Ayn Rand
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Re: Ayn Rand
- ALRyder
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- Fran
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The Fountainhead is one of my favorite books, and I have never had that impression from reading it.
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Yeah, me neither.Job419 wrote:"To be pompous, extremist and downright selfish is the core of her philosophy."
The Fountainhead is one of my favorite books, and I have never had that impression from reading it.
She advocates being 'selfish'; but she defines selfish as simply "acting in one own's interest". Everyone acts in their own interest, we just have a tendency to pretend that we don't, and I found it refreshing that she preferred to call a spade a spade.
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Right, and that honesty leads to better interactions with others and a more harmonious society.npandit wrote: She advocates being 'selfish'; but she defines selfish as simply "acting in one own's interest". Everyone acts in their own interest, we just have a tendency to pretend that we don't, and I found it refreshing that she preferred to call a spade a spade.
- AMP76
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This is a good point, but I think the point of her novel was not to imitate real life, but rather to create a character who in her mind was a 'superhero'--or the 'ideal' person, and that inadvertently forces them to be written as extreme and infallible.bibliomaniac_23 wrote:I personally feel, not only are her protagonists extreme and one-dimensional, they are also inhuman in a way. They do not seem to have any moments of doubt or weakness, indeed, Roark is almost infallible. I couldn't accept the justification of blowing up the housing society for the poor, just because it did not satisy Roark's artistic whims. If we all as a society, go around destroying things that are not 'perfect', there would be absolutely nothing left in this world. I just wish Rand would have made Roark a little less God-like and a little more human, with all the faults, weaknesses and struggles that define who we are.
- Fran
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@npanditnpandit wrote:This is a good point, but I think the point of her novel was not to imitate real life, but rather to create a character who in her mind was a 'superhero'--or the 'ideal' person, and that inadvertently forces them to be written as extreme and infallible.bibliomaniac_23 wrote:I personally feel, not only are her protagonists extreme and one-dimensional, they are also inhuman in a way. They do not seem to have any moments of doubt or weakness, indeed, Roark is almost infallible. I couldn't accept the justification of blowing up the housing society for the poor, just because it did not satisy Roark's artistic whims. If we all as a society, go around destroying things that are not 'perfect', there would be absolutely nothing left in this world. I just wish Rand would have made Roark a little less God-like and a little more human, with all the faults, weaknesses and struggles that define who we are.
I agree - Anyway wasn't the point that he was destroying mediocrity in pursuit of perfection?
It's rather ironic though to suggest Rand created a "God-like" creature, I'm sure she would smile at that
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Yes, that and the fact that Roark's contract had been broken. No one has any right to someone else's work without their consent. Admittedly Roark went to extremes to prove this point, but like @npandit said, this is superhero stuff! Definitely not God-like, very human, but humanity perfected.Fran wrote: I agree - Anyway wasn't the point that he was destroying mediocrity in pursuit of perfection?
It's rather ironic though to suggest Rand created a "God-like" creature, I'm sure she would smile at that
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Haha--I didn't even catch that; very true.Fran wrote:
@npandit
I agree - Anyway wasn't the point that he was destroying mediocrity in pursuit of perfection?
It's rather ironic though to suggest Rand created a "God-like" creature, I'm sure she would smile at that
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