(OR, One more déjà vu in the story of Ayn’s “Objectivism”) Did you know that by Ayn Rand’s own admission, her “Objectivist” philosophy was born in her mind at the age of 2½ and remained essentially unchanged for the rest of her life?1 (Oh! those terrible twos! as they say.) She claimed “Objectivism” was a […]
“In 1991, a survey conducted for the Library of Congress and the Book-of-the-Month Club asked club members what the most influential book in the respondent’s life was. Rand’s Atlas Shrugged was the second most popular choice, after the Bible.”1 This blog post is written for those who claim to believe in both. John Galt: The
Comparatively Speaking Read More »
2nd in a series of “Who is … ?” posts in exploration of: 1) the “Who is John Galt?” question posed in Ayn’s 1957 novel, Atlas Shrugged; and2) the Paul Ryan/Rand mysteries. This question “Who is John Galt?” is posed 33 times in Ayn Rand’s novel, Atlas Shrugged. Here are some suggested answers. John Galt
In Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, comprising 890 pages,[1] there are 4,105 uses of “as”, including 1,213 uses of “as if”; and 1,406 of “like.” Take any page at random and one will likely find “as if” upon “as if”; “like” upon “like”; and other such elaborations. The first page of the first chapter gives notice
1st in a series of “Who is … ?” posts in exploration of: 1) the “Who is John Galt?” question posed in Ayn’s 1957 novel, Atlas Shrugged; and 2) the Paul Ryan/Rand mysteries. So to the question: “Who is [Ayn Rand]?” □ a real, historical figure (1905-1982) who named her subjectivist theories, Objectivism? □ a
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During this year 2012 (which marks the 30th anniversary of the death of Ayn Rand), I have been re-reading Atlas Shrugged.[1] Besides doing a little Ayn-alysing,[2] I have been struck by the inadvertent symbolism of her $-sign on a cigarette butt. That symbol has proven profoundly apt for those devoted above all things to self-direction,
Inadvertent Symbolism? Read More »
(or The Toxic Fallout from Ayn & Uncle Miltie) Posted in observance of April [etc.] Fool’s Day Here are a few quotes from Boomerang by Michael Lewis—a déjà vu of “what you sow is what you reap [eventually**]”: “They created fake capital by trading assets amongst themselves at inflated values, … This was how the banks
A Series of Massive Delusions* Read More »