[Colonel Kangaroo]

Atheism, amphetamines and nicotine make bad philosophy.

[newfreep]

"Her 1957 novel "Atlas Shrugged" champions laissez-faire capitalism and individual achievement. She vilifies communism, socialism and unionism. She dubs government redistribution of wealth immoral."

Agree 110% with her on these points!

[Hoodat]

‘If you can’t attack the message, then attack the messenger’ ping.

[muir_redwoods]

One of the least attractive elements of the Left is it's adherence to political correctness. The most obvious part of that is their requirement that all true leftist must agree on everything. I don't need a politician or any office holder to see the world exactly as I do; I'll settle quite happily for 75%.

Ayn Rand promulgated some great truths about government snd the virtues of self reliance. I accept her philosophy for it's truth and allow her the failing all humans have. I can't see a better way.

[9YearLurker]

Oh no, not....nicotine!

[DainBramage]

Im so conservative John Galt asks “Who is Dainbramage?”

[Haiku Guy]

The difference between Conservatives and Libertals is that Conservatives do not demand complete ideological orthidoxy in all things. Liberals are always looking for a way to destroy those opposed to them, so any deviations are a reason to hate somebody. But Conservatives are allowed to listen to, to be friends with, and learn from people from anyplace on the political spectrum. We might not agree, but we don’t have to hate.

[Migraine]

The irony of philosophical atheism is that, whether you go left with it, or right, you will meet on the backside of the world — as a libertarian.

[BfloGuy]

Everyone reads (or pretends to) "Atlas Shrugged", watches Hollywood's version of "The Fountainhead" and thinks he knows Rand's philosophy.

But her real philosophical work goes unread. Rand's "Objectivist Epistemology" is brilliant. She lays out a cogent and concise theory of concepts and explains how humans acquire knowledge. It should be must-reading for everyone who plans on teaching.

Of course, bashing her admittedly quixotic lifestyle is tons more fun -- and so easy, too!

[marygam]

Well. It didn’t take long for this to rear its ugly head! Now we know Ann was a pil popper. I feel so much better now. Course, she can never defend herself to the author of this piece of crap.

[Flotsam_Jetsome]

Baby, meet bath water. Exit stage riiight. As far as her being hopped up on amphetamines, caffeine or whatever, our armed forces employ these tools to keep pilots in the air after exhaustion would normally preclude them from action. Do the effects sometimes result in errant targets getting put in the hurt locker? Who can say without a larger data set to study? I have not personally read, or seen Atlas Shrugged (yet). But from what I have read, time and again on the subject matter of that tome, I think it reasonable to conclude that the larger body of Rand's ideas are at the very least a good starting point and idea “tool bag” for free thinkers to utilize as guideposts on the exploratory journey toward the noble goals of self determination and attendant self respect. My $.02 and all that.

[Mr Ramsbotham]

If Newton had beaten his wife, would apples still fall from the tree?

[cripplecreek]

Anyone who agrees with anyone 100% of the time is an idiot.

[bert]

Extrapolating from molehill to mountain is always a bad course of action.

Mountainizing will always lead you astray

[KarlInOhio]

We now know corporations are the real "parasites" in an economic crisis.

Did the author even bother to read a summary of Atlas Shrugged? Corporations were happily using government to crush competition all the way through the book. The beggars on the street played a very small part in the novel compared to the ones in the board rooms.

[GBA]

Some of her ideas are central to the American Dream.
*But*
Ms. Rand did much of her writing while hopped up on amphetamines and nicotine.
And like most people who abuse this combination,
*she went too far.*

Interesting way to frame. Is Propaganda 101 a core requirement at 'Journalism' school nowadays? Do they teach anything else? And from the Wall St. Journal, too.

[thesearethetimes...]

Publius, here is one for TheList ;)

and ColK, it certainly is a given that those of us on this side of the political spectrum, had better be prepared for the reality that Lock Step Thinking is NOT something that we do ; }

May God give us strength.
Tatt

[thesearethetimes...]

“”But she did not imagine executives would loot their shareholders, cause an economic crisis and then beg for government help.

Her brand of laissez-faire capitalism led to corporations growing bigger and bigger until “too-big-to-regulate” became “too-big-to-fail.” She never imagined big business telling big government what to do or a government that only takes over failing businesses — not successful ones.””

Whoa. I wonder what color the sky is in the author’s world? Wasn’t it Barney Frank and Chris Dodd, aka “Big Government” who told “Big Banking” that they had to loan money to unqualified buyers, that grew the housing bubble, and of course, brought about the inevitable collapse of said bubble?

And don’t forget “Big Unions” wielding their none too inconsiderable clout to dictate to “Big Auto”? Not to mention their political influence, (see the ultimate in Big Government, aka Barack Hussein Obama).

Unbelievable really, the kind of stuff that gets presented as reality.

May God give us strength.
Tatt

[JACKRUSSELL]

The men who are not interested in philosophy need it most urgently: they are most helplessly in its power.

The men who are not interested in philosophy absorb its principles from the cultural atmosphere around them — from schools, colleges, books, magazines, newspapers, movies, television, etc. Who sets the tone of a culture? A small handful of men: the philosophers. Others follow their lead, either by conviction or by default.

For some two hundred years, under the influence of Immanuel Kant, the dominant trend of philosophy has been directed to a single goal: the destruction of man's mind, of his confidence in the power of reason. Today, we are seeing the climax of that trend. – Ayn Rand

[free me]

Her fans — including Republican Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, talk radio’s Rush Limbaugh and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas — would be crushed to learn she might never love them back, either
______________________________________________________________

That’s right, them conservatives are too stupid to know anything about Ayn Rand other than she wrote “Atlas Shrugged”.

Why they probably don’t even know how to pronounce her name!

[Zeppo]

Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard also sells millions of badly written books. Ms. Rand is just like him. She's become something she also wouldn't love: a religion.

Al Lewis writes poorly-reasoned articles full of flawed analogies, foolishly believing that they make him appear to be intelligent and erudite.