I don't agree with a lot of what Rand has to say (especially the sexual, sadomasochistic stuff), but this is an excellent video on one of the things I like within Rand's writing, which is this emphasis on pure rationalism and life within the here and now.
At 4:45, the host makes an argument that has become cliched, and Rand's ability to defuse it and focus on self-dependence (one of her principles that I think makes her philosophy so appealing, at least in core principle) is excellent.
Child Soldier in the Culture Wars
1 hour ago
6 comments:
Sado-masochistic stuff? LOL! Why do you think her books sell so well? Gotta love her S&M in "Anthem."
Haha, it does make for great literature, but I wouldn't build a philosophy around romanticize rape (though I'm not convinced that she did either).
I just watched her appearance on Phil Donahue. She really was a brilliant woman, especially as she got older. Sort of makes me wish she'd written more after O'Connor died.
I was joking about the S&M. The comment is ridiculous, as is the view that she got more brilliant as she got older. Clueless, Josh.
Why?
As much as I love her work that came out in the forties and fifties, you see her interview skills develop later in life. Perhaps that's simply her writing more non-fiction, displaying the arguments a little more clearly.
The largest criticism of Rand, in many circles, is what is perceived as misogyny in her fiction (especially, and perhaps exclusively, in the character of Dominique Francon in Atlas Shrugged). It's not a criticism I came up with.
Frankly, I think the philosophical structure that she laid out in Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology and The Virtue of Selfishness is clearly more codified than the philosophy that appears in her fiction. But that's just me.
Here's clueless: Dominique Francon is the heroine of The Fountainhead. How old are you?
My age isn't really relevant, though it's listed in my blogger profile.
Roark's rape of Francon is heavily romanticized in the book and plays into the notion of submissive-dominant relationships. Nothing wrong with that (in fact, it's an important part of Rand's philosophy, as it demonstrates the emergence of social strata), but I don't necessarily like it's presentation in a sexual context.
Of course, it's not as explicit as the bit about Dagny Taggart and "the most feminine of all aspects" (which gets a lot of abuse in my opinion). I don't care as much about that, because the asthetics don't matter as much, but that's the part that usually gets beaten in by the feminists.
The first, like I said, bothers me more than the second. And I'm certainly not as hard lined as some people. I enjoy the books.
Post a Comment