Tad, I got the impression that Ayn Rand claimed Hegal was a communist.
Nate, when you introduced yourself to me you claimed to know quite a bit
about philosophy. I find this claim hard to reconcile with the fact
that you've never encountered the consequentialist/deontological
debate. Get an intro to ethics book, find the excerpt from Mill (a
consequentialist; you'll probably agree with a lot of what he has to
say), read the editor's commentary, then skip back or ahead one section,
and read the position with which consequentialism is contrasted. You'll
forgive me if I fail to trot out the same tired thought experiments that
you'll get in any intro to ethics class that demonstrate the problems
with consequentialist ethics.
Everyone, I agree that telephone-psychics are parasites who prey upon
and compound our desire for a quick-fix and out tendency to avoid the
burden of taking responsibility for our habits, our lack of analytic
facility and for the results of our actions. That does not mean that all
mystics are such parasites any more than the Heaven's Gate passion play
proves that all cults are suicidal or that all religious leaders are
charismatic power-mongers.
Now, to work. Take care, all. -KMO