[MD] Emergent Consciousness

[Case]

[Craig]
"I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of
another, nor ask another man to live for mine."  (Cp. "I will never go
hungry again".  Scarlet O'Hara, GWTW)  This "virtue of selfishness" is
separate from the libertarian theme.

[Case]
The first statement is the most depressing thing I have ever heard. I
believe I first heard it expressed by the Marquise De Sade in an essay in
which he claimed he owed his mother nothing. She had conceived him for her
own reasons and chose to take care of him without being asked. So whatever
satisfaction she got out of the relationship had nothing to do with him. It
sums up an attitude that has resulted in +50% divorce rates, single parent
families and a standard of living that demands two incomes per household. 

The second statement is the exact opposite of the first. Scarlet had become
the defacto head of her family after Tara burned. She was expressing her
defiance against a system that was threatening not only her personally but
everyone who relied on her.

Defining great art as having come from great artists and so forth is
circular reasoning at its worst. Suggesting that we should gear society so
that the able have an edge on the weak seems a bit like over kill. It would
seem like a good society and virtuous people would spend resources on
children as they are the only investment that truly matters.