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General Discussion
Started by randomdream at 03-03-2008 6:19 AM. Topic has 3 replies.
  
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 03-03-2008, 9:40 AM
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NickOtani
Joined on 04-21-2006
Posts 323
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Re: How would a AR Hero deal with a Handicapped?
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If a handicapped person is a loved one, there is no sacrifice in assisting him or her. Depending on their handicap, handicapped people can still be productive. They can, to some extent, make contributions to society and be self-sufficient. And, to the extent that they need assistance, there would be no prohibition, in a pure capitalism, in voluntary assistance. There would also be no prohibition against insurance policies which provide benefits. It could be in the rational self-interest of rational egoists to provide needed services to needy people. They, too, the rational egoists, may be in need someday. Needy people, however, simply because of their needs, do not have a right to services of others. If this were the case, there would be no incentive to be capable and self-sufficient. Being so would make one a slave to those who are not so. Perhaps, if each of us takes care of his or her own, and is not forced to provide for the lazy and irresponsible, there would not be so many needy people.
bis bald,
Nick
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03-03-2008, 2:39 PM
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Mikey1001
Joined on 03-04-2008
Posts 1
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Re: How would a AR Hero deal with a Handicapped?
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In a society that was constructed purely according to laissez-faire capitalism - handicapped and crippled people, i.e., anyone who could not survive without the help of another man - would surely have an opportunity to pursue the necessary means for which to maintain life. Such a state of dependance does not, however, act as a claim on the lives of everyone else. Instead, such debilitation provides for the opportunity of a very valuable trade. A rational man - given the freedom to pursue his own self interest - would notice that there are handicapped people in his neighborhood, city, state, world, to whom he could SELL his services.
To the extent of my knowledge about Objectivism, I would like to bring up another point that is worth giving some thought. As an exercise in applying the rules of Objectivism, ask yourself this question: Is it right/good for government to require (force) a private business to have a certain number of handicap spots in their parking lot?
In short, no. That is not to say that it would not be advantageous, i.e., in the best interest of the business owner to have the handicap spots. Having the handicap spots would ensure that, regardless of physical limitations, people were able to come and buy whatever it is that the business is selling. Additionally, the business could potentially harm its good standing within the community if it got the reputation of not caring for the handicapped. But to suggest that government needs to tell/require/force business owners to provide services to handicapped people is wrong. The handicap spots that the owner chooses to have according to his own free will would therefore not be controlled by the state or any government for that matter. Instead, the business owner could, for instance, put up a sign on the spots that he wants to designate as handicap, warning those without handicap tags that their car will be towed if in violation.
The best way to answer your question - to be as literal as possible - is essentially this:
Q - "How would an Ayn Rand Hero (an Objectivist) deal with a handicapped [person]?"
A - He either would or he wouldn't, and no one can make that decision for him but he himself.
The mistake is to assume that, given the choice, no one would do anything that could benefit the handicapped. That is false. It would be done voluntarily.
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04-23-2008, 5:36 PM
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solo
Joined on 08-08-2007
Posts 16
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Re: How would a AR Hero deal with a Handicapped?
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The only consideration in the minds of the heroes in dealing with others would the values of those others to the satisfaction of their own interests. Thus, the heroes would have regarded the presence of a handicap as an irrelevant consideration and it would not have entered into their thinking any more than any other irrelevant attribute, such as race, gender, etc. Thus, they would have dealt with a handicapped person the same way they would have dealt with anyone else: the heroes would have identified their own interests, identified those values that the handicapped could provide for the satisfaction of these interests, and then made them an offer for those values.
For example, if the handicapped person wanted a parking space near the workplace, a ramp for his wheel chair, etc. the hero would have compared the cost of providing these comforts to the value of the handicapped person's employment. If the handicapped person was worth these extras, they would have provided them as part of the employment offer. And so on.
They would certainly not have accepted of responsibility for the handicapped person's life, acted out of compassion or committed any acts of sacrifice for him.
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The Atlas... » Ayn Rand's Idea... » General Discuss... » Re: How would a AR Hero deal with a Handicapped?
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