Martin Jenkins traces the life of a self-made woman.
https://philosophynow.org/issues/130/Ayn_Rand_1905-1982
Ayn Rand (1905-1982)
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Iwannaplato
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Re: Ayn Rand (1905-1982)
Let's look at two facets of Rand....Philosophy Now wrote: ↑Mon Dec 19, 2022 10:51 am Martin Jenkins traces the life of a self-made woman.
https://philosophynow.org/issues/130/Ayn_Rand_1905-1982
andHer heroes, however, show all the traits of a Nietzschean Übermensch. In particular, her capitalists are consistently tycoons, usually self-made, who own their own businesses and are not constrained by the ‘herd instinct’ of shareholders.
The problem with these two facets of Rand is that capitalism, for one, depends on the state in relation to contracts, and companies and 'self-made men' demand this of the state. They don't live in a world of handshakes and honor. They live in a world where they come up with contracts, that they damn well expect will be upheld, unless they themselves don't want to (anymore) or can't or in their own eyes are no longer obligated to. This is a vast state supported set of judicial and enforcement activities. And then of course property rights of all kinds.Rand accepted the need for some sort of state. She wrote against all forms of anarchism, including capitalist anarchism, and argued that a state was necessary in order to provide a framework of law and to protect its citizens against aggression, either from outside or from each other. However, beyond that she believed that the capitalist market/trader interaction was sufficient for a good society.
The second problem is that 'self-made' tycoons are always influencing the state to get policies - both foreign and domestic - and laws that that help their businesses. This can be anything from getting government to build them roads, for example, to the state going to war, to the state forcing other countries to do what the corporations want, to giving them contracts, to organizing cities for them not for the public.
All of these things get left out when certain portions of the right and really much of liberal capitalism talks about minimizing the state.
Re: Ayn Rand (1905-1982)
The gist of Ayn Rand.
Ego is God.
Therefore, you better not corrupt it.
Ego is God.
Therefore, you better not corrupt it.
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iambiguous
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Re: Ayn Rand (1905-1982)
For me it will always be the irony embedded at the heart and the soul of Objectivism that I will always come back to.
On the one hand, Rand was a fierce proponent of individualism. On the other hand, she would not tolerate anyone who did not think exactly as she did about almost everything.
In fact, I've always been curious as to whether or not she was ever confronted with that.
Anyone here familiar with such an encounter?
What would she say about it? What could she say about it? What should she say about it?
On the one hand, Rand was a fierce proponent of individualism. On the other hand, she would not tolerate anyone who did not think exactly as she did about almost everything.
In fact, I've always been curious as to whether or not she was ever confronted with that.
Anyone here familiar with such an encounter?
What would she say about it? What could she say about it? What should she say about it?
Re: Ayn Rand (1905-1982)
She would say that when everyone sincerely pursues their self-interest with minimal government interference, then the world is a better place. Why? Because it is in one's self interest to respect one's neighbor, until the neighbor's injustices cannot be changed. The neighbor is the government.
Thoreau's civil disobedience is consistent with this thought. It is a citizen's duty to question the government, and not be turned into a criminal for doing that. For instance, to question the results of an election is constitutional, not an attempt to overthrow the government as an act of treason. This is why the process for questioning an election, exists.
When the government's injustices caused by the corruption of politicians can't be tolerated, when what is given out of need is corrupted, then one does a Roark and blows up a project of his design (which he designed for free, because of his need) that is being corrupted, or else one shrugs like Gault and lets the world eat itself. Roark takes responsibility and defends his actions. Gault doesn't even deal with society. He steps away and forms his own society.
Of course, Rand wrote about the individual's resistance to corruption of science by committee.
Time has allowed for empirical evidence to scientifically verify her prescience, considering the tyrannical nature of big government that has taken deep root in the USofA.
Thoreau's civil disobedience is consistent with this thought. It is a citizen's duty to question the government, and not be turned into a criminal for doing that. For instance, to question the results of an election is constitutional, not an attempt to overthrow the government as an act of treason. This is why the process for questioning an election, exists.
When the government's injustices caused by the corruption of politicians can't be tolerated, when what is given out of need is corrupted, then one does a Roark and blows up a project of his design (which he designed for free, because of his need) that is being corrupted, or else one shrugs like Gault and lets the world eat itself. Roark takes responsibility and defends his actions. Gault doesn't even deal with society. He steps away and forms his own society.
Of course, Rand wrote about the individual's resistance to corruption of science by committee.
Time has allowed for empirical evidence to scientifically verify her prescience, considering the tyrannical nature of big government that has taken deep root in the USofA.