We’re all taught that the entrepreneurs and inventors who lift everyone under capitalism and freedom are “robber barons.” The implication is: They stole something. What did they steal? No answer is given. Instead, we’re told to rely upon the least … Continue reading
It’s not about being first so much as being right. It’s not about being right so much as being in touch with reality. “Correct” and “true” are not social or interpersonal standards; they are objective ones. The “truth” is true … Continue reading
The gullible are often the most dishonest. If they’re foolish enough to believe the big lies of others, then they’re foolish enough to expect others to believe their own deception.
If you’re duplicitous, disingenuous or otherwise manipulative towards another person, then consider the mistake you’re making. By being manipulative, you’re counting on a weakness or foolishness in the person whose behavior you seek to alter by a means other than … Continue reading
When you do things for people that they’re capable of doing themselves, you do great harm to them. It’s the same as telling them: “You’re incapable” — even though they are. By doing the thing for them, you’re taking over … Continue reading
Q: I know you, like Ayn Rand, write about the “virtue of self-interest” and contend that self-fulfillment is both moral and rationally healthy. Don’t you think there are situations where self-denial is a virtue and is, indeed, psychologically healthy? Can’t … Continue reading
Authority does not reside in someone’s status. It resides in the status of what they say — that is, whether or not what they say corresponds to rational truth and facts, or not. If it does, then you don’t need … Continue reading
If you’re treating people who are important to you — in business or personal life — the same way you’d like to be treated, then you’re acting with integrity and, more than likely, with rationality. I’m not saying “Do onto … Continue reading
‘The truth is, in order to get things like universal health care and a revamped education system, then someone else is going to have to give up a piece of their pie so that someone else can have more.’ (Attributed to … Continue reading
It has been said that insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, while still expecting different results. If this is true, so is something else: Insanity is thinking the same things over and over again, expecting different … Continue reading
Q: Dr. Hurd, Do you think all morality is subjective or personal? Or do you think there is objective right and wrong? A: The only thing I really understand to be truly immoral is evasion—that is, refusing to acknowledge as … Continue reading
A self-centered person is not guilty of too much concern with self. We all are, or at least should be, the most important thing in our lives. Get real. Is a stranger more important to you than yourself? Of course … Continue reading