"you're just a liberal basher"

One of the more common complaints I receive comes from Ayn Rand purists who resent the fact that I spend a lot of time bashing the political left, very little time bashing Republicans, and no time espousing Rand's philosophy of Objectivism.

I plead guilty as charged.

I am not an Objectivist: I am a libertarian with conservative social values.  Objectivism is just one philosophy that validates libertarian principles.  I validate mine with basic economics.

It's like math.  2 x 2 = 4 -- it doesn't matter whether you use addition, a multiplication table, an abacus, or bit-shifting.  The result is always the same, and the various methods only back each other up. 

Whether you're guided by Objectivism or economics, what's important is that you're applying reason, and that the answer you seek is not simply the one that makes you feel good, but rather the truth.

Leftists, by comparison, are driven by irrational guilt.  Guilt for being greedy, guilt for being successful -- basically, guilt for being human.  They act against their own interests in order to soothe this guilt.  Results do not matter.  What matters to the left is that they have demonstrated good intentions, and that the unintended consequences of their policies are not a sign of failure, but merely another opportunity to demonstrate even more good intentions through even more irrational policy.

In the end, there are not really a lot of different political mindsets.  There are simply points on a continuum between the individual and the state.  It doesn't matter whether I'm an Objectivist or not -- I am still a proud (and unapologetic) individualist.

And I will rail against Republicans when they betray conservative principles.

Comments

[calbear]

Like for the last 8 years? It's a pretty bleak world when you have to choose between RUEs (Republican Until Elected) and Barry's socialists.

[DeBaan]

I concur.

I am libertarian (small "l"), who acknowledges economic truths, who acknowledges that the only moral order is one that espouses free will -- and self-interest, inasmuch as that self-interest is truly enlightened; I serve others when I choose to do so because I know that I am happier and (in my judgment) a better man by doing so -- not because I am compelled or guilty. I recognize guilt, however, as a valid emotion -- when I do something that I know I should not have done (by my own "enlightened self-interest"), guilt is that pang that encourages me to strive to be a better man.

But I acknowledge a higher power, and I take as objective evidence of it the order (and chaos) and beauty of the Universe, evidence that is surely as compelling as man's own and hopelessly impaired objective scientific discovery and reason. And I know it, not of myself.

Ayn Rand was not perfect nor omniscient, as given to human frailty as we all are. But in striving for understanding she did achieve and put forth some valuable and true ideas (and some not-so-true).

I will simply acknowledge truth when I see it.

[Cam]

Funny, I didn't know being anti-religion was a conservative social value. Guess I learn something new every day. Otherwise, you're just another talking head with nothing new to say, just repeating little bits of what you like, and ignoring the rest. A man blinded by a belief in himself, who cannot see anything but what he wants to believe. Pathetic.