I was a garden variety sorority girl (and English major) in undergraduate school when I was introduced to the novels and political philosophies of Ayn Rand. Whoa.
Within a month, I quit the sorority in the middle of the night to move in with my boyfriend. And I changed my major to chemistry and started preparing for medical school. (Which I later dropped out of, which is yet another story for yet another entry.)
Either way, my point is that Ayn's writing can do that to you -- especially if you're intellectually impressionable. As I was. Tonight, I was checking out blogs and came upon one of my favorites, Makeout City. It had a number of posts quoting Ayn Rand. Deja vu for me. Here's one that long impressed me.
Who "determines" the future? You're very muddled on that, aren't you? What exactly is "mankind"? Is it a mystical entity with a will of its own? Or is it you, and I, and the sum of all of us together? What force is there to make history — except men, other men just like you? If there are enough men who believe in a better future and are willing to work for it, the future will be what they want it to be. You doubt this? Why then, if the world is doomed to dictatorship, do the dictators spend so much money and effort on propaganda? If history is predestined in their favor, why don't Hitler and Stalin just ride the wave into the future without any trouble? Doesn't it seem more probable that history will be what the minds of men want it to be, and the dictators are smart enough to prepare these minds in the way they want them, while we talk of destiny and do nothing?
If you have any comments about Rand, I'd love to hear them. It's been years since I've thought of her stuff.
Hi, currently I'm readign The Fountainhead. Prior to this, the only Ayn Rand stuff I read was Anthem, which I enjoyed immensely. I'm about half way through Fountainhead, so don't give anything away, but what did you think of it?
Posted by: Chris | December 27, 2003 at 03:28 PM