Subject: Questions about your project
Hi,
I have a few questions about your project.
Why are you investing effort into solar power which is inefficient (as a small yield per $ invested), instead of proven power sources, such as coal? If you don't want to extract coal yourself, you can import it.
Why is "sustainability" an important issue to you? Why do you want to "recycle" -- is there an ethical problem to use whatever resources available?
If a resident of Galt's Gulch has to pay Chile income tax, as high as 40%, what is the incentive to live at Galt's Gulch? Are you aware than any form of trade is taxable, even if it is a barter exchange?
If the remote location of your project does not give any legal advantages, why have it an area so remote from a developed city, so that you have to build everything from scratch? Why not have it in the city, and use existing infrastructure (such as grocery stores and grid power)?
Why should one have a role assigned in the "community"? Are you building a kibbutz? In laissez-faire environment everyone can pick his own interest to practice on his land. Or are you hiring, and paying salary for work performed?
Subject: Re: Questions about Galt's Gulch and sustainability from Boris
Thanks Gaelan,
I will review and ponder your information provided regarding solar power.
One more follow up question. In his interview with the Dollar Vigillante, Jeff Berwick said that Galt's Gulch is welcoming anarchists and voluntarists. However, Ayn Rand has condemned in writing (I can find the quote for you if you wish), that she is against anarchism, and for a limited government. Moreover, in addition to a limited government, Galt's Gulch of Atlas Shrugged was inhabited by people who shared the philosophy of Objectivism which she portrayed in her book in high detail. They were not simply people who are against government regulation.
Objectivism is much more than a political philosophy, but is a philosophy of metaphysics, epistemology and ethics with political philosophy of limited government as an implication. (For details, you may consult the Ayn Rand Institute that teaches Objectivism as a university level course). Therefore, using the name Galt's Gulch, a symbol for the retreat of Objectivists, for something that is not a location for Objectivists is a form of stolen concept. A stolen concept is a fallacy of using a later concept without acknowledging and agreeing with an earlier pre-requisite concept.
http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/stolen_concept,_fallacy_of.html
To give you another example, imagine using a symbol of swastika for a Midsummer Day festival. It is a contradiction, because swastika is not a symbol of benevolence. Only Ku Klux Klan and communists could use that symbol it because their philosophy is consistent with that of the Nazis.
Using the name of "Galt's Gulch" for anything but an Objectivism cause is also a type of mooching that Ayn Rand described and condemned in the very book Atlas Shrugged. The book sells is the millions until this day, and using the word "Galt" is a great marketing strategy to grab attention of these same millions of readers. However, this is unethical marketing. It is similar to how companies pick a similar name to other famous companies, such as names that are misspellings of the word "Adidas".
I'm a fairly young student of Objectivism, and I wanted to check if my evaluation of your use of "Galt's Gulch" is consistent with the meaning of "stolen concept". I have posted these thoughts on the Harry Binswanger List (HBL) and received a reaction of agreement.
Furthermore, if an Objectivist were to start a project like yours, he would be very careful in naming it Galt's Gulch. To Objectivists, Atlas Shrugged is the book that defines the philosophy that they study and live by, and names such as "Galt's Gulch" are as a holy symbol of this philosophy to them, as the statue of a dollar sign inside Galt's Gulch to its inhabitants. The word "holy" does not mean blindly religious but that of "highest esteem", not be taken lightly. He would not name the place "Galt's Gulch", because only time can prove that it deserves such a name. He would name it something else, perhaps "Laissez-fair Club", and invite Objectivists and other people that respect private property to join. Only with time, if a dominant philosophy of the place will in fact be Objectivism, perhaps then it can be the de-facto "Galt's Gulch".
Your location, being that of different philosophy that the original Galt's Gulch, also lacks the secrecy of the former. Income tax can be avoided even now, without moving to a location "protected" by mountains. When the location is not secret, it is subject to barter exchange tax laws, and is even more vulnerable to tax collection than a virtual community of tax avoiding citizens. Therefore, the protection of the area is about the same as the protection of the Oceana gated community in Brooklyn.
Another example that philosophy of your project is very different from Objectivist philosophy, is that you condemn genetically modified foods (GMO). Many foods that are found in the stores today, particularly fruits, don't taste they way they are supposed to. However, that is not because they are genetically modified in principle, but because those particular modifications in each case were not good. A man adapts nature using his mind, and modifies crops genetically to improve his well being (be it taste or quantity). For example, Norman Borlaug saved a billion of people from starvation by genetically modifying wheat crops.
I'm always looking for opportunities to make money, and needless to say, I deal with many people and organizations that do not share an Objectivist philosophy. I'd invest in your property if I could see that I can make money. However, your choice of using "Galt's Gulch" tells me that either you are ignorant or deliberately riding on the shoulders of Ayn Rand. In both cases, it is hard to trust you. If it is the former, I encourage you to understand the "stolen concept" concept, and with that in view, change the name of your enterprise.