Galt's Gulch

Hi! My name is Michael

Posted by Wonky 11 years, 3 months ago to The Gulch: Introductions
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I've learned that I toss great word salads when I'm not careful. If you happen to develop a taste for them, I have some automatic writing that could really blow your mind.

Thanks for having me! I can feel my skin getting thicker by the minute.

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  • Posted by CircuitGuy 11 years, 3 months ago
    What's automatic writing?

    I have this idea that objectivists have more than their share of a$$ holes and rednecks, and that's why people who have never read Rand are certain they hate her. This is unfortunate.

    I'm glad you're here.
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    • Posted by Rozar 11 years, 3 months ago
      I get the same feeling from being athiest lol. Richard Dawkins is so rude.
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      • Posted by CircuitGuy 11 years, 3 months ago
        I agree on high-profile atheists being rude. The ones I happen to know, obviously not a random sample, are nothing like that. My wife and I atheist/humanist, as are many people we know through orgs, our UU congregation, work, etc. We almost never talk about atheism because there's not much talk about. It seems to get famous in atheism, you have to be a jerk.

        I think it's the same way with libertarians-- the radical ideas stand out, but the majority of people would accept a program of scaling back gov't influence/spending, even if it cut things _they_ like. I imagine some coalition of politicians drastically cutting military, prisons, food stamps, healthcare subsidies, etc. I would oppose the cuts to things like food stamps and SBIR, BUT if we cut everything and therefore cut our quarterly 1040-ES payments in half and cut all the payroll stuff, we could put some of that money to solving those problems in our community. I suspect most people feel that way-- they give up their favorite gov't activities for a general decrease.

        I don't know if this is true for Rand fans. Rand, for reasons I don't know, seems to attract jerks.
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        • Posted by Wonky 11 years, 3 months ago
          I'm not sure that Rand attracts jerks in particular. I'd say that because her philosophy is pretty much bulletproof, she attracts people who want to be perceived as having bulletproof philosophies. Those people shouldn't be confused with people who do have bulletproof arguments. If, and only if, you have a bulletproof epistemological proof to discount an argument, and your opponent fails to recognize that, you have every right to tell them they are wrong and proceed to write them off as irrational (hence my desire for a thicker skin here). It's better for us all if you do.

          I think it's the people who want to be perceived as 100% confident without having a fully integrated philosophy to support their arguments that come off as jerks.
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    • Posted by Wonky 11 years, 3 months ago
      Automatic writing is pretty much quack spiritual stuff by definition, but I tried it for kicks... It's sort of like quieting your conscious mind and letting your unconscious mind write whatever comes, maybe like dreaming on paper. It's surprisingly incoherent, but every now and again, something coherent seems to pop out.
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  • Posted by $ alexmironov 9 years, 1 month ago
    Dear Michael,
    I'd like to cordially invite you to join my Objectivist friends and me as we celebrate the official launch of the Maryland Objectivist Society (MOS)! At our launch event, you’ll have the chance to learn about MOS, our purpose and capabilities, and how you can have a voice in deciding what we do. And there will be great food, intelligent conversation, and the company of rational individuals to make the event even more of a success! We look forward to celebrating with you and sharing with you how your support can help MOS to keep the Lights of the West shining! You can get more information and purchase your ticket here: goo.gl/sVMH1w.
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  • Posted by Non_mooching_artist 11 years, 3 months ago
    Welcome Wonky Salad ;-). I believe I may have done so on another hijacked post, but wanted to make it formal. Have fun in here. Thick skin is a must. I was put through the fire test when I first "landed". I guess I passed!
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