 Plato's Advocacy of Collectivism
by Edward W. Younkins
Plato (427-347 b.c.) held that the world is made up of two opposed dimensions—true reality (i.e., the intelligible) and the material world (i.e., the sensible). True reality is a set of universal ideas that are the “essential forms,” “absolute essences,” or “disembodied abstractions,” which represent and contain all t... (Read more...)
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 The Hank Rearden Story: The Path to Mind-Body Integration
by Edward W. Younkins
In reality there is no split between the mental and the physical. Man is an inextricable fusion of mind and body. The values of one’s mind are not disconnected from the actions of one’s body. It follows that the generally accepted mind/body and love/sex dichotomies are destructive to human flourishing. Dualism is incompatible with true human existence. Man is an indivisible entity that can only be divided for purposes of discussion. (Read more...)
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Dignity Demystified
by Edward W. Younkins
Every time I hear Bob Dylan’s excellent song, “Dignity,” I wonder what it is that various people have in mind when they use that word. The expression “human dignity” is used by a wide variety of people coming from all different directions and is used in a great diversity of contexts. Dignity is a universal human concer... (Read more...)
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Adam Smith's Moral and Economic System
by Edward W. Younkins
It was left to Rand to formulate a more explicit and fundamentally moral, rather than economic, justification for capitalism. Her rationale was based on moral individualism, rational self-interest, rational epistemology, and reason as the paramount and fundamental means for people to associate and interact with one another.
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John Rawls' Theory of Blind "Justice"
by Edward W. Younkins
What makes Rawls’ idea of justice so important is that he systematically expresses a vision that had already underpinned a great deal of social policy, legal theory, and even international relations. The goal of Rawls’ conception of justice is to put certain segments of society in the position that they would have been in except for some undeserved and unfortunate circumstances. (Read more...)
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Principles of Metanormative Justice
by Edward W. Younkins
Justice is a concept that applies only to other-directed human actions. The question of justice and injustice only arises when there are multiple individuals and some practical considerations regarding their situations and/or interactions with one another. In one sense, it is a concrete, objective, and recognizable pri... (Read more...)
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"Who is Henry M. Galt?": A Review of Garet Garrett's "The Driver"
by Edward W. Younkins
Although The Driver is flawed by its sketchy characterization and its bewildering and extraneous subplot involving Galt’s family, it is still to be recommended for the portrait it paints of a hard working, visionary, passionate, loyal, and competent businessman and for the sense of the “drive of the age” that it conveys. (Read more...)
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Wednesday
February 16, 2005 |
 The Road to Objective Economics: Hayek Takes a Wrong Turn
by Edward W. Younkins
Although Ayn Rand (1905-1982) was not an economist, her rational epistemology and Objectivist ethics not only bring us back on the road to objective economics traveled by Austrians such as Menger and Rothbard, her ideas move us further down that road. Her epistemology transcends both Mises’ rationalism and Hayek’s empiricism. (Read more...)
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Wednesday
February 9, 2005 |
The Robert Stadler Story: The Moral Fall of a Man Who Knew Better
by Edward W. Younkins
There are many villains in Ayn Rand’s masterpiece, Atlas Shrugged. However, her ultimate villain by far is Dr. Robert Stadler – a man who knew better. Robert Stadler is a villain and a man of stature who once possessed some excellent qualities. A man of great intelligence, Stadler early in the novel loved ability in ot... (Read more...)
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Mises, Friedman and Rand: A Methodological Comparison
by Edward W. Younkins
Three of the most respected and influential free-market thinkers of the 20th century are Ludwig von Mises (1881-1973), Milton Friedman (1912- ), and Ayn Rand (1905-1982). The purpose of this essay is to compare and evaluate the respective methodological approaches of each of these theorists who have influenced the course of history with their ideas. We will see how and why Rand’s realist approach is superior to both Mises’ rationalism and Friedman’s empiricism. (Read more...)
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A Randian Definition of the Common Good
by Edward W. Younkins
Whatever is alleged to be the common good must be good and must be universal. The common good must be that which is good for every human being. Liberty fulfills this requirement, because protected self-directedness is good for every person. The common good rests not in what men do when they are free, but rather in the fact that they are free. The common good consists in treating each person as an end and never solely as a means to an end. This simply means respecting the personal autonomy of each individual. (Read more...)
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Thursday
December 30, 2004 |
Political Correctness Threatens Free Society
by Edward W. Younkins
Political correctness involves the translation of Marxism from economic terms into cultural terms. The premise underlying political correctness is that if the elite can change the language then they can change the way individuals act and thus change society. Political correctness has corrupted the news media, universit... (Read more...)
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The Plague of Postmodernism
by Edward W. Younkins
Proponents of postmodernism, the most active intellectual movement of the late 20th century, have replaced reality with subjective and noncommensurable social-linguistic constructs that vary across conflicting groups based on dimensions such as sex, ethnicity, race, religion, and wealth. The language and logic of each group is seen to be a function of its own conventional internal system. Given the postmodernist view that there is no connection of language to a non-linguistic reality, words are to be used as rhetorical weapons in a battle of competing wills involving the coercive assertion of each group’s interests. (Read more...)
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Ayn Rand's Metaphysics and Epistemology
by Edward W. Younkins
When a correct cognitive process has been followed it can be said that the output of that process is objective. In turn, when the mind conforms to mind-independent reality, the theory of conceptual functioning being followed can be termed objective. The term objective thus applies to both method and to content. (Read more...)
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Free-Market Environmentalism
by Edward W. Younkins
Without free markets, nature would be left to the mercy of the state. Central planning is made impossible by the nature of the universe. Government just does not have the means to acquire the detailed information dispersed throughout the world that is essential for efficiency, technological change, and care of the environment. The socialist world suffers from the worst pollution on earth. (Read more...)
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Thursday
November 11, 2004 |
Ayn Rand's Ethics
by Edward W. Younkins
Ethics, a code of values to rationally guide man’s choices and actions, is an objective, metaphysical necessity for a man’s survival. (Read more...)
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Wednesday
November 3, 2004 |
From NASA to Commercial Space Enterprises
by Edward W. Younkins
As a symbol of freedom and adventure, space is also a romantic frontier. (Read more...)
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The Philosophy of Social Engineering: An Irrational and Inconsistent Worldview
by Edward W. Younkins
The philosophy of social engineering, as reflected in contemporary civil rights policies and agendas, is primarily based on five concepts: collectivism, determinism, economic egalitarianism, elitism, and historical victimization. Multiculturalism, a merger of collectivism and determinism, asserts that no person can av... (Read more...)
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Wednesday
October 20, 2004 |
Flaws of Communitarian Thinkers
by Edward W. Younkins
We should be suspicious of calls for “community” because historically such calls have been accompanied by oppressive sentiments such as nationalism, militarism, racism, and religious and other intolerances. In addition, there have always been potential leaders who claim superior intelligence, insight, and ability to re... (Read more...)
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Trade Barriers Are Immoral and Destructive of Economic Well-Being
by Edward W. Younkins
At root, the issue of tariffs and other trade barriers is a moral concern. To place such restrictions on the exchange of property is an infringement on the natural right to own and exchange property. Protectionism threatens the consumers’ rights to choose from among goods and services. Protectionism is the policy of us... (Read more...)
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Thursday
September 30, 2004 |
Pure and Perfect Competition: An Unrealistic and Mistaken Ideal
by Edward W. Younkins
Antitrust regulation is based on an unrealistic economic model that compares the structure of existing markets with an arbitrary abstract ideal of pure and perfect competition that can never be attained in the real world. This model, which is used as a benchmark to judge monopoly and for resource misallocation analysis... (Read more...)
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Multiculturalism: A Tool of Collectivism
by Edward W. Younkins
The main idea of multiculturalism is the equal value of all cultures (i.e., cultural relativism). However, multiculturalism does not mean cultures as normally understood but rather as biologically defined (i.e., ethnically, racially, or sexually defined) groups. Multiculturalism, a politicized form of cultural relativi... (Read more...)
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Wednesday
September 8, 2004 |
True Educational Freedom
by Edward W. Younkins
The best school choice plan is the free market. Education should be bought and sold through free-market processes. The separation of state and education would restore intellectual freedom, academic integrity, and individual achievement. The private market can best provide high-quality and efficient education services. ... (Read more...)
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"Atlas Shrugged": A Novel of Human Action
by Edward W. Younkins
Atlas Shrugged is the systematic dramatization of a rational philosophy that includes a view of life as exaltation and of the universe as benevolent. It depicts conflict in action between whim-worshipping looters who seek power over men and the creators who accept, learn, and deal with the absolute laws of nature and existence. (Read more...)
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Ayn Rand's Value Theory
by Edward W. Younkins
To be a value means to be good for someone and for something. Life is one’s fundamental value because life is conditional and requires a particular course of action to maintain it. Something can be good or bad only to a living organism, such as a human being, acting to survive. Man’s life is the ultimate value and the standard of value for a human being. (Read more...)
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