How Ayn Rand Wrote Books for the Selfish
Executive Summary
- Self Interest as The Only Guiding Principle in Life
- Was Ayn Rand Sane?
- Ayn Rand’s Morals
- Nathan Blumenthal the False Prophet of the Self Esteem Movement
This is Ayn Rand’s most popular book. If you are a selfish person with an enlarged sense of self-worth, it’s probably one of your favorites.
Self Interest as The Only Guiding Principle in Life
Ayn Rand is one of the more popular writers that deal with philosophy in the 20th century. However, surprisingly, Ayn Rand was not actually a philosopher, and my reading of Ayn Rand is that she had never read or did not understand philosophy. Ayn Rand’s proposals are so dead on arrival it’s a mark of how weak the mental capacity of the people that followed it must have been. Essentially Ayn Rand considered rational self-interest as “the only proper guiding moral principle.” It is interesting because the statement itself is internally inconsistent as it contradicts the exact definition of morality. Morality means doing things that may injure yourself but may benefit others or society as a whole. So to say that morality is actually self-interest is essentially circular. Academic philosophers did not miss this and according to Wikipedia:
“Some academic philosophers have criticized Rand for what they consider her lack of rigor and limited understanding of philosophical subject matter. Many in the Continental tradition think her celebration of self-interest relies on sophistic logic, and as a result have not thought her work worth any serious consideration.” – Wikipedia
If morality were simply looking out for self-interest, the word would have no reason to exist. However, there is no reason for Ayn Rand to know this because she is a screenwriter and novelist turned pop philosopher, much like Scientology initiator L Ron Hubbard who started the religion after a career as science pulp fiction writer. In fact, Scientology started as a self-help system, and gradually morphed into a religion. Ayn Rand and her followers had such a cult-like quality, that is could also be a candidate for developing to a religion. It is interesting that two of the most influential “philosophers” in the US of the 20th century.
L Ron Hubbard used to publish and actually developed the precursor of Scientology in this science fiction and fantasy magazine. He knew what he was doing. He on several occasions told people in his inner circle that the way to becoming rich was to start a religion.
Was Ayn Rand Sane?
Ayn Rand most likely had megalomania, as well as a number of other deep psychological problems. She once stated that in the entire history of philosophy she should only recommend three “A’s – Aristotle, Aquinas and Ayn Rand.” This speaks of pure delusion. Aristotle is considered one of the greatest philosophers to have lived, and many other philosophers built on his work. This fairly well demonstrates that she was an egotistical megalomaniac.
Ayn Rand actually saw herself in the same light as Aristotle?
Here is Ayn Rand waiting to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee.
Ayn Rand’s Morals
One of the most disgraceful epochs in American history was the House Un-American Activities Committee. This was the committee that Joseph McCarthy chaired and that Richard Nixon was an important component of. It resulted in the Hollywood blacklist who were boycotted from the studios. Ayn Rand proved that she believed her preachings by following the morality of only carrying about herself and giving false testimony against about supposedly pro-Communist movies in this venue.
Atlas Shrugged
Atlas Shrugged is not a book on philosophy but is a novel where lessons are taken from the storyline.
“The novel’s hero and leader of the strike, John Galt, describes the strike as “stopping the motor of the world” by withdrawing the minds of the individuals most contributing to the nation’s wealth and achievement. With this fictional strike, Rand intended to illustrate that without the efforts of the rational and productive, the economy would collapse and society would fall apart.” – Wikipedia
The book is essentially moronic because it proposes that the type of people that adore Ayn Rand (real estate agents, Wall Street stockbrokers, etc..) are actually under-compensated in society. In fact, the real under-appreciated people and underpaid people are those that are poorly educated and vulnerable. Hospital cleaners are underpaid, and stockbrokers are underpaid. However, in Ayn Rand’s world her faux creatives (who are not real creatives, and Ayn Rand is a mediocre intellect and certainly not a creative) are the underpaid ones. Seriously, I would ask that these people go on strike and that they don’t come back to work at all. Without Wall Street and mortgage-backed securities, the economy will grow, not shrink as in Atlas Shrugged.
Nathan Blumenthal the False Prophet of the Self Esteem Movement
Ayn Rand was a cohort with (as well as a lover) of Nathan Blumenthal. They co-wrote the preposterously titled The Virtue of Selfishness, which was a validation of egotism. One wonders how their romantic and professional interests continued if both of them were so dedicated to being selfish. It turns out it did not, they had a falling out and began a nasty dispute that lasted until Ayn Rand’s death. So much for selfishness in keeping long-term harmonious relationships.
In addition to being an Ayn Rand follower, Nathan Blumenthal was also a twit. Nathan Blumenthal is the psychotherapist who started the self-esteem movement in the US that is now considered one of the great errors in social engineering.
“Many, if not all, the major problems plaguing society have roots in the low self-esteem of many of the people who make up society.”
No evidence was ever provided for the movement, and in fact, the evidence pointed in the other direction, which would have been obvious if anyone had taken the time to check. Men who are in jail do not have low self-esteem but have higher self-esteem than the general population. Efforts to increase their self-esteem more will lead them towards more criminal behavior. His ideas thoroughly disproven, Blumenthal continues to propose his ideas, lecture and sell books.
Praised before the financial crisis, Alan Greenspan was a second-rate intellect and a puppet of Wall Street. He once said that the financial meltdown of 2008 showed a flaw in his fundamental model of human behavior. That seems strange. If he fundamentally believed in selfishness then why wouldn’t firms like Goldman Sacks and Lehman Brothers take advantage of the system if unencumbered with regulation?
Alan Greenspan, the Sultan of Selfish Greed
The fraud Alan Greenspan was a longtime Ayn Rand follower. He violated the public trust as Federal Reserve Chairman by not enforcing the basic regulatory rules of his institution to stop financial fraud as well as leaning on other institutions like the Over The Counter Commission from regulating fraudulent financial transactions.
Conclusion
Ayn Rand’s work is false and utterly ridiculous and is a magnet for people who are selfish, not too deep and do not have an understanding of elementary philosophical principles. She has many similarities to L Ron Hubbard in that she was a novelist and screenwriter posing as a philosopher. She could not see her limits because she was an egotist and suffered from megalomania and had a deep vengeful streak. Her philosophy is best described as pseudo-philosophy and it could not survive an analysis from a college student with just a few semesters of introductory logic under their belt.
Furthermore, everyone Ayn Rand was associated with that is on the public record was a fraud. She appeals to success oriented, selfish, and poorly lettered individuals because her pseudo-philosophy allows them to rationalize selfish and immoral behavior. A person who declares that they are a follower of Ayn Rand or appreciated Atlas Shrugged is a good person to stay away from. Don’t forget, the only moral principle they follow is self-interest, which does not include you.
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayn_Rand
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Un-American_Activities_Committee