OT: Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged”

[gandalf]

Alas, I fear, the power of Wall Street is growing in the east. It casts a long shadow over free lands. The Orcs grow brave, and are not afraid of the daylight.

The Eye of Goldman is searching, ever-searching, for something it has lost…

Make haste, Aragorn. We must ride to the Fed by nightfall. We will see the Chairman. He is a wise wizard and will know what to do.

[CricketOnTheHearth]

Lampposts.

[CricketOnTheHearth]

Lampposts.

[CricketOnTheHearth]

Lampposts.

[CricketOnTheHearth]

Lampposts.

[CricketOnTheHearth]

Lampposts.

[jstoesz]

To throw my two cents into the ring…

I think Atlas Shrugged should be required reading for every man woman and child…But I put a few books into the category. Few fictional books even come close. But I think if we teach Marx we must teach Rand. If we teach Aquinas we must teach Rand. If we teach Rousseau and Locke we must teach Rand. She was a few hundred years to late and wrote books that did not satisfy intelligentsia; this kept her from the philosophical cannon, but her Ideas are no less important and flawed than all the rest. Only a simple minded fool takes another’s idea or theory and applies it to every aspect of their lives. We should not evaluate an idea (philosophy) on where it breaks down, but rather where it rings true.

We feel totally comfortable taking about the state of nature from Aquinas or Rousseau or Lock, and find values in their conflicting ideas. We find truths in the Republic even though Plato is advocating for a vilest of tyrannical police states.

Are they true? Would you want to apply Plato’s view of people to your personal life, or worse Frued?

Of course not. But her (Rand’s) values are wholly unrepresented in common political thought and academic lectures.

So for this simple reason, every man woman and child should read her book. There are countless do gooder accounts of philanthropy already existing in the world to combat her selfish theories, but no one advocates for self reliance and responsibility quite like Rand.

[jstoesz]

To throw my two cents into the ring…

I think Atlas Shrugged should be required reading for every man woman and child…But I put a few books into the category. Few fictional books even come close. But I think if we teach Marx we must teach Rand. If we teach Aquinas we must teach Rand. If we teach Rousseau and Locke we must teach Rand. She was a few hundred years to late and wrote books that did not satisfy intelligentsia; this kept her from the philosophical cannon, but her Ideas are no less important and flawed than all the rest. Only a simple minded fool takes another’s idea or theory and applies it to every aspect of their lives. We should not evaluate an idea (philosophy) on where it breaks down, but rather where it rings true.

We feel totally comfortable taking about the state of nature from Aquinas or Rousseau or Lock, and find values in their conflicting ideas. We find truths in the Republic even though Plato is advocating for a vilest of tyrannical police states.

Are they true? Would you want to apply Plato’s view of people to your personal life, or worse Frued?

Of course not. But her (Rand’s) values are wholly unrepresented in common political thought and academic lectures.

So for this simple reason, every man woman and child should read her book. There are countless do gooder accounts of philanthropy already existing in the world to combat her selfish theories, but no one advocates for self reliance and responsibility quite like Rand.

[jstoesz]

To throw my two cents into the ring…

I think Atlas Shrugged should be required reading for every man woman and child…But I put a few books into the category. Few fictional books even come close. But I think if we teach Marx we must teach Rand. If we teach Aquinas we must teach Rand. If we teach Rousseau and Locke we must teach Rand. She was a few hundred years to late and wrote books that did not satisfy intelligentsia; this kept her from the philosophical cannon, but her Ideas are no less important and flawed than all the rest. Only a simple minded fool takes another’s idea or theory and applies it to every aspect of their lives. We should not evaluate an idea (philosophy) on where it breaks down, but rather where it rings true.

We feel totally comfortable taking about the state of nature from Aquinas or Rousseau or Lock, and find values in their conflicting ideas. We find truths in the Republic even though Plato is advocating for a vilest of tyrannical police states.

Are they true? Would you want to apply Plato’s view of people to your personal life, or worse Frued?

Of course not. But her (Rand’s) values are wholly unrepresented in common political thought and academic lectures.

So for this simple reason, every man woman and child should read her book. There are countless do gooder accounts of philanthropy already existing in the world to combat her selfish theories, but no one advocates for self reliance and responsibility quite like Rand.

[jstoesz]

To throw my two cents into the ring…

I think Atlas Shrugged should be required reading for every man woman and child…But I put a few books into the category. Few fictional books even come close. But I think if we teach Marx we must teach Rand. If we teach Aquinas we must teach Rand. If we teach Rousseau and Locke we must teach Rand. She was a few hundred years to late and wrote books that did not satisfy intelligentsia; this kept her from the philosophical cannon, but her Ideas are no less important and flawed than all the rest. Only a simple minded fool takes another’s idea or theory and applies it to every aspect of their lives. We should not evaluate an idea (philosophy) on where it breaks down, but rather where it rings true.

We feel totally comfortable taking about the state of nature from Aquinas or Rousseau or Lock, and find values in their conflicting ideas. We find truths in the Republic even though Plato is advocating for a vilest of tyrannical police states.

Are they true? Would you want to apply Plato’s view of people to your personal life, or worse Frued?

Of course not. But her (Rand’s) values are wholly unrepresented in common political thought and academic lectures.

So for this simple reason, every man woman and child should read her book. There are countless do gooder accounts of philanthropy already existing in the world to combat her selfish theories, but no one advocates for self reliance and responsibility quite like Rand.

[jstoesz]

To throw my two cents into the ring…

I think Atlas Shrugged should be required reading for every man woman and child…But I put a few books into the category. Few fictional books even come close. But I think if we teach Marx we must teach Rand. If we teach Aquinas we must teach Rand. If we teach Rousseau and Locke we must teach Rand. She was a few hundred years to late and wrote books that did not satisfy intelligentsia; this kept her from the philosophical cannon, but her Ideas are no less important and flawed than all the rest. Only a simple minded fool takes another’s idea or theory and applies it to every aspect of their lives. We should not evaluate an idea (philosophy) on where it breaks down, but rather where it rings true.

We feel totally comfortable taking about the state of nature from Aquinas or Rousseau or Lock, and find values in their conflicting ideas. We find truths in the Republic even though Plato is advocating for a vilest of tyrannical police states.

Are they true? Would you want to apply Plato’s view of people to your personal life, or worse Frued?

Of course not. But her (Rand’s) values are wholly unrepresented in common political thought and academic lectures.

So for this simple reason, every man woman and child should read her book. There are countless do gooder accounts of philanthropy already existing in the world to combat her selfish theories, but no one advocates for self reliance and responsibility quite like Rand.

[jstoesz]

[quote=briansd1][quote=mlarsen23]There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.[/quote]

I’ve read neither (although I read excerpt of Atlas).

I’m not really into fantasy stuff so I have no idea what Lord of Rings or Happy Potter are all about. Don’t even want to watch the movies.

Used to read historical novels such as Ivanhoe and The Three Musketeers as a youth. I know, pretty conservative for my generation.[/quote]

Brian,

I would strongly encourage you to read it. I know it will make you go blind, and I give you a pass on skimming some of the 50 page rants…we all do it. But I think it will be highly enlightening to your world view and your politics more directly.

And to reciprocate, is the a book I should read that will remove the scales from my socialist eyes still yet untouched be Rousseau and Marx…or the NYT’s:)

I love a good trip down fantasy lane, because after all isn’t that what philosophy is? A pure idea applied to an impure world. The better it describes the indescribable the more worthwhile the philosophy. Caricatures/philosophies are just simplifications of things…

[jstoesz]

[quote=briansd1][quote=mlarsen23]There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.[/quote]

I’ve read neither (although I read excerpt of Atlas).

I’m not really into fantasy stuff so I have no idea what Lord of Rings or Happy Potter are all about. Don’t even want to watch the movies.

Used to read historical novels such as Ivanhoe and The Three Musketeers as a youth. I know, pretty conservative for my generation.[/quote]

Brian,

I would strongly encourage you to read it. I know it will make you go blind, and I give you a pass on skimming some of the 50 page rants…we all do it. But I think it will be highly enlightening to your world view and your politics more directly.

And to reciprocate, is the a book I should read that will remove the scales from my socialist eyes still yet untouched be Rousseau and Marx…or the NYT’s:)

I love a good trip down fantasy lane, because after all isn’t that what philosophy is? A pure idea applied to an impure world. The better it describes the indescribable the more worthwhile the philosophy. Caricatures/philosophies are just simplifications of things…

[jstoesz]

[quote=briansd1][quote=mlarsen23]There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.[/quote]

I’ve read neither (although I read excerpt of Atlas).

I’m not really into fantasy stuff so I have no idea what Lord of Rings or Happy Potter are all about. Don’t even want to watch the movies.

Used to read historical novels such as Ivanhoe and The Three Musketeers as a youth. I know, pretty conservative for my generation.[/quote]

Brian,

I would strongly encourage you to read it. I know it will make you go blind, and I give you a pass on skimming some of the 50 page rants…we all do it. But I think it will be highly enlightening to your world view and your politics more directly.

And to reciprocate, is the a book I should read that will remove the scales from my socialist eyes still yet untouched be Rousseau and Marx…or the NYT’s:)

I love a good trip down fantasy lane, because after all isn’t that what philosophy is? A pure idea applied to an impure world. The better it describes the indescribable the more worthwhile the philosophy. Caricatures/philosophies are just simplifications of things…

[jstoesz]

[quote=briansd1][quote=mlarsen23]There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.[/quote]

I’ve read neither (although I read excerpt of Atlas).

I’m not really into fantasy stuff so I have no idea what Lord of Rings or Happy Potter are all about. Don’t even want to watch the movies.

Used to read historical novels such as Ivanhoe and The Three Musketeers as a youth. I know, pretty conservative for my generation.[/quote]

Brian,

I would strongly encourage you to read it. I know it will make you go blind, and I give you a pass on skimming some of the 50 page rants…we all do it. But I think it will be highly enlightening to your world view and your politics more directly.

And to reciprocate, is the a book I should read that will remove the scales from my socialist eyes still yet untouched be Rousseau and Marx…or the NYT’s:)

I love a good trip down fantasy lane, because after all isn’t that what philosophy is? A pure idea applied to an impure world. The better it describes the indescribable the more worthwhile the philosophy. Caricatures/philosophies are just simplifications of things…

[Author]

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