Are you a fan of Ayn Rand works and/or Philosophy?

by Eyebrow2 31 Replies latest jw friends

  • Eyebrow2
    Eyebrow2

    I have done a lot of reading of Rand's fiction, and have been reading a lot about her philosophy over the past several months. I attend a local study group on her philosophy, and my family and I often attend get togethers that a local Objectivist group puts on once or twice a month.

    I am interested in talking with other Ex Witnesses that enjoy her work, and may be interested in discussing her philosophy. I won't call myself an Objectivist just yet, because I still am studying the philosophy. I made a HUGE mistake last year when jumped on the humanist bandwagon without doing my homework, and don't want to make the same mistake again.

  • daystar
    daystar

    I've only read short quotes of Ayn Rand's, though she's on my short list.

    I made a HUGE mistake last year when jumped on the humanist bandwagon without doing my homework, and don't want to make the same mistake again.

    Heh...

  • littlerockguy
    littlerockguy

    I have Atlas Shrugged and some other books of hers unfortunately I have been having trouble finding time to read Atlas Shrugged. I have only gotten about 40 pages into it. I had to get the larger print and even at that the print is a little hard for me to read for prolong periods of time before it gets blurry. I need to get new lens and frames and a thorough eye exam since I haven't in 3 years but I digress.

    Back to Ayn Rand, I do like some of her views on things and I have read and seen the movie "The Passion of Ayn Rand" which was interesting.

    one of my favorite quotes of hers was "wealth is the product of man's capacity to think"

  • Eyebrow2
    Eyebrow2

    I have been working on Atlas Shrugged since January, hahah. It is a long one, but well worth it.

    I have read :

    Anthem, We the Living, Fountainhead, and parts of The Virture of Selfishness, as well as various other essays that I have found online. I have found a lot of info on http://www.aynrand.org One thing that I have found is that I had a totally misuderstanding of her from my initial readings about her (various book reviews here and there); I thought she was a very cold person, but once I took the time to study I realized she wasn't someone that dismissed emotions, as some have claimed.

    One of my favorite quotes is:"I need no warrant for being, and no word of sanction upon my being. I am the warrant and the sanction."

    Littlerock...I understand your pain. The reason it has been taking me so long to read Atlas is because I spent most of march sick, and it hurt to read. Have you tried finding a large print edition online?

  • Eyebrow2
    Eyebrow2

    bttt

  • amac
    amac

    I've read Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged and Anthem. I am NOT a fan of her philosophy...but I'm not quite clever enough to fully explain why. The simplest way I can put it is Ayn Rand does not seem to have a soul. To be honest with myself, it is more than likely due to the fact that I am very altruistic and have a need for approval in most aspects of life...but I like it like that.

  • RunningMan
    RunningMan

    I've read Atlas Shrugged, and found it to be a pretty decent book in its own right - not just a vehicle for her philosophy. She has some good points, but I think just tends to be just as idealistic about capitalism, as communists are about their ideas.

    I started reading We The Living a couple months ago, and just couldn't do it. It was a little too dry, and after Atlas Shrugged, I could see where she was going, and didn't think I needed to take the long trip with her.

  • Eyebrow2
    Eyebrow2
    I've read Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged and Anthem. I am NOT a fan of her philosophy...but I'm not quite clever enough to fully explain why. The simplest way I can put it is Ayn Rand does not seem to have a soul. To be honest with myself, it is more than likely due to the fact that I am very altruistic and have a need for approval in most aspects of life...but I like it like that.

    I thought the exact same thing when I started reading. I thought she was a cold heartless bitch at first until I read more, and started studying her essays and such. Yes she is against altruism, but that is not evil, as it may sound. It is actually a case of people need to take care of themselves and not expect others to take care of them. If they decide to do good for others because they vaule them,. then that is fine. Even though we don't see eye to eye on her philosophy, I appreciate you taking the time to post.

  • Eyebrow2
    Eyebrow2

    We the living is definately a different book. I rather enjoyed it myself, but I think it is a matter of taste. I like it because it gave me more of a glimpse as to what it was like to live in Russia during that time period.

  • 1VTHokie
    1VTHokie

    I'm pretty sure that there's some material about her on Rick Ross's cult site. It didn't look so good. Hope I'm wrong.

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