This is actually one of the best summaries of her I've ever seen simply because it was fair and even handed. Nearly everything else is either fawning praise or venomous hatred.

@alexrossouw7702

3 жыл бұрын

We live in a polarized world where bias is the norm

@harrisonjodeit4340

3 жыл бұрын

Well said! She didn't live up to the standards of her own characters but she truly was one of a kind.

@diypictures

3 жыл бұрын

@@thotslayer9914 And always will be. Unity is the kyrptonyte of the elite "powers that be".

@darkskyinwinter

3 жыл бұрын

Resisting... urge to troll comments...

@vurpo7080

3 жыл бұрын

I guess "unbiased" just means "agrees with my preconceptions".

There is some sick humour in how her 'friends' treated her when she went broke. They demonstrated how well they had absorbed her lessons when they utterly ignored her when she was desperate. She worked hard for that result.

@randomone4832

9 ай бұрын

Yeah she’s a classic case of going off the edge of an extreme cliff. In practice, extremes never work.

@ProfPsycDad

9 ай бұрын

We need to boost this comment. This is important. This contrast and the consequence of one actions must be spoken.

@SaulOhio

Ай бұрын

When did she go broke? She had a considerable income till the day she died, and left an estate of over $1/2 million to Leonard Peikoff.

@JoeDreamgate

26 күн бұрын

Correct! She lost and paid the price. Look at you and your ilk! You cancel people, dox them and shout down the opinions of others so only your voice is heard, only your world view prevails! YOU are the selfish one.

Ironic that her individualism philosophy would become the bane of her existence as she couldn’t accept the fact that individuals do not need to agree with her.

@stefanburns3797

3 жыл бұрын

Although I think this video was fair in its representation of her, this is not true. She didn’t banish anyone for disagreeing with her. That is absolutely ridiculous. Nathaniel Brandon cast himself out of objectivism because he himself admitted to not fully believing in the philosophy. It had nothing to do with an affair

@JoshSweetvale

3 жыл бұрын

@@stefanburns3797 No. She wasn't perfect, let the power get to her head.

@Mr.Witness

3 жыл бұрын

@@JoshSweetvale what power

@jamesrountree3991

3 жыл бұрын

No you've pointed out the problem with Socialism, and group representation

@_Iscream

3 жыл бұрын

@Ayanna Little Then tell us how he’s wrong.

Your channel never ceases to make 20 min feel like at least an hour.....but in a good way. Such concise and essential writing, and a good mix of the personal life and the public.

@KeitieKalopsia

2 жыл бұрын

You feel the 20 min -> 1 hour thing, too?

@AS_210

2 жыл бұрын

Holy s*** that just 20 minutes!?!😳 I just finished the video and was reading comments, it really felt like much longer - in a good way

Europeans: This book is 8 cm thick. Americans: This book is the length of 1/114300 of a football field. Simon: This book is thick enough to kill.

@Stormynormy42

3 жыл бұрын

My definition of a tome has always been "a book large enough to commit assault with," so I appreciate that Simon shares similar thoughts.

@terryarmbruster7986

3 жыл бұрын

Oh if books could kill they probably will with names without frontiers and words on pages without tears. Paper sheets were so popular paper sheets were so popular. 👍🤓

@johnvanzyl2960

3 жыл бұрын

Stereotyping much?

@stephjovi

3 жыл бұрын

He's probably tried it. Where do you think all the previous Business Blaze writers ended up 😎

@jenniferschmitzer299

3 жыл бұрын

@@stephjovi allegedy

I now have a powerful desire to replay Bioshock.

@ShaneBermingham616

3 жыл бұрын

A man chooses A slave obeys

@solortus

3 жыл бұрын

NO GODS, NO KINGS, ONLY MAN

@Nemania10

3 жыл бұрын

@@solortus 😎😎😎

@John-cj6pr

3 жыл бұрын

I love bioshock and read Atlas Shrugged a long time ago and you just made me realize! Once again just like in the games... mind blown.

@Virtueman1

3 жыл бұрын

Which wont teach you rands philosophy in the slightest. But have all the Rand-unrelated fun you want.

It's nice to see something about Ayn Rand that's not either praising her as the second coming of Jesus, nor shitting all over her. Good, objective portrayal and analysis.

That was one of the most objective/fair takes on Rand. Thanks for the effort

@stefanburns3797

3 жыл бұрын

I know… I was actually surprised.

@raymondcoventry1221

3 жыл бұрын

Agreed 100%, it was a very balanced overview of her life and work. I'm impressed.

@curranfrank2854

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah, now I can say I looked at her "objectively" and still disliked her

@erutherford

3 жыл бұрын

@@curranfrank2854 I can certainly agree with disliking the person however [IMHO] there are nuggets of thought in her espoused belief systems that have value once properly refined & generalized.

@zapazap

3 жыл бұрын

@@curranfrank2854 Fair enough -- though this says everything about yourself and nothing about her. Cheers! :)

Anthem was a required reading at my high-school in east Texas in the early 2000's. I fount it quite amusing that a novel about individualism that ends in the quote "I am." would be required reading in an institution that squashed individuality, and self expression around every corner.

@henryahoy

3 жыл бұрын

I think the education system likes to gaslight students by having slogans like 'be the best you can be' while systematically tearing down as much of you that isn't conformist as is possible in the 12 years they have you

@stonemorris5356

3 жыл бұрын

Right?

@drewkennedy2480

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah it was required in my Texas high school as well. Only thing I really enjoyed that was required reading in school.

@SirBlackReeds

3 жыл бұрын

And it definitely wasn't a liberal arts college?

@kayleelockheart8208

3 жыл бұрын

@@SirBlackReeds nah, public High School in east Texas

Her philosophy is too ruthless for me, but her exploration of what we owe ourselves(and not others) is hard to ignore

@DeathEater93

3 жыл бұрын

What exactly is ruthless? You sound like someone who barely read anything about it.

@blacksocrates1

Жыл бұрын

I think people who claim to be "virtuous" are far more ruthless when it comes to taking from others

@davidglad

Жыл бұрын

@@blacksocrates1 It also leads to substantial waste if a bureaucrat/central planner is deciding where best to allocate resources. Coerced spending on businesses (mandatory health insurance with specific items in the policy)/causes (issues that supposedly aren't political yet somehow dominate politics) also means the recipient doesn't have to be clever or innovative in its approach to ultimately getting your money.

@josephgriffin2388

Жыл бұрын

You can have the greed of the individual, or greed of an overreaching state. I'll ALWAYS take my concerns to the Capitalist... I can at least make SOME profit there. There's no profit in collectivist ideologies, ir policies... only collective suffering.

@Trentstone121

Жыл бұрын

​@@blacksocrates1 that's called an "assumption". Change "virtuous" to any race you like. See yourself for what you are and change.

Ayn Rand describing childhood as "An intellectual wasteland" is the least surprising aspect of her childhood...

@richcherwalk6349

Жыл бұрын

Void of charm and wonder she must have been a cold clinician even as a child.

@brianfreestone6367

Жыл бұрын

@@richcherwalk6349 I find it personally beneficial to raise an eyebrow of skepticism toward those who are charming. Considering her background, culture and childhood it is little surprise she wasn't 'warm and fuzzy', that could get her noticed and or killed. Context means everything.

@micchaelsanders6286

Жыл бұрын

@@richcherwalk6349 She was the greatest genius since Aristotle.

@SergyMilitaryRankings

Жыл бұрын

@@micchaelsanders6286 Aristotle wasn't a genius lmao

@micchaelsanders6286

Жыл бұрын

@@SergyMilitaryRankings Of course he was.

Ayn Rand applying for social security benefits has got to be the funniest thing.

@Cindy99765

3 жыл бұрын

Extremely funny

@Cindy99765

3 жыл бұрын

@@rutherzheng3981 She often criticized it but ended up getting it later in life, showing that social security is important.

@rutherzheng3981

3 жыл бұрын

@@Cindy99765 She got it not because it was important, it was because she wanted to get the money she was forced to pay back.

@Cindy99765

3 жыл бұрын

@@rutherzheng3981 No...Without the security benefits, she wouldn't have been able to survive on a day-to-day basis in old age.

@rutherzheng3981

3 жыл бұрын

@@Cindy99765 You know she could've gotten private health insurance right? But she chose medicare, not because she trusts it more, it is because she just feels that since she has already paid for it, that is the only to get the money back. If social security were not mandatory, Ayn Rand would have chosen private health insurance.

I respect her as an intelligent person, it’s just sad to see how bitterness and selfishness can destroy a person. It’s a fine line.

@franciscofranco5739

3 жыл бұрын

But people misunderstand selfishness, it doesn’t exclusively mean you’re out to screw everyone around you over for personal gain and stuff. Selfishness can also relate to self improvement, personal ambitions, and most importantly, the pursuit of happiness. I think selfishness is a very misunderstood word because we all have a habit of using it only in a negative context. Look at it this way, self-indulgence has a negative connotation, but anything that brings you personal happiness is essentially, self-indulgence, it’s all relative to what exactly you’re indulging in or what you’re being selfish about. For example, what if feeding the homeless brings you great joy and a feeling of satisfaction....isn’t that technically selfish and self-indulgent? In yet feeding the homeless isn’t exactly a selfish act.

@jasonblalock4429

3 жыл бұрын

As a critic of hers who actually has read her books - some multiple times - what I find fascinating, and sad, is the tonal shift between The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. Fountainhead is a fundamentally optimistic work. Roark doesn't want to overthrow society, he just wants to be left alone to hone his craft. And he succeeds. But where Fountainhead says "You can live in society and be happy," Shrugged says you can *not,* and that the only path to freedom requires the deaths of millions. I've always wondered what she would have written if she hadn't become so strident and radicalized in the 50s. Because 40s Rand and 50s Rand are almost like two different people, at least in terms of their literary output.

@daveF1993

3 жыл бұрын

@@franciscofranco5739 I agree, I also tend to follow the philosophy of being selfish when it comes to taking care of yourself but also being generous when I feel like it. I don’t believe selfishness is 100% wrong

@franciscofranco5739

3 жыл бұрын

@@daveF1993 exactly

@quintessenceSL

3 жыл бұрын

@@franciscofranco5739 But selfishness doesn't _exclude_ screwing everyone over now does it? Bit tricky to formulate a moral philosophy where any act can be justified as long as it is selfish. I'll grant the slave morality is just as flawed (ever notice how altruism is nearly demanded of the lower classes, but rarely of those in power), but let's not go overboard in exalting the virtues of selfishness. It is simply not as bad as others make it to be.

“Rand had to apply for social security benefits.” I haven’t laughed quite this hard in a while.

@williamwingo4740

3 жыл бұрын

She was forced to pay for them like everybody else, or they would have attached her bank accounts and even put her in jail. Why not?

@JohnGeometresMaximos

3 жыл бұрын

@@williamwingo4740 As a matter of principle.

@shanetoumey2835

3 жыл бұрын

Whenever I have the opportunity to recoup some of the property stolen from me by my government, I do the same. steal: to take the property of another wrongfully and especially as a habitual or regular practice

@crazytrain7114

3 жыл бұрын

@@shanetoumey2835 Shhhhh, he thinks the government produces income.

@itsanit123

3 жыл бұрын

@@JohnGeometresMaximos Within the system she was in, it was consistent. I don't agree with her but it wasn't inconsistent.

Another video with top notch writing, whatever you think of the subject. The suggestion that Atlas Shrugged is a "tome with which you could give someone a concussion" is brilliant - and true on so many levels!

Thanks for another brilliant video Simon. I have enjoyed every video so far. There is an underlying theme that never varies, no matter what religious, political, philosophical or artistic path the individual subject has followed. That is the duality of success and failure. I'm not concerned with the factual stuff - it's the personal journeys that I'm interested in. Everyone of us follow this journey to some degree.

I've always found it interesting that Ayn Rand's (one of the most well-known atheists) biggest fans tend to be republican, diehard Christians.

@jamesricker3997

3 жыл бұрын

You need to take a closer look at Ayn Rand If anything she was a hypocrite

@vaughnreedjr6592

3 жыл бұрын

@@jamesricker3997 she live on social security.

@ziggysaurusrex1581

3 жыл бұрын

@@vaughnreedjr6592 She lived on social security the last years of her life because she reasoned that since she had payed millions in taxes during her life time, she could get some of that wealth back through social security. This is not a “gotcha” argument. She knew that she lived in a system that would steal from her, the only thing she could do was to get some of that back.

@dod6031

3 жыл бұрын

She also was not a pro lifer.

@Bunny-ch2ul

3 жыл бұрын

I don't understand why a lot of her staunchest fans love her. Atlas Shrugged is so, so, so anti government, especially anti crony style government, and all of the politicians who adore her are the most crony of all. She's very survival of the fittest when it comes to businesses. She would never go for the corporate welfare and tax cuts that a lot of her followers are so in favor of. She's hugely anti religious. I honestly don't get why the right likes her so much. I'm 99% certain that most politicians who say they love Atlas Shrugged have actually read it. It's like they read super biased Sparknotes of it and said, "Good enough."

Bioshock is probably most young peoples introduction to Ayn Rand and Objectivism, it definitely was for me.

@blakejohnson9730

3 жыл бұрын

Playing it right now actually

@tobasco_jones6160

3 жыл бұрын

For me it was the 1976 prog rock album 2112 BY RUSH the album and first track is dedicated to the fountainhead by ayn rand. It's about the individual versus the mass

@dante040

3 жыл бұрын

Kind of like saying your introduction to archaeology was Indiana Jones movies..... you were introduced to what someone's interpretation of her work and conflates it with her actual ideals. Imagine a religious person writing a book about what atheist believe and people saying this book is your introduction to atheism

@AnimeShinigami13

3 жыл бұрын

specifically its a warning about how fucked up it was.

@Ace42x

3 жыл бұрын

@@tobasco_jones6160 And it's a crying shame too; like Wagner, the crude caricatures taint the clear and impressive artistry present in the material, and also makes it harder to forgive the boring bits. With maybe the exception of Tom Sawyer - which rocks - I find the more overt and preachy Rush's objectivism, the weaker that material is. It always calls to my mind the NME's oft-referenced review of an early UK tour which described their politics as both "naive" and "proto-fascist". It's kind of heart-breaking that "nice guys" and self-professed "bleeding-heart libertarians" were so militantly in favour of such a harmful and antisocial ideology, and engaged with the politics in such a superficial way.

Ayn Rand's life is a cautionary tale of why you should never "preach to the choir". She preached capitalism and individualism to a nation that was already capitalist and individualist, and she ended up despising how "the choir" interpreted her work. She spent her last years rallying against the very movement her novels inspired.

@Al-xq4ec

2 жыл бұрын

ever since it's founding the America has been loosing fight for individual.

@willnill7946

2 жыл бұрын

I disagree as a history major. When escaped the ussr for the us, the new dealers were firmly in control, this is the context of which her books were written. If she wrote her books in the 1920s I’d agree with you, but a major shift happened in the 30s

“There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs."― John Rogers

@CaptainHillyan

9 ай бұрын

*brings over the burn salve*

@michaelterrell5061

8 ай бұрын

I have never loved a comment more than this.

@MWhaleK

8 ай бұрын

That is one of my top five favorite quotes!!

@mikespencer4922

7 ай бұрын

So well explained!! I read both books in 1978. 45 yrs later my opinion has not changed one bit.

@jerluc7209

5 ай бұрын

its great seeing gen z judging her work on a socialist review

"Love is an expression and assertion of self-esteem, a response to one's own values in the person of another. One gains a profoundly personal, selfish joy from the mere existence of the person one loves. It is one's own personal, selfish happiness that one seeks, earns, and derives from love"--Ayn Rand Edit: Now recently I've changed my mind about Using Quotes to get a point across. I now find the practice of quoting people to be lazy. My posting this quote was meant to show the beauty in a Philosophy maligned for its basis in Selfishness. In spite of many peoples opinions about her. I personally feel that her writings had a positive influence on my life. It made me more confident.

@johnransom1146

Жыл бұрын

And if the person you love lies about their values?

@reverendbarker650

Жыл бұрын

puke making.

@ANProductionsOfficialChannel

Жыл бұрын

My favorite quote.

@ANProductionsOfficialChannel

Жыл бұрын

​@@johnransom1146then he/she is not worthy of love.

@xjhintonx

Жыл бұрын

Golly what a romantic

This is why I love Simon Whistler's videos and channels. Not only well spoken and good looking, but videos are objective, and even handed. So good to finally have a channel that isn't pushing agendas or opinions one way or the other.

@Native_love

9 ай бұрын

True!

@caseymcadams5483

9 ай бұрын

Nice try Simon Whistler’s fake account lol

"There are two novels that can change a bookish 14-year-old's life: The Lord Of The Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally-stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs." John Rogers

@johnrohde5510

3 жыл бұрын

Great quote 👍

@Jungoguy

3 жыл бұрын

Nice

@sansoucie1969

3 жыл бұрын

I saw it coming, but it was still pretty good

@Shellyz2u

3 жыл бұрын

I read Lord of the Flies in high school, I believe it was Literature class. I also read the grapes of wrath.... I did not become familiar with rand until my mid thirties. However I did not really even start to understand grand until now, I'm 55, I'm a liberal and I'm a social worker everything she hated

@tylerdurden639

3 жыл бұрын

Depending on when you read Atlas Shrugged, it is possible to love the book or hate it. The more you know about the world when you read it, the less you will enjoy the book. The more you learn about Ayn Rand's life, the more you realize she was a truly miserable financially successful abject failure.

I don't agree with her on everything, but it's important to care for yourself first, then move on to support and care for others. There's no point taking on more burden when you aren't even self sufficient.

@edwardgiovannelli5191

9 ай бұрын

LOL, tell that to the 20 million trump fans who send half their welfare checks to a self appraised "billionaire"

@mikeoneil5741

9 ай бұрын

@@edwardgiovannelli5191-you make a good point, but maybe if you get a lawyer you can get back rent for all that time orange man has been living in your head for free.

@edwardgiovannelli5191

9 ай бұрын

@@mikeoneil5741 Hey Mike, that was a great comebeck... the first time I heard it five years ago.

@EducatedBrute

8 ай бұрын

​@@edwardgiovannelli5191It's clear the Maga maggots don't read and have an room temp iq, not to mention the religious radicalism. But, it's also about supporting causes you believe in, every one of Rands heroes would risk losing everything to achieve their central goal (Reardon metal and Roark architecture). So it's not opposite to send money to a jackass 'billionaire' if it suits your interest.

Could we get one of these biographics about H. G. Wells ?

@justina7300

3 жыл бұрын

That would be awesome! I've been waiting for that one

@Raelspark

3 жыл бұрын

they did one on Tolkien and another on Bram Stoker

@ahuddleston6512

3 жыл бұрын

@@justina7300 me too!

@mikepastor.k6233

3 жыл бұрын

Aldous Huxley too.. Brave New World is as relevant today as ever.

@MashMonster69

3 жыл бұрын

@@mikepastor.k6233 Maybe more so

Another enjoyable video, and the beard is looking great Simon!

Thank you. I was looking for a bio on Ayn and this was the perfect fit.

One of your best videos. Good job. Nicely balanced.

The reason why Rand is so despised by the academic circles is because she tells students to think for themselves and if they can succeed without the help of the self appointed betters.

@jimtroy4380

3 жыл бұрын

It's cause Objectivism has been debunked a few hundreds of times

@dante040

Жыл бұрын

@@jimtroy4380 no it hasn't. Only an absolute idiot would think a philosophy can be debunked

You neglected to mention that the reason her books kept selling was because her devotees set up groups to buy them in bulk. Not because people were actually reading them.

@d4mdcykey

3 жыл бұрын

Bingo.

@IDONTKNOW6906

3 жыл бұрын

CAPITALISM BREEDS INNOVATION

@danielallen3454

3 жыл бұрын

@@IDONTKNOW6906 Well, your name's correct . . .

@bartwilson2513

3 жыл бұрын

Sort of like the Bible?

@n543576

3 жыл бұрын

Ouch....i did not know that....ooof

Seriously great content, Simon. Thank you!!

People watching this like: - in bed - not in a full screen - reading comments

The comments are gonna be good with this one.

@b.thomas8926

3 жыл бұрын

That was exactly my thought.

@brya9681

3 жыл бұрын

And filled with people making this same comment as if you're somehow above it all

@teknotk

3 жыл бұрын

@-1- -11- All theories of morality will appear that way when you're absorbing a theory with which you dont align.

@Stable_Genius

3 жыл бұрын

@-1- -11- Lol! This is do true. Rand is a 3rd rate novelist.

@seanbrazell6147

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah, guilty as charged. But given everything going on, releasing this episode today was clearly NOT coincidental, so rant away I say.

“Money will not purchase happiness for the man who has no concept of what he wants” Ayn Rand

@ShinigamiInuyasha777

3 жыл бұрын

I want true love

@Grinnar

3 жыл бұрын

Sure bought her a lot of drugs and the chance to take advantage of teenage boys.

@edwardgiovannelli5191

9 ай бұрын

@@ShinigamiInuyasha777 Rand wanted to impress everyone how much better than them she was.

@ShinigamiInuyasha777

9 ай бұрын

@@edwardgiovannelli5191 Sarcasm?

@edwardgiovannelli5191

9 ай бұрын

@@ShinigamiInuyasha777 No, objective truth.

Its not selfish to put the oxygen mask on yourself first because it allows you to help others more effectively

Great, fair and very well informed dissertation on Ms. Rand. Thank you!

Suggestion: Voltaire, John Locke, or Rousseau

It was a weird coincidence that in Grade 11 just around the time I first discovered Rush my English teacher began handing out Anthem to study. Fell in love with the book as much as I fell in love with the songs Anthem and 2112 by Rush.

@krystynacarpenter9444

2 жыл бұрын

Another great book.

Read Atlas Shrugged and Anthem in high school after learning about her via Neil Pearl in Rush. They were influential in more ways than I thought.

@onetripwonders

2 жыл бұрын

@KLJF Something like this? 'Industrialists and geniuses of the world essentially carry the entire planet by their brilliance and efforts, and are despised for it, and if they were to simply shrug off the weight, the world would fall to pieces'

Simon, this is one of your very best, most thoughtful & important videos. Bravo! ❤️👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

@DCMarvelMultiverse

2 жыл бұрын

More brain power went into this than Rand had in her whole head. Does not take much brain power to be more thoughtful than her anyway.

Do one for Dr. Jose Rizal. A filipino doctor. Writer. Revolutionary. National hero. And a life worth writing about.

The Ayn Rand Institute got millions from the stimulus. Irony.

@jasonblalock4429

3 жыл бұрын

The "best" part is, the ARI is a non-profit org, so they couldn't even say they were reclaiming taxes. They just stuck their hands out to grab some government cheese when they had the chance. Lo, how the mighty(?) hath fallen...

@solortus

3 жыл бұрын

The state stole their money. They're only getting less than a fraction of it

@solortus

3 жыл бұрын

@@jasonblalock4429 and what about the people who work there that get taxed to hell??

@edwincasimir28

3 жыл бұрын

Unsurprising, given that Rand herself lived her last days off on her husband's dime, plus some welfare on the side.

@bartwilson2513

3 жыл бұрын

It’s only ironic if you forget that she viewed the government taxation as stealing money from her. So, if someone steals your money and offers back a fraction....you shouldn’t take it? I am not a fan of Rand’s views, but she is wildly misunderstood and many of the common critiques of her you see (like yours) just show a complete misunderstanding of her views.

Bankrupted by America's healthcare system and forced to claim social security benefits: chef's kiss.

Great summary on a very interesting person of whom had the Anthem as a required HS book that I never understood or gave much thought. I can see what is happening now after her interviews and this summary. Thanks.

Here's some video ideas. - Harald Fairhair(first High King of Norway) - Ingólfr Arnarson (founded Iceland) - Úlfjótr(built the Code of Laws for the Icelandic Commonwealth) - Lao Tzu (Chinese philosopher, Father of Taoism) - Geirr Tveitt(Norwegian Composer and Germanic Pagan) - Zdzislaw Harlender(Polish Pagan, pilot during WW2, and author) - Yukio Mishima(Japanese author/poet, actor, nationalist) - Julius Evola (Italian philosopher, poet, painter, nationalist) - Thorstein Veblen(economist, sociologist, Technocrat)

@ironwolf2244

3 жыл бұрын

@@automaticninjaassaultcat3703 and why not? Many of those people had large impacts on history. Wether in terms of a countries people, Philosophy, or the Arts.

@masterchinese28

9 ай бұрын

I have my doubts that the first High King of Norway stated, "Here's some video ideas."

I don't subscribe to Rand's philosophy but I don't have a problem with it. Different ideas help us grow as a society. I wouldn't say there are none with no value, see Nazism, but it's important to give each one a fair look.

Thanks for this one, Simon!

Good video. This is becoming one of my favorite channels.

Wanna know the fastest way to piss off a philosophy student/teacher? Say "How is Ayn Rand always right about everything?"

@alexanderbemis9065

3 жыл бұрын

Lmao, especially not in college ... in a lecture hall.... filled with over a hundred people

@wintersmill4853

3 жыл бұрын

That’s because actual philosophers have the tools needed to understand that Ayn Rand isn’t a philosopher. It’s obnoxious to deal with grown humans who believe is such childish nonsense.

@justanotherdayinthelife9841

3 жыл бұрын

@@wintersmill4853 yuuuuuuup!

@Hromovlad1

3 жыл бұрын

@@wintersmill4853 She makes some good points tho. Communism is the very definition of failure. I should know, my country used to be communist, and frankly, I em disgusted at seeing Americans and westerners in general embracing it.

@Sorcerers_Apprentice

3 жыл бұрын

She was contradictory - she criticized racism, then turned around and said killing Native Americans and taking their land was okay, because they "weren't using it" (they sure as hell were, just not as destructively as settlers). Conservatives latched on to her ideas about individualism, but not how she extended it to logical extremes in favor of things like abortion or serial killers.

I was pretty high when i watched that and went down a rabbit hole wondering what she would think of the current world.

@undeadwill5912

3 жыл бұрын

Nothing that positive I assume. She became increasingly cynical as time went on about the fate of the world

@Bloombaby99

3 жыл бұрын

@@undeadwill5912 Who can blame her? Look where we are now.

@xmlthegreat

3 жыл бұрын

She would despair, but for the completely wrong reasons.

@gregpenismith1248

3 жыл бұрын

@@undeadwill5912 her, and George Carlin, would have made an interesting older couple. Both just became angry old people.

@jth4242

3 жыл бұрын

She'd be very relieved about the end of the cold war and the collapse of Communism, which sadly she didn't live to see.

the rational for her taking social security is completly justifited. It was her "money in a lock box" why wouldnt she take it back

Wow. This is so interesting. I have heard of Ann Rand before. A long time ago, I did substitute teaching. I just babysit the kids while they do quiet school work at thier desk. I was able to do the quiet work I want at the teacher's desk while still keeping an eye on students. I usually did personal writing and sketches. One day the students were reading Anthem for English class. Out of curiosity, I quickly read the book. I read the whole thing within the span of a school day. I don't remember anything about the story now. I just remembered that it was interesting and meaningful. Now I remember Ann Rand. So I look her up on KZread. This video is a good introduction. Ann Rand led an interesting life. She lived during the Russian Revolution, and then moved to America. I am interested in the Russian Revolution. So having someone leave that an go to the one country that was the polar opposite is intriguing for me. I wonder what are Rand's thoughts on the Cold War. She could really see things from both sides. I did learn that she opposed monarchy, religion and communism. I can see how one would oppose such things. It makes even more sense considering Rand's background. This video gives labels to Rand's philosophy, but I don't entirely understand. I am curious enough to dive deeper. Personally I mainly identify as a centrist. However I have lived in the harsh polarizing times of the war in the Middle East and the great recession. That nudges me into being a liberal leaner. I may or may not agree with Rand. If she witnessed both the Romanovs and the Bolshevics screwing up, than she could be just about anything and still make sense in context. She is still worth checking out. I like stories with deep themes. Heck I may even enjoy a story without agreeing with the theme. Geting me to think at all is way better than the mindless drivel that is so common. It would be enlightening at best and refreshing at worst. So the potential downsides are not very high. Even preachy stories don't bother me even though they should bother people. So next stop, I would like to find out what Rand's "objectivism" is about in more depth and detail.

@johnnynick3621

Жыл бұрын

I strongly recommend the following: The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged, Capitalism, The Unknown Ideal, The Virtue of Selfishness.

@walterthorne4819

Жыл бұрын

Cold War? I assume she was definitely a fighter against the Communist World.

Suggestion: American author James Baldwin.

@masonheitner8410

3 жыл бұрын

helllllll yes

@angelapage2918

3 жыл бұрын

YES!!!

@lyndoraburroughs-robinson5663

3 жыл бұрын

Yes👍🏼

@WallStreet06

3 жыл бұрын

Yes please.

@gladeonrav22

3 жыл бұрын

No

I've read about as many great American novels as movies Simon has seen. I had never actually heard of this person. Learned a lot

@tophers3756

3 жыл бұрын

She's is in no way a great novelist, though.

@edwardgiovannelli5191

9 ай бұрын

@@tophers3756 Agreed. The assessment that her "characters [were] stereotypes and her storylines obvious" is dead on. I've read Atlas twice, once as a teenager because many of my friends were reading it, and many years later as an adult to see if I missed anything. I didn't. There is not subtlety, no craft to her writing, it is merely an ode to inflated ego.

I love this channel so much...you have no idea Simon.

I can't think of many books that impacted my thinking as a younger man the way 'Atlas Shrugged' and 'The Fountainhead' did. They are not perfect by any means - 'This is John Galt Speaking' was good, then too much, then excrutiating. And I could have done without the dom/sub angle of the sexual relationships - but to each their own. But each book led me down a path of exploration of power, corruption, the value of the self. I've read each several times. They will always be classics to me. This was a great video. Thank you.

@aliensoup2420

Жыл бұрын

You should read her non-fiction. Her essays on politics, society, and economics go straight to the cerebrum - no crafty emotional manipulation.

@JimAllen-Persona

9 ай бұрын

@@aliensoup2420I have. People forget that she’s espousing a philosophy. People have no problem accepting the idea of an Ubermensch but criticize a John Galt/Francisco D’Anconia/Howard Roark.

I'm really pleased to see so many commenters making so many suggestions. It gives me hope that there are people younger than I who care about history and the history of ideas.

@erikred8217

3 жыл бұрын

right on

@Debiddo_33

3 жыл бұрын

Except, her ideas spawned a society of selfish people who would rather take her ideas as gospel than actually help other people in need. There is a more to life than the BS she spouted.

@flamencoprof

3 жыл бұрын

@@Debiddo_33 Welcome to the discussion. Go back to the main thread.

@sybo59

3 жыл бұрын

@@Debiddo_33 You have no idea what you’re talking about, much less any valid criticism.

Milton Friedman put forward a Rand based Economic system that started to be adopted in the 70's and was Fully Embraced by Regan in 1980, this Replaced the former economic system that helped America recover from the Depression, survive WW2 and "Made America Great", Namely Keynesian Economics. During the Keynesian period Employment was very high, wages were high, National and personal Debt was very Low or Non Existent and social programs were fully funded without debt. When Regan embraced "Trickle Down" based on Rand's book "The Fountainhead", wages began to Drop, workers rights disapeered along with stable jobs with good benefits. Education became ever more Expensive and Social mobility Dropped to an almost standstill. Inflation increased, Real Wages Stagnated, and Social benefits operated at a loss and were mostly cancelled. Wealth was slowly concentrated into a smaller and smaller pool, creating an economic reality for most people that was more or less the same for the poor as the one Rand grew up in. Rand's ideas were just ideas, but when put in practice for 40 years we can see the Amazing Damage by the Numbers and by the loss of Faith in the American Dream. The ideas of Rand have proven a Failure just as Communism did. A balanced system that rewards hard work but provides opportunity for all is what actually works. As usual the Truth is in the Middle, not in a Radical Idea like Trickle Down.

@turtleboy1188

3 жыл бұрын

For real

@cristiana5305

3 жыл бұрын

Completely wrong. Her ideas were never put into practice. Rand was a critic of Regan.

@robertstevens1537

3 жыл бұрын

@@cristiana5305 Depending one where you start to measure, Conservatism40 to 50 years and is now a Complete Failure ending in Coup Attempt. Meanwhile Scandinavian Countries that Steered a Continued Path of Keynesian Economics are Bulletproof. All Rand did is give Selfish Free Loaders a Lame Alibi to hand off to Common People Stupid Enough to believe that Rich people would Include Them.

@cristiana5305

3 жыл бұрын

@@robertstevens1537 Conservatives don't like Ayn Rand and never put her ideas into practice. Conservatives in America are keynesians and have been for years.

@robertstevens1537

3 жыл бұрын

@@cristiana5305 Christians, Especially Evangelicals consistently Vote for Politicians who support the Friedman's ideas. I will believe that the Church is Keynesian when the Campaign for A.O.C.

Technically, the city that was renamed Leningrad was in fact Petrograd, as St. Petersburg had already been renamed during World War I.

@williamwingo4740

3 жыл бұрын

Here's an old Russian joke from the later years of the Soviet Union: "Where were you born, comrade?" -----"Saint Petersburg." "Where did you grow up?" -----"Petrograd." "Where do you live now?" -----"Leningrad." And where would you like to live?" -----"Saint Petersburg."

@BTScriviner

3 жыл бұрын

This channel doesn't always get its facts right.

Marking testifying against communists as “a moral low point” is an opinion typically only afforded to those who’ve enjoyed a complete life experience in the quasi-freedom and quasi-free markets of the West. Ive personally never met a pro-communist Hungarian, Cuban, Romanian or Vietnamese in 18 years of living amongst the 180 ethnicities who comprise metropolitan Los Angeles. In fact they are all passionately, even vehemently, pro-liberty and pro-West. Although they escaped a theocratic dictatorship and not communists per se, the Iranians in Southern California share the same sentiment. As a side note the aforementioned 18 years were spent making a living in Hollywood. In the film & television industry. An industry where the political convictions & opinions of the writers shape the thinking of billions of people worldwide.

One of your best yet. I appreciate your (ahem) objective summary of her life and legacy.

@nolongerblocked6210

Жыл бұрын

Someone had to do it 😉

1:15 - Chapter 1 - Power to the people 4:30 - Chapter 2 - "You say you want a revolution" 7:50 - Chapter 3 - Tinseltown 11:40 - Chapter 4 - Atlas shrugged 15:25 - Chapter 5 - Rand's gulch

@chandlertibbit

3 жыл бұрын

You da mvp.

@davidvanmersbergen5335

3 жыл бұрын

Typical of the biased to bring up Hickman - an unimportant and cast off entry into a journal, but serves as ad hominen to the idiot woke.

Thanks for making this informative and interesting video

Thanks for that. Great snapshot bio.

"Ayn Rand couldn't stand me so she banned me"

@seanjames6642

3 жыл бұрын

Ayn rand doesn’t want things band but socialists

@adabsurdum5905

3 жыл бұрын

She died the way she hated other people living: addicted to drugs and living off of government assistance.

@ryanedwards7487

3 жыл бұрын

@@seanjames6642 I see someone still thinks having "The Fountainhead" on his desk means he "gets it". Sorry....she was an utter failure of a human being, and a real hypocritical selfish piece of trash.

@wanmanrmy

3 жыл бұрын

@@ryanedwards7487 exactly!

@dunnetahl

3 жыл бұрын

@@ryanedwards7487 Who hurt you?

Could we get a Bio on Haile Selassie I?

@pgfinna

3 жыл бұрын

dubs

I love how you bring Ferris Buehler into almost everything you do :)

Thanks, you've really expressed this unique human. I only outgrew her books after reading Atlas Shrugged many, many times, though Objectivism never appealed. Your bio here makes me want to read it one more time.

@Calvin_OBlenis

Жыл бұрын

The Fountainhead is another good Rand book.

@Trentstone121

Жыл бұрын

​@@Calvin_OBlenis no it's not. I love reading, so when I bought this book, I read it with zeal, ending in confusion. People like this book? So I read it again, and again and again, trying to understand what I was reading. When I finally shed the idea that Roark was a hero and reread it, it finally made sense to me. All of his building ARE hideous. His ideas are terrible and make little sense. He ends up a terrorist for his bad ideas. In the end, I realized there was nothing I liked about that book. It was about everything I hate the most in the world, only it was praising those things.

@EducatedBrute

8 ай бұрын

​@Trentstone121 A person that cared enough about their craft to not be a sellout and destroy a bastardization of it ? You seem to be the type that would applaud everything he did if he were a hippie burnout with some 'art' rather than an educated architect.

Simon starts speaking: *why do I hear boss music*

@jasonblalock4429

3 жыл бұрын

It's now or it's never, and I've got to Make my decision This time it could be my moment Is this a mirage or a chance to fulfill my mission?

Suggestions: Rene Descartes David Hume Immanuel Kant Lev Tolstoy Epicurus

@Fhdjdkrnrnddnd

3 жыл бұрын

I would never criticize Simon but we need more philosophers.

@lambert581

3 жыл бұрын

I wanna see one on Bruno Sammartino.

@nietzschesghost8529

3 жыл бұрын

Descartes and Hume have interesting bios. Kant's life is interesting because it proves you can lead a life of mediocre anonymity and then suddenly churn out world-changing philosophy in your late fifties.

@enheduanna9533

3 жыл бұрын

Tolstoy would definitely be an interesting video. His works are great and really make you think, but his personal life was even more interesting and it's clear how it influenced his work.

@thesmokingjacket645

3 жыл бұрын

just do Plato and Aristotle. Everyone after that spawned out of those 2.

Interesting. Thanks for such a good review. I felt like I read her books after this.

This was very respectful and informative I really appreciate that

"declare herself an atheist at 13" Ah, a fellow intellectual watcher of Ricardo and Mortimus 🧐🍷

@Dos_Caffeine

3 жыл бұрын

Yes, quite 🧐

@saintroddy

3 жыл бұрын

The Chad Rand

@vuyolwethuninah3312

2 жыл бұрын

😂😂😂

@george40nelson4

2 жыл бұрын

She actually was ,at least philosophically, a follower of Aristotle and a student of St. Thomas Aquinas ( even naming her cat Thomas ) but she was never convinced of the arguments of St.Aquinas and his proofs of the existence of God. I think she was probably more of an agnostic than a staunch atheist.

You should do a video about Tony accardo. Because he is the only mob boss to have never spent a single day in jail

@chuckscott4661

3 жыл бұрын

Not true. There are plenty of politicians who have never spent a day in jail.

Hi Simon and co. Long time fan, love your work. I just learned of the existence of a man called Count Dante from 70s Chicago and Holy Balls is it a weird story.

When asked about his opinion of Ayn Rand, Milton Freidman said that Rand is a tremendous positive influence on those that have not become Randians....I agree.

She knew what it means to live under the coercive control of others. She rejected all forms of coercive tyranny.

I had to give up on the film version of 'The Fountainhead' with Gary Cooper and Patricia Neal. I can't understand how anyone could see her work as more than paper-thin idealisation of a very limited perspective.

@wanmanrmy

3 жыл бұрын

I agree with this interpretation of her position. It plays into the delusional fantasy of how the right thinks the world works.

@St.Linguini_of_Pesto

3 жыл бұрын

Wow, that's a great cast, just those two names alone would've led me to start the movie. Rand's work is unappealing to me, though. I've had _enough_ of selfish people irl 🤬, wtf would I want to read a book about fictional selfish pricks? Nope, not for me.

@CaminoAir

3 жыл бұрын

@@St.Linguini_of_Pesto The cast is stellar. Raymond Massy, Henry Hull, etc. Rand had a clause in her contract that none of her screenplay dialog could be altered during filming.

@williamwingo4740

3 жыл бұрын

They were all great actors but few of them "appreciated" the "philosophical" concepts they were working with. I think Gary Cooper said that in the courtroom summation speech, he didn't really understand it until later.

”I don’t think there’s any need to have essays advocating selfishness among human beings; I don’t know what your impression has been, but some things require no further reinforcement.” Christopher Hitchens

@johnnynick3621

Жыл бұрын

Hitchens had no clue. Rand advocated for "rational self-interest" as opposed to "irrational self-interest". There is a massive difference, which both YOU and Hitchens failed to observe.

As a black man I see nothing but potential in objectivism and it's tenets. I'm practicing it in my own personal life.

@damonhage7451

3 жыл бұрын

Have you read OPAR? Great read.

@DCMarvelMultiverse

2 жыл бұрын

Booker T. Washington was a proto Rand. And he secretly agreed and worked with his polar opposite rival, W.E.B. DuBois. There is no single magic bullet. She was an annoying proto-pop psychologist.

"Parker (12yo girl) went missing on December 15, 1927 after she was dismissed from her classes at Mount Vernon Junior High School in Lafayette Square, after an unknown man posing as an employee of her father, Perry, checked her out of school with the registrar, claiming her father had suffered an accident. The following day, the Parker family received a number of ransom letters demanding sums of $1,500 (equivalent to $22,334 in 2019) in gold. The letters were signed with various titles, including "Fate," "Death," and "The Fox," and some featured words written in Greek. Following the orders of the ransom, Perry Parker-a bank employee-met with his daughter's abductor in central Los Angeles on December 17, 1927. Upon the exchange of the money, the assailant drove away, throwing Marion's mutilated body out of his car as he fled. The child had been significantly desecrated, her limbs cut off, her eyes fixed open with wires, and her disemboweled torso stuffed with rags; her dismembered limbs were discovered the following day in Elysian Park. He was extradited to California, where he was charged and convicted of Parker's murder. He went on to make a full written confession, in which he explained in detail how he strangled Parker, disarticulated her limbs, and disemboweled her while she was still partly alive. Hickman and his defense claimed that he was insane, and made reference to a supernatural deity he called "Providence" that instructed him to commit the kidnapping and murder. He was one of the first defendants in California to use a then-new law allowing pleas of not guilty by reason of insanity. Hickman was ultimately convicted of the murder, and sentenced to death." Rand, which part of this is "brilliant, unusual, exceptional"???

@vsssa1845

3 жыл бұрын

And she Idolized him, wtf, didn't know it. She thought too highly of herself. you need to be at the top.

@12abirato

3 жыл бұрын

Never was a fan of Ayn Rand- always thought she was a bit of a hypocrite- but that is truly disgusting. What a weird person for her to idolize.

@AndSendMe

3 жыл бұрын

The 23 year old Rand was preparing to write a novel and making notes and observations from the news at this period. Hickman's public demeanor interested her as having characteristics she could abstract and use, but she was repelled and disgusted by his actions, which she called "a terrible crime", and "degeneracy". She referred to him as a "monster", there being a lot about him that was "horrible". Gosh why do you suppose someone would leave those facts out?

@innocentbystander72

3 жыл бұрын

@@AndSendMe Here are some quotes from Rand's personal journal not notes for a novel about Hickman "a brilliant, unusual, exceptional boy" The best and strongest expression of a real man’s psychology I ever heard.” How she saw the press “It was as though it infuriated them to see strength, pride, and courage in this criminal and to see that they could not break him. It seemed to be the mob’s subconscious fury at the sight of such virtues in its enemy.” Even when she called him a monster she defends him. "Yes, he is a monster - now. But the worse he is, the worst must be the cause that drove him to this. Isn’t it significant that a society was not able to fill the life of an exceptional, intelligent boy, to give him anything to out-balance crime in his eyes? If society is horrified at his crime, it should be horrified at the crime’s ultimate cause: itself. The worse the crime - the greater its guilt. What could society answer, if that boy were to say: ‘Yes, I’m a monstrous criminal, but what are you?’ I find it ironic that someone who is much about personal responsibility is trying to blame society for someone's action. That he was not truly a monster but it was society that made him so.

@kjjohnson1689

3 жыл бұрын

@@AndSendMe " In these notes Rand writes that the public fascination with Hickman is not due to the heinousness of his crimes, but to his defiant attitude and his refusal to accept conventional morals." So yeah, his defiant attitude and refusal to accept the "conventional" morals of not kidnapping, torturing, and murdering 12 year olds were points of fascination for her. Still pretty gross imo

That was well done. Quality content, every time!

"The Poet and the Murderer" a book written by Simon Worrall. I would really enjoy a biographic about everyone involved; most notably, Mark Hofmann. If you were interested that would be awesome!

She gave the world the vocabulary for capitalism.

Would you rather a well known author write your biography or Simon do you a biographics video?

@Coffeeisnecessarynowpepper

3 жыл бұрын

Simon!!

@jackiereed1296

3 жыл бұрын

Simon

@truth5705

3 жыл бұрын

Depends on your ethnic/religious background. If your of the same background as Rand, he will be flattering to you, if not oh well

@nyarlathotep6465

3 жыл бұрын

How many times would you like your name mispronounced?

@innocentbystander72

3 жыл бұрын

I want Simon to do a biographics video on himself.

best quote about Ayn Rand “There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs."

@michaelsmyth6296

3 жыл бұрын

I am so very glad I scrolled through before typing. Yes. Have to agree.

@ambervasquez-keyes8523

3 жыл бұрын

I love every bit of this 👏❤️

@id7505

3 жыл бұрын

Not only the best quote, but it is also 100% correct.

@DeathEater93

3 жыл бұрын

And who said this? A nobody, that's why you didn't even bother to write his name 😂😂

@blagageorge3824

3 жыл бұрын

@@DeathEater93 more of a someone that you

Brilliantly done. Thank you

Christopher Hitchens on Ayn Rand: "I don't think that there is any need to have essays advocating selfishness among human beings. I don't know what your impression has been, but some things require no further reinforcement."

You discuss the Fountainhead without mention of the second most important element in the book: the accuracy of her portrayal of the character and motivation of villains. To those who wonder why Rand’s works cause apoplexy in many, it is because they see themselves not in her heroes but in her villains, precisely and damningly portrayed from psychology to deepest premises. It was during the early years in Hollywood-when you say she was failing-that she was cataloging the character traits of the individuals - good and evil-she saw around her. judge for yourself whether her time was well spent.

@jfangm

2 жыл бұрын

And it's seeing themselves portrayed as villains, when they have convinced themselves they are the heroes.

@reverendbarker650

Жыл бұрын

the only problem is, all of her "heroes" are villains too, even bigger ones than the so called villains she created.

@reillyflaherty9234

Жыл бұрын

​@@reverendbarker650but they aren't, they just match the profile that they cast them in in every other piece of content

@rebelblade7159

Жыл бұрын

Basically any work of propaganda that artificially makes one group heroes and paints another as villains even when the opposite is the case. Besides that's HER perspective and not any objective truth.

@hexisconsulting6159

Жыл бұрын

@@rebelblade7159 What story doesn't do this? Every single story casts one group as heros and the other as villains.

“Run for your life from any man who tells you that money is evil. That sentence is the leper's bell of an approaching looter.” ― Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

@aliciadavis8872

3 жыл бұрын

I love that...🤑🤑🤑🤑

@masonheitner8410

3 жыл бұрын

“Your mom gay.” -me, a socialist

@solortus

3 жыл бұрын

@@masonheitner8410 socialism is gay

I love how an articulate British accent can come across as objective. This is placing her past as forming her Philosophy instead of listening to what is being said and then praise or criticise her logic

@Will-It-Wolf

Жыл бұрын

Thisbis biographics man... if you want subjective snowflak'ism and caterwallin gonto FauxNews. I hear they are "Fair and balanced"

“If any civilization is to survive, it is the morality of altruism that men have to reject.” 💯

Cheats on her husband then is surprised when the man she cheated on him with cheats on her.

@DeathEater93

3 жыл бұрын

Was it cheating though? Everyone involved knew what was happening. "[Cheating is] to be emotionally or physically unfaithful. There are degrees of cheating from sexual betrayal of a partner or spouse to affairs of the heart in which a member of a relationship has a secret, emotionally meaningful relationship outside his or her primary one." - Jeffrey Rubin, Ph.D.

@jelonlennon5607

3 жыл бұрын

@@DeathEater93 Well which ever degree it was, she was pissed.

@stefanburns3797

3 жыл бұрын

@@jelonlennon5607 That’s not the issue. He left the philosophy because he didn’t agree with objectivism. It had nothing to do with sex

@jelonlennon5607

3 жыл бұрын

@@stefanburns3797 true. That was his reason. But she was still pissesd. The truth is that the whole movement of hers was just based on various opinions on different things. But nothing groundbreaking. It would be like Ellen starting a school

@damonhage7451

3 жыл бұрын

@@jelonlennon5607 Well you clearly are clueless on this topic. Maybe you aren't clueless on everything though. Perhaps find another video to comment on?

There's more Happiness in giving than in receiving.

@AeneasGemini

3 жыл бұрын

True, but that's something Ayn Rand would've also believed in, personal happiness included the happiness brought on by giving happiness to the people in your life

@stevnff

3 жыл бұрын

Worry about yourself dork

@RHCole

3 жыл бұрын

@@AeneasGemini So she believed in selfishness to those whom she did not personally know... and this makes her less of a dick, how?

@bateman2112

3 жыл бұрын

Try as I might I can't get my wife to believe this.

@jiggygrand

3 жыл бұрын

@@bateman2112 Thats because people want to see immediate results for what they do and selflessness doesn't operate like that. And because it takes longer, the results hit deeper. Ya got to play the long game!!

Excellent work Simon

I, for one, love it when someone comes up to me and tells me that They're actually the arbiter of what is and isn't objective fact. And then they go on to immediately tell me all about their purely subjective ideology.

@mike-mz6yz

2 ай бұрын

i cant tell if this is about pro rand people or anti rand lol

@aaronstolz9936

2 ай бұрын

@@mike-mz6yz if you can't tell, you're probably a Randian.

This is the most respectful modern discussion of Ayn Rands work/legacy as both an artist and leading public intellectual that I've ever seen on KZread. Usually people just repeat the same tired talking points from her bad faith critics seeking to declare their obvious moral superiority. She's not even a hero of mine but I get annoyed by the parroting from the supposed leading intellectuals who don't even take the time to privately read the work they're so passionate to damn in public.

@madisondines7441

3 жыл бұрын

My problem with the books is they were both poorly written (in terms of cadence, and her rants), and also, that she's tilting against straw-men, and is hilariously full of herself.

@jfangm

2 жыл бұрын

@@madisondines7441 Sounds like someone didn't read for understanding.

@madisondines7441

2 жыл бұрын

@@jfangm no, I did, and I am embarrassed for objectivists.

@jfangm

2 жыл бұрын

@@madisondines7441 Lmao Then you either didn't read it for comprehension or lack the emotional and illectual maturity to understand it. The fact is, objectivism is the philosophy of mature, intelligent, rational adults.

@madisondines7441

2 жыл бұрын

@@jfangm Hah!!! No, it's because I was crushing libertarians in debate given that their philosophy literally breeds cartels and a reduction of capitalist competition. Unregulated and unrestrained capitalism is a chaos worse than hell itself.

"Holy sh%#, I'm so excited for this bio!" ~Michael Malice

@nolongerblocked6210

Жыл бұрын

I lol'd _waaayyyyy_ to hard at this

Thank you for this

Unlike 98% of conservatives, I actually read one of her books. I thought the Fountainhead was quite good, until the end with the Rourke speech at his trial. Killed the whole book.