www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Popularity of Ayn Rand

Despite all the recent attention given her, Ayn Rand was a quasi-fascist who advocated:

* social Darwinist views of persons and societies;
* worship of superior humans or 'supermen';
* principles of masculine heroism, discipline and superiority;
* anti-clericalism and atheism in her private and public life.

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I really could not agree more, I will however go further and state that in my opinion, the philosophy of Ayn Rand is at its core Satanic. I find it amazing that people who can call themselves followers of the Holy One will follow this shallow and evil teaching.

We all live in the same world, and al Philosophy is merely Religion explained. Those who follow Rand are really in a Religion, with her Objectivism being the same as Christianity to Islam or Hinduism in what it does for them. The same is True of Humanists.

I would also contend that all such beliefs must be based around observations of the real world, for this is what we share. Only the completely Delusional of hallucinatory madmen see nothing True, and Rand’s Philosophy does reflect a reality in our world, hence why it remains and can be used to understand our world.

But you are right that it is Evil.

However, it is as C.S. Lewis said, Evil is only spoiled Good. Her views were born of her Communist Past in Russia, which she rejected in the name of Individualism. She saw the errors of Collectivism, itself born of the Human observation f a world of Poverty and compassion enough to want this to end, and saw the corruption to bred by crushing the Individual Will and making us all enslaved to a massive State, and bound to Mediocrity and a life of servitude that robs us of our Humanity.

Rand reversed this, because she correctly saw this as Evil and Correctly saw the Inherent Value of Individualism and the Rights of Private Property. She threw away the Collectivist Mindset for an Individualist Mindset, and thus stood opposed to all she had Learned from the Union of Soviet Socialist republics and its Communism.

She erred though in going to far into the Individual, and placing too much emphasis on property Rights and private matters. She went from an attempt to abolish the personal self and to create a mass collectivist whole, to an attempt to render Selfishness a virtue and make only ones own Will to Power ( a Term from Neitche) all that matters.

As to why she seems to come off as Satanic, its because she has embraced the Ultimate Defining Ideal of Satan, and the Chewiest of Sins. Pride. She gave up a surrender of Will to overlords, sloth and envy, out of sheer, unadulterated Pride.

Upon Pride is her entire Philosophy predicated. It is wholly based upon the most Deadly of the Seven Deadly Sins of the World.

Her Philosophy places Ones own desires and pursuit of Ones own desires and self interest above all others. In “The Screwtape letters” Lewis desires pride as such an attitude. As not caring what others think, or abbot them at all, and only being interested in your own superiority or vainglorious self elevation.

It separates us from each other, from God, and form all good things, and makes us exploitive and manipulative an in the end cruel.

But it feeds off of a false sense of empowerment that a quest for Power inevitably leads to.

This, then, is the appeal. Liberation, Self Determination, and Freedom, as well as a Sense of Invincibility, of abject Power, and of getting what One Wants and of being Ones own Master.

Humility, Service, and Commitment to Others or God is thus frowned upon as weakness.

But only in dying to ourselves and giving up all we are can we Truly find our Freedom, Purpose, and True Happiness, and this in the end comes only through our Lord Jesus Christ who leads us to God, and following him as Our King and our Saviour, as Our Teacher and our Creator.

That, and that Alone, is what will fulfill us. Not the embrace of Security at the expense of our Individuality, nor the total embrace of Self above all things. Only in letting all that go, but Serving God, can we find True peace and Purpose, and True Success.

Excellent analysis! I would add the following important influences on her life and beliefs:

1.) She came from a middle class family of non-observant Russian Jews. Religion was not an important factor in her youth. In high school, she decided that she was an atheist.

2.) She was 12 when the Communists seized power and confiscated her family's business and property. After that, she was against collectivism and a strong state.

3.) At the university, she studied history and philosophy and was affected by the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche among others.

4.) Her move to the United States and her success here convinced her that individual rights and lassaiz faire capitalism were the highest moral values.

Unfortunately, these experiences led her to make Self and Ego her gods.

If you read her Biography you also know she paid the temporal Price for her Sins, in the misery she brought onto herself.

Yeah, she was a major misguided mess: brilliant, but a mess all the same. There but for the grace of God go I. (except for the "brilliant' part - I ain't too sure about that as it refers to me).

I propose we all have a Liturgy offered for her soul, or at least light a candle for her. What could it hurt?

May she now find the peace, joy and meaning which apparently eluded her during her life on earth.

We all pay the temporal price for our sins. Sometimes it's in the afterlife. But pay it we shall.

Lord, have mercy.

oops. Unless we gain a plenary indulgence at the hour of death.

For all her shortcomings, Ayn Rand's popularity endures not because of her philosophy (which even her disciples realize is unsustainable in real life), but because her novels are extremely good at putting certain issues in black and white, and her characterization of certain types of people are just spot-on. Young people in particular are highly sensitive to the kind of sanctimonious cant characterized as "political correctness", to which Ayn Rand is a heady anodyne. Most people soon realize the limitations of "objectivist philsophy", and those who don't become Chairman of the Federal Reserve.

Excellent points StuartK. I agree completely.


Ron Paul couldn't have said it better. End the Fed!

Enough politics for me. Blessed Holy Week.