Craig Biddle

Atlas Shrugged and Ayn Rand's Morality of Egoism (Part 3 of 3)

Like every ethical code, egoism has definite political implications. Just as the morality of self-sacrifice lays the groundwork for a particular kind of political system--one in which the government forces people to sacrifice (e.g., socialism, communism,...

Atlas Shrugged and Ayn Rand's Morality of Egoism (Part 2 of 3)

Now, despite its destructive nature, altruism is accepted to some extent by almost everyone today. Of course, no one upholds it consistently--at least not for long. Rather, most people accept it as true--and then cheat on it. All the major...

Atlas Shrugged and Ayn Rand's Morality of Egoism (Part 1 of 3)

The following is an expanded version of a talk I've delivered on various college campuses over the past few years. --CB Because of its prophetic nature with respect to current events, Ayn Rand's 1957 novel Atlas Shrugged is receiving more attention today than it...

Capitalism and the Moral High Ground

Economists from Adam Smith to Ludwig von Mises to Henry Hazlitt to Thomas Sowell have elucidated the general mechanics of a free market and demonstrated the unassailable practicality of capitalism. They have shown how freer markets provide better and cheaper health...

This Thanksgiving, Don’t Say Grace, Say Justice

The religious tradition of saying grace before meals becomes especially popular around the holidays, when we all are reminded of how fortunate we are to have an abundance of life-sustaining goods and services at our disposal. But there is a grave injustice involved in...

2008 Presidential Elections: McBama vs. America

As the 2008 presidential election nears, and while John McCain and Barack Obama struggle to distinguish themselves from each other in terms of particular promises and goals, it is instructive to observe that these candidates are indistinguishable in terms of...

On April 22, Celebrate Exploit-the-Earth Day

Because Earth Day is intended to further the cause of environmentalism--and because environmentalism is an anti-human ideology--on April 22, those who care about human life should not celebrate Earth Day; they should celebrate Exploit-the-Earth Day. As I wrote for The...

Should Heidi Moore Read Ayn Rand?

The Argument from Intimidation is the attempt to substitute psychological pressure for rational argument.

Charlotte Observer Editorial Opposes Academic Freedom Regarding BB&T Grants

The latest attack on BB&T's educational donations--and on academic freedom--comes by way of this Charlotte Observer editorial, which opens with the obvious truth that "A public university's faculty and administration--not donors--should have the final say on the...

Hostile-To-Reason Academics Fear Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged

"Gifts with Strings a Knotty Issue," is the latest in a recent stream of articles about academics going berserk because BB&T, under the direction of CEO John Allison, has made contributions to universities with the stipulation that Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged be...

Immigration and Individual Rights

Every year, millions of people seek to immigrate to the United States, and with good reason: Opportunities to improve their lives abound here. Immigrants and would-be immigrants want to pursue the American dream. Whether or not they would put it in these terms, they...

The Bush Administration’s Latest Deadly Evasion

The Bush administration's plan to declare Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization is worse than a waste of time: It is an outright evasion of the Iranian assault on America. There is a good reason why the New York City Police Department does not make...

The Injustice of Saying Grace: Thanking God for the Accomplishments of Men

Notes on the Coming Election

For whom should one vote in the coming election? What is the principal factor one should consider in judging a candidate or a political party? Should one focus on what a candidate says he is going to do in office? Should one make one's decision by asking, as some have...

Relativism and Religion vs. the Lives of Americans

With the anniversary of 9/11 approaching, here are a few facts worth circulating…

How to Solve America’s Terrorism Problem in 5 Easy Steps

Here is how America could solve her terrorism problem in 5 easy steps: 1. Stop sacrificing American soldiers to bring "freedom" to savages in Iraq. Pull our soldiers out of that hell hole, and let the savages have their civil war. ( Iraq is not and never was the main...

Altruism: The Morality of Suffering and Death (Exhibit 347R: Organ Donation)

The widespread acceptance of altruism (the fallacious notion that being moral consists in self-sacrificially serving others) causes continuous human suffering and death. Yet another example of this fact is illustrated in a recent article by Dr. Sally Satel (a resident...

Altruism: The Morality of Logical Fallacies

Sacrifice–Sacrifice–Sacrifice. Everyone believes it is the moral thing to do. And no philosopher has been willing to challenge this idea. Except Ayn Rand.

Introducing The Objective Standard

It is widely believed today that our cultural and political alternatives are limited either to the ideas of the secular, relativistic left--or to those of the religious, absolutist right--or to some compromised mixture of the two. In other words, one's ideas are...

Loving Life: The Morality of Self-Interest and the Facts that Support It (Chapter 2, Part 3 of 3)

Adapted from Chapter 2 of Loving Life: The Morality of Self-Interest and the Facts that Support It by Craig Biddle. According to Hume, if you see a man raping a woman, you cannot say that what you are witnessing is factually immoral; you cannot say that as a matter of...