Ayn Rand

[monolith94]

she looks like 'mummie dearest'

[Urban Ranger]

Objectivism airtight?

Michael Shermer's Why People Believe Weird Things has an entire chapter devoted to it. It is Ch. 8, "The Unlikeliest Cult."

[monkspider]

She probably wouldn't be a very generous lover though.

[MRT144]

IGOR FROM YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN! I knew i recognized her

[monkspider]

I always thought there was something sexy about Emily Dickinson though.

[Narz]

Posted by Urban Ranger
Michael Shermer's Why People Believe Weird Things has an entire chapter devoted to it. It is Ch. 8, "The Unlikeliest Cult."

Thats nice, but it doesn't further the discussion any...
Kind of like quoting passages from the bible that no one will bother to check. Perhaps you'd like to enlighten us with some thoughts of your own?

[tinyp3nis]

One thing it really made me rethink was Christianity and the idea that man is fundamentally a no-good, sinner who should humble himself before a judging God and go through life meekly, with no pride, turning the other cheek to those who'd like a smack at it.

You didn't know this allready? Wow the girl must be really smart to know these kind of things!

[Berzerker]

Narz, notice only personal attacks being levelled at Rand and nothing of substance? Me too.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Narz
Thats nice, but it doesn't further the discussion any...
Kind of like quoting passages from the bible that no one will bother to check. Perhaps you'd like to enlighten us with some thoughts of your own?

Got news for you.

The book I referred to happens to be a very popular book for critical thinking. Michael Shermer is the head of the Skeptics Society. Take a look at their website. Go ahead.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Berzerker
Narz, notice only personal attacks being levelled at Rand and nothing of substance? Me too.

The reason is that has been done to the death here.

[Richard Bruns]

I have read one Rand book. I forget what is was called, it was the one about the guy in the collapsed society who invents the light bulb. It was one of the most noxious pieces of drivel I have ever had the misfortune of being exposed to. Her glorification of the ego is, quite simply, wrong. It is a philosophy for people who cannot accept that other people have value.

And this is entirely subjective, but I got the distinct impression that she was high on something while writing the final chapters.

If you like heroes who impose their will on everyone else without thought for the consequences, I recommend Robert Howard´s books about Conan the Barbarian. They are a lot more fun to read, and have at least as much philosophical merit.

[Berzerker]

It is a philosophy for people who cannot accept that other people have value.

I thought it was a philosophy for people who value freedom.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Berzerker
I thought it was a philosophy for people who value freedom.

Same thing. A person who maximises his own freedoms will neglect the freedoms of others.

[Richard Bruns]

Originally posted by Berzerker
I thought it was a philosophy for people who value freedom.

Sure, the freedom to dynamite a public building because someone changed your design. The ego of one architect is held to be more important than the shelter of hundreds of people. That´s like saying that Bill Gates has the inalienable right to write a virus to destroy every Windows PC in existence, just because the government required Microsoft to change some things in the code.

[Wraith]

--"Anyone else a fan? Or down to discuss/argue?"

I am. I'm a neo-Objectivist. However, you just set yourself up for a very harsh reception. Rand is pretty much hated by most of the members of this forum.

--"Was Ayn Rand hot?"

When she was younger.

Although I fail to see why this is important.

--" Take a look at their website."

It's broken without javascript. Not very impressive...

--"It is a philosophy for people who cannot accept that other people have value."

See, this is the kind of weird conclusions people get that I just don't understand. She quite definitely doesn't believe that, since there are a number of people with high value she places in Atlas Shrugged.

--"A person who maximises his own freedoms will neglect the freedoms of others."

I'd point out the whole "rational self-interest" thing again, but I do realize it's pointless to argue this here.

--"Sure, the freedom to dynamite a public building because someone changed your design."

Those were the terms of the deal up front. If you don't like it, don't sign.

Wraith
"A Classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say"
-- Italo Calvino