Vi veri universum vivus vici

I, by the power of truth, while living, have conquered the universe.

I think this is one of the greatest sayings ever. It means so much to me.

"I", the egoist and egoism in Rand's definition. The most important word in the statement besides truth.

"By the power of truth", as Rand would say "the recognition that reality is final, that A is A and that the truth is true." And that the power of such truth is that it is connected to reality and has the power for you mind to figure out how to control reality, to alter it for your own needs of living.

"While Living" means to me that this is the only life I have and it is my cherished possession and that means trying to make your own personal abstract dream real. It means flourishing and that your goal and your reward is to conquer reality for your life and the purpose of living to your utmost.

"have conquered the universe." means that one has power to guide and succeed one's own life. That success and happiness are possible to the person oriented toward reality. That recognizing all these things is a means to ultimate efficacy. The truth is not some stagnant catch phrase but that which is and facts lead to values.

Robots and puppet 2 forms of man without mind

I have been thinking about Puppet robotics ever since I saw Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. The robots in the movie are very puppet like and I am thinking that it might be an interestingly cheap, low weight, central core actuator design concept. I am also thinking that puppetry has been around for thousands of years and might offer a plethora of concepts that have not been updated in a while but also a large set of cheap workable manufacturing solutions. Working with wood as an architecture would be cheap and interesting. We should check out jigsaws and how much acrylic plastic sets are.

I have been thinking more and more about creating Anthem maybe a puppet show would be a good way of getting kids interested. Pinocchio the body without the mind... Objectivist Pinocchio? Climax of theme results in that mind and body are equally important. What is my body without my soul? What is my soul without my body? I wonder if this is what Artificial intelligence was trying to get across and failed so miserably at.

Aristotle, Our Modern World and Ayn Rand

I often wonder what others think about how our modern age developed. There are thinkers that are cornerstones of of our civilization. People without which it would be impossible to have the rockets, satellites, cars and modern conveniences. When will there be a next Einstein, Newton, or Aristotle? The answer is there has been one and she has been overlooked by the vast majority. Her name is Ayn Rand.

She completed what Aristotle failed to do which is provide a rational basis for morality. Under her philosophy of man, with his inalienable right to pursue life, liberty and happiness, society would stop picking itself apart. Picking itself apart by distorted visions of unreality.

Under these false ideologies, that have such little to offer in the vein of modern life, we see their zealous followers commit acts of surprising savagery. Witness the religious suicide bombers. Witness the religious attacks on gays and abortion clinics. Witness the K.K.K. and white supremacists that still survive in our culture. Mentalities so deprived of efficacy and a real means of living that they resort to pure fear and threaten to strangle our modern means of living. Archaic tribalism is slowly rising to engulf our modern society by the only means it knows. Brutal savage fear and force.

This is your choice people you can either believe in man's efficacy and rational capability to solve his own problems Or you can adopt the methods of the barbarians and resort to having all of other mankind's problems be yours. It is one or the other. A society can not survive as half freedom.