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Political: My new favorite historical figure: Ayn Rand

"Money is the barometer of a society’s virtue."

"Do not ever say that the desire to “do good” by force is a good motive. Neither power-lust nor stupidity are good motives."


by Gaping Spider November 4, 2009 5:50 PM

GSpider,

Do you understand where she's coming from when she says those things?

I only ask because maaaaaaaaaybe you've got things a bit on the backwards side. Ayn Rand makes Annie Coulter look kinda tame...she is pretty much the modern icon for all things conservative-libertarian, she was as anti-socialist as Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, and she espoused a rugged sense of individualism steeped in American achievement and pure free market capitalism.

Or were you being sarcastic?
by TheGoblinKing November 4, 2009 11:29 PM

I mean:

"Money is the barometer of a society’s virtue."

She's saying that the wealthier a society is, the more virtuous it has to be, because you could not build great wealth without strong, upright principles and wisdom guiding you.

"Do not ever say that the desire to “do good” by force is a good motive. Neither power-lust nor stupidity are good motives."

In her personal context, she's clearly blasting the socialism/communism she grew up with in the USSR. She's saying that people who claim to be doing 'the greater good' in socialism are being incredibly disingenuous because they are not only NOT acting for the greater good, but they're doing so amid protests by the very same people they're trying to 'help'.

Kinda like the Healthcare debate NOW.

She was frighteningly visionary about what it'd look like when socialism would try to intrude on America. I keep meaning to read Atlas Shrugged, but I just don't have the damn time.
by TheGoblinKing November 4, 2009 11:41 PM

Take it one chapter at a time. It's a slow read.
by kathy88 November 5, 2009 6:25 AM

kathy,

Did I sum 'her' up right?
by TheGoblinKing November 5, 2009 8:10 AM

One of my faves...Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal.

This site offers great stuff also....http://mises.org/
by brokerjack November 5, 2009 10:05 AM

Gob, Good summary. The only other thing worth mentioning is the was strongly athiest. She had difficulty reconciling the "blind faith" aspects with strong principles.

Another little known (?) aspect was her strong friendship with Alan Greenspan. She was quite influential.


by BuySide November 5, 2009 11:17 AM

Yup, BuySide. Greenspan wrote an essay about the gold standard for her in '66.
by brokerjack November 5, 2009 11:51 AM

I am torn. I am having a very difficult time grasping her philosophy. It is as if there is this polarizing dichotomy in her assertions. That's why I am so intrigued by her. I may just have to go buy Atlas Shrugged, even though I heard it is as cumbersome a read as Dostoevsky.
by Gaping Spider November 5, 2009 3:13 PM

download it here for free, GS. You have to read it for yourself
and pull what meanings it has on your own.

http://www.torrentbar.com/torrent/1359600/0/Ayn%20Rand%20-%20Atlas%20Shrugged
by kabb November 5, 2009 3:42 PM

kabb,

Thanks for the link.
by Gaping Spider November 5, 2009 4:07 PM

Thanks BuySide
by TheGoblinKing November 6, 2009 2:39 PM

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