Posted on 02/02/2009 9:05:11 AM PST by AngryCapitalist
Today marks the 104th anniversary of the birth of Ayn Rand, one of the great minds of Twentieth Century thought. Most notable for her works of fiction, such as We the Living, Anthem, The Fountainhead, and her opus magnus Atlas Shrugged, her contribution to the subject of personal freedom and the defense of capitalism are not be overlooked. While her works of fiction encapsulated her personal philosophy it is in her works of nonfiction we find her greatest contributions to the philosophical doctrine of Objectivism, which will forever remain her crowning achievement. Although never truly accepted by the academic philosophers her work in this field remains the single most original and influential philosophical work of the past century.
More at: http://www.hostileopposition.blogspot.com
(Excerpt) Read more at hostileopposition.blogspot.com ...
She’s turning over in her grave...
Happy birthday, Ayn! I wish we’d paid better attention.
I bet not. To her, today's events would come at no surprise at all.
Yeah, Ayn was disturbingly prescient.
For instance, compare the MSN home page to her description of “The Banner” in “The Fountainhead.”
Uggh.
I have watched a few of her interviews and read some about her but her fiction novels read like torture to me.
Even the book on audio was like trying to get a story while loud music was playing.
Reading Atlas Shrugged at least once a decade keeps me on track. Some people call Rand's creed of “Reason”, to be only ordinary selfishness. What a shallow label.
Could it be that some of the most religious Conservatives are just intolerant of the fact that Rand didn't believe there is a God in control? That begs the saying: “Throwing out the baby with the bath water”.
Ayn Rand is dead.
It is an objective fact. There is no point expressing a sacharine sentiment like “Happy Birthday” on the anniversary of her birth.
As to “love”, it is irrational that we the living should direct emotion toward an object that does not exist.
Ok Obamabot! Lighten up. Her Ideas, if followed, would’ve been more freedom for all and a true utopia for the middle class (there would be no lower class).
Dear Ayn,
You were right.
Signed,
Disgruntled Achiever
I read The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged as a teenager and loved both books. I still watch the movie classic The Fountainhead occaisionally when it comes on TCM. I do think that these are monumental works that speak strongly in favor of individualism and capitalism.
That said, the more I studied Ayn Rand and her philosophy, the more I was turned off by other facets of it. Her selfish and adulterous affair with Nathaniel Brandon, a young man more than twenty years her junior, I found reprehensible.
I found her militant atheism an even greater turnoff. As I grow older I find more comfort reading the Bible and the praying the Rosary and attending Mass than reading Objectivist philosophy. Despite all this, I cannot take away from her the fact that she was a magnificent fictional author even if I found her moral beliefs to be appalling. I still find her characters Howard Roark, Dominque Francon, Gail Wynand, Ellsworth Toohey, John Galt, Tagney Taggert, and Henry Reardon to be fascinating fictional individuals. And yes, Ayn Rand did forsee the future considering our present government. I will give credit where it is due.
Oh Happy Day - NOT!
ayn Rand the Anti-Christ Satanist?
> snip
.....Satanism has far more in common with Objectivism than with any other religion or philosophy. Objectivists endorse reason, selfishness, greed and atheism. Objectivism sees Christianity, Islam and Judaism as anti-human and evil. The writings of Ayn Rand are inspiring and powerful. If the reader has not yet experienced her power, try her novelette Anthem for a taste. You will almost certainly come back for more.
At the same time, Satanism is a “brutal” as well as a selfish philosophy. We do not hold, as do the Objectivists that the universe is “benevolent.” Satanists view the world as neutral, beyond the concepts of benevolent or treacherous, good or evil. Satanism enables the Satanist to codify his life beyond the ethical and metaphysical straightjacket which Objectivism unfortunately offers. This is not written to attack Objectivism but merely to clarify the areas of difference.
Satanism drew from Objectivism as even Rand drew from others. Both are, however, unique. Both are different from the other.
http://www.churchofsatan.com/Pages/SatObj.html
True enough and Miss Rand herself would probably agree with you. However, she would have never wanted emotion directed at her work, living or dead. We the living should remember her work and praise it with high (rational) regard. If it takes her Birthday for folks to remember, be reminded, or to discover her philosophy then I think remembering and possibly revering her birth date is perfectly acceptable.
What the heck is wrong with you?? The individual wishing this dead person a "Happy Birthday" is not doing anything wrong or pointless, or sacharine...not at all.
To take your tack....Martin Luther King is dead...so no more MLK Day (we're sure as heck not celebrating the day he got killed), no more "Happy Birthday Elvis"!!...
And...dare I state it on here....no more Christmas (think about it).
How ignorant. Ayn Rand was against any and ALL mysticism. And for the record she endorsed rational selfishness. The idiot Satanists might have drawn from Rand, but she did not and never would have given a flip about a mystic of any ilk.
Don’t you love it when people “think” they know something about Miss Rand and her philosophy.
Of Her fiction,I’ve only read “Anthem”,and “Atlas Shrugged”.
However,after reading them,I went straight to her non-fiction.They could keep you busy for quite some time.
Philosophy:Who Needs It
Capitalism:The Unknown Ideal
The Romantic Manifesto
The New Left:The Anti-Industrial Revolution
For The New Intellectual
Introduction To The Objectivist Epistemology
and more..
Ill have to give some of her other works a try before I come back to Atlas. Maybe try a non fiction just to see if she limits her over abundant details that seemed to distract me from the actual point.
I'm sure there are many many folks of "different ideologies" extremely offended by our sacharin celebration every December 25th...yet they don't scream about it - at least not too much!
But then again, so is George Washington...& Thomas Jefferson...& Ronald Reagan.
Agreed. I do believe she would prefer the “Miss” moniker over the non-word Ms that was created for a magazine cover.
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