The
Rational Argumentator
Issue XXIV
July 16 - August 11, 2004
Tale of an Arabic Mathematician:
G. Stolyarov II
July 16, 2004
G. Stolyarov II tells the story of an amusing encounter in the life of the inventor of the zero.
Eden against the Colossus: Chapter I: Protector's Summons:
G. Stolyarov II
July 17, 2004
G. Stolyarov II releases the first chapter of his new science fiction novel as a free preview of the book. You can order Eden against the Colossus in eBook form here. Visit the official Eden against the Colossus webpage here.
The Professor's Experiment:
Christopher Schlegel
August 5, 2004
In a parallel world to ours, a professor schemes to fabricate his observations to conform to irrational filosofy. This professor's work is seconded by some of the fundamental postulates of modern "science," and Christopher Schlegel tells a tale of the result.
Filosofy
Mistakes Concerning Infinity:
G. Stolyarov II
July 21, 2004
"Infinity" is a term that has been spilled far out of its boundaries by the mainstream culture. G. Stolyarov II identifies seven common fallacies that permeate the natural sciences as a result of this.
Towards a Philosophy of Immortality:
Marc Geddes
July 22, 2004
Three primary mentalities prevent most people in our time from pursuing a radical and even indefinite extension of the human lifespan. Marc Geddes explains and eloquently refutes all of these paradigms.
Prudes and Passion:
Reginald Firehammer
July 27, 2004
What is today fashionably termed "sexual repression" is in fact a necessary part of truly moral, deliberate, and self-controlled action, argues Reginald Firehammer, in a treatise that champions prudence and self-interest over indiscriminate intercourse.
Plato's Ideas or How to Run an Effective Intellectual Scam:
Christopher Schlegel
August 5, 2004
The fundamental conflict in Western filosofy has been the clash between Aristotle's this-worldly filosofy of reason, and Plato's other-worldly filosofy of the truth's inaccessibility to man. Christopher Schlegel explores the essentially mystical foundations of Platonism and reveals some of its internal contradictions.
Poetry
Monologue of Immortal Man:
G. Stolyarov II
July 30, 2004
What would a man who had attained eternal life say of those who had doubted the possibility or desirability of such an undertaking? This poem by G. Stolyarov II explores such a question.
Politics
The Necessity of Road Privatization:
G. Stolyarov II
July 17, 2004
The roads of today need not be pitiful even by ancient standards. Privatization, argues G. Stolyarov II, would eliminate the need for virtually all significant road maintenance and repairs and return roads to an impeccable condition not witnessed since the days of Ancient Rome.
The Immorality of Conscription:
Jonathan Rick
July 20, 2004
Jonathan Rick presents refutations of arguments by draft supporters and demonstrates, from a standpoint of natural rights, why conscription is an utter violation of liberty.
Equality of Bad Law:
Dustin Hawkins
August 11, 2004
Dustin Hawkins identifies and critiques a fundamentally flawed mindset that pervades even many Objectivists: that all laws must be enforced equally with regard to all persons, even if these are bad laws.
Science
The Quest for Indefinite Life I: Engineered Negligible Senescence:
Aubrey de Grey
July 29, 2004
Initiating a series of articles about real, scientific prospects for extending human life indefinitely, Dr. Aubrey D. N. J. de Grey explains the goal of "Engineered Negligible Senescence" and its desirability.
The Quest for Indefinite Life II: The Seven Deadly Things and Why There Are Only Seven:
Aubrey de Grey
July 30, 2004
Dr. Aubrey D. N. J. de Grey explains in detail the seven obstacles to indefinite life and principal causes of senescence and death. Eliminating them could expand the human lifespan to 5000 years.
The Quest for Indefinite Life III: The Progress of SENS:
Aubrey de Grey
July 31, 2004
The goal of Engineered Negligible Senescence is an ambitious and still controversial one. Dr. Aubrey D. N. J. de Grey examines the root of mainstream inertia in the War on Aging, as well as what you can do to accelerate the effort.
"To prejudge other men's notions before we have looked into them is not to show their darkness but to put out our own eyes."
~ John Locke