Marx vs. the Individual | Nikos Sotirakopoulos

[@MatthewNapier-y3e]

while the rest of the internet is dying for collectivism, it's always nice to get a video from ARI！Keeps me sane for another day ^>^

[@nikos_1717]

Glad we do so!

Given that most comments on the internet are full of people exchanging bile and hate at each other don't you think you're a bit off centre with your stupid "the rest of the internet is dying for collectivism"?

[@eduardorpg64]

Same!

[@IkanshBansal]

The fact that Nikos…yaron..brett…david…do not have many listeners tells how behind our society is. Simple as that.

[@raymondjensen4603]

Quote from Nikos "Marx didn't give us any blueprint, but guess what, Stalin and Mao and Pol Pot didn't need any blueprint..., they went and did it anyway. They did it with the only way which is possible to glue the individual with the group whatever that means..., through violence through terror and through murder. Guess what? No one can tell them they were wrong: because what other way is there to immerse the individual with the group." Quote from Pol Pot: To keep you is no gain, to kill you is no loss. That pretty much sums up the 20th century experience with Marxism. This really is a great lecture, Thank you.

[@terraflow__bryanburdo4547]

Thank you Nikos for the clearest and most concise summary of Marx i have heard in my 68 years.

[@nikos_1717]

Thank you, what a great thing to hear!

"Concise" that's like saying Atlas Shrugged is a pamphlet . LOL

[@Gorboduc]

I believe Rousseau preceded Marx in seeing the connection of civilization and selfishness, and wanting to destroy both. He called egoism "amour-propre", and it was his version of Original Sin - which implies the Christian roots of both of these ideologies. (See The Socialist Phenomenon by Igor Sharfarevich for more on that interesting point.) Also it's funny how nearly every claim about the market and the individual quoted from Marx starting at 9:25 would have been enthusiastically endorsed by Friedrich Hayek!

[@nikos_1717]

Thanks re. Rousseau, need to study him more.

[@holynightofserenitea]

​@@nikos_1717You should honestly read Derrida at some point against the modern world. Post-modernists will really be something in these new ages, in all likelihood we are heading towards decadence of an era. 😂

[@Chris67-p9v]

Thank you Nikos for the talk on Marx and for all your work at ARI!

[@nikos_1717]

🙏

[@debbieurosevic3578]

Love Prof Nikos's contributions to ARI

[@nikos_1717]

Thank you!

[@ryam4632]

Brilliant lecture, brilliant reading of Marx and his "On the Jewish question." I listened to it three times, and in each time I got more insights.

[@nikos_1717]

Many thanks, glad you found it useful!

[@mwesigeJoramfreedom]

well done Ayn Rand Institute! teaching the world to become a better place for human flourishing!

[@nikos_1717]

🙏

@@nikos_1717 Given Rand would have destroyed Liberal democracy, elected Government of the people by the people for the people, allowing free market commerce to make their own laws and never pay taxes how would that make the world become a better place. Better for whom?

[@johngleue]

@jeep23862 you said the same thing in a different in a video, and I explained to you how inaccurate your assessment was. Rights apply to individuals, not groups. Businessmen would have no special privileges because they are simply individuals in the eyes of the law. What we have now is a mixed economy where businessmen can lobby with the government for regulations or subsidies that tilt the scales unfairly in big business's favor. Any systemic injustices you see in the realm of business are not a product of the free market but of socialist policies made possible because of nonthinking individuals who dread taking responsibility for their own lives.

@@johngleue Who's "law" are you talking about? "Rights apply to individuals,"? If you mean every individual in a population should have the right to the same rights as r other individual I will accept that. I will also accept that every individual and every business has to accept the same laws, duties and responsibilities as every other individual or business. If a population is not dancing to the same tune you have anarchy. In the same way businesses must ALL operate within the same rights and responsibilities as every other business. If businesses ignore the collective rules of business both internal and external again you have anarchy. If one company refuses to pay its worker a lawful minimum rate then thee good companies have to away minimum pay rate to the workers . Result the workers starve. If a company ignores workers safety rules or decides to illegally damage the environment, then bang goes the planet. No I'm not a Communist any more than I am a Randian. The most successful Nations are the ones who try to find a balance between the few owning billions while the many have cents and the genuine parasite that abuse the system be it welfare or taxes.

@@johngleue Btw I agree the US lobbying system is a national disgrace.

[@AncapKid]

Marvellous lecture mr Sotirakopoulus

[@nikos_1717]

Thank you!!

[@sergiyavorski9977]

Apart from being a great speaker, Nikos looks like an ancient Greek warrior :)

[@nikos_1717]

⚔Aww, thank you 🔱

[@palreason7761]

Brilliant. Thank you Nikos.

[@nikos_1717]

Thank you!

[@eduardorpg64]

There were so many things that I liked from this talk from Nikos, that I don't even know where to being, and I would have to make a really long post. So, to keep things short, when I saw that Marx said something that Ayn Rand said 100 years later, and that Ayn Rand and Marx agreed on something, my mind was blown! So, Marx had way too many bad ideas, but at least he left 1 positive contribution to the world: that he admitted that self-interest needs capitalism, and that capitalism needs self-interest. Great talk!

[@nikos_1717]

Many thanks, glad you engaged deeply with the talk.

[@Reidsmith1000]

Thanks for the very interesting and enlightening talk.

[@nikos_1717]

Thank you!

[@alexjohnson9630]

Thank you.

[@johngleue]

Great talk! You handled the question period brilliantly.

[@nikos_1717]

Thank you, glad to hear it. It's more difficult to prep for it than for an actual talk, so happy it went well.

[@EarthSurferUSA]

I have noticed that communism has to lie to you, (about reality), in order to advance. But Individualism has no reason to lie, as Individualism allows the search for truth in reality.

[@TeaParty1776]

Every individual is an end in himself to himself, not to others.

Tell that to your mum and dad.

[@TeaParty1776]

Lacking a focus onto reality, the unfocused mind is full of demons.

@@TeaParty1776 Great, my mind is for the most part ful of happy thoughts and happy deeds so it must be focused (on what I'm not sure) How about you smiler are happy and focused, on what?

[@l.rongardner2150]

I know all about Marx (I studied Marxism under Herbert Marcuse at UCSD, 1969-1973). I know all about Objectivism (I've read virtually all of Rand's non-fiction and fiction). I know all about the Holy Trinity (I'm the foremost living expert on esoteric spirituality). And I answer Nikos' question about the Holy Trinity in my article "The Holy Trinity: The Triadic Structure of Reality" (which can be Googled and found online).

[@EarthSurferUSA]

"The Triadic Structure of Reality" If that means a formation of reality, has forming reality ever been successful?

[@l.rongardner2150]

@@EarthSurferUSA, try reading the article.

[@EarthSurferUSA]

A question for the population of which many answers are given, (nobody knows). "Who started Free enterprise (capitalism), and who does it belong to?" (I have tested that in public) If we know the correct answer to that one question, we can start to reject communism as a population. Who does capitalism belong to?

[@nikos_1717]

Capitalism just means 'you have a right to your own life, property, and the pursuit of happiness, and society recognizes that and creates individual rights to protect it'.

[@TeaParty1776]

There may always have been bits and pieces of it but it became dominant in the late 19th century in the US. Aristotles philosophy of reason is the indirect cause.

[@JonathanPoland]

Serving others is in the self-interest of capitalists.

[@nikos_1717]

Trading with others, yes. Win-win. This is not serving though. When I get a good service, though the word is the same, a waiter is not my servant. He's an equal in a transaction we both benefit from.

[@thegroovypatriot]

If Woke isnt Marxist, the parallels are uncanny!

[@nikos_1717]

There are similarities in ethics and methodology, not in vision and political potential.

[@TeaParty1776]

communism is an ideal. Woke is nihilist

[@TeaParty1776]

Individuals are abstractions from society -Marx

[@anitaholst7671]

No wonder God cant exist within communism. Communism and the human leaders of communism are the gods. It's very religious in its definition of fulfillment and sacrifice; it attempts to sell a nirvana goal; its only problem is involuntary cooperation: one cannot and must not rebel. Iron rule.

[@sebastianrea9816]

Wow and lq first time I've said it ayne rand and worse than thatcher

[@holynightofserenitea]

World-spiritualism is the dialatical shift, within the komsopolitian 🤓- Pol pot Fan 200

[@holynightofserenitea]

Unironically, post-modernism is a social faux from intellectuals for this reason. First, there is a farce, then there is tragedy. 😂 😅

One thing for sure we must not give Rand a 1st chance.

[@johngleue]

Based on your fundamental misunderstanding of absolutely everything she advocates for. Why even lurk around this type of content? There's no way you actually listen to any of it, or you'd have a deeper understanding of the things you're arguing against. But when you try and explain Ayn Rand's position on anything, it's just blatantly wrong. On some misunderstandings, you're so wrong that I wonder if you're joking and actually just trolling us all.

@@johngleue I would thought the why I choose to attack Rand is obvious. :- "“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" Being a good man I try to do my little bit to stop evil. Any human being who would return the civilised world back to the dark ages is evil. .

I have enough understanding of Rand the woman and her values to understand she was a bitter, hate filled, egotist and fraud, who never had a true friend . She surrounded herself with people who agreed with everything she said. Dare to question anything she said and your out. A bit like a being member of the creed of Scientology. ok I've had bit of a busy day but I answer your other two posts later. I hope they don't get deleted. Pip pip.

[@johngleue]

@Jeep23862 Sounds similar to an Ayn Rand quote about the inherent impotence of evil. She thought evil was spreading by means of a principle she called the sanction of the victim. Did you know that? She's talking about your ideas to redistribute wealth and punish the good for being good.

[@johngleue]

@Jeep23862 I suppose you're into the practice of surrounding yourself with people who hold the opposite values of you? You hang out with pro-capitalists and entrepreneurs? It's normal for people to be drawn to those with similar values.

I would respect these clowns more if they had the courage to invite a alternative thinking adult educated speaker to act as a counter weight to the tripe NIKO's one sided polemic. It's very, very rare to see a Randian argue the toss with an alternative thinker, there is no alternative view.

[@FearfulWoe]

You must not watch much content from objectivists. Yaron brook debates all forms of collectivists, regularly. Ocon is a presentation using Ayn Rand’s ideas and takes in relation to modern topics and issues. It’s not a platform to bring on ludicrous communist speakers to argue. But you’ve found your way here into the comment section regardless.

@@FearfulWoe If you mean Yaron hold regular debates on YT with people who reject the nonsense of Objectivism with anti-Rand views then I'll believe you, millions wouldn't. "Ocon is a presentation using Ayn Rand’s ideas and takes in relation to modern topics and issues. It’s not a platform to bring on ludicrous communist speakers to argue. But you’ve found your way here into the comment section regardless" Gee Thanks for the welcome and agreeing with me.

[@TeaParty1776]

The culture is an alternative view

@@TeaParty1776 OK so arrange for this "the culture" fella to hold a video discussion with Yaron or any other ARI salesman on any subject you would like to see aired. .

[@TeaParty1776]

Objectivism is a needed guide to life and Brook is an excellent teacher. You are free to watch the vids of the advocates of the unfocused mind.