[Am-info] Ayn Rand Institute?

[Felmon Davis]

On Monday 18 March 2002 11:53 am, Mitch Stone wrote:
> Logical consistency is where you find it, I guess. Rand's rigid
> self-interest dogma led to some fairly bizarre conclusions. For
> example, the only kind of force seen as "objectively" unethical is
> physical force -- you should not beat money out of someone. But if
> you can swindle them out it, that's okay because it just indicates
> that you're smarter then they, and therefore more deserving. Think
> of it as social darwinism for nerds -- a human potential movement
> for people without a conscience.
>
> I've developed a sort of acid test for people who claim to believe
> in objectivism. I ask them if they should be allowed to fire a gun
> into a crowded room, provided they don't hit anyone. This is
> precisely the sort of moral and ethical question Rand's philosophy
> can't resolve. 

I'm being a little dense, sorry, and I don't want to turn this into a 
seminar but could you briefly explain why Objectivism can't resolve 
this case? Is there some contradiction it gets caught in here?

F.