Comments | eyeonthehorizon: The "Return" of Ayn Rand?

eyeonthehorizon

The "Return" of Ayn Rand?

Apr 22, 2009 10:57

I was reading in The Week about how sales of Ayn Rand's books are experiencing another spike as they have been known to do in times of leftish leanings of the federal government. I have dipped briefly in the poisonous waters of her Objectivism and so of course such news is chilling to my soul.

The philosophy is based on the synthesis of an ( Read more... )

politics, philosophy, literature

Comments 5

One's worst enemies are one's own false assumptions. mykelm April 22 2009, 17:36:15 UTC

Now that we have your litany of characterizations, you may write a Part II with some citations of actual Objectivist principles showing how your characterizations apply. I guarantee you would be stunned at how shallow your current knowledge of the philosophy and its application is ( ... )

Re: One's worst enemies are one's own false assumptions. eyeonthehorizon April 22 2009, 18:27:22 UTC

"The world will change when you are ready to pronounce this oath: I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for the sake of mine." --Atlas ShruggedThanks for your thoughtful commentary. You're absolutely right, I've never talked to a real live Objectivist, and I haven't even read more than one of Rand's books, and I could definitely be accused of a superficial understanding of Objectivism, and I'm glad to hear from somebody who thinks I have it totally wrong. If this school of thought is really experiencing a resurgence as various news stories have claimed, I better get on a good reading list (I'll start with your buddy Peikoff ( ... )

Re: One's worst enemies are one's own false assumptions. mykelm April 22 2009, 18:39:26 UTC

Start with "The Virtue Of Selfishness", a small book requiring a low investment of time and money to get a gist of it and see if you want to continue. The lead essay is online here:

http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ari_ayn_rand_the_objectivist_ethics

There is also an online lexicon with quotes from all the books on over 200 subjects -- a great reference and overview.

http://aynrandlexicon.com/

Pressed for time at the moment, I will try to answer your concerns expressed in your reply when I can.

Re: One's worst enemies are one's own false assumptions. mykelm April 23 2009, 04:25:40 UTC

"In my view, true service to others involves self-sacrifice. This is what justifies my slipping into claims that the Objectivist rejects service to others,..."

Sam Walton was the richest man in America when he died. He did more to raise the standard of living of America's poorest than all of the government programs and charities that existed during his lifetime. Self sacrifice is the poorest benefactor of all and degrading to the beneficiary to boot.

In an Objectivist style radical capitalist system in which all coercion by physical force is removed from human interaction and exchanges of values, the only way to acquire wealth is to offer ever greater values for ever lower prices. It is greed in the good sense of the word - the quest for earned wealth - in such a society that creates the most wealth for those least able to fend for themselves.

-----------------

"My beef with what I know of Objectivism so far is that by it, you justify not living for the sake of others by an insistence that nobody has ever lived or will live for ( ... )

Thread 5