erraticwisdom

I originally began reading Ayn Rand’s works to compete in the annual writing scholarships, but I quickly became fascinated with her philosophy and its stunning delivery.

Her philosophy of objectivism is on of the most radical in the era that prizes the human ego and selfishness. It is an interesting attack on the “accepted” moral judgments, but the actually worth of her writing may be too heavily tainted by her past to be compelling.

Ayn Rand was born in the early 20^th century in St. Petersburg, Russia and experience the Bolshevik Revolution while in high school. The influence of her childhood under communist rule is evident throughout her works and explains her somewhat extreme beliefs.

Atlas Shrugged is described as Rand’s masterpiece; the culmination of her philosophy in a powerful fiction novel. The book describes an industrialized America (no particular period) where the country is in grave danger because of the mysterious disappearance of the nations leading entrepreneurs and industrialists.

Its theme is: the role of the mind in man’s existence—and, as a corollary, the demonstration of a new moral philosophy: the morality of rational self-interest. – Ayn Rand

This quote is Rand’s description of the novel and illustrates the simplicity of the message portrayed. Although her philosophy is questionable, its origin is traceable and understandable. The root of Rand’s philosophy (fears) was in the Communist Revolution. Her strong insistence on individuality comes from the collectivism of communist theory. Although this theory of uniqueness is present in everyone, it was Rand’s brush with a society that discourages distinction that made her guard this aspect so deeply.

The “corollary” of Rand’s description about Atlas Shrugged is about the morality of self-interest. This is another aspect of her philosophy that is obviously a result of her past. I will use a similar quote from the novel itself to better describe the origin of this aspect of her philosophy.

I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.

This quote again shows the great impact of Rand’s past on her philosophy because she resents giving “alms” to those who do not earn it. This is a basic principle of communist theory in that those who are capable may at some time be working to support less able citizens. In her intense desire to separate herself from her past, Rand assumed that giving to others would mean loosing her prized individuality, but the opposite is true. When we give our time or effort we do not lose ourselves because giving is a task as important to a society as the entrepreneurs. The industrials in Atlas Shrugged such as Dagny Taggart gave their entire lives to the machinery that powered the country while still protecting and maintaining their individuality.

The writing itself is beautiful; every aspect of the novel seems to fit perfectly, from the gorgeous words to the natural dialogue and eloquent speeches. However, the attractive nature of her writing can be justified by her own philosophy which dictates that her personal, monetary profit is one of her biggest goals. Therefore, a beautifully written, controversial novel would certainly help to achieve this end. This part of her philosophy gives rise to many other questions including the merit of the remainder of her ideas. In the same way that the industrialists are selling products, Rand is selling the product of her mind for her own profit. If Rand did not want to publicize her ideas other than to make money through book sales, what is the purpose of debating her philosophy?

Another point reiterated throughout the novel is about the uselessness of charity. Compassion, sympathy, and working for the common good are all seen as products of human weakness, but I believe that the opposite is true. It is Rand who is showing the weakness by not believing that she can make a difference. Even while glorifying the superhuman individuals, she ridicules another character (an industrialist’s brother) that is collecting money for a charity. If Rand truly believed in the power of an individual mind, all of the industrialists would become amazing givers, organizing the biggest and most superlative walk-a-thons in history. Rand is so bent against giving in all forms that she neglects to notice that charity can be a viable investment if one has to look at it from an entrepreneurial standpoint.

Also, the very premise of the novel is a testament to the weakness of the Prime Movers (describing the leading industrialists). The best minds in the country go on strike, abandoning their prized businesses and leaving to a utopia of intelligence because of a few regulations set by the government. Rather than applying their brilliance to a new medium of politics, the Prime Movers decide to leave the country to die and then spread their utopia into the remainder of the country. However, Rand’s writing is so convincing and realistic that the reader finds themselves ridiculing the childish thoughts of charity and angered at the unjust laws that are passed limiting the extent that railroads can gouge prices.

Rand understood that her ideas would be fairly unpopular, and therefore used a variety of methods to present them in a more positive environment that would not make them seem as radical. The quote found on the last page illustrates how Rand was able to make altruism seem to be the peak of human weakness. In terms of the structure of the excerpt, Rand adjust different parts of the dialogue to show the relative security of the characters. By maintaining Rearden’s point-of-view, Rand prevents the reader from getting the other perspective that could weaken her argument. This is a big departure from the ancient philosophers who welcomed opposing point-of-views to strengthen their arguments. Also, the syntax that is applied to each character helps make her views seem more powerful. For example, the numerous ellipses in Philip’s dialogue indicate hesitancy, as if he is unsure of his ideas. On the other hand, Rearden’s dialogue is comfortable and strong. The multiple separating dashes indicate motion, which is a major theme in the novel. I think that this motif of movement with the Prime Movers was one of the most important in making Rand’s ideas more attractive. The entrepreneurs are given a glorious speed as opposed to the “looters” who want to halt the entire nation to prevent the rapid recession. This attractive illusion of motion is best illustrated in the character of John Galt who embodies the perfection of Rand’s ideals. Galt is described as the essence of motion and is completely flawless. He is the inventor of a motor that converts the static energy found in the air into electricity. By combining the idea of motion with the perfection of John Galt and other Prime Movers, Rand was able to make movement an attractive idea to the reader. However, this by itself does little to convince the reader of the validity of her philosophy. She uses the connection she made to apply her philosophy into the area that was accepted as appealing by the reader. In the example described above, Rand applies purpose to movement by using the connection of a motive force¹ ; thus all of the Prime Movers had a purpose while the regular citizens did not.

Despite the brilliant writing and deceiving tactics, Atlas Shrugged is little more than a catharsis: a personal Red Scare for an author who witnessed the tragic loss of the human mind. However, it is disappointing (and ironic) that Rand did not take a more objectivist² approach to her philosophy.

¹ motion = motive force = motive = purpose

² ob•jec•tiv•ism

1. An emphasis on objects rather than feelings or thoughts in literature or art.
2. Philosophy. One of several doctrines holding that all reality is objective and external to the mind and that knowledge is reliably based on observed objects and events.