- 11 Oct 2012 02:57
#14079178
Ayn Rand once mentioned that US military action against the Native Americans was justified because Western civilization would make better use of the land's resources, and that the Natives had no "rights" to live in a technologically primitive existence.
I've mentioned this before in another thread, but this instance did not get discussion. I see this as in contradiction to Objectivist ideology: military action as carried out by a government is a violation of the Natives' rights to live as they wished, and Objectivism encourages people to seek out their rational self-interest. It could be argued that the rejection of Western civilization was in the Natives' best interests, as multiple instances of prior contact and attempts at assimilation ended poorly for them.
Additionally, she encourages the idea that people who respect individual rights and private property don't have to extend these "rights" to others who don't believe in them. By that logic, the individualists betray their own principles by initiating force and coercion against others. This logic can easily be turned into justification for tyranny: "these guys hate freedom, so we don't need to give them a trial or due process!"
Here's the quote. Due to the poor sound quality of the original transcript, the quote is not exact but intended to convey the gist of her argument.
I've mentioned this before in another thread, but this instance did not get discussion. I see this as in contradiction to Objectivist ideology: military action as carried out by a government is a violation of the Natives' rights to live as they wished, and Objectivism encourages people to seek out their rational self-interest. It could be argued that the rejection of Western civilization was in the Natives' best interests, as multiple instances of prior contact and attempts at assimilation ended poorly for them.
Additionally, she encourages the idea that people who respect individual rights and private property don't have to extend these "rights" to others who don't believe in them. By that logic, the individualists betray their own principles by initiating force and coercion against others. This logic can easily be turned into justification for tyranny: "these guys hate freedom, so we don't need to give them a trial or due process!"
Here's the quote. Due to the poor sound quality of the original transcript, the quote is not exact but intended to convey the gist of her argument.
"I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody."
~Barack HUSSEIN Obama
~Barack HUSSEIN Obama