Answer to Ayn Rand Detractors from Academia

The New York Times recently published an article about the dearth of Women philosophers. They had a photo of Ayn Rand at the beginning of the article. Some snide commentators complained that Rand wasn't a philosopher. Here was my published response to them:

Ayn Rand's sin, for which she can't be forgiven by many academics, is that her writing is intelligible to the general public. She wrote philosophical novels that continue to be accessible to the man and woman in the street. She believed in the power of reason. She rejected the mind-body dichotomy. She wrote about the supreme power and practicality of moral ideas. And she created a philosophical system—Objectivism—for anyone who may be interested, not just philosophers.

Perhaps Rand's greatest sin, however, was her total rejection of altruism as a moral ideal. For this, she will never be forgiven by those on the political left and right who realize that altruism is the lynchpin of everything they profess to believe.

Those who think that philosophy should help them lead a productive and successful life owe Ayn Rand a debt of gratitude for her sin of clarity.

Here's the link to the article and comments:


http://ideas.blogs.nytimes..com/2009/10/02/a-dearth-of-women-philosophers/?scp=2&sq=ayn&st=cse&apage=4#comment-26147

What 'Right' to Health Care?

What 'Right' to Health Care?

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Speed Pandemic Threatens Pedestrians

On a warm, tropical night, two tourists strolled along a sidewalk to their hotel. A white sports car roared down the street, racing with another vehicle. Suddenly it jumped the curb, hitting and instantly killing the two pedestrians. The driver swerved back on the road, speeding away into the night.

The dead bodies of the tourists were found on the grass beside the sidewalk in front of their hotel. An eye witness later told police that the speeding cars were going so fast he couldn't see what kind they were, just two white cars.

Cops found the abandoned, banged-up sports car miles away. The driver turned up a week later. He had a previous felony conviction for reckless driving. His license had expired.

Although an extreme case, this shows why pedestrians are in particular danger from speeders. Speed itself is not the problem. Inappropriate speed, not suited to the conditions of the road, is the potential killer.

Any mistake by a speeder can have fatal consequences. Yet, drivers routinely speed dangerously on secondary roads where men, women, and children walk peacefully along sidewalks. And where there are no sidewalks, it's even more dangerous.

The world suffers from a pandemic of inappropriate speed. One way to break its grip is to demand that local political leaders provide the funding and resources to fight this speeding pandemic. How many pedestrians and innocent drivers must die before this problem is put on the front burner of public policy?

What is Traffic Safety?

What does "traffic safety" mean? The answers you get depend on who you ask. Those who think big government knows best define traffic safety as manufacturing safer cars, implementing nationwide seat belt laws, and designing better highways. Sounds reasonable. Yet, we already have safer cars than ever before, states across the U.S. are passing and enforcing seat belt laws, and highways are improving. Why then do we have a steady annual death rate from traffic accidents of more than 40,000 men, women, and children? And, why do we have a horrific toll of accident survivors in the millions if a top down, big government approach is working? The answer: it's not.

Safer cars and highways are not enough. They give a false sense of security. The reason that the death rates haven't improved is that more people are driving too fast for the conditions on the road. Speed itself is not the problem; inappropriate speed is. Bad drivers cause the majority of traffic accidents. You can have the best cars and highways in the world, but reckless drivers--those who speed beyond any reasonable criteria, those who zoom in and out of lanes as if they are driving in a video game--will continue to turn driving into a stressful battlefield.

So what will reverse this deadly trend? What will work is a two-pronged approach: 1) Reward good drivers, and 2) Crack down on bad drivers. The carrot and the stick. Reward the good and punish the bad. That's what will make "traffic safety" a reality. Future posts will consider ways to do this.

Traffic safety is the process of creating a climate of law and order on the road. Not a police state, but a consistent and rational process of ensuring that people can travel from point A to point B without fearing for their lives.

Test Your Road Brains with this World Travel Quiz

What is the leading cause of death or serious injury to healthy tourists travelling abroad?

A) Terrorism; B) Crime; C) Infection; D) Traffic Accidents; E) Drowning

The answer may be one of the best-kept secrets of world travel. According to statistics from international travel organizations, traffic accidents are the number one cause of death and serious injury to healthy tourists travelling abroad, especially in the developing countries of the world.

Based on available statistics, which country is one of the most dangerous to drive?

A) Egypt; B) United States; C) Finland; D) United Kingdom; E) Morocco

The answer is Egypt, where you are about forty times more likely to be killed in a road accident than in the United States. According to the Association for Safe International Road Travel (ASIRT): "Egypt has the highest recorded deaths per 100 million vehicle kilometers, 44.0 to be exact, of countries that provide data to international road safety organizations." By way of comparison, the U.S. has 1.1 fatalities per 100 million vehicle kilometers, and the UK is even lower at 0.9. (A kilometer equals 0.62140 of a mile.)

What is the second most dangerous place in the world to drive?

A) Israel; B) Japan; C) Greece; D) Kenya; E) France

Want to see some of the world’s most magnificent wildlife? Kenya is your place. But be aware of this fact: it comes in at second place as the most dangerous country to drive, with close to 40 deaths per 100 million vehicle kilometers traveled.

What are three of the safest countries to drive in the world?

A) Sri Lanka, Ecuador and Czech Republic
B) Japan, Switzerland and Australia
C) U.S., Finland and Portugal
D) United Kingdom, Sweden and Netherlands
E) Republic of Korea, Turkey and Slovenia

The answer is "D," the UK, Sweden, and the Netherlands, all with about 0.9 fatalities per 100 million vehicles kilometers.

If you witness a traffic accident while travelling through Mexico, which of the following actions could lengthen your stay considerably?

A) Reporting it to the authorities.
B) Honking your horn three times.
C) Calling a local tow truck.
D) Driving carefully around the accident.
E) Flashing your bright lights.

Mexico is a beautiful and exciting place to visit. Unfortunately, if you witness an accident and report it to the authorities, you could be staying longer than you anticipated. You could be locked up, along with the guilty parties, as a witness—just to make sure that you don’t leave the area. Automobile accidents are a felony offense in Mexico.

What country has one of the highest fatality rates in Europe?

A) Germany; B) Portugal; C) Greece; D) France; E) Spain

The answer is Portugal, with about 6.1 deaths per 100 million vehicle kilometers. "Excessive speeds, unpredictable driving habits, and reckless motorcyclists" are among the hazards outlined in a U.S. State Department Consular Information Sheet.

What is safety rule number one for driving in the developing world?

A) Never smile at a passing stranger.
B) Call the police if you see an accident.
C) Avoid night driving.
D) Honk your horn as much as possible.
E) Scan the horizon for flocks of birds and low-flying aircraft.

The answer is C, avoid night driving whenever possible. In many regions of the world, drivers leave their headlights off at night until another car approaches. Drunkenness is also a big problem. Also, figure in bad road conditions with poor visibility—a dangerous mix.

What three sentences (in the native language of each country) could save your life, especially if you plan to utilize limousines, cabs, or buses?

A) "Where is my Embassy? Where did you get your license? No, I don’t want to go there."
B) "How much? Where are you taking me? Please explain."
C) "Thank you. No problem. Have a nice day."
D) "I’m hungry. I’m a vegetarian. Where can I eat?."
E) "Slow down. Stop! Let me out."

The answer is E. According to Rochelle Sobel, founder and executive director of ASIRT, tourists need to assertively make their wishes known when they are placed in life-threatening situations by dangerous taxi, limousine, and bus drivers. Learning to say "Slow down," or "Stop!" or "Let me out" in the native tongue of the country could save your life.

Here are three things that you can do to prepare for road travel abroad and ensure a safe and enjoyable trip. (All are correct.)

A) Find out the dangers you may face on the road. There are many souces of information. Here are three: ASIRT at http://www.asirt.org/ or the U.S. State Department at http://travel.state.gov/ or DSL at http://www.driveandstayalive.com/.

B) If possible, get the name of a competent doctor and medical facility in the country you will be visiting.

C) Avoid overcrowded buses and minivans. Ask trusted local people which bus company they would recommend.

Finally, remember that the purpose of being road safety conscious is not to cause undue worry, but rather to help you maximize your enjoyment and savor the opportunities that each country has to offer. Traffic accidents, however, are not one of them. Bon Voyage.

Ken West
Editor of Roadbrains

Five Ways to Make Driving Safer

1) Drive Defensively. Although "defensive driving" has fallen out of favor with some experts, it's still the best way to stay accident free and alive on the road.

2) Encourage the police to enforce traffic laws, especially speed limits. Most major police departments abandoned consistent traffic law enforcement a long time ago. Yet, as far as the tremendous toll of lives lost, injuries, and property damage, traffic accidents have almost no equal.

3) Install Red Light cameras at dangerous intersections. This one is controversial, with opponents calling it yet another manifestation of "Big Brother." We will answer this charge in an upcoming column, also giving examples of where Red Light cameras are working to save lives by stopping the epidemic of red light running. And, it's a way for us to be able to accomplish goal number 2 above.

4) Have vehicle safety inspections annually. When I was young and drove old junk boxes, I hated safety inspections. Before my car ever made it into the inspection bay, inspectors would shake their heads, telling me not to even bother coming in. Yet, it's the best way to ensure that people are not driving around on bald tires, with cars or trucks ready to fall apart as they speed down the highway. Surprisingly, not all states require these inspections. More about this in a future update.

5) Make it safer for pedestrians. Try to cross the street at a major intersection. It's time consuming and dangerous. And, be on the lookout for red light runners. Your life could depend on it. If crossing the street could be made safer, it could help create a more civilized and tolerant traffic environment. All of us, drivers and pedestrians alike, will benefit.

These five steps could make our roads much safer and driving more pleasurable. To accomplish them, we will need to let our local and state representatives know that this is an important, life and death issue. The best roads and highways in the world do not guarantee traffic safety. Only driver behavior can do that. And, only rational and consistent enforcement will be able to convince many motorists to drive responsibly.

- Ken West, Editor of Roadbrains

Let us know what you think. Your ideas, questions, and constructive comments are welcome and appreciated.

Blowing the Whistle

Imagine you’re at a skating rink. Lots of people skate around the rink having a good time. Two skate guards (like referees at a hockey game) make sure that no one skates recklessly. Suddenly, some new skaters enter the rink, weaving in and out among the crowd at high rates of speed. People start to scatter. It’s becoming a dangerous situation.

Skate guards blow their whistles, motioning the speeders to slow down. They get up close to the offenders and warn them to skate responsibly or get off the ice. The speeders obey grudgingly. You and the rest of the skaters get back to the joy of skating. The skate guards (or referees) help prevent accidents, allowing people to skate safely and enjoy skating.

Now, let’s take it out to the highway. This time, you’re driving, not skating. Imagine being able to drive from point A to point B without having tailgaters, speeders, and reckless drivers turning your commute into a stressful game of life and death. Driving today is dangerous. There’s little room for error. One false turn could ruin your day or kill you.

The police, who are responsible for maintaining law and order on the roads, are seldom around. They show up in large numbers after an accident. They should also be acting as referees. They need to be visible. What would have happened at the skating rink if there had been no skate guards?

When’s the last time that you sat in an endless traffic jam waiting for an accident scene to be cleared away? Ever wonder why the speeding and weaving outlaws on the highways are multiplying? Do you worry about your loved ones driving? Talk to those who have survived serious accidents. Ask them how long it takes to heal—if ever. It’s time, money, energy, and lives wasted forever.

So, what can we do? We can demand that local and state police enforce traffic laws. Lots of phone calls, e-mails, and letters will get the attention of politicians and police. We’re not asking for a police state, only a proper balance of law and order. The death defying mayhem that exists on the roads today is unacceptable. Simply stated, we need more referees—police or their representatives—on our roads and highways. Otherwise, driving will remain a deadly game, one that we can’t afford to lose.

Drivers will always test the limits of appropriate speed and driving behavior. The representatives of the law must blow the whistle and tell them to drive responsibly or get off the road. What do you think?

Ken West, Editor of Roadbrains