Posted on 12/13/2009 1:02:29 PM PST by rface
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Ayn Rand is back. In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, the long-dead novelist and philosopher has become prophet and a scapegoat. Liberals blame her for the economic collapse, citing the influence of her most famous acolyte, Alan Greenspan. Conservatives hail her as a visionary who saw it all coming. Love her or hate her, Rand's ideas have become fundamental to how Americans understand capitalism.
The liberal case against Rand rests on her relationship with Alan Greenspan, the long-term head of the Federal Reserve Bank. In his youth, Greenspan was part of "The Collective," a small group of students who gathered around Rand in the 1950s and 1960s in New York City. A regular visitor to Rand's Saturday night salon, he read the first drafts of Rand's most famous novel, "Atlas Shrugged," as they came off her typewriter. He quickly mastered the fundamentals of Objectivism, her individualistic philosophy. Rand taught that reality is objective, reason rules supreme, selfishness is a virtue, and laissez-faire capitalism is the only moral and practical social system.
In a series of articles written for Rand's Objectivist Newsletter, Greenspan applied these ideas to current politics. .......
[ snip ]
The record-breaking sales of Rand's books in the last year suggest her influence may be just beginning. Many readers are turning to Rand to understand our past - but she may be a better guide to our future.
(Excerpt) Read more at mcclatchydc.com ...
Was she an atheist? It has always been hard for me to get beyond that.
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Yes imagine that an atheist with principles.
You're definitely on the right track. I'll be astonished if it's anything other than Progressive spin.
Doesn’t sound like morals to me...but it does sound like a plan.
I was thinking more in the line of captialism.
On social issues she is clueless!
Ann Rand is neither.
She is the author of a very relevant book.
(I find it interesting that her entire belief system is interesting to some people. It seems those same people are not interested in the beleif system of Margret Sanger and certain people on the left.)
What will save this country, if it is saved, are those who are well versed in social combat...in other words liberals who have come to know a higher logic and can help capitalism survive.
This article is less about Rand and more about Greenspan, but it’s an interesting one nonetheless.
Oh no, teenagers should never read her. It will stunt their mental growth and they will stop thinking and turn into libertarians and republicans. Their answer to every problem will be “less gov’t” and “lower taxes” and they will be completely worthless to the human race.
Rand, if she should be read at all, should only be by grown ups.
parsy, who thinks she has done more evil than most
She looks like a million other women from that time period; not necessarily attractive but not repulsive either. Extremely ugly? Seems a bit harsh to me... Gotta love the net though, bantering over the looks of a dead person. ;o)
You're probably right. Maybe I got "soul-less bitch" confused with "witch". ;-)
LOL, how many words have been written wondering what Cleopatra really looked like.
http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=yfp-t-701-s&va=cleopatra&sz=all
Ayn Rand was pretty much hated by the media (MSM). Therefore I’d say a scapegoat.
But if you really read her works (which the MSM would never think of doing before reviewing it) pretty close to a prophet.
Not that I would compare worthless Rand to a great women like Cleopatra. The only comparison would be an ugly duck to a Swan.
There’s quite a few haters of Ayn Rand onboard today; what gives? FWIW: I’ve yet to taste of the forbidden fruit.
Keep in mind...in her day, the media was dominated by right wing Capitalists. If her ideas come out to the main stream now, it won't help Capitalism per say..but the new left wing brand of distorted fascist Capitalism.
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