[MD] Alternatives to the scientific method

[pholden at davtv.com]

Quoting ian glendinning <psybertron at gmail.com>:

> Here's a deal Platt, in good faith ...
> 
> I'll give you a 500 / 1000 word summary of "Darwins Dangerous Idea"
> with explained examples ....
> 
> IF
> 
> ... you'll give me you 500 / 1000 word summary of the point of "Atlas
> Shrugged", which I spent considerable effort researching and reviewing
> at your suggestion. (Related to this MoQ context - multi-leveled,
> evolving values and patterns of quality, whatever.)
> 
> You owe me.

Ian,

Such a deal! For an easy-to-take summary of Rand's philosophy, go to:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7336056375813253358&q=
fountainhead&total=108&start=0&num=50&so=0&type=search&plindex=0  

OR easier

Google/Video/Fountainhead -- Howard Roark's 6 minute speech explaining
Rand's philosophy from the movie "The Fountainhead" starring Gary Cooper and
Patricia Neal. His summation puts it all in a nutshell:

"I came here to say that I do not recognize anyone's right to one minute of 
my life. Nor to any part of my energy. Nor to any achievement of mine. No 
matter who makes the claim, how large their number, or how great their need.
I wished to come here and say that I am a man who does not exist for others.
I wished to come here and say that the integrity of a man's creative work is
of greater importance than any charitable endeavor."

>From an MOQ perspective, this means a person's intellect is for her to use
as she sees fit. She is under no obligation to use his creative ability for
any purpose other than her own. In short, the Rand philosophy extolls the
a virtue of selfishness. (In fact, she wrote a book with that title.)

No need to reciprocate, Ian. I take it you have been persuaded by Dennett's
book and so will acquire a copy at the local library to peruse. I suspect,
however, that much of it, like a lot of thinking about evolution, is speculative.
To my knowledge no one has ever observed the origination of a new species.

Platt


  


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