Who is to blame for mass extinction in Haiti?

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Here is an article about the 'natural disaster' in Haiti. I have not read the article since know the philosophical values involved, and so I therefore have a lot of confidence in recommending it. But you can make up your own judgement.
The article is "HAITI'S AVOIDABLE DEATH TOLL" - a Opinion Editorial by Walter E. Williams, in the AtlasSphere. The article argues that the current tragedy in Haiti is not a natural disaster. It is a man-made disaster, caused by self-inflicted poverty -- the result of decades of disregard for human rights, rule of law, and economic liberty. Go here to read the full article.
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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

The majority is usually wrong

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Some old arguments alluding to the flawed logic behind representative democracy. In this video footage, Steve McQueen makes the arguments in 'Enemy of the People'.
There is of course very good reasons why the majority is wrong. People are comforted by consensus. The majority of people do not draw comfort from values which correspond to the facts of reality, but rather from adherence to the values shared by their community. People want to be loved and valued. The valuer in this context is their fellow men rather than the facts of reality. we earn our pay from other humans, we are loved or befriended by other humans, thus in this context most people consider human perceptions more important than facts. The problem of course in society is that most people do not have a primary relationship with reality, but rather with other people. Quite clearly humanity was not ready for the specialisation of labour, since he had not yet developed an explicit and coherent value system which would allow him to respect the facts of reality so much that he might have the courage to listen to fact rather than tread in fear of his fellow man. Such is a testimony to the spinelessness of ancient man, which has persisted into the modern world by a process of corruption and vested interest. Embedded or entrenched structural values is what stands between a rational world view and the world of the false prophet and 'second hander'.
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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Google's Project 10^100 results pending

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When I first heard that Google was running this project to elicit community interest in projects I was going to sign up some ideas myself. In the end I decided against participation because they were not offering any financial support for the project, and there was no assurance of driving the project. That is their choice. I would say their folly. Any here are the ideas that people came up with, with my comments about each of them.
1. Help social entrepreneurs drive change
Of course is would be nice for people in the developing world to become commercially astute but the idea of a group of Americans going to Liberia or other countries to teach entrepreneurship is naive. People don't just embrace any set of values; it has to reconcile with their existing values. If you want to encourage entrepreneurship in Africa or Asia it has to start with the parenting.
2. Make government more transparent
This was a superficial solution to the tyranny of government. It does not address the core problem with representative democracies - the absence of reason as the standard.
3. Provide quality education to African students
One can certainly understand the need to educate people in Africa, and the African continent does have one of the largest populations, but if education is a value it makes more sense to start with those with address to online resources. This initiative plus the $100 computer make a lot of sense, though computers require electricity, which is not so cheap for the poor just yet.
4. Create real-time natural crisis tracking system
This is a good idea though we must remember that natural crisis occur because countries cannot fund these systems. It is a funding crisis not a technology crisis. The reason these countries can't deal with natural disasters is because they have the wrong political system. This is a long term problem. But so is a natural disaster system in as much as natural disasters are irregular. It is not a bad idea though, so this one is semi-plausible. The best so far.
5. Promote health monitoring and data analysis
This suggestion is a good idea. It will of course take a lot of money to develop and distribute so it is going to be a commercial decision.
6. Enhance science and engineering education
If there is a lack of regard for science and engineering its not because of lack of awareness of education, its actually a cultural folly. I do however think that engineering could be developed as a subject in school. The problem with physics education in school is that it is too abstract. Greater emphasis needs to be given to grounding physics in real problems, and of course introducing engineering to schools is a useful means of doing that.
7. Create real-world issue reporting system
This is not a bad idea. The problem of course that its a commercial solution which will eventually be developed. In fact its the type of solution that Google should be developing since its a commercial application that is consistent with its current business model. This type of solution will be developed soon as the technology is being rolled out to support such software solutions. Each of us has a cell phone and most have a computer. All it needs is the software to drive it, and integration with a platform like Google, which is already part of our lives.
8. Create genocide monitoring and alert system
This is a hopeless idea. The problem is not that genocide occurs or is inadequately reported. The problem is a lack of sound ethical principles in host countries or Western countries to do anything about it.
9. Work toward socially conscious tax policies
Consumption taxes are a fairer form of taxation but the problem remains governments who fail to reign in their spending, and who attempt to position themselves at the centre of the economy. There is no justification for having a government which accounts for 25-35% of an economy. They would be a fraction less than 1%. The problem is their arbitrary powers.
10. Build better banking tools for everyone
This is already being done in developing countries, and some of these suggestions offer no value.

I see no great value in these suggestions for several reasons. They are problems likely to be resolved in the fullness of time, or they are not fundamental enough. I would have been looking for ideas which offered a better solution for government. I was disappointed. In any respect Google's original conception was flawed by not committing any funds to the program. If it had it would have attracted more interest. Maybe it wanted to avoid corruption of the process by its staff. Who knows? For some reason 'community initiatives' is like code for altruism or other such Christian nonsense.
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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

How to deal with the contemporary political scene

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Lately I have been coming to terms with the current political system. Trying to establish a path through our political legacy which does not offer much in terms of protection of civil liberties. The other day I was listening to George Carlin to see that his solution is 'not taking an emotional stake in the outcome'.

I have difficulty accepting this strategy. He is not necessarily suggesting this strategt for everyone, since his concern is himself. Everyone cannot be comedians. It could be argued that if things were not as they are he might not have any material.
Regardless I cannot detach myself from the reality in which I live, so I want to fight for freedom. I do not believe it will necessitate civil war as he suggests, but I think whilst we might be going sideways, as we over-invest in material possessions, I think its probable that the world will wake up at some point. Maybe it will take a war with China or Russia. My guess is that they will align with the West in future. The answers will be found within communities, whether through some charismatic leader, maybe as a result of judicial activism, or maybe because of civil unrest or some unforeseen constitutional reform that bestows rights to all people.
I have just 50 years (max) of life left on this planet. I want it to mean something in terms of values. I want to relate with interesting people. I don't want to be constrained by idiots, and I want it to be a satisfying existence. Does it both me to pay 30% taxes? Yes, but that is not the end of it. Its the knowledge that government changes the way people think and act. It rewards the wrong type of behaviour, it encourages crime. It makes the world an unpleasant place to live. Governments shape values - not just through law, but through education and other subordinate institutions. This is not a conspiracy theory. There is no purpose from the 'top'. Its just unthinking people acting in what they consider their (expediate) interests. I favour acting in your interests, but not self-indulgence, but with a philosophical, rational standard of value.
I relate to a lot of what George saids but I do think he lacks some philosophical integrity in his approach to life. Damn funny guy though. I recommend most of his videos on YouTube for those who are unaware of him.
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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Conservatives and abortion

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One might think that I am expressing conservative politics here...nothing could be further from the truth. It is easy to categorise people, still harder to engage in philosophical arguments to establish the origin of your ideas.
Here is a George Carlin attack on conservatives.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Ayn Rand Institute addresses Republican Party

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The Republican Party has suffered one of its biggest election losses in history. Its fair to say that a great many people will be looking for a re-think on values. It is fair to say that these people were betrayed by the Republican Party. Its fair to say that the Republican Party has lost a lot of these people to the Democrats, not because of the values conveyed, buy because of the better leadership by Barrack Obama.
There are of course signs that the Republican Party is recognising its error, and that have taken steps to rediscover what the party represents. I would suggest the Liberal Party in Australia has to take the same steps since John Howard did as much to betray the history of the Liberal Party as George Bush did to his party legacy. But its not about these men, its a philosophy that was betrayed long ago, and it has generally got worse. The US is stronger because there was a time when it explicitly recognised its core values. That has been lost, so I want to ask people to listen to this convention to appreciate what values made the USA great. See this presentation to the Virginia Republican Party at ARC-TV.

This speech received a standing ovation. It was interesting however that the audience seemed to agree on all the issues presented except two. They did not applause on two issues:
1. A separation of Church and State: The reason why the separation of Church and State is important is because they are incompatible. The philosophy of the religion is to renounce personal values, the role of government is to protect your personal value. The philosophy of religion is to have faith; but the government's role is primarily to protect your rights, which demands attention to evidence, the facts of reality, and the principles of justice. based on rational discourse. Faith is a repudiation of evidence; it demands that you obey, accept God without evidence. For this reason religion is compatible with the coercive state; not capitalism.
2. The virtue of making money: The speaker could have framed this better, or elucidated upon the point. Basically he is not preaching love of material things. He is saying that there is no conflict between one's spiritual or philosophical values and one's material objectives, goals or wants. He is saying that one's primary responsibility and concern is for oneself. I would also add that it is only through self-love that one can truly love overs. Money is really only the monetary unit underpinning the acquisition of goods. What he didn't explain was the importance of self-esteem, efficacy in one's career, the importance of a long range purpose. This was a shame, because in the context of the current political climate, where you have CEOs getting huge salaries for stuffing up companies, and suggesting a desire to reduce regulation; people will just not embrace that idea.
Apart from failing to address those points it was a very good speech. It also highlights a shift I feel in the Ayn Rand Institute to speak in less technical jargon that people can understand.
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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Clever advertisement for Chinese market

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This strikes me as a particularly good advertisement by Pantene for the Chinese market. All the better because the message has important implications for thinking throughout Asia. All the better because there is a Chinese element in most East Asian countries. More importantly, these countries have a historical legacy of collectivism, and this advertisement is a repudiation of that value system. So I thank Pantene for creating it. Too many other companies pander to the lowest common denominator. Here is a company which is raising standards. Watch the advertisement!

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com