Or is it more irrational?
Any Rand says she doesn’t know
I think it’s a considered gut reaction if that makes sense. You just know in your heart that, to you, something is right or wrong. And no matter what argument one makes, you still arrive at the same conclusion.
Of course, there will always be times where it’s not as clear how you feel about something. In that case, information gathering and weighing of arguments becomes required
Hmmm… both?
“The Fountainhead,” “The choice is independence or dependence. All that which proceeds from man’s independent ego is good. All that which proceeds from man’s dependence upon men is evil.”-Ayn Rand
Think of the 2008 market crash. The greed in the housing markets fueled by bankers ego’s.
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“There is nobody in this country who got rich on their own. Nobody… You built a factory out there – good for you. But I want to be clear. You moved your goods to market on roads the rest of us paid for. You hired workers the rest of us paid to educate. You were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for. You didn’t have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your factory… Now look. You built a factory and it turned into something terrific or a great idea.”-Elizabeth Warren
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Rational thinking seems to be heavily dependent on independent cultural values.
One cultural group will justify the eating of dogs while another will be appalled. One cultural group sees no problem in putting our elders in nursing homes while another would cry how immoral it is.
Imho.
-S
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Ayn Rand disapproved of Social Security, Medicare, and other social programs aimed at providing a safety net for the old, the poor, and the sick, yet she availed herself of Social Security and Medicare in her penurious old age. Her justification for allowing her fellow countrymen to provision her was that it was simply payback for the money that had been “stolen” from her by the government through social security taxes.
So you’re saying because of cultural norms people are more irrational? Likely. Or you’re arguing objective reality is the consensus of subjective reality. Good things
Morals are mostly shaped by your upbringing (by your parents), your culture and your religious beliefs. I don’t know if you would consider that rational or irrational.
Some people go against there culture or culture changes over time. Some people disregard their religious beliefs when they get older. How does a person now develop beliefs concerning what is and is not acceptable for them to do? Are they totally lost?
I think that for some that could indeed be the case. But I think a certain degree of morals are deeply ingrained in most people by the time they reach a certain age.
Myth of the self made man
Are moral values individualistic or collective? In capitalism it’s the individual within the free market.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Some moral decisions are irrational such as altruistic ones placing others before your self. It seems lots of moral decisions are this way where you act on behalf of the collective good rather than of your own self interest. Some moral decisions such as those backed by law make it within the individuals self interest to act morally or else pay the consequences.
Ayn Rand. yeah. I was brain-washed by her at a young age.
I loved her fiction though, and did read a bio on her.
if it still exists, don’t know, she wanted a bush by her grave in the shape of a dollar sign.
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