Ayn Rand

[Imperial Power]

Have you ever read any of Ayn Rand's books based off her life in the soviet union? I'd like to see how you dismiss her.

I am most likely to hear that was stalinism and thats not what you believe in anyways. In which case I know there are stalinists here who are afraid to comment.

[peaccenicked]

Ayns Rands books are primarily a political philosophy that buries compassion in favour of the love of money,if this is what she learned from her experiences in the USSR, it is another indictment of that murderous system that dragged the name of socialism through the mud.

[El Che]

Ayn Rand is an academical joke. Haha, and a funny one too!

[Fires of History]

Rand is lauded as the philosopher for capitali$m, which makes perfect sense. Her "ethics" boil down to the deification of self-interest, and naturally that appeals to most capies. And her notions of rational objectivism are nothing but a sublimely haughty acceptance and defense of a dog-eat-dog world as morally acceptable, and there is really nothing new or deep in her writings. She uses double-speak to redefine selfishness as the prime moral virtue, which, as she wants us to believe, is based on 'reason.' Rand would also remind us that loving your fellow man is actually hating him. What double-speak bullshit.

Surely the capies can do better than Rand. How embarrassing it must be to be forced to associate with Rand out of desperation and a lack of better thinkers to defend capitali$m as 'moral.' Well, after all, when you're as desperate as most capies are to morally justify selfishness and greed, anything will do I guess...

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” –J. K. Galbraith

(Edited by Fires of History at 12:34 am on May 14, 2002)

[reagan lives]

I can understand why you people don't like Ayn Rand.

Her books place the proper Smithian capitalist as the hero, always. Your evil selfish boogeyman capitalist is always the pariah, while the good frugal capitalist is set up as the good guy. You people refuse to acknowledge even the theoretical existence of frugal capitalists...your indictments of the system are based on a myth that you started that the only capitalists are the evil selfish boogeyman capitalists. So I can see how Rand's books would be quite disturbing to you.

[Fires of History]

Reagan Lives,

Just as you claim we have a hard time imagining the 'frugal capitatlist,' I would say you have a hard time recognizing the quite currently obvious 'evil selfish boogeyman capitalist' as you put it. I believe both exist, but are you really going to sit there and say that there are not truly selfish capitalists? Are you really asserting that the 'frugal capitalist,' the Randian ideal, is the majority?

I've known a few small businessmen and women who were hard-working, honest, and fair. But the notion that such virtues get you into the leadership postions of Fortune 500 companies is just absurd. Also, hmm, those very same small businesspeople were put out of work by the aggressive and quite underhanded practices of Wal*Mart.

All I am saying is that if you are going to say that the Randian ideal of the 'frugal capitalist' exists, then you surely have to admit that the opposite exists as well. And I would say the latter is the much more common species of capitalist.

P.S. This is unrelated, but I've never had a philosophy professor who didn't let out a chuckle or sigh of some sort when we came to Rand's "philosophy."

[Nateddi]

Ayn Rand left the USSR before Stalin was even in power. So much for her great experience.

[reagan lives]

FoH: what's your point?

And if you agree with me that the "Randian ideal" is something other than the evil selfish boogeyman, then how can you stand by statements like "Her 'ethics' boil down to the deification of self-interest?"

I thought this thread was about Rand's philosophy, not practical conditions in a given nation or time. Don't try to change the subject.

[libereco]

heh...she even idolizes rapes...

[Jurhael]

Jesus, Reagan, you ask FOH's point? He's already MADE the point that in an unfettered capitalism, those who are the most greedy, cut throat and nasty will overtake those who are not.

Not the kind of world I'd like to live in. It's bad enough already. eheh

[vox]

The Unlikeliest Cult in History (http://www.skeptic.com/02.2.shermer-unlikely-cult.html): good introduction to why Rand is wrong.

The Rights (And Wrongs) of Ayn Rand (http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Olympus/2178/rand.html): delves deeper into the terribly flawed thinking of Rand.

Objections of Objectivism: A Critique of Ayn Rand's Ethics (http://www.students.uiuc.edu/~johnku/TOC.html): Quite lengthy and quite good, for those who want a thorough argument against Rand.

It's unfortunate that only the simple-minded seem to like Rand, for it's very hard to argue with the simple.

vox