11 January 2019

Ayn Rand

I am done with the monster of "we," the word of serfdom, of plunder, of misery, falsehood and shame.
And now I see the face of god, and I raise this god over the earth, this god whom men have sought since men came into being, this god who will grant them joy and peace and pride.
This god, this one word:
"I."
- Ayn Rand  [quote from intro to Will Storr's Selfie]


Ayn Rand.
Rand Paul is named after her.
Paul Ryan named her as his most influential philosopher.
My two cents? She didn't write philosophy. She wrote fiction. And you'd do much better basing policy on JK Rowling's fiction - even with its heavy reliance on magic - than hers. Soulless and selfish and apparently a big inspiration for more than a few of the libertarian persuasion. 

1 comment:

Jason said...

Rand Paul wasn't named after her. That question came up a bunch, both he and Ron denied it.

Libertarians do get a lot from Ayn Rand's story elements but I think her philosophical influence is at an all time low.