Ayn Rand saw collectivism in all its forms as an impediment to human rights. "The good of society" cannot be the basis of rights, since society is merely a collection of individuals, and so the only proper rights are individual rights. When we base rights on what is good for society, that begs the question: Who speaks for society? Throughout history, such people who claim to speak for society inevitably turn out to be tyrants. You have a few, even a single person, deciding what is good for the people. Rand thought that people ought to decide for themselves, based upon rational self-interest.
Socialism
LR Podcast S2E5: Memorial Day Message/COVID Endgame
To Reagan, and many of his generation, communism, and socialism equaled slavery-- not to a particular person, but to the state. What would the people of that era not so long ago make of the acceptance of Marxism and of collectivism we see among so many today?
Memorial Day Message 2021
Will they, should the leftist have their way, and establish some sort of socialist or neo-fascist state be reduced to fighting for their homeland, with not much cause to spill a drop of blood for whatever collectivist ideology takes the place of individual freedom? What would be the rallying cry used to motivate persons to pick up arms in such a place? “FOR EQUITY!”? “FOR THE COLLECTIVE GOOD!”? or “DEATH TO THE INDIVIDUALISTS!”?
LR Podcast #32: Who ‘topia? U-topia!
St. Thomas Moore had his Utopia, Marx and Engels had their Communist Manifesto. Though the latter is better known for the destructive nature of its implementation in this and the last century, it has a commonality with the other books mentioned: the necessity of authoritarianism. It is this need for an authoritarian form of government and a ruling class, either explicit as in the Republic or implicit as with Marx and Engels that binds most, if not all Utopian systems with each other.
LR Podcast Episode #31 Hypocrisy and Integrity
The longer wait to stand up for our rights and the more rights we cede, the harder it will be to get them back.
LR Podcast Episode #29: What Now?
Biden voters looking for a collectivist utopia are probably ignorant of certain facts, particularly socialism's failures in the 20th century and the reasons for them.
Half the World has Forgotten.
We have an entire generation mostly ignorant of how destructive socialism was during the 20th century, and they vote that way.
My Initial Reaction to The Communist Manifesto
I at long last, have bought and read a copy of The Communist Manifesto, by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Before now, I had only read quotes and brief excerpts from it. I was acquainted with it through commentary on it, but I knew once Democrats started to openly profess their socialist leanings I'd have … Continue reading My Initial Reaction to The Communist Manifesto
My May Day Message
Today the Venezuelan people are celebrating May Day by staging an uprising against a tyrannical Socialist regime. Why? Because socialism sux. That fact won't stop people like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez from pushing socialism in this country to an economically and historically illiterate segment of the population. To those folks, my Mayday message … Continue reading My May Day Message
