Dave Lincoln,
I believe I see an appeal to objectivism in your post via a mention of Aristotelian identity and a refusal to dilute principle.
The problem with this argument being used as an effective cudgel against fickle crowds and bomb throwers and instability is that the biggest propronent of Objectivism was herself a bit of a polarizing bomb thrower who stirred crowds and favored the dramatic demonstration over the cerebral formulation and abhored the idea of a worm ridden compromise passed off as a good enough implementation of her principles. In short I do not think Rand would have long tolerated a Dan Riel acting as self appointed brakes to a populist momentum towards protecting the concept of property, depowering central authority, and exposing corruption and lunacy wherever they are found regardless of the concequences. Rand’s solution was to blow up the fictional Fountain Head since nothing at all was preferable to a sham and a hazard. She did not not have her hero promise to gradually fix it later and bicker with the inspectors. She did not recommend compromise or caution in confronting the great enemy of utopian collectivisim. She certainly didn’t want a big powerful government even if it was, for the moment friendly, and tyrranical to the right people about the right stuff.
