Posted on 01/30/2005 3:14:41 PM PST by beavus
Has Ayn Rand gone mainstream? The radical champion of individualism and capitalism, who died in 1982, is no longer an exotic taste. Her image has adorned a U.S. postage stamp. Her ideas have been detected in a new mass-market animated comedy film, "The Incredibles." And Wednesday, on the 100th anniversary of her birth, there will be a Rand commemoration at the Library of Congress--an odd site for a ceremony honoring a fierce anti-statist. In her day, Rand was at odds with almost every prevailing attitude in American society. She infuriated liberals by preaching economic laissez-faire and lionizing titans of business. She appalled conservatives by rejecting religion in any form while celebrating, in her words, "sexual enjoyment as an end in itself."
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
Great men can't be ruled...
Ayn Rand was responsible for turning me away from Socialism at a young age. I would appreciate your two cents...
Galt's speech was delivered on radio.
"Giving a person a hand up is not altruism.
Giving a person a hand out is altruism."
Well stated. *Applause*
Here's her site, if anyone's interested:
http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer
"My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute." — Ayn Rand
Indeed THE RANDIAN MAN!
...True, after reviewing the (pg.934) book...the assembled "thieves" were going to broadcast via TV; by 7:51 pm, Galt had control of the electronic spectrum.
News to me.
Ah, Halley's Fourth Concerto. Not available at Amazon.
I used to approve of open borders, on the purist economic model. The problem with that model (Von Mises, et al) is that, like the Marxist model, it sees people as interchangeable units, not taking into account the very tangible cultural frictions, not to mention outright crime, that such mass migrations bring with them. According to the classical ecomonic theory, Muslim immigration is good for Europe too, because of declining native populations and the need for imported labor. But this ignores countless factors pure economics doesn't take into account.
No, she was against altruism.
Rhymes with "mine," which someone has no doubt already said.
There's a group of Randians in NYC that meet once a month. It's a large and lively group partly because it is completely free, financed by the head of the group. They profess libertarian and financial interests as well, but the only time they really seem to come to life is when Rand is discussed.
I don't put them on my e-mail calendar when a Rand fanatic is speaking. They have good speakers usually and topics that are sometimes a bit outside the usual conservative or Republican issues.
Ayn Rand did more to influence my thinking than anyone else but I still can't get over the fact that she was banging Nathaniel Brandon. Something about that picture makes my skin crawl.
Yes, that whole episode illustrates the kind of thing that happens when you just do whatever you want. Fictionalized but probably pretty accurate in William Buckley's novel about the conservative movement.
You're right. Thanks.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.