Friday, March 28, 2008
book
I'm reading Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand. It's a good story but her writing is a bit stiff. I guess I can't blame her since it's from the 50's and all. I hadn't really expected to completely agree with Shrugged's premises. I find that I can't help it, though. Turns out that my (somewhat) longstanding theory about the very modern and very scary inability to accept personal responsibility being the prime factor in most of our nation's problems ties in quite nicely with the book's theme. Besides, a lot it just makes sense, shaky plot devices aside. A certain monologue on the nature of money was especially brilliant, in my opinion. Has anyone else read any Ayn Rand, and do any of them care to comment on her ideas? Does anyone else think they're becoming increasingly relevant in society? Juuust wondering.
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3 comments:
oh! i forgot to give you atlas shrugged to read that one time you were in our room.
but that's funny, b/c jae and i briefly discussed ayn rand today.
i've only read anthem and the fountainhead a couple years ago. but i enjoyed the read as well as the ideas. talk to josue, he disagrees with her philosophies.
I read Anthem last year. I don't really care for Ayn Rand's style of writing, but I think the ideas in Anthem were really fascinating. It was just okay, though, overall.
i read atlas shrugged
and by the monologue are you talking about John Galt's speech because that was soooo long
anyways Rand is all well and good but unrealistic. She plays on a lot of extremes. Her characters such as dagny and rearden seem emotionless but are heroes because they value their work and the money that comes from it as the sole purpose in life. The statements she makes in the book are very "badnwagon-y" because they makre you want to believe in it. Also her portrayal of everyone else as a moocher or leecher makes you hate them, Facing the facts its hard though because that is how society is, and honestly i dont see her society being better. Her plotline undoubtedly kills a lot of the general population and doesnt seem to care about it either because they are deemed as "moochers." She creates a class system. All in all its very darwinian and if humans still followed darwinian thought maybe rand would be right.
But darwin isnt the case anymore humanity no longer evolves to suit the enviroment we change the enviroment to suit us.
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