Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site denelcor.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!mgnetp!ihnp4!drutx!houxe!hogpc!houti!ariel!vax135!floyd!cmcl2!seismo!hao!denelcor!neal From: neal@denelcor.UUCP Newsgroups: net.philosophy Subject: Re: Whither Are We Drifting? Message-ID: <471@denelcor.UUCP> Date: Sat, 9-Jun-84 18:49:17 EDT Article-I.D.: denelcor.471 Posted: Sat Jun 9 18:49:17 1984 Date-Received: Mon, 11-Jun-84 00:42:11 EDT References: <1099@decwrl.UUCP> Organization: Denelcor, Aurora, CO Lines: 39 ************************************************************************** > One wonders why anyone would embrace a philosophy that ignores at >least half of human reality. (Note that just a few days ago, somebody posted >an article about being impressed by an Ayn Rand book.) Which half, the implied threat that if I don't willingly give all my money to the poor, that they'll "rise up", murder me, and take it anyway? > Two possibilities spring to mind: > (1) We high-techers usually get here from financially-secure back- >grounds. (There are exceptions. I'm one of them.) Libertarian politics ap- >pear as the simplest and most straightforward system for the well-off to remain >that way. Attendant philosophical overtones (or, in the case of Objectivism, >a philosophical emphasis) offer a coherent view of reality and ethics - and it >also happens to be consistent with the technological approach. > (2) Perhaps a number of us who can deal with machines so well cannot >deal with people with as much success. Thus subjective reality is ignored or >mistrusted while the objective reality takes the place of it all. > > <_Jym_> Speaking for myself as a libertarian: There's probably a germ of truth to both of these assertions but there are two (very closely connected) reasons that I'm a libertarian. 1. I think I can do a better job of running my life than some Washington bureaucrat. 2. As a productive member of society, I very much resent the government(s) punishing productivity and rewarding non-productivity (or even bad luck). Regards, Neal Weidenhofer "Nothin' ain't worth nothin' Denelcor, Inc. but it's free"!denelcor!neal