‘Atlas Shrugged’ – 50 years later. Short version: Rand was interesting, but her selfish-extreme ideal is no better than the Marxist selfless-extreme ideal. A balance is necessary.
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‘Atlas Shrugged’ – 50 years later. Short version: Rand was interesting, but her selfish-extreme ideal is no better than the Marxist selfless-extreme ideal. A balance is necessary.
I loathe this book for many reasons. I hate her artless, choppy writing. I hate her lack of finesse and abandonment of subtlety. I hate her philosophy. Of course, it doesn’t help that my college girlfriend was reading Rand when she unceremoniously dumped me.
Surprisingly, I didn’t hate The Fountainhead if only because I was interested in the descriptions of the architecture and the theory that she used Frank Lloyd Wright as a model. On the other hand, I cringe when I see that Atlas Shrugged is often listed as the second most influential book after the Bible and is often closely followed by The Fountainhead. I think her body of work does not deserve to be recognized in the canons of literature or philosophy.
Torp:
Don’t you think we have enough hate in this world? How can one hate a writing style? Which button does “Atlas Shrugged” push that produces your vitriol? Any ideas?
Curtis Plumb,
You wrote:
Ever tried any French post-structuralists? :)
I fail to see how “lack of subtlety” can be a problem. Clarity in writing is a virtue, not a vice.
Anyway, what in particular do you object to about Objectivism?
(full disclosure: I am an Objectivist)