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| Happy Birthday Ayn Rand! |
| 2005-02-02 |
| Born 100 years ago in Holy Mother Russia and educated under the Soviets, Ayn Rand became the quintessential American writer and philosopher, upholding the supreme value of the individual's life on earth. She herself led a "rags to riches" life, wrote best-selling novels that championed individualism, and developed a philosophy of reason that validates the American spirit of achievement and independence. -el snippo- Ayn Rand understood that to defend the individual she must penetrate to the root: his need to use reason to survive. "I am not primarily an advocate of capitalism," she wrote in 1971, "but of egoism; and I am not primarily an advocate of egoism, but of reason. If one recognizes the supremacy of reason and applies it consistently, all the rest follows." This radical view put her at odds with conservatives, whom she vilified for their attempts to base capitalism on faith and altruism. Advocating a government to protect the individual's right to his property, she was not a liberal (or an anarchist). Advocating the indispensability of philosophy, she was not a libertarian. Despite being outside the cultural mainstream, her novels became best-sellers and her books sell more today than ever before--half a million copies per year. There is a reason that Atlas Shrugged placed second in a Library of Congress survey about most influential books. There is a reason that her works are considered life-altering by so many readers. She had an exalted view of man and created inspiring fictional heroes. A sui generis philosopher, who looked at the world anew, Ayn Rand has long puzzled the intellectual establishment. Academia has usually met her views with antagonism or avoidance, unable to fathom that she was an individualist but not a subjectivist, an absolutist but not a dogmatist. And they have thus ignored her original solutions to such seemingly intractable problems as how to ground values in facts. But even in academia her ideas are finding more acceptance, e.g., university fellowships and a subgroup within the American Philosophical Association to study Objectivism. Ayn Rand left a legacy in defense of reason and freedom that serves as a guidepost for the American spirit--especially pertinent today when America and what it stands for are under assault. Truly a visionary and by far my favorite thinker of all time. Her ideas are so far into their own realm that the world she envisions is nearly impossible to achieve, but most of her ideas are well worth exploring. Happy 100th! |
| Posted by:Chris W. |
| #5 "Underneath the skin, all humanity is brothers and I would skin humanity alive to prove it." - AYN RAND - Ayn Rand was one of the few human beings to accurately portray capitalism as the only socio-economic system that correctly telescopes between the individual and society. While her works were largely cast in a binary or stereotypical mode, she nonetheless managed to clearly convey essential distinctions regarding the common self-loathing of inappropriately liberal doctrines and the utterly invalid notion of Christian altruism. Be it unworthiness or such perversions of the human spirit as original sin, Rand fought them with both vigor and clarity of expression. I suggest that any who doubt this read, "Capitalism, the Unknown Ideal" or "The New Left, the Anti-Industrial Revolution." For those in need of further clarification, please refer to "Philosophy Who Needs It." However polarized Rand might be perceived as being, few if any have attained her level of resolution in determining exactly how dependent human life is upon rational thought or consistencey of deed. I challenge all who read this to provide better sources of guidance through the confused and rocky shoals of modern philosophical perception. Rand valiantly fought against those who would deem that there is no right or wrong, that we can never know anything for sure, that truth is subjective. If you wish an example, please tell me where rape is ever permissable. There is such a thing as right and wrong and Ayn Rand did her level best to identify it in clear language. Many happy returns, Ms. Rand. You are one of my heros. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2005-02-02 11:17:19 PM |
| #4 I once watched a documentary about her life on public television. I think it was this, A Sense of Life. It was a long, completely riveting documentary. What an unusual and remarkable life she led! Whether or not you are interested in her philosophy, this documentary is excellent, if you ever have an opportunity to watch it. . |
| Posted by: Mike Sylwester 2005-02-02 11:17:01 PM |
| #3 I don't know about you guys, but the reasons other people have for doing what I think is wrong has very little bearing on why I do what I think is right. Hence my disdain for the departments of Philosophy and English Lit. at many colleges, and my predilection for quoting Ayn Rand---the anathema of the wishy-washy, nihilistic, and relative crap that is preached so commonly these days. |
| Posted by: Asedwich 2005-02-02 7:52:25 PM |
| #2 I've always wondered if Rand killed more threads than Hitler, there outa be a corollary to that law... |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-02-02 3:20:59 PM |
| #1 It is quite easy to design an ideal society if you get to pick what kind of people live in it. I noticed a little disconnect between the way she wanted people to behave and the way they actually do. The slogan "reason" makes for a nice banner, but logic needs a little input data if you want any results. And I never found her give a satisfactory answer to the question of why people so often decline to do what they judge to be right. |
| Posted by: James 2005-02-02 3:08:48 PM |