What is Ayn Rand so popular? What among her basic philosophies do you like?

1. 63

   alexandriaruthkposted 12 years ago

   What is Ayn Rand so popular? What among her basic philosophies do you like?
   
   Ayn Rand influenced a lot of peopleand her philosophies are controversial. Her philosophies of objectivism and that of laissez faire makes her famousamong libertarians and American conservatives.

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2. 60

   MickSposted 12 years ago

   Oh, female then, someone put up a photograph a short while ago, I couldn't make out the gender.   I'de never heard of her so there is no popularity here

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3. 83

   PhilosopherPrinceposted 12 years ago

   If you're really curious, there's a short and free comic book based on her life offered in the app Comixology.
   
   I don't consider myself well versed with Ayn Rand at all (I haven't even read Atlas Shrugged.) Though I think it may have something to do with her views on capitalism and personal independence. There was a time when Hollywood thought that capitalism was evil and communism was the way people should live. Ayn Rand thought this was horrible because she saw how people had been abused in the name of the "collective".
   
   She thought that a person deserves whatever profits come from their genius and innovation. It should be theirs, and the government shouldn't force them to do anything with it or abridge it. She was also into free love and stuff.
   
   What thing that I found interesting in her philosophy is: no true contradiction exists in the universe. I think that's really something to think about and possibly internalize.

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4. 81

   junksellerposted 12 years ago

   Calling Rand's work a philosophy is far too generous. The bulk of academics and philosophers consider it rubbish. It is more akin to a religion--an ideology justifying a particular worldview. In this case, the idea that success is only ever a result of hard work and talent and consequently that a lack of success is only ever a result of a lack of hard work or talent.
   
   This is a brilliant ideology if you want to completely ignore the structural realities and inequalities of our world, which you might want to do if you happen to be a beneficiary of those structural inequalities. Anytime someone mentions such structural inequalities an Ayn Randian can simply say, "shut up you lazy loser, you're poor because you suck." Sound familiar?

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