Ayn Rand - Opinions?

by cappytan 80 Replies latest jw friends

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  TerryWalstrom

  "There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs."

  That quotation is by a fellow named John Rogers. One of his claims to fame involved writing the script to the movie CATWOMAN. He's obviously marvellously well-qualified to criticize :)
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  Viviane

  Very few, Terry, when their ideas are taken to the logical conclusion. William James, Robert Pirsig, Socrates, of course, Bertrand Russell, are all philosophers whose work I've read and positively influenced me. In a way, you could say Ayn Rand also positively influenced me as well, but in the sense of "don't be a jerk like her".
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  Viviane

  That quotation is by a fellow named John Rogers. One of his claims to fame involved writing the script to the movie CATWOMAN. He's obviously marvellously well-qualified to criticize :)

  Surely, Terry, you aren't going down the road of criticizing who said it rather than the substance of the argument itself, are you?
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  Oubliette

  She started what is, interesting, a non-religious cult.

  Of course a group need not be religious to be a cult.
  

  But I was thinking how ironic it is in this case. The very idea of there being a leader with followers is antithetical to Rand's philosophy of individualism.

  I guess it just proves that some people can't help their narcissistic bent and others can't help but adore them.
  
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  Oubliette

  Fencing, thanks for finding that joke. I was looking for it but couldn't locate it.
  
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  Fencing

  As terrible as Catwoman was, it's miles better than any of the tripe that's come out of Rand's gourd.
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  Jonathan Drake

  ... In a way, you could say Ayn Rand also positively influenced me as well, but in the sense of "don't be a jerk like her".
  

  LOL. omg I hope I'm reading this right. this is my hearty belly laugh for the day, and I still can't stop.
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  Viviane

  Of course a group need not be religious to be a cult.

  Agreed.

  But I was thinking how ironic it is in this case. The very idea of there being a leader with followers is antithetical to Rand's philosophy of individualism.

  It absolutely drops with irony.

  I guess it just proves that some people can't help their narcissistic bent and others can't help but adore them.

  Interestingly, Ayn Rand became that which she preached against, much like in Animal Farm :)
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  done4good

  She does not accept there is such a concept as "society". Enough said.

  While I applaud her atheism, her philosophy is otherwise very misguided.

  d4g
  
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  never a jw

  Ayn Rand's philosophy can only work in an ideal world where everyone believes what she believed; ironically, that kills one of the main tenets of her philosophy, individualism. Same thing can be of any group, either religious or political, it works very smoothly when everyone follows and does as the leader expects. Unfortunately, those are worlds lacking heroes, deep emotions, extreme pain and joy. No thank you. I rather experience the full range of human personalities, so I can enjoy the full range of emotions that humans are capable of. I am not interested in paradisiacal perfect worlds. It's too boring, too robotic, even it is controlled by reason and objectivity.

  Regarding AtlasShrugged, it's unnecessarily long. A. Rand could have made her points just using 25 % of the pages. She should have learned from Voltaire's Candide. Voltaire drives his points home more convincingly, more effectively and certainly more efficiently.