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Thanks for the reasonable response regarding the morals. As far as "beyond simple disagreement", I guess "strenuous disagreement"? The fans of Rand philosophy

by jbooth 16y ago

Thanks for the reasonable response regarding the morals. As far as "beyond simple disagreement", I guess "strenuous disagreement"? The fans of Rand philosophy seem to hate the idea of union employees striking for dental care for their kids but have no problem attempting to shake down the system if you're already rich. I totally do not understand this. Similarly, I think the whole "everyone's replaceable" thing is a fundamental part of reality that anyone over the age of 14 should have figured out. I find it ironic when I get told that if I were older and less idealistic, I'd come around to Rand's viewpoint. Seems to me she's the idealist, except it's bizzaro idealism that fetishises selfishness. Finally, as I said elsewhere in the thread, the novel's viewpoint on leadership clashes pretty strongly with my own viewpoint on leadership. Leadership's not about what's in it for you, it's about what's in it for the group, or else you're a bad leader.

yummyfajitas 16y ago
Which "fans of Rand philosophy" are you describing? What you said certainly doesn't apply to Nathaniel Branden, who was her biggest fan [1]. "Needless to say, men have a right to organize into unions, provided they do so voluntarily, that is, provided no one is forced to join." http://www.nathanielbranden.com/catalog/articles_essays/labor_unions.html http://www.nathanielbranden.com/catalog/articles_essays/labo... Presumably she agreed with him, since she published it in the Objectivist Newsletter. And yes, you are quite correct that Rand's novels tend to be idealistic and fairly unrealistic. They are merely parables designed to explain/promote her philosophy. [1] He was her biggest fan when he wrote that. He got kicked out of the cult a few years later, when Rand found out he was banging someone besides her and his wife.
dk 16y ago
Rand actually said at one point (sorry I don't remember where) that striking was a legitimate way for workers to correct a situation where they're being paid below market rate -- as long as it was done voluntarily. What Rand opposed was pro-union legislation that coercively stacks the decks in the unions' favor.

by jbooth 16y ago

yummyfajitas 16y ago

Which "fans of Rand philosophy" are you describing? What you said certainly doesn't apply to Nathaniel Branden, who was her biggest fan [1]. "Needless to say, men have a right to organize into unions, provided they do so voluntarily, that is, provided no one is forced to join." http://www.nathanielbranden.com/catalog/articles_essays/labor_unions.html http://www.nathanielbranden.com/catalog/articles_essays/labo... Presumably she agreed with him, since she published it in the Objectivist Newsletter. And yes, you are quite correct that Rand's novels tend to be idealistic and fairly unrealistic. They are merely parables designed to explain/promote her philosophy. [1] He was her biggest fan when he wrote that. He got kicked out of the cult a few years later, when Rand found out he was banging someone besides her and his wife.

dk 16y ago

Rand actually said at one point (sorry I don't remember where) that striking was a legitimate way for workers to correct a situation where they're being paid below market rate -- as long as it was done voluntarily. What Rand opposed was pro-union legislation that coercively stacks the decks in the unions' favor.