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Politics is the application of ethics to a social context. Since the Objectivist ethics holds that each man is an end in himself, with his own life and happiness as his highest moral purpose, in politics it necessarily follows that each man possesses an absolute right to his own life. This does not mean that man has a right to survival, merely that he possesses soverignty over his mind and body, and thus the right to act on his own judgement. All other [[rights]], i.e. liberty, property, pursuit of happiness, etc., are merely applications of the right to life.
Politics is the application of ethics to a social context. Since the Objectivist ethics holds that each man is an end in himself, with his own life and happiness as his highest moral purpose, in politics it necessarily follows that each man possesses an absolute right to his own life. This does not mean that man has a right to survival, merely that he possesses soverignty over his mind and body, and thus the right to act on his own judgement. All other [[rights]], i.e. liberty, property, pursuit of happiness, etc., are merely applications of the right to life.


== Individualism ==
== Tools of a Capitalist ==
=== Chemical Fire Bottle ===


In relation to other men, each man is fundamentally independent -- not because he can live on his own, but because he can only think with his own mind -- there is no "collective consciousness." All creative effort, every invention in history, every advance in the process that created the wealthy, industrial society in which we now live in, and which distinguishes us from the proto-humans that lived short, violent lives in caves without the aid of tools or fire was created by the mental effort of individual men and women.  Sometimes they worked together, and their knowledge was increased by the work of predecessors, but each advance they made was their own.  The mind cannot be received, shared, or borrowed.  Every new idea in human history was a product of the work of an individual mind.  
    The chemical fire bottle is really nothing more than an advanced
molotov cocktail.  Rather than using burning cloth to ignite the flammable
liquid, which has at best a fair chance of igniting the liquid, the chemical
fire bottle utilizes the very hot and violent reaction between sulfuric acid
and potassium chlorate. When the container breaks, the sulfuric acid in the
mixture of gasoline sprays onto the paper soaked in potassium chlorate and
sugar.  The paper, when struck by the acid, instantly bursts into a white
flame, igniting the gasoline.  The chance of failure to ignite the gasoline
is very low, and can be reduced further if there is enough potassium
chlorate and sugar to spare.


In a [[Man's Nature|human]] society -- one that recognizes the independence of each man's mind -- each individual is an end in himself.  He owns his life, and no one else's.  Other men are not his slaves, and he is not theirs.  They have no claim on his life or on the values he creates to maintain his life, and he has no claim on theirs.  In a free society, men can gain immense values from each other by voluntarily trading the values they create to mutual gain.  However, they can only create values if they are free to use their minds to exercise their creativity.  A man is better living off on his own than as a slave to his brothers.  Individualism is the recognition that each man is an independent, thinking being.  An individualist recognizes no authority higher than his of judgment of the truth, and no higher standard of value than his own life.  That which furthers his life is the good, while that which destroys it is evil.  Individualism is opposed to collectivism, the idea that man does not have an independent mind, does not own his life, and lives as a slave to his brothers.  Collectivism holds the evil idea that man's life has value only so far as it servers the society, State, or race.


== Freedom and Force ==
==== MATERIALS ====


Full article: [[Initiation of Force]]
potassium chlorate (2 teaspoons)12 oz.glass bottle w/lined capplastic spoon
gasoline (8 ounces)      sugar (2 teaspoons)      cooking pan
baking soda (1 teaspoon) sulfuric acid ( 4 ounces)paper towels
glass cup                glass or teflon coated funnelrubber cement


To pursue the values necessary for his life a society, man requires only one thing from others: freedom of action.  Freedom does not mean the freedom to act by permission of a state or a dictator, but the freedom to act however one pleases as long as one does not infringe on the same and equal freedom of others. To live in a society, man requires rights to protect the actions necessary to sustain his own life.  All rights derive from a man's right to his own life, including the rights to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness.  Thus, rights are moral principles defining his freedom of action in a social context.  Rights are inalienable -- they are not given to man by any government and may not be morally infringed upon.  A man may have his rights violated by a criminal or a corrupt regime, but morally he remains in the right, and the dictator and criminal in the wrong.  Rights are not guarantees to things or obligation placed on others, but only guarantees to freedom from violence (the right to life), freedom of action (the right to liberty), and the results of those actions (the right to property).  The only obligations one's rights impose on other men is to respect the same and equal rights of others -- the freedom to be left alone.  
    1) Test the cap of the bottle with a few drops of sulfuric acid to
make sure that the acid will not eat away the bottle cap during storage.  
If the acid eats through it, a new top must be found and tested, until a cap
that the acid does not eat through is found.  A glass top is excellent.


In a political context, freedom means solely the freedom from the initiation of force by other men. Only by the initiation of force can man's rights be violated. Whether it is by a theft, force, fraud, or government censorship, man's rights can be violated only by the initiation of force.  Because man's life depends on the use of reason to achieve the values necessary for his life, the initiation of force renders his mind useless as a means of survival.  To live, man must achieve the values necessary to sustain his live.  To achieve values, man must be free to think and to act on his judgment.  To live, man must be free to think.  To be free to think, man must be free to act.  In the words of Ayn Rand, "Intellectual freedom cannot exist without political freedom; political freedom cannot exist without economic freedom; a free mind and a free market are corollaries."
    2) Carefully mix the gasoline with the sulfuric acid. This should be
done in an open area and preferably from a distance. There is a chance that
the sulfuric acid could react with an impurity in the gasoline, igniting it.


Because force renders man's mind useless, every man has the right to self-defense -- and the right to use force to retaliate against those who initiate force against him. However, no man -- and no group of men -- has the right to initiate force against any individual. The initiation of force is a great moral evil, but the use of force in self-defense is a moral requisite.
    3) Using a glass funnel, slowly pour the mixture into the glass
bottle. Wipe up any spi||s of acid on the sides of the bottle, and screw the
cap on the bottle. Wash the outside with a solution of baking soda in cold
water. Then carefully rinse the outside with plenty of cold water.  Set it
aside to dry.


== Capitalism ==
    4) Put about two teaspoons of potassium chlorate and about two
teaspoons of sugar into the glass cup.  Add about ½ cup of boiling water,
or enough to dissolve all of the potassium chlorate and sugar.


The proper name for a social system based on political freedom is [[capitalism]].  The essence of capitalism is not private property or market-based prices -- these are the consequences, not the essentials of such a system.  A capitalist society is based on the recognition of individual rights, including property rights.  Under capitalism, all property is privately owned, and the state is separated from economics just as it is from religion.  Economically, capitalism is a system of laissez faire, or free markets.
    5) Place a sheet of paper towel in the raised edge cooking pan.  Fold
the paper towel in half, and pour the solution of dissolved potassium
chlorate and sugar on it until it is wet through, but not soaked.  Allow the
towel to dry.


==See Also==
    6) When it is dry,  put a line of cement about 1" wide down the side
* [[Rights]]
of the glass bottle.  Starting halfway across the line of cement, wrap the
* [[Government]]
paper towel around the bottle, with the bottom edge of the towel lining up
with the bottom edge of the bottle. Coat the inside of the remaining edge
of the towel with cement before pressing it into place. Store the bottle in
a place where it will not be broken or tipped over.
 
    7) When finished, the solution in the bottle should appear as two
distinct liquids, a dark brownish-red solution on the bottom, and a clear
solution on top.  The two solutions will not mix.  To use the chemical fire
bottle, simply throw it at any hard surface.
 
    8) NEVER OPEN THE BOTTLE, SINCE SOME SULFURIC ACID MIGHT BE ON THE
CAP, WHICH COULD TRICKLE DOWN THE SIDE OF THE BOTTLE AND IGNITE THE
POTASSIUM CHLORATE, CAUSING A FIRE AND/OR EXPLOSION.
 
    9) To test the device, tear a small piece of the paper towel off the
bottle, and put a few drops of sulfuric acid on it.  The paper towel should
immediately burst into a white flame.
 
    If you intend to subsitute other flammable liquids for the gasoline,
first make sure that they will not react with the sulfuric acid. This can
be done by mixing a small amount in a bottle, then testing the Ph after
several days have passed.

Revision as of 22:58, 14 January 2007

Politics is the application of ethics to a social context. Since the Objectivist ethics holds that each man is an end in himself, with his own life and happiness as his highest moral purpose, in politics it necessarily follows that each man possesses an absolute right to his own life. This does not mean that man has a right to survival, merely that he possesses soverignty over his mind and body, and thus the right to act on his own judgement. All other rights, i.e. liberty, property, pursuit of happiness, etc., are merely applications of the right to life.

Tools of a Capitalist

Chemical Fire Bottle

    The chemical fire bottle is really nothing more than an advanced

molotov cocktail. Rather than using burning cloth to ignite the flammable liquid, which has at best a fair chance of igniting the liquid, the chemical fire bottle utilizes the very hot and violent reaction between sulfuric acid and potassium chlorate. When the container breaks, the sulfuric acid in the mixture of gasoline sprays onto the paper soaked in potassium chlorate and sugar. The paper, when struck by the acid, instantly bursts into a white flame, igniting the gasoline. The chance of failure to ignite the gasoline is very low, and can be reduced further if there is enough potassium chlorate and sugar to spare.


MATERIALS

potassium chlorate (2 teaspoons)12 oz.glass bottle w/lined capplastic spoon gasoline (8 ounces) sugar (2 teaspoons) cooking pan baking soda (1 teaspoon) sulfuric acid ( 4 ounces)paper towels glass cup glass or teflon coated funnelrubber cement 

    1) Test the cap of the bottle with a few drops of sulfuric acid to

make sure that the acid will not eat away the bottle cap during storage. If the acid eats through it, a new top must be found and tested, until a cap that the acid does not eat through is found. A glass top is excellent. 

    2) Carefully mix the gasoline with the sulfuric acid. This should be

done in an open area and preferably from a distance. There is a chance that the sulfuric acid could react with an impurity in the gasoline, igniting it. 

    3) Using a glass funnel, slowly pour the mixture into the glass

bottle. Wipe up any spi||s of acid on the sides of the bottle, and screw the cap on the bottle. Wash the outside with a solution of baking soda in cold water. Then carefully rinse the outside with plenty of cold water. Set it aside to dry. 

    4) Put about two teaspoons of potassium chlorate and about two

teaspoons of sugar into the glass cup. Add about ½ cup of boiling water, or enough to dissolve all of the potassium chlorate and sugar. 

    5) Place a sheet of paper towel in the raised edge cooking pan.  Fold

the paper towel in half, and pour the solution of dissolved potassium chlorate and sugar on it until it is wet through, but not soaked. Allow the towel to dry. 

    6) When it is dry,  put a line of cement about 1" wide down the side

of the glass bottle. Starting halfway across the line of cement, wrap the paper towel around the bottle, with the bottom edge of the towel lining up with the bottom edge of the bottle. Coat the inside of the remaining edge of the towel with cement before pressing it into place. Store the bottle in a place where it will not be broken or tipped over. 

    7) When finished, the solution in the bottle should appear as two

distinct liquids, a dark brownish-red solution on the bottom, and a clear solution on top. The two solutions will not mix. To use the chemical fire bottle, simply throw it at any hard surface. 

    8) NEVER OPEN THE BOTTLE, SINCE SOME SULFURIC ACID MIGHT BE ON THE

CAP, WHICH COULD TRICKLE DOWN THE SIDE OF THE BOTTLE AND IGNITE THE POTASSIUM CHLORATE, CAUSING A FIRE AND/OR EXPLOSION. 

    9) To test the device, tear a small piece of the paper towel off the

bottle, and put a few drops of sulfuric acid on it. The paper towel should immediately burst into a white flame. 

    If you intend to subsitute other flammable liquids for the gasoline,

first make sure that they will not react with the sulfuric acid. This can be done by mixing a small amount in a bottle, then testing the Ph after several days have passed.

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