Ayn Rand is big again.
I’ve been hearing alot about Ayn Rand recently–Crackpot Adam Curry keeps trying to get Buzzkill to read Atlas Shrugged, while Chris Gondak has reviewed the Jessica Burns book “Goddess of the Market”, a biography of Ayn Rand. With two of my favorite podcasts mentioning her, I decided to do a bit more research. I found recent articles talking about the resurgence including: Huffington Post, The Guardian, Wall Street Journal, US News and World Report.
My take on Ayn Rand is that she was definitely affected by her childhood and the injustice she saw with the Russian Revolution. As a philosopher with intelligence (by all accounts she was intelligent), she probably had some very good ideas that were within her realm of understanding and experience. But she could not fully grasp the entire understanding of free market economies and the role of government, mostly because I believe that it is practically impossible for one person to do so. (My new philosophy on philosophers!)
All being said, if I ever have time I just might have to read Atlas Shrugged–there are probably some interesting points in it.
I haven’t read Atlas Shrugged, but I have read various summaries and there is an Ayn Rand obsessed fan within the family (weird I know).
From everything I’ve heard or read about her, it is all absurd.
She was probably very bright but obviously may not have been the poster girl for stability. She was a walking contradiction of herself. For example, she deplored the tyranny of the Russiand Revolution and the onset of Communism and yet, she pretty much pulled the dictator number with her followers.
She pretty well sought utopic capitalism which a lot of folks strive for these days. Georgie Jr tried and got as close as he could get to it and now look what happened. It doesn’t work nor is it attainable, yet there are die-hard conservatives and Libertarians who are willing to die trying. Sad really.
From what I’ve gathered of Atlas Shrugged, that story, too is absurd. The main character, a business man feels oppressed by his government, mainly because he must pay taxes goes on strike?? Absurd, because the only one who really loses iis him: if he’s on strike and the business is closed, he’s not making money, however his competitor would make even more money because he is still open.
CK - November 25, 2009 at 3:19 pm |
Thanks for the comments…I may have a bit less motivation to read the book now.
TigercatTomorrow - November 27, 2009 at 3:50 am |