“What is morality, she asked. “Judgement to distinguish right and wrong, vision to see the truth, and courage to act upon it, dedication to that which is good, integrity to stand by the good at any price. ”
“I started my life with a single absolute: that the world was mine to shape in the image of my highest values and never to be given up to a lesser standard, no matter how long or hard the struggle.”
“Devotion to the truth is the hallmark of morality; there is no greater, nobler, more heroic form of devotion than the act of a man who assumes the responsibility of thinking.”
“I never found beauty in longing for the impossible and never found the possible to be beyond my reach.”
“Joy is the goal of existence, and joy is not to be stumbled upon, but to be achieved, and the act of treason is to let its vision drown in the swamp of the moment’s torture.”
“I do not think that tragedy is our natural fate and I do not live in chronic dread of disaster. It is no happiness, but suffering that I consider unnatural. It is not success, but calamity that I regard as the abnormal exception in Human Life.”
“Throughout the centuries there were men who took first steps, down new roads, armed with nothing but their own vision.”
“The view that man was ever to be drawn by some vision of the unattainable shining ahead, doomed ever to aspire, but not to achieve, my life and my values could not bring me to that.”
“What is morality, she asked. “Judgement to distinguish right and wrong, vision to see the truth, and courage to act upon it, dedication to that which is good, integrity to stand by the good at any price. “
Usually the smart ones read Ayn Rand in late teens and get over it pretty soon by 20s. Bit like adolescent bout of pimples:) Her ideology is at times as silly & dogmatic as communism.
I beg to differ. I’ve blogged before that I actually dismissed Ayn Rand when I was young. I read what others said about her, believed them, and thought she was juvenile.
Later, twenty years later, with experience of life behind me and a thorough study of Nietzsche, I realized she was merely popularizing themes in Nietzsche and eastern thought that have been submerged in the dominant interpretation of Christian thought.
She can be mistaken, but in fact, I don’t think she’s as dogmatic as her followers or critics who don’t seem to quite understand what they are either defending or criticizing.
I challenge these critics to give a clear account of her thought.
I’ll wager none of them know it at first hand.
Lila beat me to it. I was going to say that some of her FOLLOWERS are dogmatic about her ideas.
Her ideology was about thinking. It’s a bit of an oxymoron to call that dogmatic.
Though, anyone who works towards Utopia runs the risk of sounding as silly as a Communist. Utopia comes from 2 Greek words that mean “Not” and “Place” because it is not a place. The pursuit of this place that doesn’t exist has led to nothing but suffering.
I used to define my beliefs as accepting the fact that there is no such thing as a “perfect” way. Just a better way.
exactly…
everything depends…
A very nice video tribute. Like many of my generation, I was introduced to the philosophy of liberty by Ayn Rand though I never embraced objectivism and have moved further away from it with the passing of time. I wish she were alive today to witness the ongoing rape of this country by the global corporations and the zionist state she so resolutely supported.
In part Sri is correct but not for the reason implied. Many give up Rand as they do belief in truth, merit and justice. A few years in the corporate world, government, academia will make many feel that adherence to Randian beliefs get you nowhere in the U.S. as currently constituted. In a mob dominated environment elevating the individual and adherence to merit are dangerous to your professional and social health. Try being honest and truly thoughtful in most work environments in America and see how long you remain employed. At best, you will be passed over.
I hope it’s inspiring to you Jeff.
I think Rand’s “capitalists” were far from the predators on walls street…she was talking about builders, inventors, creators in any field..
It’s incredibly inspiring to me.
JC,
The enemy in Atlas Shrugged is Corporatism.
What did Lila say, “I challenge these critics to give a clear account of her thought. I’ll wager none of them no it at first hand.”
You are correct in that this Corporatism is ongoing and responsible for much calamity and the sorry state of our country. If Rand were alive she would say, “I told you so.”
“It’s incredibly inspiring to me.”
Yes, that was my attraction as well. I loved the scene where Francisco D’Anconia and Dagny Taggart were discovering high culture by dissecting an old car…
Nietzsche does that for me too.
I started out at 20 liking him but thinking him “dangerous” as a thinker in the negative sense..i.e., he would unleash bad things…
then 15 years later, when I actually studied him, I began to realize he was dangerous in the good sense – a danger to conventional pieties.
Rand is the same kind of dangerous, and people have a similar kind of emotional reaction.
She was far from perfect and dead wrong on a lot of things..but still, she got a lot of things right
If I had more talent, an effort listing the disapproved views in the U.S. and west would be a useful tract. The number of prohibited views, opinions and beliefs grows. Orlov had a great one in pointing out that opinions are of no consequence. Its principles. So perhaps certain principles and the beliefs and views on events should be the focus of the list of the forbbiden.