I don’t see Rand’s philosophy as flawed as much as incomplete. She based the entire bedrock on the notion of 5 senses - objective reality. If you read Galt’s speech, there is nothing philosophically that can be refuted. It is all logically provable not unlike a geometric proof. And by proof I mean a series of arguments, starting from an original assumption and steps to show that a given assertion is true.
Meanwhile the soft tyranny of the US government is following the storyline of Atlas Shrugged, almost exactly.
We should be careful not to say it isn’t happening because the tyrannical government actors don’t believe in God.
Baby and bathwater.
Any world view or philosophy that removes God is also removing the foundation for morality, good and evil. If it’s “practical” and “makes sense”, it is worthy. There is more to reality than empiric observation. Human sensory perception is limited, and human minds and intellect are also limited. Leaving divine authority and guidance aside as thought they do not exist, creates a shaky and incomplete foundation.
Interesting discussion, maybe I can participate later... gotta run.
Do you remember the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 category errors?