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> Put away your Ayn Rand books ... and go make some money of your own. Does Ayn Rand have similar opinions? I'm trying to figure out what you mean by that.

by daenz 15y ago

lhnz 15y ago
She was against people feeling like they had an obligation to self-sacrifice, but she wasn't against charity as the projection of one's own values [1]. A lot of people misunderstand Ayn Rand. [1] http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/charity.html http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/charity.html
- PKop 15y ago
  One of the best interviews I've seen with Ayn Rand, in her own words if anybody cares to read: http://ellensplace.net/ar_pboy.html http://ellensplace.net/ar_pboy.html
  - josephjrobison 15y ago
    It's important to actually see it in context. I may not agree with her whole overall worldview, but there are parts that are good, and reading her actual words in context shows she's not really a lunatic or savage.
deleted 15y ago
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paul 15y ago
I can't actually see into their houses, so I'm just speculating that they have some Ayn Rand books, but I've noticed a strong correlation between liking Ayn Rand and thinking charity is bad.
noahc 15y ago
The point is that those people who are most likely to have a negative opinion of this are the types that read Ayn Rand and quote her. It's not so much a statement about her beliefs (I could see this going either way, really), but a statement about the people who she inspires.
mlinsey 15y ago
Yes. Rand does not just think that forced redistribution by the state is immoral, but also that private charity is at best morally neutral, and often wrong depending on the nature of the charity (particularly if it is "sacrificial", or is given in response to the needs or shortcomings of the recipient, which in my opinion describes most of the charity in the world today). Her fictional works perhaps lend themselves to a bit of interpretation on this point, but her non-fiction work is quite unambiguous. I know many libertarians are in favor of private charity and consider it a virtue, and many of these same people are also fans of Rand, but they should realize that she disagrees with them on this point.
- WalterBright 15y ago
  Libertarianism is about people being free to choose what to do with their money. If they choose to give to charity, light cigars with banknotes, spend it on blackjack & hookers, invest in space flight, etc., it's all their right to make that choice. It isn't about the relative virtue of doing this or that.
  - olalonde 15y ago
    Ayn Rand was a harsh critic of libertarianism. That's a bit funny considering how close her philosophy is to libertarianism.
    - xanados 15y ago
      I unfortunately can't find a reference (but I'm hoping someone else can!), but my understanding is that group conflict is often greater between those who have similar ideologies than between those of very different ideologies. For example, Emacs vs. Vi rather than Emacs/Vi vs. Visual Studio or Lisp vs. Scheme rather than Lisp/Scheme vs. everything else.
deleted 15y ago
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> Put away your Ayn Rand books ... and go make some money of your own. Does Ayn Rand have similar opinions? I'm trying to figure out what you mean by that.

by daenz 15y ago

> Put away your Ayn Rand books ... and go make some money of your own. Does Ayn Rand have similar opinions? I'm trying to figure out what you mean by that.

lhnz 15y ago

She was against people feeling like they had an obligation to self-sacrifice, but she wasn't against charity as the projection of one's own values [1]. A lot of people misunderstand Ayn Rand. [1] http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/charity.html http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/charity.html

PKop 15y ago
One of the best interviews I've seen with Ayn Rand, in her own words if anybody cares to read: http://ellensplace.net/ar_pboy.html http://ellensplace.net/ar_pboy.html
- josephjrobison 15y ago
  It's important to actually see it in context. I may not agree with her whole overall worldview, but there are parts that are good, and reading her actual words in context shows she's not really a lunatic or savage.

deleted 15y ago

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paul 15y ago

I can't actually see into their houses, so I'm just speculating that they have some Ayn Rand books, but I've noticed a strong correlation between liking Ayn Rand and thinking charity is bad.

noahc 15y ago

The point is that those people who are most likely to have a negative opinion of this are the types that read Ayn Rand and quote her. It's not so much a statement about her beliefs (I could see this going either way, really), but a statement about the people who she inspires.

mlinsey 15y ago

Yes. Rand does not just think that forced redistribution by the state is immoral, but also that private charity is at best morally neutral, and often wrong depending on the nature of the charity (particularly if it is "sacrificial", or is given in response to the needs or shortcomings of the recipient, which in my opinion describes most of the charity in the world today). Her fictional works perhaps lend themselves to a bit of interpretation on this point, but her non-fiction work is quite unambiguous. I know many libertarians are in favor of private charity and consider it a virtue, and many of these same people are also fans of Rand, but they should realize that she disagrees with them on this point.

WalterBright 15y ago
Libertarianism is about people being free to choose what to do with their money. If they choose to give to charity, light cigars with banknotes, spend it on blackjack & hookers, invest in space flight, etc., it's all their right to make that choice. It isn't about the relative virtue of doing this or that.
- olalonde 15y ago
  Ayn Rand was a harsh critic of libertarianism. That's a bit funny considering how close her philosophy is to libertarianism.
  - xanados 15y ago
    I unfortunately can't find a reference (but I'm hoping someone else can!), but my understanding is that group conflict is often greater between those who have similar ideologies than between those of very different ideologies. For example, Emacs vs. Vi rather than Emacs/Vi vs. Visual Studio or Lisp vs. Scheme rather than Lisp/Scheme vs. everything else.

deleted 15y ago

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