User Avatar
Dansariki Higher Spirit
Having now read Ayn Rand's three most well-known works, Anthem, The Fountainhead, and Atlas Shrugged, I think it appropriate if there was a topic dedicated to her and her works.
For those who don't know, Ayn Rand was principally a writer and philosopher, and I really like her works.

So, what's everybody think about those three, those who have read any of them?
Knowledge is Power, Power Corrupts, and Corruption Destroys.

Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome.
~Isaac Asimov
There was never a good war, or a bad peace.
~Benjamin Franklin
You can kill a man but you can't kill an idea.
~Medgar Evers

CaffeineRiot.com
Apparently Bioshock has strong echoes of Atlas Shrugged, and I like Bioshock
sentynel is gay
User Avatar
Nero Higher Spirit
Dansariki wrote: Having now read Ayn Rand's three most well-known works, Anthem, The Fountainhead, and Atlas Shrugged, I think it appropriate if there was a topic dedicated to her and her works.
For those who don't know, Ayn Rand was principally a writer and philosopher, and I really like her works.

So, what's everybody think about those three, those who have read any of them?
I only read The Fountainhead, as you know already.

But Atlas Shrugged is Ayn Rand's magnum opus. Apparently the discussions are only used for a philosophy argument. Or something like that. And the male protagonist, dunno his name, has a speech 34 pages long.....

The book itself is over 1400 pages.

(BTW, why isn't Ayn Rand linked? =P )

Edit: DC, apparently Atlas Shrugged has been one of the most influential novels of all times, and is in the top five in books that of most influenced one's life, along side the Bible.
User Avatar
Sentynel One with The Other Place
admin
I disagree completely with her philosophy, as I'm sure you know.
Sentynel - Head Ninja, Admin, Keeper of the Ban Afrit, Official Forum Graphics Guy, and forum code debugger.
A still more glorious dawn awaits, not a sunrise, but a galaxy rise, a morning filled with 400 billion suns - the rising of the Milky Way
User Avatar
Dansariki Higher Spirit
yeah that wasn't exactly too hard to figure out..
The name url lookin for would be john galt.
An entire chapter is devoted got the speech.
Sun rand is pretty much the antithesis of communism, and if you get to read either amthem or atlas shrugged it quickly bcomes apparent.
Knowledge is Power, Power Corrupts, and Corruption Destroys.

Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome.
~Isaac Asimov
There was never a good war, or a bad peace.
~Benjamin Franklin
You can kill a man but you can't kill an idea.
~Medgar Evers

CaffeineRiot.com
User Avatar
Post Higher Spirit
*Frown*

The characters are all Political strawmen, every last one of them.

As for her philosophy, I agree to an extent. I hate her economics, through.

Objectivism and Communism have quite a bit in common, they both say that reality is totally external, they both support the Scientific Method, they both reject god. Its their economics and final world view thats at odds.
Shame of the Super Son
User Avatar
Dansariki Higher Spirit
I agree with it to an extent as well...
The more I learn about myself, the more I find similarities, but I care to much for the person I love to not live for them...
Kind of a major tenent.
Ah well.
I see Objectivism almost as Capitalism Economics, American-ish world view, mixed in with Communist disdain for the supernatural.
Knowledge is Power, Power Corrupts, and Corruption Destroys.

Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome.
~Isaac Asimov
There was never a good war, or a bad peace.
~Benjamin Franklin
You can kill a man but you can't kill an idea.
~Medgar Evers

CaffeineRiot.com
User Avatar
Post Higher Spirit
Science detests the supernatural.

Shame of the Super Son
User Avatar
Dansariki Higher Spirit
Being logical and athiest, I support that thesis.
Knowledge is Power, Power Corrupts, and Corruption Destroys.

Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome.
~Isaac Asimov
There was never a good war, or a bad peace.
~Benjamin Franklin
You can kill a man but you can't kill an idea.
~Medgar Evers

CaffeineRiot.com
User Avatar
Mwamba Higher Spirit
Read Anthem. I was intrigued and I liked it despite the slight douchebaggery of the protagonist. Fountainhead I tried to read and turned back into the library without finishing. (I skimmed through Rorak's epic speech towards the end though so I got the main gist of it anyway.)

Anyway, the main reason I'm posting in the topic is for this epic win Amazon review:

THE MOUNTAINHEAD (a parody) Chapter 1 Howard Rock pulled himself to the summit. He was the first to climb Mount Everst. Or was he? There was flag planted at the summit. And that flag belonged to Peter Cheating! Rock's attention was diverted by a growing whirlwind. The heavens parted and Rock hafl expected a repentant God to offer an explanation. Instead, he saw a helicopter. A rope ladder was lowered and he saw a shapely pair of legs desend. Rock would recognize those legs anywhere: he pried them open once before.l "Hello, Rock," Domino said, now joining him at the summit. "Too bad Peter was here first." Rock did not reply. "If it means anything to you, Peter didn't climb Everst; he took a helicpoter. Rock smiled. He knew Cheating was no mountain climber. Cheating and his ilk would never be more than mere social climbers. "But the credit will go to Peter," Domino said. Rock said not a word. What did her care for the recognition of fools and humanitarians? "Anyway, Howard, I just wanted to let you know that I'm filing rape charges against you. I might have enjoyed it, but it was still rape." Rock said not a word. There was only one person who could have put such dangerous ideas in Domino's head, and it wasn't Susan Brownemiller. "Fooey will represent me," Domino said. Of course, Hellsworth Fooey! Fooey, a humanitarian plotting to destroy the world through la ethal injection charity. Fooey would start with a soup kitchen and wouldn't stop until he had housed all the world's poor. "You'll spend a few years in jail," Domino was saying. "You can use the time to study and get a real job." Yes, that's exactly what he would do. Cheating had beaten him to the top of the highest mountain, but he - Rock - would build and scale the world's highest building. Chapter 2 Five years later, Rock's plans were complete. There was a knock on the door. Rock knew it was Domino. "Hello, Howard," she said. "I'm sorry I didn't visit, but the slammer is such a depressing place. Are these your plans? Why, I'm flattered, it looks just like a domino." "It will be the world's tallest building," Rock said. At thirty thousand feet, it will be taller than any mountain. I'll be the first to climb it." "But Peter will beat you; hel'll take the elevator." "There will be no elevators." "Then he'll take the stairs." "There will be no stairs." Domino was struck with awe. She was in the presence of no mere ordinary date rapist; Rock was a man who could stick it to the world. "But, Howard, don't you think it will be hard to get financial backing for a building without elevators and stairs?" "Fooey has arranged everything," Rock said. Chapter 3 Howard Rock looked skyward. His building, Mount Neverest, was complete. He, Rock, had refused to pander to softed-hearted philanthropists and hard-headed corporatists alike. Only true mountain climbers would scale his building. Let social climbers like Peter Cheating design buidling with stairs and elevators. Why word had it that Cheating had included wheel chair ramps in his last building! "So, Howard, we've finally done it," Fooey said. "Where is your climbing gear.?" Rock looked at his feet. Fooey understood: Rock would pull himself by his own bootstraps. Chapter 4 Rock toiled for forty days and forty nights. Why mounting Domono hadn't caused him half so much trouble! Finally, he pulled himself to the top. And there, fluttering in the wind, as though laughing at him, was the flag of Peter Cheating. But how!? "What's the matter, Howard?" Rock turned. It was Hellsworth Fooey. "I took the elevator," Fooey explained. He smiled and added, "I'd like you to meet some of my friends. Fooey opened the door and a procession of wheel chair bound invalids rolled out onto the roof. Hellsworth was in his glory. "Express elevators, local elevators, escalators, emergency stairwells. All the creature comforts a degenerate public and a unionized work force could ask for. Rock said not a word. He knew what he had to do. Chapter 5 "The People rests," Fooey said. He had presented an ironclad case. Howard Rock had, with malice and forethought, firebombed Mount Neverest, killing three hundred children in the day care center. Rock did not deny the charges. "If you wish to apply the letter of the law, I am guilty," he said. "But I appeal to a higher authority. Mount Neverest was an affront to artistic integrity. Elevators and stairs and worst of all, priority parking for the handicapped!" Rock continued on for another three hundred pages, after which he said not a word. Chapter 6 Has the jury reached a verdict?" the judge asked. "We have your honor. We find the author, Ayn Rand, guilty of wooden language, cardboard characters and contrived plotting. Worse, we find her guilty of foisting her infantile philosophy upon us. Any Rand said not a word, but fourteen years later replied with fifteen hundred pages of nonsense.
流口水的婊子和猴子的笨儿子。
User Avatar
Sentynel One with The Other Place
admin
I suppose it's appropriate that I skipped to the end of that review after reading a few lines...
Sentynel - Head Ninja, Admin, Keeper of the Ban Afrit, Official Forum Graphics Guy, and forum code debugger.
A still more glorious dawn awaits, not a sunrise, but a galaxy rise, a morning filled with 400 billion suns - the rising of the Milky Way
User Avatar
Nero Higher Spirit
Sentynel wrote:I suppose it's appropriate that I skipped to the end of that review after reading a few lines...
And Plus

I'm reading the Beast of the three novels about Objectivism: Atlas Shrugged.

Where are you Mwamba on the Political Compass?
User Avatar
Mwamba Higher Spirit
Sentynel wrote:I suppose it's appropriate that I skipped to the end of that review after reading a few lines...
Can't believe you of all people are making a TL;DR post... -_-


Economic Left/Right: -0.25
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -4.46

The authoritarian stance is the same since I last took it. The economic has went to the right, which I think pretty accurately reflects my currently uncertain view.
流口水的婊子和猴子的笨儿子。
User Avatar
Nero Higher Spirit
Mwamba wrote:Anyway, the main reason I'm posting in the topic is for this epic win Amazon review:

THE MOUNTAINHEAD (a parody) Chapter 1 Howard Rock pulled himself to the summit. He was the first to climb Mount Everst. Or was he? There was flag planted at the summit. And that flag belonged to Peter Cheating! Rock's attention was diverted by a growing whirlwind. The heavens parted and Rock hafl expected a repentant God to offer an explanation. Instead, he saw a helicopter. A rope ladder was lowered and he saw a shapely pair of legs desend. Rock would recognize those legs anywhere: he pried them open once before.l "Hello, Rock," Domino said, now joining him at the summit. "Too bad Peter was here first." Rock did not reply. "If it means anything to you, Peter didn't climb Everst; he took a helicpoter. Rock smiled. He knew Cheating was no mountain climber. Cheating and his ilk would never be more than mere social climbers. "But the credit will go to Peter," Domino said. Rock said not a word. What did her care for the recognition of fools and humanitarians? "Anyway, Howard, I just wanted to let you know that I'm filing rape charges against you. I might have enjoyed it, but it was still rape." Rock said not a word. There was only one person who could have put such dangerous ideas in Domino's head, and it wasn't Susan Brownemiller. "Fooey will represent me," Domino said. Of course, Hellsworth Fooey! Fooey, a humanitarian plotting to destroy the world through la ethal injection charity. Fooey would start with a soup kitchen and wouldn't stop until he had housed all the world's poor. "You'll spend a few years in jail," Domino was saying. "You can use the time to study and get a real job." Yes, that's exactly what he would do. Cheating had beaten him to the top of the highest mountain, but he - Rock - would build and scale the world's highest building. Chapter 2 Five years later, Rock's plans were complete. There was a knock on the door. Rock knew it was Domino. "Hello, Howard," she said. "I'm sorry I didn't visit, but the slammer is such a depressing place. Are these your plans? Why, I'm flattered, it looks just like a domino." "It will be the world's tallest building," Rock said. At thirty thousand feet, it will be taller than any mountain. I'll be the first to climb it." "But Peter will beat you; hel'll take the elevator." "There will be no elevators." "Then he'll take the stairs." "There will be no stairs." Domino was struck with awe. She was in the presence of no mere ordinary date rapist; Rock was a man who could stick it to the world. "But, Howard, don't you think it will be hard to get financial backing for a building without elevators and stairs?" "Fooey has arranged everything," Rock said. Chapter 3 Howard Rock looked skyward. His building, Mount Neverest, was complete. He, Rock, had refused to pander to softed-hearted philanthropists and hard-headed corporatists alike. Only true mountain climbers would scale his building. Let social climbers like Peter Cheating design buidling with stairs and elevators. Why word had it that Cheating had included wheel chair ramps in his last building! "So, Howard, we've finally done it," Fooey said. "Where is your climbing gear.?" Rock looked at his feet. Fooey understood: Rock would pull himself by his own bootstraps. Chapter 4 Rock toiled for forty days and forty nights. Why mounting Domono hadn't caused him half so much trouble! Finally, he pulled himself to the top. And there, fluttering in the wind, as though laughing at him, was the flag of Peter Cheating. But how!? "What's the matter, Howard?" Rock turned. It was Hellsworth Fooey. "I took the elevator," Fooey explained. He smiled and added, "I'd like you to meet some of my friends. Fooey opened the door and a procession of wheel chair bound invalids rolled out onto the roof. Hellsworth was in his glory. "Express elevators, local elevators, escalators, emergency stairwells. All the creature comforts a degenerate public and a unionized work force could ask for. Rock said not a word. He knew what he had to do. Chapter 5 "The People rests," Fooey said. He had presented an ironclad case. Howard Rock had, with malice and forethought, firebombed Mount Neverest, killing three hundred children in the day care center. Rock did not deny the charges. "If you wish to apply the letter of the law, I am guilty," he said. "But I appeal to a higher authority. Mount Neverest was an affront to artistic integrity. Elevators and stairs and worst of all, priority parking for the handicapped!" Rock continued on for another three hundred pages, after which he said not a word. Chapter 6 Has the jury reached a verdict?" the judge asked. "We have your honor. We find the author, Ayn Rand, guilty of wooden language, cardboard characters and contrived plotting. Worse, we find her guilty of foisting her infantile philosophy upon us. Any Rand said not a word, but fourteen years later replied with fifteen hundred pages of nonsense.
...

I finally got around to reading that beast.

Interesting.

That is all.
User Avatar
Mwamba Higher Spirit
You're put off by long reading and yet you're reading Atlas Shrugged? What edition do you have? The Sparknotes summary? :P
流口水的婊子和猴子的笨儿子。
User Avatar
Nero Higher Spirit
Mwamba wrote:You're put off by long reading and yet you're reading Atlas Shrugged? What edition do you have? The Sparknotes summary? :P
The Penguin edition.

User Avatar
Dansariki Higher Spirit
My copies of AS, TF, and Anthem are all the Century Editions.
Knowledge is Power, Power Corrupts, and Corruption Destroys.

Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome.
~Isaac Asimov
There was never a good war, or a bad peace.
~Benjamin Franklin
You can kill a man but you can't kill an idea.
~Medgar Evers

CaffeineRiot.com
I tried reading the Fountainhead a few weeks ago. I finished the first five pages, then gave up.


FOUNDER OF THE SAM THE BARMAN FANCLUB: QUOTE IN YOUR SIG TO JOIN
User Avatar
Nero Higher Spirit
FuzzyLobster wrote:I tried reading the Fountainhead a few weeks ago. I finished the first five pages, then gave up.
o.O
User Avatar
Dansariki Higher Spirit
Wow.
Why?
Oh, and a kid I met this week has read Anthem and The Fountainhead.
Yay.
Knowledge is Power, Power Corrupts, and Corruption Destroys.

Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome.
~Isaac Asimov
There was never a good war, or a bad peace.
~Benjamin Franklin
You can kill a man but you can't kill an idea.
~Medgar Evers

CaffeineRiot.com

Add Reply