Education should involve opening your mind!
Of course you disagree with some of what Ayn Rand wrote or spoke. If you didn't, you would be unnecessary.
Unless your natural joy of discovery was destroyed by compulsory schooling, you will still find a great deal in Rand's works to challenge you. Isn't that one reason honest people read good literature, to open our minds? If that has not been you; here is a chance to take back your life.
That does not mean we have to agree. In fact there are some things Ayn Rand said, which some Objectivists follow unquestioningly, that I find absurd. I still read and think about her ideas - I might be the one that is wrong and absurd.
That said, there is much in Ayn Rand's philosophy that rings true when honestly considered.
If you are too shallow to consider well thought out ideas that disagree with your cultural indoctrination; go somewhere else. I'm sure there is an approved school, magazine, blog, or news program close to hand. They will soothingly tell you what to believe and confirm your social programing.
Contents at a Glance
- Atlas Shrugged Book Review - Ayn Rand at her most persuasive.
- Had you heard about Ayn Rand before now?
- What can Ayn Rand teach us about ourselves?
a favorite Ayn Rand Quote
"Every man is free to rise as far as he's able or willing, but the degree to which he thinks determines the degree to which he'll rise"
Atlas Shrugged Book Review - Ayn Rand at her most persuasive.
"The hardest thing to explain is the glaringly evident which everybody had decided not to see." - Ayn Rand
It is the concepts presented within the tangled relationships that will challenge you, the relationships themselves are just entertaining transitions between ideas.
This is a great book, loved by many, denounced by others. Many of those that reject Ayn Rand's ideas are ones she first denounced as looters and moochers.
What you may discover is that some of the characters make you uncomfortable; their strong views will be contrary to much you have been taught to accept. Consider the issues, as Ayn Rand said:
"There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil."
Ayn Rand
Atlas Shrugged
Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 12/05/2009)
Atlas Shrugged is well worth a quick read; followed by a slow, careful read. An honest first read's effort is not to accept or reject, but to understand. There are many powerful concepts put forth within this rather large volume, many of them may be new to you.
If you are seeking wisdom and understanding by challenging a limited world view, this book is a challenge worth accepting.
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Had you heard about Ayn Rand before now?
Did you have a preconceived notion of her?
What can Ayn Rand teach us about ourselves?
Even a mind like a steel trap can get rusted shut.
"Throughout the centuries there were men who took first steps, down new roads, armed with nothing but their own vision."Ayn Rand
To live a full life, we have to consider the full spectrum of human thought. Once past the narrow confines of our culturally imposed ideas we can blossom like a replanted, root bound rose.
"The truth is not for all men, but only for those who seek it."
Ayn Rand
Life is too interesting, and too valuable, to be bound by antiquated concepts.
"The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me."
Ayn Rand
Think
Don't follow.
"People create their own questions because they are afraid to look straight. All you have to do is look straight and see the road, and when you see it, don't sit looking at it - walk."
Ayn Rand
By challenging the special interests of self serving leaders Ayn Rand found many willing enemies.
Often the quality of our ideas can be judged by the quality of the people that despise them.
Our own self interest should inspire us to get as wide a view of the world as possible. Developing ourselves is a first priority.
"The only purpose of education is to teach a student how to live his life-by developing his mind and equipping him to deal with reality. The training he needs is theoretical, i.e., conceptual. He has to be taught to think, to understand, to integrate, to prove. He has to be taught the essentials of the knowledge discovered in the past-and he has to be equipped to acquire further knowledge by his own effort."
Ayn Rand
Is Ayn Rand a Superhero?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byYes, she offers another chance to develop my understanding
carveawoodeneye says:
man is heroic, and her ethics values and judgements are stunning. she is an atheist! i am a student of objectivism. i have the highest level of admiration for this woman.
Posted August 23, 2009
Pat says:
Absolutely. I happen to agree with many ideas proposed in her writing but even if I didn't I would feel the same. Mankind only progresses when someone has the courage to stir things up a bit.
Posted February 08, 2009
BFuniv.com says:
Gary, I would hesitate to ascribe a belief to anyone, including Jesse Ventura or Ayn Rand, without having read it, by them, in context. Even then I would check when it was written, as intelligent and independent thinkers are willing to change their views as more information presents itself. You just did that in reference to the Rand corp. information.
I think Jesse describes himself as an independent, although he may have much in common with some Libertarians, in what is a broadly encompassing party. It seems unlikely Ayn Rand would have aligned herself with him, or them.
"I don't like labels, they are too convenient a way to mentally sort, file, and then ignore new information." - Allan Wallace
Posted January 21, 2009
BFuniv.com says:
Gary, Thank you for writing. I looked up Rand Corp having not heard this accusation before. It does not appear to be named for or associated with Ayn Rand; the name is an acronym for Research And Development.
I believe Ayn Rand would have deplored the Neocons as much as she would have hated to see the state our nation is in due to both the Republican and Democratic parties.
Posted January 20, 2009
Reggie_Marigold says:
"Anthem" and "The Virtue of Selfishness" are two books that I enjoyed the most. At least when I was younger. I'd need to read everything again to see if I still think the same. Not sure if I'd use the word Superhero. She is thought provoking and even if you walk away with just one idea...one concept...one change in your life...and all the while retain your curiousity of the world...
can any philospher ask for more?
Posted October 27, 2008
april415 says:
As much as Ann Rand embodied the Free and Rational being , that Beautiful and self-sufficient, she is a superhero
Posted October 15, 2008
Frank Shead says:
I believe I was reading Ayn Rand at 20 and followed by Atlas Shrugged.
I have read all her books and she rates Yes! Yes! a five Plus ******
Posted July 31, 2008
ChrisLloyd says:
I'm not sure what superhero means, but she greatly affected my life. I also notice that many people who don't like her don't even understand her philosophy and accuse her of things she didn't say
Posted July 16, 2008
Spook says:
I named my first born daughter Dagny, after the character in Atlas Shrugged, whilst she wasn't in her league, she did play tennis and hockey for zimbabwe schools and has just passed her degree here in Ireland. Ayn Rand had the right ideas, but was trying to live in an idealistic world, still would class her as a hero
Posted July 11, 2008
NO! I'll tell you why ...
knifecatcher says:
I doubt Ayn Rand would appreciate this moniker. Based on my understanding of her philosophy, she would think hero worship a sign of mental weakness. Just my opinion. I could be wrong.
Posted March 17, 2009
pyngthyngs says:
Because I have yet to read any of her literature. Although, I have been meaning to for years. Thanks for this lens and the reminder of why so many do think she is a superhero. I'll let you know when I do read Atlas Shrugged, if I am ready to say yes (I'm pretty sure I will be :)).
Posted March 08, 2009
TTGCreations says:
She was a philosopher, not a superhero. What she did accomplish was to get people thinking about their belief systems and force them to re-examine their own moral precepts.
Posted February 01, 2009
Gary Anderson says:
I apologize for the incorrect reference. So if Ayn Rand is a libertarian would she have believed Bush/Cheney used Marvin Bush to put explosives in the WTC towers like Jesse Ventura (another libertarian) believes?
Posted January 20, 2009
Gary Anderson says:
Rand was everyman for himself. Also the Rand Corporation is just plain evil. They use her name and have been taken over by the neocons, who want to build an empire and provoke the Russians, who went into Iraq to steal oil. I wonder if Ms. Rand would have said that stealing the resources of another country was "right".
Posted January 19, 2009
Sangeeta says:
No, She isn't a super hero. I think her philosophy is very individualistic. By that logic how can she be included in a charity section????
Posted July 09, 2008
Bob says:
No. She was a sexist cow. Her ideas on women were appalling. She is also responsible for the creation of many weak minded followers who worship personal selfishness and choose to ignore the biological underpinning of what makes humans tick. This is a great philosophy for meeting the large 21st century challenges.
Posted July 09, 2008
Doug says:
No, Ann Rand is not a superhero. I doubt if she would even welcome the title herself.
I do not believe that her views on self-centredness are really best for people.
It is true that her views and her writings have provoked much discussion and argument but I believe the general consensus is that her views are wrong.
Posted July 09, 2008
MelissaLim says:
Like Laura said, Ayn Rand is so much more than a superhero.
I feel like the word superhero is too one dimensional and does not do a good job in capturing the true essence of this controversial and influential novelist.
Superheros had it easy with their super powers and unfaltering/unquestioning support, but all Ayn Rand was is an ordinary woman with no super powers and who found many enemies as she fought for her big ideas.
Posted July 08, 2008
An Ayn Rand Sampler
There is a great deal of material available, online and off.
Most of us find one book we would like to read that we can never seem to get through; The Fountainhead is just such a book for me. I've read Atlas Shrugged many times. I've started The Fountainhead even more times, it was an earlier novel, somehow it does not hold me.
The Virtue of Selfishness (Signet)
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List Price: $7.99
The Fountainhead
A DVD staring Gary Cooper and Patricia Neal
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Amazon Price: $5.79 (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $19.98
The Fountainhead
The book, still gaining in popularity.
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Amazon Price: $14.28 (as of 12/05/2009)
List Price: $21.00
Back door to Galt's Gulch?
What else can be said about Ayn Rand?
She preferred using the term "objectivist" for her ideas, rather than have them labeled "Randian Philosophy."
"Loved, hated, and always controversial, the best-selling author of The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged is more relevant than ever."
Cathy Young - Reason Magazine
"Rand is better taken as a goldmine for ideas than as authoritative doctrine." - Kelley L. Ross
* "The next time you read Atlas Shrugged, consider that we are in a new era. The industrial and bureaucratic types used by Ayn Rand belong to a failing age. There is one example that fits well with our emerging Netcohort Age; that is the composer, Richard Halley. His production was not bound by physical restrictions that made it a captive for extortion. Instead, like netcohort individuals and their flexible, creative teams; his value moved with him - their wealth is in their minds." - Allan Wallace
To read how I reconcile a lens about Ayn Rand with (gasp) altruism, see the Dr. Margarita Pereyda lens. To find out "Who is John Galt," read Atlas Shrugged.
In one of her essays, Ayn Rand wrote what may be one source of her objectivist philosophies:
* "There is a fundamental conviction which some people never acquire, some hold only in their youth, and a few hold to the end of their days -- the conviction that ideas matter. In one's youth that conviction is experienced as a self-evident absolute, and one is unable fully to believe that there are people who do not share it. That ideas matter means that knowledge matters, that truth matters, that one's mind matters. And the radiance of that certainty, in the process of growing up, is the best aspect of youth." - Ayn Rand
images from Atom's photo blog. Go take a look, I'll wait.
What haven't I said about Ayn Rand that you would like to say?
Have you read her books, considered her ideas, and developed some ideas of your own starting with her views?
If so, please share what Ayn Rand has meant to you.
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- Spook Spook Sep 19, 2009 @ 11:35 am
- I have been here before Allan and was and still am a big fan on what she wrote about. I must say I always preferred Atlas Shrugged to some of her others. What she wrote about is here and getting worse. Essentially her one bastion which was hope in great minds and America seems to be crumblong at an astonishing rate.
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- MeganCasey MeganCasey Jul 1, 2009 @ 6:45 pm
- The Fountainhead is so dear to me that I am barely able to describe my experience with it to others. It's the one book that I don't talk about, by design, and instead wrap myself up in when I sometimes wonder "who's going to let me" instead of "who's going to stop me." Thanks, Allan, for a thoughtful lens.
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- GhostWalker GhostWalker Jun 27, 2009 @ 9:01 am
- Loved Anthem by Ayn Rand....Rated your lens a 5
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- daria369 daria369 May 7, 2009 @ 1:35 pm
- Intriguing lens, thought provoking and well researched as all your lenses.
Thank you for joining one of my groups! See more and add your lenses to link plexos at: http://www.squidoo.com/all-inclusive
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- Treasures-By-Brenda Treasures-By-Brenda Apr 8, 2009 @ 8:05 am
- I love the quotes on your page; something to think about. Well done and worthy of a new SquidAngel's blessing.
Brenda
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- TTGCreations TTGCreations Feb 1, 2009 @ 12:29 pm | in reply to midas
- Re: the smoking thing -- that's a symbolic thing that gets explained in Atlas Shrugged, actually... she likes the idea of a primitive force like fire being tamed at a man's fingertips. Plus, the book was written in the fifties... probably long before they figured out that smoking causes cancer.
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- TTGCreations TTGCreations Feb 1, 2009 @ 12:25 pm
- Great lens -- 5 stars and marked as a favourite! I first read Atals Shrugged when I was in the 8th grade, and remember thinking that this was something that was fundamentally "right". I'm older now and find that a lot of the stuff is a little simplistic... she's too dogmatic about "A is A" for instance, when so many things in life seem to be shades of grey rather than clearly black or white. But I still find the ideas fascinating, and strongly believe in many of them.
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- bgamall bgamall Jan 19, 2009 @ 8:34 pm
- First of all, she believed in free will rather than predestination. Second she was too individualistic. Third, her namesake, the Rand Corp is filled with empire building neocons who want to provke Russia, theaten world peace and steal Iraq oil for the West's oil companies. The latter has been completed. Now I do not hold the neocon behavior against her, except to say that individualism leads to godlessness, and Leo Strauss, the guru of the neocons and PNAC was an atheist. He believed that you lie to the masses if you are the elite, and thus exert control in a democracy. The neocons lied about WMD and Saddam/Al Qaida, in order to steal oil.
Would Ayn Rand have approved? She was so Darwinian that I believe she would have. And that is just plain wrong.
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- BigJim BigJim Jan 9, 2009 @ 2:16 pm
- I'm happy to be able to come back and give this lens and Angel Blessing.
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- CaptainAmerica CaptainAmerica Dec 31, 2008 @ 4:57 pm
- Great lens on a great woman! She will be remembered throughout the ages as a great visonary by many and a scoundrel by those who see her as thier only impediment to irrational thought and life.I give her a big thumbs up! Please check out my lens called Freedom and the American Way at squidoo.com/america1776 and leave a comment,agree or disagree but only g rated comments will post.
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- Portable_eBay Portable_eBay Oct 3, 2008 @ 1:53 pm
- I tried doing a Howard Roarke once on a class... and WOW!!! I almost flunked the course. Very dangerous. Compromises are indeed necessary.
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- SemperFidelis SemperFidelis Sep 4, 2008 @ 9:36 pm
- Ayn Rand is certainly a super hero! Your lens is well put together, btw. Very informative.
Blessed, 5-starred, and favorited by a Squid Angel today! :)
Colleen ~ www.squidoo.com/squid-angel
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- Evelyn_Saenz Evelyn_Saenz Aug 18, 2008 @ 10:24 am
- Congratulations on Lens of the Day. I have been meaning to read a book by Ayn Rand. You have just given me the push I need.
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- WritingforYourWealth WritingforYourWealth Aug 15, 2008 @ 4:34 am
- Interesting. I'll have to pick up Ayn Rand again now that I'm an adult. I remember reading the Fountainhead in high school and finding it torturous, heh. And this from someone who always liked to read. ;)
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- moneyman17 moneyman17 Aug 10, 2008 @ 8:53 am
- Very cool lens ! i am fan of your lens ! submit your articles to
Article Directory
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- Margo_Arrowsmith Margo_Arrowsmith Aug 1, 2008 @ 6:14 am
- I am not a fan of hers, but I am of yours. I love that from the beginning you make it clear that having some disagreements with her is what you are supposed to do! Good for you. You can admire her and her philosophy, but disagree.
Great lens also, btw
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- BigJim BigJim Jul 28, 2008 @ 8:33 am
- Excellent lens. Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead are on my (very) short list of fiction. I've lensrolled you to my Who Is John Galt? lens.
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- fireheart fireheart Jul 23, 2008 @ 6:09 pm
- Oh the memories. 35 years ago I put Rand's "The Virtue of Selfishness" on a list of summer reading recommendations for incoming high school seniors. In Christain dominated Nebraska, selfishness was clearly not seen as virtuous and I nearly got my head handed to me by school admin, school board, parents, and ministers. My only supporter was a school board member who unlike all of the others, had actually read the book! Super Lens and congrats on the LOTD recognition.
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- chemrat chemrat Jul 20, 2008 @ 1:08 pm
- Great lens. I've given you 5 stars and mrakred as a favorite, and lensrolled you at my fiction lens, http://www.squidoo.com/nearlynothingbutnovels . My fiction blog may also be of interest: http://nearlynothingbutnovels.blogspot.com/
Best wishes, Jim
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- Keaka77 Keaka77 Jul 17, 2008 @ 2:40 pm
- Congrats on the lens of the day last week. Very well put together with an appealing intro.
childrens furniture
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- Starving_Artist Starving_Artist Jul 15, 2008 @ 6:52 pm
- a wonderful thought provoking lens
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- LaraineRose LaraineRose Jul 12, 2008 @ 5:54 pm
- I have read all of Ayn's books. Good idea to write about her! 5 stars and counting.
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- Robert Taylor Robert Taylor Jul 10, 2008 @ 8:52 am
- Ayn is/was heroic. She stood up against the ubiquitious collective that surrounds us today. "Atlas Shrugged" was once, maybe still is, the 2nd most-read book in America (maybe the world), only 2nd to that other work of fiction, the Bible. She succeeded in convincing me of the total evil of mysticism and pointed me totally in the direction of rational self-interest with reason as my guide.
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- Frankster Frankster Jul 9, 2008 @ 12:44 pm
- Wonderful lens. I loved Atlas Shrugged. Her ideas really pushed the envelop. 5 stars, favorite and I'm a FAN! Congrats on lens of the day and being a superhero contest winner. Bear hugs, Frankster
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- ronnidkm ronnidkm Jul 9, 2008 @ 12:00 pm
- Wonderful lens about a great author and philosopher. Congrats on LOTD....well deserved!
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- DebMartin DebMartin Jul 9, 2008 @ 8:11 am
- Thanks for an interesting lens. I have added to my summer reading list! Interesting so many of us consider Ann Rand as a superhero and yet, she'd probably scoff at the title. ;-)
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- midas midas Jul 9, 2008 @ 6:16 am
- I 'discovered' Ayn Rand's works over 20 yrs ago.
Didn't need a story to understand where she was 'coming from' in fact never could get through Atlas Shrugged. Loved 'Capitalism The Unknown Ideal' and 'The New Left The Anti-Industrial Revolution'
CONGRATS to Allan for Lens of the Day
The only thing I didn't understand was her heavy SMOKING habit
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- William Baranowski William Baranowski Jul 9, 2008 @ 2:49 am
- So many regards! I thought I was the only one salting Ayn Rand refernces on the web; thanks for going one better!
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- eccles1 eccles1 Jul 9, 2008 @ 12:36 am
- Congratulations!!Wonderful Lens
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- WesJefferson WesJefferson Jul 9, 2008 @ 12:32 am
- Greatest.Of.All.Time. Atlas shrugged, though complex and at times a little clunky, contains some of the most original thoughts of the 20th century. For sure, Ayn's refusal to follow the socialist trend makes her a hero to me.
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If you wish to re-read, link, rate, stumbleupon, contact the author, research at Amazon, make your own lens, and e-mail this lens to life long learners, your family, and to friends:
return to top of page. "Civilization's development has always been initiated by individuals balancing demands within their intimate groups against personal needs for independence and identity. Social engineers and planners always err at this point. What they endeavor is to convert humankind from small, intimate, flexible tribes to a collective with one mind (their mind of course).
They want to make all the complex human herds and packs of individuals into a single hive of drones. They have always failed, they will always fail; for outstanding individuals will continue to emerge - imagining and accomplishing exceptional goals - changing everything." - Allan R. Wallace
100% of direct income from my lenses goes to micro-finance solutions for world poverty provided by the Grameen Foundation. The Grameen Foundation is creating a rising tide of positive influence upon our world.
Will YOUR life be based on what you want to use it to accomplish, or by random urges of what you want to do?
by BFuniv.com
Allan R. Wallace trains visionaries.
Allan is Rector of Bastiat Free University and Rector Emeritus of Junior Partner Ministries. He is also author of...
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