Ayn Rand simply recognized Big Religion as another form of totalitarianism - socialists in fancy robes. Understanding that, nothing else in ‘Atlas Shrugged’ precludes one from believing in God and still finding the book’s themes inspirational.
Understanding that, nothing else in ‘Atlas Shrugged’ precludes one from believing in God and still finding the book’s themes inspirational.
I do recall in one of her newsletters that she regarded the 10 commandments as a sound basis for conducting one’s life.
Her egotism comes directly from John Locke and Thomas Hobbes...
What Rand failed to recognize:
Morality and all of its associated ideals are rooted entirely in the presupposition some higher power defines what is correct for human behavior.
Plato’s Euthyphro is a great illustration. Socrates advances the argument to Euthyphro that, piety to the gods, who all want conflicting devotions and/or actions from humans, is impossible. (Socrates exposed the pagan esoteric sophistry.)
Likewise, morals are such a construction of idols used by the Left as a rationale for them to demand compliance to their wishes in politics, which most often are a skewed mess of fallacies in logic. Morals are a deceptive replacement for the avoidance of sin.
There can be no morality without one singular source defining what it is.
“Ayn Rand simply recognized Big Religion as another form of totalitarianism - socialists in fancy robes.”
I think it’s the other way round - totalitarianism is simply another form of Big Religion - priests with weapons.