I might generally agree however that doesn't mean she wasn't brilliant. It is an amazingly powerful book. That she could write something you consider to be the most amazing peice of propaganda ever is a testament to her brilliance. I'm no objectivist, I'm a moral relativist.. but I think she was amazing. I guess it was the "made me think" value of the book that I appreciate the most. I never had the inclination to finish atlas shrugged, but I did read the "money speech" from it. I thought it brilliant as well.
Damnit maybe I'm just a romantic. It was way idealized but in that aspect I found it beautiful. I didn't believe it literally, but I hugely enjoyed the challenge to my conception of things at the time.
general ayn rand enthusiasts forum notwithstanding, here is a list of thinkers who pondered something new, reguardless of whether it was ultimatly popular or unpopular or right or wrong, and thereby people who make my list. (in no particular order)
kant
hegel
descartes
guatam buddha
lao tzu
kierkegaard
yes, sartre
bohm
krishnamurti
schoppenhauer
heidigger
neitszche (a stretch)
aristotle (despite self-contradiction)
henry miller (this one will get some arguments i'm sure)
shakespeare (for his keen following of the human mind)
carl jung (obviously)
freud (in the neitszche, "you could stretch to allow them" category)
and of course, hesse
kant
hegel
descartes
guatam buddha
lao tzu
kierkegaard
yes, sartre
bohm
krishnamurti
schoppenhauer
heidigger
neitszche (a stretch)
aristotle (despite self-contradiction)
henry miller (this one will get some arguments i'm sure)
shakespeare (for his keen following of the human mind)
carl jung (obviously)
freud (in the neitszche, "you could stretch to allow them" category)
and of course, hesse
ME!
and........oh yeah!
ME!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
I am not crazy!
Who said that?:bugeye:
and........oh yeah!
ME!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
I am not crazy!
Who said that?:bugeye:
It's funny, i've never heard a good argument against Ayn Rand's ideas, cept her sexual stuff. I wonder why that is.
All we can do here is agree upon who's ideas have been the most influential upon the majority of us. There's too many different qualities to judge from all the different ppl suggested. Even though this isnt meant to decide who is actually the greatest thinker or anything, but why not?
I would say Ayn Rand is up there considering all the comments about her, even if some of them are bad. Her ideas may not be the most influential of all time, but maybe they might be in ours.
All we can do here is agree upon who's ideas have been the most influential upon the majority of us. There's too many different qualities to judge from all the different ppl suggested. Even though this isnt meant to decide who is actually the greatest thinker or anything, but why not?
I would say Ayn Rand is up there considering all the comments about her, even if some of them are bad. Her ideas may not be the most influential of all time, but maybe they might be in ours.
the only argument against ayn rand's ideas that matters is that they don't work, even by her own admission. they sound pretty and make sense in your head, it's just not how life works. it never has.
maybe one day it will.
the reason i wouldn't put rand on the list is not that she isn't interesting, but moreso that the majority of her ideas were expressed better first by someone else. very few people really take her seriously. it's like a phase a person goes through on their road to learning. they like ayn rand become obsessed with her, and then move one when they realize it just doesn't work, as nice as it would be for it to work.
but again, mostly because her ideas aren't hers (which if you've read her work is highly ironic). i consider her more of an advertiser for ideas that have been around for ages. a good advertiser, but an advertiser.
maybe one day it will.
the reason i wouldn't put rand on the list is not that she isn't interesting, but moreso that the majority of her ideas were expressed better first by someone else. very few people really take her seriously. it's like a phase a person goes through on their road to learning. they like ayn rand become obsessed with her, and then move one when they realize it just doesn't work, as nice as it would be for it to work.
but again, mostly because her ideas aren't hers (which if you've read her work is highly ironic). i consider her more of an advertiser for ideas that have been around for ages. a good advertiser, but an advertiser.
That's the thing linus, everyone says it's just a good idea but doesn't work in real life. No one ever gives reasons, it's like they just heard it from someone else and keep passing it along since her idea seems too good to be true. Also, no one lists who she got her ideas from, other than the ones she accounts for like aristotle, and a few others.
Sprry, did someone mention real critiscism of Rand?
http://world.std.com/~mhuben/critobj.html
I think that should about cover it. From what ive read shes guilty of poor philosophising.
http://world.std.com/~mhuben/critobj.html
I think that should about cover it. From what ive read shes guilty of poor philosophising.