Wednesday
January 30, 2013 |
 "It is STILL a sin to write this..."
by Joseph C. Maurone
Reaction to the recent graphic novel of Ayn Rand's Anthem reminds us that “it is still a sin to write this.” (Read more...)
Discuss this Article (4 messages)
 CLASH OF THE TITANS 2010: "Atlas Flinched"
by Joseph C. Maurone
"For the moment, at least, there is sufficient cowardice, sloth, and mendacity rampant on Earth to last for some time." (Read more...)
Discuss this Article (4 messages)
 "A Republic, If You Can Keep It"
by Joseph C. Maurone
The obvious question to ask is: Did we keep it? The tougher question is, was it ever even possible? (Read more...)
Discuss this Article (37 messages)
"Don't You Eat That Yellow Snow," or, The Unmitigated Audacity of "Hope"
by Joseph C. Maurone
They say when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. But when that lemonade comes from the Obama administration, the best advice is to "watch out where Alinsky goes, and don't you eat that yellow snow..." (Read more...)
Discuss this Article (0 messages)
Wednesday
December 30, 2009 |
 Avatar and the Prog-Rock Revival
by Joseph C. Maurone
Avatar is not only a hash of new-age ideas in a technicolor dreamcoat, it's a rehash of new-age ideas in said dreamcoat. The progressive rock bands of the seventies beat Cameron to the punch, and it shows; not only are the visual designs digital animations of a Yes album, the philosophical themes are co-opted as well...including the contradictions. (Read more...)
Discuss this Article (79 messages)
Beyond Emotion: The Gestalt Theory of Music
by Joseph C. Maurone
The Gestalt theory of music, if correct, may offer many clues to further Rand's dream of seeing an objective explanation of music. But even if it's not, it's an encouraging sign that man is on the right track, at least, putting aside mystical explanations (Read more...)
Discuss this Article (17 messages)
Musical Innovation: Devotion or Deviance?
by Joseph C. Maurone
Without falling into the post-modern trap of relativism and denying that some composers are better than others, innovation requires deviation and diversity. The rules, once known, are begging to be broken. If one wants to see innovation in music, one needs to engage in the dialectic of devotion and deviation. (Read more...)
Discuss this Article (53 messages)
The Rise and Fall of Melody in 5.1 Surround Sound
by Joseph C. Maurone
Rand's depiction of a mangled Halley composition proved to be prophetic in the wake of the technological attack on melody in modern music. (Read more...)
Discuss this Article (31 messages)
What Might Music Yet Become?
by Joseph C. Maurone
A summary of Robert Jourdain's theory of the role of technology in music as presented in Music, The Brain, and Ecstasy. (Read more...)
Discuss this Article (40 messages)
The Myth of Orpheus and the Future of Music
by Joseph C. Maurone
What is more beneficial to the future of music, change or tradition? The tragic tale of Orpheus may provide a clue to the answer. (Read more...)
Discuss this Article (11 messages)
Revenge Of the Sith: "New Hope" or "No Hope?"
by Joseph C. Maurone
The final chapter in the prequel trilogy offers a sobering parallel to the Objectivist view of life versus death. What will be the Objectivist answer to the false dichotomies in this movie? (Read more...)
Discuss this Article (24 messages)
 Judgement Day
by Joseph C. Maurone
A poem. (Read more...)
Discuss this Article (18 messages)
Psalm of the Space Cadet
by Joseph C. Maurone
This is one of the first songs I wrote after reading Ayn Rand back in 1996. Before I was the Spaceplayer, I was just another space cadet...The Romantic Manifesto was like a distant supernova in a universe of black holes; Rand believed that the sunlit world she described was dying, and that vision, to me, seemed light years away, almost burned out. But the elements of that star cannot be destroyed, and continue to drift throughout the universe; those elements are available to us should we wish to see the sunlit universe shine again.
(Read more...)
Discuss this Article (7 messages)
 Selling Freedom: The Choice of a New Generation?
by Joseph C. Maurone
Christianity didn't get its current status by divine will, but by salesmanship. By following the lead of top Rand salesman Chris Sciabarra, Objectivism and freedom have a chance of becoming the all-time best-seller among ideologies. (Read more...)
Discuss this Article (28 messages)
Orpheus Remembered
by Joseph C. Maurone
A song I wrote about repentance and regret. "God said take what you want and pay for it." (Read more...)
Discuss this Article (9 messages)
EGO: Problems of Definition
by Joseph C. Maurone
Is the appeal of The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged to adolescents a sign of arrested development or a sign of a healthy mind? The answer may lie in Rand's celebration of the Ego. (Read more...)
Discuss this Article (23 messages)
The Passion of Ayn Rand Criticism
by Joseph C. Maurone
"An artist reveals his naked soul in his work-and so, gentle reader, do you when you respond to it." (Read more...)
Discuss this Article (14 messages)
 Singing Solo in the Shower
by Joseph C. Maurone
Deep thoughts in the shower after reading the SOLO Forum... (Read more...)
Discuss this Article (8 messages)
 The "Incredible Evolution"
by Joseph C. Maurone
Rand's use of the word "hero" is an inversion of the traditional meaning, and she has created the prototype of the new hero: the hero who saves the world not by saving the world, but by bettering himself. And if a philosophy is best spread through the popular culture of its time, then Rand has found an ally in the Pixar movie, 'The Incredibles.' (Read more...)
Discuss this Article (8 messages)
From the Horror Files: "The Battle For Your Brain"
by Joseph C. Maurone
A queer eye for the mind of the straight guy ... (Read more...)
Discuss this Article (34 messages)
|
