Ragnar
<--- Pic is not me
What Liberals Don
Most often, here at USMB and on the internet in general, leftist confuse Ayn Rand the woman with the philosophy of Objectivism or the ideals of her fictional characters. They forget, or pretend too, that one may be pro-Socrates and anti-suicide. One may pick and choose ideas and arguments for the pre-insane Nietzsche without making the false assumption that German philosophy necessarily leads to Nazism. Indeed, one may even support many aspects of President Clinton while still despising Clinton the woman abusing letch.
It is a great mistake to dismiss out of hand, arguably the greatest philosopher of the 20th century. Especially when the Left is such dire need of modern intellectuals on their own side. Probably the best thing the Left could do for itself these days would be to pick up a copy of Philosophy: Who Needs It or Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal and attempt to dispute it.
Good luck with that.
Rand extolled selfishness, but not quite in its common meaning. (To some extent, she was using the now-familiar confrontational tactic of turning a slur against a stigmatized groupin this case, true individualistsinto a badge of pride.)
...
To Rand, being selfish meant being true to oneself, neither sacrificing ones own desires nor trampling on others. Likewise, Rands stance against altruism was not an assault on compassion so much as a critique of doctrines that subordinate the individual to a collectivestate, church, community, or family.
...
Rands anti-altruism tirades often turn their target into a straw man, but she is right that the knee-jerk habit of treating altruistic goals as noble has aided evilfor instance, blinding well-meaning Westerners to communisms monstrosity. When pundits alarmed by Rand-style individualism scoff at the myth of individual autonomy, we should remember that this myth gave us freedom and human rights, and unleashed creative energies that raised humanitys welfare to once-unthinkable levels. Rands work offers a powerful defense of freedoms moral foundationand a perceptive analysis of the kinship between progressive and traditionalist anti-freedom ideologies.
Rand is best viewed as a brilliant maverick. But there are reasons this woman attracted hordes of followers, influenced many others, and impressed smart people from journalist Mike Wallace to philosopher John Hospers. Those who treat Rand as a liberal bogeyman will forever be blindsided by her appeal.
Most often, here at USMB and on the internet in general, leftist confuse Ayn Rand the woman with the philosophy of Objectivism or the ideals of her fictional characters. They forget, or pretend too, that one may be pro-Socrates and anti-suicide. One may pick and choose ideas and arguments for the pre-insane Nietzsche without making the false assumption that German philosophy necessarily leads to Nazism. Indeed, one may even support many aspects of President Clinton while still despising Clinton the woman abusing letch.
It is a great mistake to dismiss out of hand, arguably the greatest philosopher of the 20th century. Especially when the Left is such dire need of modern intellectuals on their own side. Probably the best thing the Left could do for itself these days would be to pick up a copy of Philosophy: Who Needs It or Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal and attempt to dispute it.
Good luck with that.