This connects to a recent debate I had with Objectivists in regard to the hostage situation in Gaza. From an Effective Egoist perspective, should the family members accept the terms of the terrorists to release their loved ones and hence not lose a high value, or should they refuse the terms under the principle that you do not negotiate with terrorists—putting your standards of living under the control of the aggressor—and seek to free them by military means instead?
I hold the latter view. This is a big question, so this may not be the correct format to answer it. But the debate developed into a "subjectivist" versus "martyr" framework. To me, the alternative of a military operation is the key to uphold your selfish standards of living a good life even if you're putting your greatest value at risk.
My basic view is that it shouldn't be a decision the families get to make. It is a foreign policy decision. If I'm a family member, my attitude is: let the whole state of Israel burn, just give me my loved one back. But that can't be the perspective of Israel's leaders.
This connects to a recent debate I had with Objectivists in regard to the hostage situation in Gaza. From an Effective Egoist perspective, should the family members accept the terms of the terrorists to release their loved ones and hence not lose a high value, or should they refuse the terms under the principle that you do not negotiate with terrorists—putting your standards of living under the control of the aggressor—and seek to free them by military means instead?
I hold the latter view. This is a big question, so this may not be the correct format to answer it. But the debate developed into a "subjectivist" versus "martyr" framework. To me, the alternative of a military operation is the key to uphold your selfish standards of living a good life even if you're putting your greatest value at risk.
My basic view is that it shouldn't be a decision the families get to make. It is a foreign policy decision. If I'm a family member, my attitude is: let the whole state of Israel burn, just give me my loved one back. But that can't be the perspective of Israel's leaders.