Posted on 12/13/2009 9:59:50 AM PST by parsifal
"A wonderful, free, light consciousness" born of the utter absence of any understanding of "the necessity, meaning, or importance of other people." Obviously, Ayn Rand was most favorably impressed with Mr. Hickman. He was, at least at that stage of Rand's life, her kind of man.
So the question is, who exactly was he?
William Edward Hickman was one of the most famous men in America in 1928. But he came by his fame in a way that perhaps should have given pause to Ayn Rand before she decided that he was a "real man" worthy of enshrinement in her pantheon of fictional heroes.
You see, Hickman was a forger, an armed robber, a child kidnapper, and a multiple murderer.
Other than that, he was probably a swell guy.
(Excerpt) Read more at michaelprescott.net ...
parsy, who is still shocked
Ayn Rand’s philosophy of unconstrained selfishness is not consistent with capitalism, mostly because unconstrained selfishness leads to socialism: One of the most selfish economic acts is to vote for people who promise to take other people’s money and give it to you.
Actually, anarcho-capitalists HATE the Randians.
To me, like rival drug gangs. Rand supposedly hated libertarians but like the book said “It Usually Starts with Ayn Rand.”
parsy, who has that book, somewhere
Interesting. Another dark side to Ayn Rand I did not know. We should never put any person on a pedestal. Only God is pure and good all the time.
self-interest is not selfish
Oh goody. Another person without a clue as to what Rand actually said. Try reading her non-fiction sometime before you spout inanities.
One of the most selfish economic acts is to vote for people who promise to take other people’s money and give it to you.
Something which Rand abhorred btw.
Like I said, try actually reading something she wrote. I recommend "Capitalism, The Unknown Ideal" for a start. If you do that you won't end up sounding nearly as stupid as you do know.
lol. if its true...
Exactly, Rand did not advocated anything immoral.
Summed up quite nicely by what I believe is an old Buddhist proverb. If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him. IOW, only God is God.
Most just read a few quotes and base their reaction on those.
The same with Adam Smith.
Congratulations on actually having read the books
I have no idea. I just use parsy as a familiar for parsifal, kinda like Bob for Robert.
parsy, who sees it too
Oddly, there are plenty of instances of selflessness in Rand’s writings—for example when Reardon relinquishes the heroine to John Gault. Apparently he recognizes that Gault’s greatness outshines his own, so he lets her go to him—no hard feelings, no jealousy, no dueling etc.
Sort of a neo-darwinist stockholm syndrome, or something like that.
I have read a lot of what she wrote, including most of the book you mentioned. She may have abhorred government hand-outs, but that is not consistent with her philosophy. If I find someone who is willing to use the force of the government to give me money, then selfishness would demand that I support such a person.
Nor could her philosophy be supported morally: She always said capitalism is the only system consistent with human nature, but then she never said why. Nor could she, as an atheist: Human nature to her was merely the result of millions of years of random mutations.
Ayn Rand was not merely about self-interest. She was about selfishness, as the quote showed. In her philosophy, no human being was considered valuable except one's self. That is not self-interest. It is psychosis.
Yeah, but it is never consistent with her philosophy. Love, for instance, is not consistent with Randian thought, yet it was a part of Atlas Shrugged.
She was an atheistic social darwinist, pure and simple, and unfortunately it is social darwinists that give true capitalists a bad name.
The only thing missing in her world view is God. Everything else would have fallen into place with God.
Thanks.
Rand had a rabid side. She was dipped in stupid to write it down even though she often writes to provoke.
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