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04-16-2009, 3:53 PM logon didonai Joined on 03-17-2009 Posts 7 Re: Rational Egoism Hmm.. interesting replies. I'm not sure that I understand where some of you are coming from. I encourage you to focus on the split brain case. This has nothing to do with collectivist, and I fear that this sort of black/white dichotomy is getting in the way of genuine understanding. I'd like to present the case once more, and I'll try to focus on the morally relevant issues. Imagine that you have epilepsy. This isn't science fiction. Nor is this the result of a grand conspiracy by collectivists. Epilepsy is a real problem for some human beings. Why is this a problem? Well, it causes uncontrollable seizures. Now, you can solve this problem by having an operation performed. In this operation the doctors will cut your corpus collosum. This prevents the electrical and chemical signals from your neurons from spreading throughout your entire brain. This will stop the seizures. But, be warned, this will also divide your brain. That is, after the operation you will have two centers of consciousness, two thinking subjects. Here's the question: assuming that you're a rational egoist, do you have the operation?    Report

07-30-2009, 12:53 AM AndrosBlaze Joined on 07-26-2009 Posts 5 Re: Rational Egoism I'm a latecomer here, but: In response to your first scenario (kidnapping/body-switching): the question is not one of 'who gets the money/which body gets destroyed'.  More important than these is the fact that the patient's voluntary consent was not obtained for the operation.  That's the most important tenet of Objectivism as it relates to interpersonal interaction: voluntary consent.  Sure, the operation was painless, and at the end of the day there's probably no appreciable difference between the bodies; however, this does not change the fact that the patient's time was taken without prior knowledge OR consent.  In this way, his right to his own life was violated by his kidnappers. In response to your epilepsy scenario: A rational egoist would have to consider his or her alternatives.  Is risking  a split in the brain worth relieving the stress of erratic, uncontrollable seizures?  I haven't had time to look into the links you posted, so I really don't know any answers to this question.  What are the real affects of having your brain split in half?  How does it manifest itself in thought and behavior? Also, is surgery the only way that epilepsy can be treated?  It strikes me that a rational egoist who ruled out the surgery would probably want to seek alternative ways of handling his condition.    Report

08-24-2009, 6:33 AM Arlye Joined on 08-24-2009 Posts 3 Re: Rational Egoism Lol ... I am not sure what your original question has to do with what Rand proposed as a philosophical paradigm, but you might want to read 'I Will Fear No Evil' by R. Heinlein for some intriguing ideas on your question. 'Perfect knowledge' would be the criteria to make such a choice. You might want to spend the 4 hours online learning everything you could find on such a transfer of organs and what clones really are ... but I do not think that was the point of your question. What was the true point ?    Report

11-19-2009, 7:56 PM Vicksburg Joined on 10-15-2009 Posts 2 Re: Rational Egoism What part of it is most bizarre?    Report

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