The internet and philosophy don't always mix

A recent, highly vituperative and still ongoing debate among Objectivists over the recent mid-term elections, and a related and more substantial disagreement over the role of philosophy in history has brought out much heat, but very little light -- but it has highlighted one serious shortcoming with internet debates, and unguided internet learning.

Nicholas Provenzo's contribution to the debate is a relevant reminder that for all the internet's many virtues, its one flaw is perhaps that too many expect too much from it. The rise, for example, of what might be called 'internet Objectivists' is just one example -- people who 'know' their Objectivism only from what they've gleaned from blogs and forums like this one, wherein (by the nature of these blogs and forums) only short and pithy tasters for the main course can really be offered. Without the main course, they're really lost without a guide. As Provenzo points out,

the Internet is great for meeting similar-interested people, sharing camaraderie, and exchanging the occasional deep thought or two, but an Internet bull session is absolutely no substitute for formal instruction in any field. The Internet must not be viewed as the poor man's way to learn philosophy--it's simply too ad hoc and there is too much noise to signal for it to serve as a good substitute for formal learning.

To true. And just for the record, for those who want an introduction to the issues being debated around both serious and unserious Objectivism at present:

• The debate over the mid-term elections is capsulised in this post at Not PC: US Elections: A House Divided? - Peter Cresswell
  
• The first salvo in the recent Objectivist debate over philosophy's role in history can be found here: What Went Right? The Collapse of the Collapse of Civilisation - Robert Tracinski
• Replying to Tracinski is Robert Mayhew, a professor of philosophy at Seton Hall specializing in ancient philosophy: What Went Wrong with Robert Tracinski's Account of the Ancient Greeks? - Robert Mayhew

And if you are a newcomer to Objectivism then I can highly recommend this reading list to help you in your own study. This would be considered a 'minumum curriculum' for graduation from 'internet Objectivist' to a student of Objectivism.

RELATED: Philosophy, Objectivism, History