What is objectivism? If you'd asked me that question as a child, I could have trotted to the foyer of my father's home and referenced a framed quote by Rand that hung there like a cross. It read: "My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute." As a little kid I interpreted this to mean: Love yourself. Nowadays, Rand's bit is best summed up by the rapper Drake, who sang: "Imma do me."I think this hits the nail on the head. Overall, the philosophy is a justification for being selfish. Rand doesn't just say that you have to look out for yourself first, she makes it a moral failing to be altruistic. I have a hard time understanding how so many people who claim to be Christian can also claim to enjoy Rand's books. She wages jihad against all organized religion to undermine altruism and solidify her own philosophy of the goodness of selfishness. Maybe I've been brain washed by organized religion, but self-sacrifice for the benefit of others does strike me as virtuous. The concept that so many self-described Christians can wrap the ideas of their church and the ideas of Rand together seems like serious mental gymnastics. I think in the end they tie together their disdain for government, their faith in God and their belief in their own personal goodness. This causes them to believe that if they didn't have to pay taxes, they would help out the less-fortunate through their church and cut out some government waste too. I call shenanigans.
Dad wasn't always a Rand zealot. He was raised in a Catholic family and went to church every week. After he and my mother got married in 1982, they shopped around for a church. He was looking for something to live by, but he couldn't find it in traditional organized religion.
Then he discovered objectivism. I don't know exactly why he sparked to Rand. He claimed the philosophy appealed to him because it's based solely on logic. It also conveniently quenched his lawyer's thirst to always be right. It's not uncommon for people to seek out belief systems, whether political or spiritual, that make them feel good about how they already live their lives. Ultimately, I suspect Dad was drawn to objectivism because, unlike so many altruistic faiths, it made him feel good about being selfish.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Living an Objectivist Life
Alyssa Bereznak describes life with her Ayn Rand-obsessed father (h/t the Dish):
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As a 16 year old boy I loved Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, and objectivisim. Objectivism fit well with the tired cliche "God helps those who help themselves." As an adult I recenlty re-read Atlas Shrugged and started Fountainhead (but gave up, the writing isn't that good) and was stunned at the nasty nature of the main characters and the implications that women want to be raped to feel loved (I think Rand had issues with her sexuality and expressed those issues through violence.)
ReplyDeleteIf we lower taxes people will give/spend more, isn't that the gist of trickle down effect? If we keep helping (sacrificing) for the poor and indigent, they'll just keep being lazy, right?
I think you got to the root of it. Trickle-down economics and welfare-reform both have their premise linked to Objectivism. I agree about the bad writing and "interesting" sex. Last year I slogged through Atlas Shrugged and I intend to fight my way through The Fountainhead this summer, just so I can have knowledge of what other people find appealing about Rand. If Atlas Shrugged is her masterpiece, it may be a long summer.
ReplyDeleteI must say, the creepiest part of Atlas Shrugged was where she listed all the people who died on the train in the tunnel, and why they deserved to die, but the gold buggery in Galt's Gulch was close.