What more can be said about this book that hasn’t already been said? Even if you disagree with Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism, her book Atlas Shrugged, published in 1957, predicted a great number of the extraordinary economic events that have occurred in recent months.
This article will share with you a few quotes from the book which hopefully will inspire thought – either for or against – her philosophies. Enjoy, and Happy 4th of July!
The Morals of Money
“So you think that money is the root of all evil? Have you ever asked what is the root of money? Money is a tool of exchange, which can’t exist unless there are goods produced and men able to produce them. Money is the material shape of the principle that men who wish to deal with one another must deal by trade and give value for value. Money is not the tool of the moochers, who claim your product by tears or of the looters, who take it from you by force. Money is made possible only by the men who produce. Is this what you consider evil?”
- Francisco d’Anconia
Francisco’s speech continues for some time after his initial remarks. The comments are a shot across the bow against the ‘moochers’ and ‘looters’ of Rand’s book. It’s interesting to consider why sentiment exists that money is an evil tool. Is bartering evil? Money puts a price on the value the market sets for various services and items.
The Trial of Hank Rearden
- The Engine of the World. From Jes.
Hank Rearden, the leading industrialist in America, gets put on trial for refusing to obey an anticompetitive order put in place by the “Bureau of Economic Planning and National Resources.” Hank is villified by the government and the government-controlled press corps. Here is an examination of the whole scene.
“Who is the public? What does it hold as its good? There was a time when men believed that ‘the good’ was a concept to be defined by a code of moral values and that no man had the right to seek his good through the violation of the rights of another. If it is now believed that my fellow men may sacrifice me in any manner they please for the sake of whatever they deem to be their own good, if they believe that they may seize my property simply because they need it – well, so does any burglar. There is only this difference: the burglar does not ask me to sanction his act.”
- Hank Rearden
Who is John Galt?
The novel’s hero, John Galt, makes a stirring, lengthy speech near the end of the book. After ‘stopping the engine of the world’, giving the population of America what it claimed that it wanted (the capitalists to leave), the unintended consequence is a dystopia where people are struggling to eat and survive.
“In the name of a return to morality, you have sacrificed all those evils, which you held as the cause of your plight. You have sacrificed justice to mercy. You have sacrificed independence to unity. You have sacrificed reason to faith. You have sacrificed wealth to need. You have sacrificed self-esteem to self-denial. You have sacrificed happiness to duty.
You have destroyed all that which you held to be evil and achieved all that which you held to be good. Why, then, do you shrink in horror from the sight of the world around you? That world is not the product of your sins; it is the product and the image of your virtues. It is your moral ideal brought into reality in its full and final perfection.”
-John Galt
Galt’s speech is a summary of Rand’s philosophies, and a call to reason. Her desire was the elevation of man’s mind as his greatest tool, and his ability as his greatest asset.
Thought Provoking Reading
The closest political label to Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism is probably ‘Libertarian‘. Taken to an extreme, any political ideology becomes impossible to sustain- in this case the extreme is anarchy. Rand, even though she rejected Libertarianism at the time of her writings, held core beliefs about the role of government echoed by Libertarian thinkers such Milton Friedman. The government as outlined in the Constitution of the United States is one Libertarian ideal- it should provide for the common defense, regulate interstate commerce, and act as arbitrator for private contracts. Everyone, from Rand’s ‘moral pirate’ character Ragnar Danneskjöld to her female heroine Dagny Taggart, upholds these ideals. Regardless of your personal political views, development comes from seeking the views of reasonable thinkers on all sides. Ayn Rand’s book, Atlas Shrugged, should be on your reading list.
Industry thumbnail sourced from www.flickr.com/photos/91256982@N00/318354172, shot by Jes.
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