![]() ![]() In its smaller and more personal scope, that novel offered a pretty effective (if melodramatic) portrayal of uncompromising genius having to overcome the boneheaded doorkeepers of art and architecture - two realms that are always beset by bullies and villainy. Only now, with due diligence done, let’s get back to ATLAS SHRUGGED: THE MOTION PICTURE.ĭespite my low esteem of Ayn Rand’s simplistic dogma, I do rate THE FOUNTAINHEAD as by far her best book. (Smith also favored feeding and educating all children, for the pragmatic reason that this maximizes the number of skilled, adult competitors, a root motive of liberalism and a role for government that is wholly justifiable in libertarian terms.)įor my full, cantankerously different take on the plusses and minuses of contemporary libertarianism - and other oversimplifying dogmas - have a look at this essay: Models, Maps and Visions of Tomorrow. Anyway, a movement based on hopeful joy beats one anchored in rancorous scapegoating, any day. ![]() That positive aim – also preached by Friedrich Hayek – should be the goal of any sane libertarian movement… instead of fetishistically hating all government, all the time, which is like a poor workman blaming the tools. Encouraging vibrant, open rivalry – in markets, democracy, science, etc – is one reason to promote universal transparency (see The Transparent Society ), so that all participants may base their individual decisions on full knowledge. Like Smith, I believe in fair and open competition – the greatest creative force in the universe and the process that made us. But no one can deny my ongoing campaign to get folks to read Adam Smith, the founding sage of both libertarianism and liberalism. ) But I do notice foibles of the left! For example, I promise soon to offer up that long-awaited piece about James Cameron’s beautiful but misguided film, AVATAR.Ģ) As one of the few sci fi authors who delivered a keynote at a political party convention – indeed it was the Libertarian Party – I may seem somewhat of a “heretic” to the Rand-followers who now dominate the LP. Whereupon, with a sigh, but opening my ears and mind, I slid the disk into the player….įirst a couple of honest disclaimers: 1) It may seem that I am aiming most of my critical attention, lately, at “right-wing authors.” ( Last time I dissected Frank Miller’s travesty “300,” showing how it tells outright historical lies in service of a deeply anti-American theme. So, I thought, why not give her acolytes one more shot at selling me on her biggest, most-central tale? An honest person does that. I’ve published both scholarly papers and popular articles about Rand’s fiction and philosophy. ![]() Libertarian movement, influencing much of the rhetoric we hear from the American Right… though none of the policies have ever been actually enacted during Republican rule. Well, after all, I often talk about Ayn Rand and her passionate followers, who have effectively taken over the U.S. There was nothing else even remotely interesting at Blockbuster - so we rented ATLAS SHRUGGED. Now and then we had a hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates. ![]()
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