Burning Questions

The inspiration for this "turn of the century" feature is the result of a wonderful Science and the Humanities course I took while pursuing my master's degree. The instructor enriched the course with his vast store of anecdotal references gained from a long and varied career. His most fascinating experience occurred during his graduate study at Princeton. Daily he would pass the office of Albert Einstein. It took several weeks for my professor to build up his courage to knock on the door and strike up a conversation. Finally, he did enter and asked the great man a question to break the ice. "Dr. Einstein, if you could pick one person from all of recorded history to be your teacher, who would it be? (Answer given at the end of the essay.)

The recollection of that story was the genesis of my plan to pick out four individuals from the 20th century and ask them each the one question that burns in my consciousness. My selections include: Ayn Rand, Henry Ford, Patrick Buchanan and Chief Justice Earl Warren. I will employ search tools to find web sites that demonstrate how I believe my people would answer the question. You are encouraged to post a message at the bottom of the page in which you pick a person, ask a question and research a site that answers the question.

1. Ayn Rand (1905-1982) Proclaimed that laissez-faire capitalism was the only system, which allowed the individual to truly earn what, he or she justly deserved. She portrayed Judeo-Christian Altruism as the true source of evil in the world because it preaches that to be moral the agent must sacrifice his/her own best interests. Thus people quickly learn that the moral hurts. Her plan was to free all agents to pursue their own self-interests and that would lead to a moral world.

Question- "How does one pursue this unfettered competition in a world where there are so many impediments to individual freedom? [The Ayn Rand Institute-- http://www.aynrand.org/ ]

2. Henry Ford-(1863-1947)- One of the great industrial magnates of the 20th century. He eventually became one of the largest automobile producers in the world. He was politically powerful and created one of the largest charitable foundations in the world (Ford Foundation)He was the only American mentioned in Mein Kampf.

Question- Why were you so virulently anti-Semitic? [The International Jew -The World's Foremost Problem-by Henry Ford--- http://www.flinet.com/~politics/antisemi... ]

3. Patrick Buchanan- (1939- ) Candidate for the Reform Party's nomination to run for the Presidency. A strong mix of political isolationism and economic nationalism flavors his campaign. When it suits his purpose, he tosses in a pinch of Holocaust Revisionism.

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