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Did John Rogers meet many Ayn Rand fans before forming this opinion? Did you? I'm been an active Objectivist for the last two years and I've met dozens of othe
by IsaacL 9y ago
Did John Rogers meet many Ayn Rand fans before forming this opinion? Did you?
I'm been an active Objectivist for the last two years and I've met dozens of others. They're a diverse bunch (I know Objectivist actors, Objectivist musicians, Objectivist academics, Objectivist finance guys, tons of Objectivist programmers), but in general, I'd say they're way more friendly, less cynical and more optimistic than the majority of people I meet. They're fun to be around and are usually working towards some personally meaningful life goals.
I do think that teenagers probably shouldn't read Atlas Shrugged -- they're too likely to take away a shallow understanding of the message. I first read it just before my 25th birthday, and I think it's best read in your mid-20s, when your youthful idealism starts crashing into practical reality.
- IsaacL 9y agoI posted these links elsewhere in the thread, but I think they'll be of special interest to HN readers, who might want to know about the more technical aspects of her philosophy. An index of her thoughts on many topics: http://aynrandlexicon.com/book/conceptual.html http://aynrandlexicon.com/book/conceptual.html A graduation speech which summarises her views on philosophy in general: http://fare.tunes.org/liberty/library/pwni.html http://fare.tunes.org/liberty/library/pwni.html Her most technical work, her theory of concept-formation (and the book that sold me on her ideas): https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Objectivist-Epistemology-Expanded-Second-ebook/dp/B002OSXD8C https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Objectivist-Epistemology...
- cam_l 9y agoI think it fair to judge objectivism by the actions of its most infamous followers, say the koch Bros. Same as I judge communism by the actions of lenin or mao, or capitalism by, oh I don't know, Madoff. But yeah, garden variety objectivists, just like garden variety communists or people generally really, are good people.