...where the Two become the One
Atlas Shrugged meets Peter Pan meets a Logocentric Christianity The great departure was not an ending, but a thinning. It was a quiet exodus, unnoticed by those who measured the world in headlines and polls. There was no rupture in the sky, no grand announcement, only a gradual and persistent vanishing of certain individuals. They were the chess players in a world that had embraced Calvinball, the architects in an […] Read more »
Resolving the apparent contradiction between Ayn Rand’s Objectivism and Christianity In the vast landscape of philosophical thought, few worldviews are seen as more fundamentally opposed than Ayn Rand’s Objectivism and historical Christianity. One stands as a monument to the rational, self-interested individual, viewing self-sacrifice as a moral vice and faith as an abdication of reason. The other is widely understood to champion selflessness, submission to divine will, and belief in […] Read more »
Can individuality, individualism, or individuation exist without the ego? Individualism, from a Randian perspective, is the moral stance that man’s primary moral purpose is the pursuit of his own rational self-interest and happiness through the unfettered use of his reason. It holds that a man must exist for his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself. In the modern search for meaning, the ego has […] Read more »
All tyrannies rule through fraud and force, but once the fraud is exposed, they must rely exclusively on force. ~George Orwell In the quiet realm of the individual mind, as in the grand theater of nations, a constant struggle unfolds. It is the timeless conflict between the sovereign self and the external structures that seek to direct its will. This contest is not always fought with overt weapons, but rather […] Read more »
In our complex world of relationships, contracts, and governance, few concepts are as frequently confused, yet as morally distinct, as privacy and secrecy. Though both involve the control of information, they spring from fundamentally different worldviews and serve opposing ends. One is the cornerstone of individual liberty and authentic connection, while the other is a tool of control and deception. Understanding their anatomy is essential for anyone committed to living […] Read more »
The All is mind; the Universe is mental. ~The First Hermetic Principle – Mentalism, The Kybalion The proposition that human thought is creative stands as a profound psychological and philosophical truth. What you think, you become. The ideas you permit to inhabit your mind are the architectural blueprints for the reality of your life, with effects that ripple out into the world. Every action is born from a thought, every […] Read more »
We are all born with an innate drive for freedom, a desire to be the authors of our own lives. This quest for self-direction is the bedrock of a meaningful existence, the engine of human progress and achievement. Yet, we live in a world of intricate rules, powerful institutions, and the unpredictable actions of others. This raises a fundamental question: In the practical reality of our daily lives, how much […] Read more »
At the heart of our relationship not just with the state, but with many of our most powerful social, cultural, and even religious norms, lies a foundational premise so widely accepted it is rarely questioned: the social contract. We are told this is the legitimate basis for our interactions, an implicit agreement for the sake of security and order. Yet, when we place this contract under the lens of reason, […] Read more »
In the governance of human affairs, few words are as frequently conflated and dangerously misunderstood as “power” and “authority.” We often use them interchangeably, yet they represent fundamentally opposing principles of human interaction. Power is the ability to compel action through force, while authority is the recognized right to direct. Understanding this distinction is not merely an academic exercise; it is essential for any individual who seeks to live a […] Read more »