Posted on 01/21/2015 4:06:39 PM PST by iowamark
I like that. There can be no real freedom apart from Christ.
That’s why I often (when asked) say I’m a pro life, pro natural marriage (l)ibertarian.
I usually add that my vote typically goes to the Republican, and NEVER the donkey.
They are not. Libertarians beliefs all devolve to "everyone smoke dope."
The novel is, in certain places, painfully awkward and in other places, sublime. The philosophy is, from many viewpoints, hopelessly derivative and in others, strikingly original. Neither is perfect; both are worthy of serious consideration.
That Rand made some accurate predictions of the future is not a very good defense of her philosophy, is it?
If it is, then by the same standard, Orwell’s socialism is vindicated.
“The novel is, in certain places, painfully awkward...”
Too bad one of those places is the first few chapters, at least for me. I could never manage to slog through it, despite multiple attempts.
That Rand made some accurate predictions of the future is not a very good defense of her philosophy, is it?
I'm not trying to defend either Rand or Orwell with my post.
All I'm doing is pointing out accurate predictions.
Ayn's atheism, or the predilections of her and Orwell are not my concern.
5.56mm
We don’t live in a democracy. The founding fathers detested democracy and equated it with mob rule.
I used to like to like Ayn Rand...but now that I’ve seen that hat...
But her one good idea is good enough to earn her a place at the table. So we separate Rand's wheat from the chaff, so to speak, and move on.
Ayn Rand was a giant.
Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry is a gnat.
Where did Jesus say something like “use confiscatory taxes and fees to take from those who labor & create and give it to those who will not” or anything along those lines?
“We need to stop pretending a libertarian philosophy makes someone a Reagan Republican.”
It doesn’t, but we do have some common ground in the area of classical liberalism (or “little l” libertarianism as some call it) that provides a foundation for both philosophies.
Once you go beyond that common ground, we are pretty far apart on everything else.
I knew the scene you were linking to before I even clicked on it. Indeed.
Modern country music :)
If atheist Ann Rand libertarian types were to gain the upper hand, we’ll have limited government and free markets, in a Sodomite supreme court and immoral Christ-less country...appointed by Ann Rand libertarians.
I shudder to think what kind of supreme court justices someone like (Ann) Rand Paul would appoint.
When a country surrenders the moral high ground they’ve lost it all.
I can see how people might be tempted to try to make Christianity out to be compatible with Libertarianism. After all, we have the concept of “Christian liberty”, which can be a bit tricky for some to grasp, and, if misunderstood, can seem close to Libertarianism.
If we sum up Libertarianism in one sentence, we might get:
“As long as it doesn’t hurt others, it should be lawful.”
While Paul summed up “Christian liberty” as:
“All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not” 1 Cor. 10:23
Discerning people will see the somewhat subtle differences there, but a less critical person may not.
Rand understood free markets and the material comfort they bring. She also aptly portrayed the evil of the various “ism’s” which define the left. When it comes to the actions, and results, of these people being empowered she was downright prophetic.
Where I believe she goes astray is that she never truly understood the opposition to these evil forces. As an atheist she could only view individuals based on productive capacity. She misses the fact that all humans have worth endowed by the God, not measured by the ability to earn.
This is why her villains are so believable and her heroes ring so false.
Okay, the tone of your post made me think you were objecting to the author’s premise, which is more about her philosophy than anything else.
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