by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

Adam Smith -vs- Ayn Rand. Capitalism was their common goal, the justification for achieving the ends of capitalism was their difference.



Based on pure logic and objectiveness Smith would have to concede to Rand.

Looking beyond the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, and post Soviet/Chinese/Southeast Asian communism, the debate is once again forefront and center.

Given the changing realities of modern western society how would you characterize capitalism today and what specifically would you suggest we ought modify or do differently?

For a insightful yet brief analysis of Smith and how his views might relate to the present please see taospeaks as you consider the foregoing.

There remains one thing abundantly clear. We as humans have yet to agree on the ultimate right solution. This is as it should be. Knowledge, growth, and ultimately achievement is NOT made by everyone always agreeing. Wouldn't you agree?

Cross posted at Left Coast Rebel

Comments

  1. AnonymousSun Dec 02, 07:16:00 PM EST

    Thank you for the mention.

    I think you might find this a better source for how Ayn Rand and Adam Smith differ.

    http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/03/where-ayn-rand-went-wrong-opinions-columnists-shikha-dalmia.html

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

RN USA no longer accepts comments. The information presented is for reflection, contemplation, and for those seeking greater understanding and wisdom. It is for seekers and those with an open mind and heart.

Namaste


Top Posts

For a Change Conservatives and Liberals Coming Together...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation U S A L i b e r t y -vs- T y r a n n y This is a day I have long waited for. A day that gives me great satisfaction. Reasoned and reasonable liberals and conservatives in a bi-partisan fashion have sent a strong and constitutionally correct signal to the President. Perhaps most rewarding for me is that these conservatives are finally acting like conservatives ought to be acting every time it comes to ordering military action against another sovereign nation. With extreme skepticism and caution. Liberals, to their great credit are "bucking" their party leader. Good news from both sides of the aisle. Perhaps the ultimate outcome will be as the President seems to favor. If the President listens to the peoples representatives , whether they give or withhold Congressional approval for intervention the people have won. Just as our Founders intended. Maybe this mood will take hold and last? Naw, not likely given the republican tendency to ...
Read more

Damage Control???...

Image
by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Lib erty -vs- Tyr anny President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton take part in the Transfer of Remains Ceremony marking the return to the United States of the remains of the four Americans killed in Benghazi, Libya. Molly Riley/DPA/Zuma It ain't a cover up but... Mother Jones - The latest revelations about the Benghazi talking points—as opposed to what actually happened at the US diplomatic facility at Benghazi , where four Americans died—do not back up Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham's hyperbolic and absurd claim that the Benghazi controversy is Obama's Watergate. But neither are they nothing. As ABC News reported on Friday morning, the most discussed talking points in US diplomatic history were revised multiple times before being passed to UN Ambassador Susan Rice prior to her appearances last September on Sunday talk shows. The revisions—which deleted several lines noting that the CIA months befo...
Read more

On a Different Note and Looking Ahead...

Image
by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation U S A Purveyor of Truth America seems to be in perpetual campaign mode. No sooner than things start to settle in following a mid term or presidential election than the pols start preparing for the next election and the spinning starts in earnest. Leaving one to wonder just when our elected officials are actually working on our behalf. Call me the cynic but I cannot help but believe our politicians and leaders spend more time working to create the "world of smoke and mirrors" they want us to exist in for their sake than actually representing us and taking care of crucial matters that affect our nation and each and every one of us. So, today, I'm joining in the American Political Merry-Go- Round and predicting that Americans will once again get exactly what they (in their apathy) vote for. America, with its dismal voter turnout, low information voters, and political sound bite junkies, will pull the levers once again for those politic...
Read more

Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche ~ Undistracted Non-Meditation ~ Dzogchen...

Image
           Laozi: 'When you let go of what you are, you become what you might be'   When fascism came to America it  came clutching a bible and waving the flag. On January 20, 2025. Israel in the present time is a state engaging in state terrorism against the Palestinian population of Gaza. The Zionist genocide of Palestinians is ungodly, un-Christian, and in every way horrific  evil. For Evangelical Christians, Christian Nationalists and MAGA who apparently know nothing of Jesus of Nazareth's position on wealth :   Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. "A ll worldly pursuits have but one unavoidable and inevitable end, which is sorrow; acquisitions end in dispersion; buildings in destruction; meetings in separation; births in death. Knowing this, one should, from the very first, renounce acquisitions and storing-up, and building, and meeting; and, ...
Read more

If You Care About Your Country Consider This...

Rational Nation U S A Purveyor of Truth What follows is highly worth reading, re-reading, and then examining closely the words of 2016 democratic presidential Bernie Sanders. There is much truth in his words and regardless of ones political affiliation truth is truth. Our nation at some point must come to grips with the issues he highlights. In a rational political environment a frank, honest, and open discussion including all political parties would be had and decisions would be made to address the growing threats to the nations social well being. Unfortunately, and to our countries great detriment, rather than having the needed discussion and working together to truly make our nation great again battle lines are already drawn and one party and movement in particular has no interest in resolving these issues and again creating a great middle class explosion. U.S. Senator Bernard Sanders Sept. 14, 2015 Lynchburg, Virginia Thank you very much for inviting me to be with you t...
Read more

Is It Time To Consider Raising Top Marginal Tax Rates?...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation U S A Lib e rty -vs- Tyr a nny There is most definitely a huge gap between what proponents of low marginal tax rates argue and what the actual results of lowering said rates over the past 30 to 40 years has been. While reading the following article from The Guardian think long term effect. Many are arguing the policies of lower taxes and increased spending (much on defense and the MIC) during this time period is largely responsible for our present sorry fiscal state state of affairs. They may have a point and it is most certainly worth considering as we look to 2014 and 2016. At the very least the party of lower and lower taxes and increased spending, and we all know who that is, should rethink it's strategy for success. In the United States, the share of total pre-tax income accruing to the top 1% has more than doubled, from less than 10% in the 1970s to over 20% today (pdf) . A similar pattern is true of other English-speaking countries. ...
Read more

As The Feds Ship Illegals To Massachusetts From The Southern Border...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth As the crises on our southern border continues illegals are being shipped to Massachusetts by plane according to the Boston Globe . Apparently the feds have been keeping this operation "under the radar." Local law enforcement officials in the Bay State are growing increasingly concerned, as they rightly should. Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson is calling for sheriffs across America to "“mobilize” on the red-hot immigration issue and confront the feds over their failure to communicate with local officials." Illegal immigrants are being secretly flown to Massachusetts and kept in local lockups in an under-the-radar operation that has alarmed lawmen who are raising health and security concerns amid recent spikes in detainees coming up from Texas during the latest border crisis. “We’re all becoming border sheriffs now with these people being carted all over the country,” said Bristol County Sheriff...
Read more

A political tsunami is coming for MAGA...

Image
         Laozi: 'When you let go of what you are, you become what you might be'   When fascism came to America it  came clutching a bible and waving the flag. On January 20, 2025. Israel in the present time is a state engaging in state terrorism against the Palestinian population of Gaza. The Zionist genocide of Palestinians is ungodly, un-Christian, and in every way horrific  evil. For Evangelical Christians, Christian Nationalists and MAGA who apparently know nothing of Jesus of Nazareth's position on wealth :   Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. "A ll worldly pursuits have but one unavoidable and inevitable end, which is sorrow; acquisitions end in dispersion; buildings in destruction; meetings in separation; births in death. Knowing this, one should, from the very first, renounce acquisitions and storing-up, and building, and meeting; and, faithfu...
Read more

Is President Obama Preparing To Back Warren For 2016 Democratic Nomination For Prez?...

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA Purveyor of Truth The New York Post is reporting that President Obama is quietly trying to convince Massachusetts extreme progressive Senator Elizabeth Warren to make a run for presidency in 2016. He has reportedly expressed privately concerns that his former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would if nominated and ultimately elected undo some of his policies. While Obama has publicly been non committal this report should surprise few given the aggressive campaign Hillary waged against Obama for the democratic party nomination in 2008. Clinton, while certainly a liberal is more centrist than her ex boss. Should Warren choose to toss her hat in the ring for 2016 with the President's blessings it will certainly energize the right and moderates who are given pause by her leftist views. It has been said by many talking heads and bloggers on the far right that Obama was the far left's socialist candidate (some even said he is a comm...
Read more