[WS:} Why do you find it special? The world is full of people who earnestly believe utter nonsense - the "immaculate" conception, the end is near, the big guy in the sky created the universe and gave his protégées a piece of real estate, and so on and so forth. None of these beliefs make any sense, let alone stand to logic or even common sense probability - yet there are millions of people who not only swallow this gobbledygook without a hint of hesitation, but are willing to fight anyone who does not. At least Rand's claims about "creative individuals" have empirical meaning - and that what makes them demonstrably false.
The human mind is an amazing instrument - its power of delusion rivals if not outweighs its power of discovering truth. Rationalization is by and large more common than critical thinking. The Randians' delusions pale in comparison to the delusions of countless followers of religious creeds, millenarian movements, or abused wives who used the amazing power of their minds to justify the status quo, their own actions (or inaction), or escape the reality their dreaded rather than embracing it.
To understand that phenomenon, one does not need to go much further than the Old Man's dictum that religion is the opiate of the people. The same pertains to secular ideologies. literary fiction, or even science or rather scientism. They are the sigh of people who suffer from real or perceived cruelty of the reality.
Just think of a hypothetical IT professional. He (more often than she) has been told that his skills have the power to transform the world as we know it, and that these skills hinge on his intelligence and creativity. In other word, he was led to believe that thanks to his knowledge and technical prowess, he is the uebermensch of the new brave world. Yet, in reality this uebermensch of unbridled creativity is forced to work in corporations where "teamwork" (i.e. group-think) is the standard modus operandi and where bosses' power often trumps technical know-how or even reason. Or perhaps he is an independent entrepreneur or a self-starter who learns that his budding software business is about to be swept by the vagaries of the market. Or one whose budding enterprise has already been swept. I can imagine the suffering that this cognitive dissonance between expectations and reality may produce in some individuals - especially those whose social and life coping skills are not exactly on a par with their code writing skills. It is only natural that to ease this suffering, these self-styled creators of the new world order would adopt any rationalization - be it in the form of ideology or literary fiction - that reaffirms their self image, explains away their cognitive dissonance, and blames their suffering on a convenient scapegoat that can be safely bashed. Bashing the abstract "masses" or even government is pretty safe in this country, while bashing one's corporate bosses carries a significant risk of being terminated.
This is nihil novi sub sole. In fact, almost every emerging religion offered a prime piece of real (or imaginary) estate and heavenly pleasures to the "chosen" peoples, while destining their real or perceived tormentors (or unbelievers) to eternal damnation.
Wojtek
On Tue, Aug 17, 2010 at 11:37 PM, <123hop at comcast.net> wrote:
> One thing that interests me about the Rand movement is the utter
> cluelessness of a ruling elite that refers to her as a "philosopher." I
> mean, whether you agree with her or not, she was a (failed) Hollywood hack
> writer who created heroes in a quasi Nitzchean mold and told absurd fables.
>
> j.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "c b" <cb31450 at gmail.com>
> To: "lbo-talk" <lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, August 17, 2010 6:24:09 AM
> Subject: [lbo-talk] Read Ayn Rand
>
> <123hop wrote:
>
> Actually, every one of you should read Ayn Rand.
> Fountainhead is the better book, but Atlas Shrugged
> is the full demented ball of wax.
>
> You should read it to understand the whole phenomenon,
> which is not going away any time soon.
>
> ^^^^^^^
> CB: Presumably, the Randians aren't going to change. What can be done
> to limit and counter their influence ? How wide is their influence ?
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