Arthur Silber, a great left-libertarian/post-Randian writer, is in even worse financial shape than most of us. Please help him if you can.
"Austro" as in Rothbard and Wittgenstein, "Athenian" as in Aristotle and smashing-the-plutocracy.
About Roderick T. Long
The Empirical Me
I’m Roderick T. Long, Professor of Philosophy at Auburn University. I’m an Aristotelean/Wittgensteinian in philosophy and a left-libertarian market anarchist in social theory. (More about me here.) This blog, Austro-Athenian Empire, is a continuation of my earlier blog, archived here.
I hate to be the gadfly again but isn’t it un-Randian to ask for donations from others? I seem to remember Rand making several unflattering remarks about “beggars with diapers on their heads” and such…
The post calls him “post-Randian”.
Rand on charity.
Arthur has rejected Rand more than Roderick — who doesn’t reject her per se as much as argue she didn’t go the right path with her ideas on everything.
I think helping Arthur would fall under the heading of “benevolence” rather than “altruism.” You can view his writing as Dagny Taggart’s washing up in return for her meal, if you like.
Does anyone have a spare computer to send him? That would really come in handy
I emailed him a few months ago telling him that I wanted to do what I could to get him a new computer setup (like an Eee PC or something) but never heard back. Even if he gets cash, it doesn’t sound like he’s able to go out easily like the rest of us to buy one on his own. It seems like a new computer is a vital part of helping him flourish as a writer that wouldn’t necessarily get funded out of general donations. I would be willing to run point on getting a system (or at least helping) if someone else knows how to get it to him. I’m in San Diego, not LA but there are ALLies there. Also it would require collecting money in a separate pool. Of course, a spare donation is even better.
I don’t really see why “benevolence” would be that much different than “altruism”, but whatever the guy needs help and I’m not a Randian so that’s great if people want to help the guy.
I’ve repeatedly emailed him about setting up his own site, running pledge drives, selling ad space, etc.
He’s never responded.
I don’t mean to sound cold but does he not possess a marketable skill? Perhaps something like Brandon mentioned above. I read some of the links about his health and financial troubles and do feel bad for the guy. I am just a bit confused as to why he can’t exchange some service for revenue. I hope his health and financial status improves.
Every few months he publishes another of these ‘woe is me’ articles, talking about various health problems and money problems. They’re extremely passive-aggressive.
It’s hard to believe that all of his problems are true and that there’s nothing he can do about them (go back and read all of his previous articles about his health and money issues).
It’s hard to believe that all of his problems are true and that there’s nothing he can do about them
I don’t find it terribly hard to believe. How hard one finds it depends in part, I suspect, on one’s own past experience, on what situations one has either been in or known people in. (No doubt that’s also a factor affecting one’s attraction to left-libertarianism.)
Well, as an old man who cannot work, I’m pretty sure his problems are true, and there’s not much he can do about it. I don’t see why you believe otherwise.
You mean like, oh, writing, which certain people value enough to pay for by providing the author with subsistence?
Neverfox,
Would you mind emailing me at chessanarch@gmail.com? Arthur and I have a long positive history of intellectual exchange. I’d like to talk privately with you about coordinating this PC idea of yours.
Thanks!
One of the saddest things to me about statism is that it drives people apart and instead of increasing cooperation makes people more suspicious and less inclined to help one another, locally or otherwise.
I remember responding to a craigslist ad about a garage sale one time; I got the date wrong and showed up to the guy’s house the next day. When he answered the door, the mixture of fear, loathing, and suspicion in his face made me wonder if he’d been robbed the previous day!