Thursday, April 22, 2010
On Rand.
I will not say everything I think about her here, but I will say that I think she is a good philosopher, and that if she believed in God she would be a better philosopher. I will also say that I can’t stop reading her books, even to the detriment of my other activities/relationships. To demonstrate, I have carried—and read—her hefty volumes in the following places: at church, during class, during a concert, at the gym, on multiple trains, on multiple buses, while walking, in my bed, in at least one vegan restaurant, and so forth.
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11 comments:
..the enchantment of Hank Rearden...a man's man....
the fountainhead was once and may still be my favorite book.
that is the one I'm reading now.
One day I will hopefully finish Atlas Shrugged. I just don't have your diligence! I have read a zillion other books in the meantime (ok just 40- but you know what I mean). Though it has been taking me so long it is definitely not because I have not been enjoying the book! Have you read We The Living? It is the only book of Rand's I have finished.
I read We the Living first, and so far like it best. I read Atlas Shrugged after, and now, as I told Ingrid am onto the Fountainhead.
I actually want to read that book. again.
In the later years of high school/early years of College, I was very much into Ayn Rand. I read, perhaps 10 of her books and enjoyed almost every word. She had a big influence on much of my thought at that time.
I now look back on that with something like regret. Some of her ideas I still agree with, but by and large I believe much of what she teaches is destructive.
She is an excellent philosopher in the sense of being very persuasive. Most people I know who have read one of her books come away being deeply influenced by it for a while.
Much of the modern right-wing has its intellectual roots in Ayn Rand's philosophy.
If there is any author I truly believe is 'dangerous' it would be her.
Chris, I most definitely don't agree with everything she says. And sometimes I don't even agree with very many of the things that she says, particularly in her view that people can't actually be kind/serve others in genuine ways/how all of her characters who claim to be interested in humanity are either hypocritical or pretty deplorable people. Still I find value in reading her, if only to reflect on why I agree or disagree, in addition to the fact that she is an extremely compelling writer.
Sure do ♥ ya.
I hope I didn't come across as saying you were dumb or a sucker for liking Ayn Rand. I do think she has some very profound things to say. I just remember how much I felt her books were able to persuade me to believe things I now regret believing.
I think one of the biggest dangers of Ayn Rand is it teaches people to be overly confident in themselves. One of her big messages seems to be, if you think you are right, don't stop fighting for it no matter what anyone else says or thinks. This sort of thinking leads to Timothy McVeigh type behavior.
But anyway, I hope my criticism of Ayn Rand doesn't come across as being, in anyway, a criticism of you for liking her books.
Certainly nobody here would admit to having read the editorial about Ayn Rand in December's edition of Gentleman's Quarterly. I certainly won't admit to that. It basically says that people who read her when they are 19-22 and keep believing what she teaches are responsible for the recession and various wars. At least, that's what I heard it said. I think the article made some people mad.
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