Whartonian Crunch Theory

    In my studies of Objectivist philosophy and its Aristotelian base, I have usually stuck to promoting Ayn Rand and her allied authors.  However, my experiences over the years have led to several philosophical discoveries that I am mainly only able to credit to myself.  One of these new fields is what I call: Crunch Theory.

The basic tenant of Crunch Theory is that most of the evil in The Universe is caused by individuals reacting to being Crunched.

So, what is a Crunch?

A Crunch is when a fundamental requirement for one's survival, or teleological desire being pursued, is not being satiated properly.  This can range from the most basic of the types of one's life needs--such as: drinking water, food, thermo-regulatory status, sleep, money, transportation, and, (in the case of wartime), such tools as weapons and ammunition--to more sophisticated motivations.

While Crunch Theory does not advocate becoming an altruist open to every charity case that comes by, if one finds oneself in a bind, it really helps if one can understand what is driving a hoard of: hungry, thirsty, or out of work individuals in one's proximity causing oneself a problem.  Maybe there are a few moral ones who do deserve some help.  And, maybe, simply letting someone have a drink of water can lead to saving one's life.

There is one other type of individual in The Universe that causes evil.  This is the Non-Crunched evil doer. This type seeks for evil to be done, but, is not propelled by a Crunch reaction.  It can be very difficult to deal with this type, as no simple donation will relieve an attack for long.

In summary, Crunches are bad.  Any time a fundamentally good and moral individual can be relieved of an easily alleviated Crunch, it is a basic good in The Universe.  However, one must be vigilant to guarding against creating a charity case from one's generosity, and, above all else, be on the lookout for self-propelled Non-Crunched evil.

Paul Wharton

Objectivist Capitalist Medicine Promoter