When you want to oppose the other side.....

[nancylebov]

Please argue with what the leaders, the majority, or the most capable thinkers are saying, and reserve debunking the fringe nutcases as an occasional entertainment.

Comments

Re: Distinguo

[zsero.livejournal.com]

On the contrary. Socialist-types, when they make such distinctions, do so on the pragmatic basis that it's not possible to help everyone. Therefore they will declare a point at which they can no longer help, cut it off there, and feel guilty that they weren't willing to deprive themselves in order to do more. Or they just say "if I can't help everyone I won't help anyone", perhaps with the subconscious idea that they might as well feel guilty for a sheep as a lamb.

Libertarians, OTOH, usually make this distinction as a matter of principle, so that it applies regardless of ability to help. A multi-millionaire who passes a beggar and won't reach into his pocket is, in the libertarian world-view, not doing anything wrong, whereas another beggar who steals the few cents in the first beggar's cup is, in the libertarian view, an aggressor. To libertarians, in general, taking from someone is aggression, a moral wrong, whereas giving to someone is not any sort of moral obligation, but merely an act of benevolence, a feeling that most people have.

Re: Distinguo

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

I think you're right.

It's interesting that Rand writes as though she'd never heard of non-self-destructive helpfulness as an ideal, which I believe is the standard in Orthodox Judaism.

I suppose it's not that surprising she hadn't heard of it--Christianity and socialism/Communism are much more common systems, and the Orthodox Jewish concept is so sensible and undramatic it's less likely to catch people's attention.

Re: Distinguo

[zsero.livejournal.com]

She may not have heard specifically of the Orthodox approach, since AFAIK she didn't really have any exposure to Judaism of any sort (her own family, AIUI, was not at all religious), but she did write a fair bit about benevolence, and AIUI in her own life she did give significant help to people in need, if she personally knew and cared for them.