
6. Esthetics: "Art is a selective re-creation of reality according to an artist's metaphysical value-judgements." The purpose of art is to concretize the artist's fundamental view of existence. Ayn Rand described her own approach to art as "Romantic Realism": "I am a Romantic in the sense that I present men as they ought to be. I am Realistic in the sense that I place them here and now and on this earth." The goal of Ayn Rand's novels is not didactic but artistic: the projection of an ideal man: "My purpose, first cause and prime mover is the portrayal of Howard Roark or John Galt or Hank Rearden or Francisco d'Anconia as an end in himself--not as a means to any further end."
Posts
