Philosophical Thoughts
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الجمعة، أبريل 12، 2002
On Objectivist morality and the use of force... "I would like to know why Objectivists think using force is immoral." To answer such a question, one must give at least a cursory examination of the metaphysical nature of Man. Human beings, unlike plants and even lesser animals, have a conceptually oriented rational faculty that they *must* use to survive. Whereas a plant does not think, and a lesser animal acts instictually, a man must command nature (whilst obeying it) if he desires to live. Force is the only way one man can completely *prevent* another man from using his rational faculty as a means of survival. "I would also like to know why Objectivists think morals are absolute" Life is the standard of value, as all value stems from life. Thus, as morals are the standard by which man lives to create and preserve value, man's life is the standard of morals. That which destroys life is immoral; that which creates or preserves human life, is moral. These principles are observed from and grounded in reality, and thus are absolute and non-contradictory. A is A; A is not non-A. The primary virtue of Objectivism is Reason as Reason is the means of man's survival. Any action or process which is anti-reason (i.e. evasion, contradiction, force) is immoral, but is not necessarily a violation of rights. Only the initiation of force can violate another man's rights. "and I would like to know why violating another person's rights is immoral." Violating another person's rights is necessarily immoral, as rights are *moral* principles sanctioning a man's freedom to act in a social context. The only way a man can violate another man's rights is by initiating force. This brings us back to your first question, as to why force is immoral. "Do human rights have existence?" Yes, in a social context. الأربعاء، أبريل 10، 2002
The letter that I sent to the Department of Justice in support of MicroSoft can be found here. Assuming that it might not be archived on that site indefinetly, I've also included the text here:
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