Comments by "" (@TentaclePentacle) on "Personal Freedom & the Role of Government | John Stossel | POLITICS | Rubin Report" video.

  1. There is an inconsistency within objectivist / libertarian thought. Objectivists want to make rational selfishness into a virtue, and yet they keep saying if there are no welfare programs private charities would take over. Well if everyone is rationally selfish, why would there be any private charities?
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  2. +Sea Knight I know what rational selfishness means. Sure there might be some that think it feels good when they have plenty and give some away. But most don't feel good to give out their hard earned money. It would make me feel good when I give a few dollars to some homeless guy and having him thank me profusely than giving to an organized charity, which I will never get any thanks. Also, a rational selfish person would not risk their lives to save a stranger. The risk/reward is just not worth it.
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  3. +Sea Knight The whole point of rational selfishness is to rationalize. What rationale is behind giving to charities? You have to make a rational claim because you are the one who wants to say rational selfishness is a virtue. I would say that those people who are currently giving to charities are not being rationally selfish. They are being unselfish. As for charities thanking the donors, well that is a second hand thank you, if you want to be rational, why would you want to buy a second hand thank you if you can buy a first hand thank you? To be rational selfish, I would have to make the calculations is the risk of my own life worth saving this person that I don't know. The answer is always no in a rational way. The emotion of empathy overwrites rationality, that is why people who risk their lives are not being rationally selfish. They are being unselfish.
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  4. +Sea Knight There is no true altruistic act, that is true, anyone who does anything always has a reason, whether it be self gratification of material gain. To to have a society sole sees self gratification and material gain as the ultimate virtue. That would be disastrous when the virtuous thing is to not risk your life. There would be no heroes, no self sacrifice for the good of the other.
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