participant-3927, 2:25 AM, July 27
I watched a good oldie movie today, from 1943, called “This Land is Mine”.
participant-4603, 2:46 AM, July 27
I’ll have to run a search for that
participant-3927, 3:57 AM, July 27
Ayn Rand’s father, Zinovy (after saying farewell): “Alisa will show the world who she is.”
participant-3927, 7:03 PM, July 27
Large land is not needed to house many people. In 1971, an area of 200 square km called “New Providence” contained 60 percent of the entire resident population of Bahamas. (The total resident population was 170,000). It is 400,000 now — still small, and the total land area is 11,000 sq. km.
participant-3927, 10:46 PM, July 28
Note that in laissez-faire capitalism, the state doesn’t own resources. In Suriname now, the debate is going on about how to divvy up proceedes from revenues on oil digging, but the digging is doen by corporations ( among them Chevron). Under free market, all proceeds belong to Chevron, not a penny to the population of Suriname. But no party and no media in Suriname considers this variant. The talk is about a wealth fund or a one-time savings certificate to each citizen at $750 earning 7% annual interest.
participant-3927, 11:26 PM, July 28
From ChatGPT:
“Historically, most enduring autonomy arrangements backed by international treaties arose because there was a conflict, territorial dispute, or serious risk of one. The treaty wasn’t created primarily to promote economic experimentation—it was created to solve a political problem.
Some examples:
• Hong Kong: The Sino-British Joint Declaration was negotiated because the lease of the New Territories was expiring and the UK and China needed to settle sovereignty.
• Åland Islands: Their autonomy was established after a dispute between Finland and Sweden following World War I. The League of Nations helped resolve the issue.
• South Tyrol: Its autonomy stems from post-World War II tensions between Italy and Austria over the German-speaking population, culminating in the Gruber–De Gasperi Agreement.
• Northern Ireland: The Good Friday Agreement ended decades of violent conflict by creating a constitutional framework accepted by multiple parties.
• Bosnia and Herzegovina: The country’s constitutional structure comes from the Dayton Agreement, which ended the Bosnian War.”
participant-4603, 1:31 AM, July 29
There is no shortage of trade treaties, and it is true there is no shortage of treaties that brought about the creation of, or recognition of, new countries. While not exactly a great example, the Old Dutch Republic was very much recognised under the Peace of Westphalia, and certainly the Vatican under the Lateran Treaty. But, as far as economic experimentation is concerned, this is definitely pushing the envelope, but I have to think more about this.
For whatever reason, I’m thinking of this exceptional case that is a classic one, which is also not analogous, though interesting nonetheless:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Cospaia
participant-1522, 9:40 PM, July 29
Why are some people obsessed with answers while other people are not? Is this an autism only thing? Or what is going on here? This is just something I’ve noticed as like a strong dividing line between people.
participant-3927, 3:19 AM, July 30
It’s the Concrete-bound Mentality, a concept Ayn Rand came up with.
participant-3927, 3:20 AM, July 30
You make it sound as if it’s a bad thing to seek answers, but it’s good.
participant-1522, 3:31 AM, July 30
No I mean it quite the opposite that seeking answers is good while apathy to answers at all is just crazy ridiculous and makes no sense.
And I know many if not everybody I know that isn’t simply concrete bound. They do deal with abstractions. But simply don’t care to get answers. Like conclusions don’t interest them. Vague ambiguity is perfectly ok with them and don’t care.
I don’t know just seems very frustrating and I don’t understand it. It seems to be the most distinct line I see between two people. Want answers or don’t want answers and that’s it.
But I’m just not sure if that desire for answers is like just an autistic thing cause all the people I know who want answers are autistic. but I’ve never meant a person who didn’t care for answers that was autistic
participant-3927, 3:51 AM, July 30
It’s a matter of honesty vs collectivism
participant-3927, 3:51 AM, July 30
People are happy to accept the collective answer
participant-3927, 3:52 AM, July 30
The community decides their reality , it’s like faith
participant-3927, 3:53 AM, July 30
If everyone cares about the World Cup, I better too
participant-3927, 3:56 AM, July 30
If one claims to enjoy watching soccer, why doesn’t he watch it year round ?
participant-3927, 3:58 AM, July 30
Or songs: somehow everyone likes the same songs , knows the lyrics
participant-3927, 3:59 AM, July 30
I knew a girl who liked F1 racing. She woke up in the middle of the night to watch practice races, year round
participant-1522, 4:07 AM, July 30
Hmmm. I’m just curious if this is really a soul/self thing or it’s actually a neurological thing. Like there’s clearly something going on in the autistic mind like some conduit that just isn’t closed until the entire loop is ended with the answer. But I wonder if that neurological part is like hereditary or what. Or you can like condition yourself to act this way. Which would then make me think it is some sort of specific neural pathway that causes this. Or something I don’t know.
participant-1522, 4:09 AM, July 30
Like it would be funny with all this gene splicing and stuff you could just take that one little piece of autism and put it in a new babies dna code or something. Probably would solve a lot of problems
participant-3927, 4:10 AM, July 30
Have you read The Comprachicos essay ?
participant-1522, 4:12 AM, July 30
I did yup I did read that one.
But you know you see all these Ivy League people and clearly they can think but they just don’t care about answers.
participant-3927, 4:15 AM, July 30
Physicists are a good example
participant-3927, 4:25 AM, July 30
Anyway, it’s not autism , and it’s not genetic. It’s floating abstractions , rationalism
participant-1522, 4:52 AM, July 30
You going to that Americancapitalistparty convention? Think I might stop by for that one. Wonder if anyone shows up
participant-3927, 4:53 AM, July 30
I am not
participant-3927, 4:59 AM, July 30
I’m not an American, so I can’t be a party member.
participant-1522, 5:01 AM, July 30
Don’t think you need to be a member to go to the convention in philly
participant-3927, 5:48 AM, July 30
Yes, I don’t need to, but I’ll probably pass this time around.