Objectivism Wiki - User contributions [en]

Libertarianism

2006-04-18T23:32:52Z

Starblade: Somewhat comprehensive comparison between libertarian's isolationism and Objectivism's rational defense theory.

Libertarianism is what you get when you attempt to merge the capitalism with pacifism. It is an unstable system which is closer to anarchy than conventional capitalism because it applies skepticism to all international relations. For instance, only retaliatory force is considered appropriate, not proactive measures to prevent destruction. Under libertarianism, you do not have a right to attack a person who is preparing to attack you, even if you wouldn't be able to attack them once the threat becomes "proven". Of course, because the libertarian is a skeptic, very little will convince them that there was a threat short of actual initiation of force. For an analogy of libertarianism in simple terms, the right to respond comes not when a person pulls their arm back to punch, but when they are in the process of actually punching.

Objectivism differs from libertarianism in this respect. A person, according to Objectivism, can have confidence in their own judgemental capabilities and determine that someone is a threat without there being any imminent signs. Rather, a person can judge from a person's character, both social character AKA will to attack and productive character AKA capacity to attack, not just immediately, but sometime in the future. Of course, in a social context where the authority in question is reliable (IE both qualified and trustworthy) to respond, one should rely on the authority, since they have a rightful monopoly of force. However, international situations are no such social context, and so action must be taken by the nation being threatened and its allies against the threatening nation and its allies.

Physics

2006-04-18T23:13:08Z

Starblade: Breaking the page into layers.

Physics, definition:

Physics is the field of science dealing with the physical laws of the world in which we live. In physics, everything is governed by the laws of physics, which provides the fundamental framework of the observable universe. The laws of physics deal with the world at all scales, small and large, quick or slow, hot or cold. The laws of physics is intimately connected with mathematics, and we can predict physical phenomenom with a high degree of accuracy using mathematics. More modern physics use more advanced mathematics.

Specific theories of physics:

Classical physics:

Timeline. (To be added at a later date.)

Modern physics:

Special Relativity. (This resolves Galilean invariance and electromagnetism. More to come.)

Quantum Mechanics. (This resolves electromagnetism and thermodynamics. More to come.)

The two most modern theories of physics to date are the General Theory of Relativity and Quantum Field Theory. While both are assumed to exist at all scales, the observability of the General Theory of Relativity are fairly weak at the submolecular scale but very strong at the cosmological scale, whereas the observability of Quantum Field Theory is very strong at the submolecular scale but very weak at the cosmological scale.

The General Theory of Relativity states that no matter what our state of motion, whether inertial or accelerated, whether in the prescence of a weak field of gravitation or a strong field of gravitation, the laws of physics remains the same.

Quantum Field Theory states that we exist in a sea of fields, most prominant of which is the electromagnetic field. The value of the fields varies statistically, and thus the theory is indeterministic with respect to precise measurement.

Both theories, while they require a major shift of paradigm, do NOT violate the tenets of Objectivism, but in a very unique way, they actually support Objectivist metaphysics.

Unification:

Currently, work is being done to unify these two theories into a Theory Of Everything, but no approach is perfect. We have not come much closer to an observable Theory Of Everything, but it is possible that String Theory and its derivatives will bring us closer. Loop Quantum Gravity already has an experimental test, but unfortunately the conceptual framework for Loop Quantum Gravity denies some axioms accepted in modern physics, moreso than String Theory and its derivatives.

Physics

2006-04-18T18:53:08Z

Starblade: Physics is just as fundamental to our world as metaphysics. It provides proof of not only external reality, but our ability to observe, predict, and ultimately act on it.

Physics is the field of science dealing with the physical laws of the world in which we live. In physics, everything is governed by the laws of physics, which provides the fundamental framework of the observable universe. The laws of physics deal with the world at all scales, small and large, quick or slow, hot or cold. The laws of physics is intimately connected with mathematics, and we can predict physical phenomenom with a high degree of accuracy using mathematics. More modern physics use more advanced mathematics.

The two most modern theories of physics to date are the General Theory of Relativity and Quantum Field Theory. While both are assumed to exist at all scales, the observability of the General Theory of Relativity are fairly weak at the submolecular scale but very strong at the cosmological scale, whereas the observability of Quantum Field Theory is very strong at the submolecular scale but very weak at the cosmological scale.

The General Theory of Relativity states that no matter what our state of motion, whether inertial or accelerated, whether in the prescence of a weak field of gravitation or a strong field of gravitation, the laws of physics remains the same.

Quantum Field Theory states that we exist in a sea of fields, most prominant of which is the electromagnetic field. The value of the fields varies statistically, and thus the theory is indeterministic with respect to precise measurement.

Both theories, while they require a major shift of paradigm, do NOT violate the tenets of Objectivism, but in a very unique way, they actually support Objectivist metaphysics.

Currently, work is being done to unify these two theories into a Theory Of Everything, but no approach is perfect. We have not come much closer to an observable Theory Of Everything, but it is possible that String Theory and its derivatives will bring us closer. Loop Quantum Gravity already has an experimental test, but unfortunately the conceptual framework for Loop Quantum Gravity denies some axioms accepted in modern physics, moreso than String Theory and its derivatives.