Ayn Rand's Influence on the 21st Century

a reply to: ketsuko

What if the Christian kid doesn't share his sammie - and the teacher sees that the other kid is hungry?

If I was that teacher - I would give that kid my sandwich - I'll tell you what

Thanks ketsuko - I think we've learned a lot today

:-)

a reply to: LDragonFire

The fact that Christians follow her message shows how little one knows Christ, but just claim a label, perhaps its glamorous to do so.

She was a very misguided person guiding millions of others off the morality cliff, IMO.

See...that's what I'm seeing. The Christians who-would-be-in-charge hold her up as an example - BUT, she despised religion.
Do the modern Conservative Right-Wing voters realize this?


Yeah, so, here is a proper link to The Ayn Rand Institute, where you all can take the courses I'm taking.

Right now I'm almost done with the beginner's course "Ayn Rand, The Critical Thinker." There are some things she says with which I can agree, but other things that make me think she's a disgusting, damaged (and damaging) sociopath.
Brilliant woman. Twisted.

There are dozens of other courses; for beginners, intermediates, advanced, etc. There's a forum and all that stuff too.

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

1st Samuel, Chapter 8...

8 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders.[a] 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.

4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.”

6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”

10 Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle[c] and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

www.biblegateway.com...

The Bible seems pretty Libertarian to me. I read the above and see "Earthly leaders making choices for you = BAD, personally choosing for yourself = GOOD." I also want to point out that this book, written 2,600 years ago, captured one hell of a window into the United States' liberal movement of today... particularly with the "Then we will be like all the other nations" How often have we seen our nation's legalized Ponzi scheme known as taxes complained about, only to have some *ahem* "enlightened" schlubb wade into the argument and defend the higher taxes or socialist bad idea by comparing the US to the rest of the world and stating that the US should normalize itself to be in line with them?

I spit on it all, to be blunt.

a reply to: LittleByLittle

To me she is a very confused unempathetic person with a hint of bad boy complex. She is the type that say narcissistic greed is good no matter the consequences and that people like Monsanto owners know what they are doing even while causing environmental disasters.

To me, too.

She seems that type, totally.

a reply to: ketsuko

I've never read any Rand.

I only know there is no charity when force is involved.

Close. But not quite.
You should, if you are so inclined, read at least ABOUT her, if not take the course(s) I linked to.

Yes, she says there is no charity when force is involved........
you are correct. She also says she doesn't give a rip about ANYONE ELSE, and that there is no moral obligation to do so.

Rand advocated reason as the only means of acquiring knowledge and rejected faith and religion.

She supported rational and ethical egoism, and rejected altruism. In politics, she condemned the initiation of force as immoral[3] and opposed collectivism and statism as well as anarchism, instead supporting laissez-faire capitalism, which she defined as the system based on recognizing individual rights.

Read that part twice, my friend. She's a deep thinker, and not easy to comprehend.
Ayn Rand

She's NOT someone I would expect to be your hero, ket.

a reply to: burdman30ott6

I spit on it all, to be blunt.

Okay ------ but....
what do you think about Ayn Rand?

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

Rand was right about some things and wrong about others. Like most of us. Maybe her words have been used by those in power as a guidebook but so have Brave New World and 1984. That may be comparing apples to oranges but it's close enough.

Look up Gen. Dan Sickles. Crazy story there. Some peoples stories are like that, a lot of good and a lot of bad. I don't hate Rand nor do I really like her writings, The Fountainhead aside as I did like that one.

As a Rush geek I do know a fair amount about the grief it can cause someone to "acknowledge" Rand as a influence. It's somewhat unfair to Rand(and a whole lot more to Rush but they survived and thrived, even) but I will agree she had some bad ideas. Just have to take them with the good and realize that Rand, like most of us, was flawed.

Aren't we all?

I just want the to be fair, is all. Like I said, her works mean little to me so I don't have a horse in this race.

a reply to: TheSpanishArcher

As a Rush geek I do know a fair amount about the grief it can cause someone to "acknowledge" Rand as a influence.

Are you talking about Rush Limbaugh?

originally posted by: BuzzyWigs
a reply to: burdman30ott6

I spit on it all, to be blunt.

Okay ------ but....
what do you think about Ayn Rand?

I think she was on the money in regards to federal meddling, taxation, warfaring, and welfare. I think she was wrong as hell on her opposition to national economic protectionism. I think her prediction of the US collapsing under the crushing weight of a mass who have refused personal responsibility while the government ensures they are provided for via the blood, sweat, and tears of those who take responsibility and actually work was extremely accurate. I would argue that she tracked fairly close to what I call "Social Darwinism," which is an ideal I strongly support and believe in where governments are concerned.

Her religious slants I have zero opinion about. It's 2015, if we refused to acknowledge the opinions of those with vastly different religious panderings than our own, jack squat would get done.

originally posted by: BuzzyWigs
Are you talking about Rush Limbaugh?

No, the Canadian rock band.

originally posted by: BuzzyWigs
a reply to: TheSpanishArcher

As a Rush geek I do know a fair amount about the grief it can cause someone to "acknowledge" Rand as a influence.

Are you talking about Rush Limbaugh?

Google "Neil Peart" and it will make sense.

a reply to: burdman30ott6

I admire all that you have said and wish I had said much of it myself! Bravo!

a reply to: burdman30ott6

She grew up in a Russia where an individual had no compelling reason to put forth more than the bare minimum of effort.

She was a product of the Bolshevik Revolution. Her middle-class family was a victim of the event.
She was pissed.

a reply to: burdman30ott6

Google "Neil Peart" and it will make sense.

The above quote followed by a "meh" emoji.


How about if you just explain it?? Or - nah......far be it from you to let us all know what you're talking about.....
whatever.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Thanks, Augustus......

I didn't know.

a reply to: burdman30ott6

Her religious slants I have zero opinion about. It's 2015, if we refused to acknowledge the opinions of those with vastly different religious panderings than our own, jack squat would get done.

Very true.
Kind of like the last 6.5 years.

Hence, the thread.
Thank you for your participation.

a reply to: BuzzyWigs


Sorry Buzz, I was being a wise ass (and it looks like Burdman too). He really did mean Rush Limbaugh.

Edit to add: Looks like Burdman wasn't, Neil Peart is actually and Objectivist.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Oh, okay fine.
You two carry on then.

Nice.

"Neal Peart"?
whatever.



Oh, okay then.
o_O

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus
a reply to: BuzzyWigs


Sorry Buzz, I was being a wise ass (and it looks like Burdman too). He really did mean Rush Limbaugh.

Edit to add: Looks like Burdman wasn't, Neil Peart is actually and Objectivist.

No, I honestly don't believe he did. Neil Peart, Rush's drummer was a big supporter of Rand's ideal at one time. He took a lot of grief from people over that before eventually recanting and claiming to be a more "humane" libertarian.

originally posted by: BuzzyWigs
"Neal Peart"?
whatever.

Who knew? I thought we were both making the same silly joke but Burdman obviously does not have a sense of humor.

He was being serial.