Ayn Rand

[lumberjim]

if only we could all see clearly enough to realize her vision?

The problem lies in people's fear. Fear of having to fend for themselves. To have to live on what they can acheive. The potential for disaster if they become sick or injured and cannot rely on anyone (the state) to protect them and feed them. It's a nice idea, and makes a lot of sense, but the reality of it is too cold and stark for people to come to grips with.
Given the choice of security and the loss of personal liberty vs. freedom and the danger of poverty and even starvation, most will surrender their liberties. I wouldn't.

And daily, we move further and further from that ideal.

[Beestie]

Originally Posted by lumberjim

if only we could all see clearly enough to realize her vision?

Irrational constructs are necessary to interpret and process the events around us. The limitations of our perception make it impossible for us to ever know "the truth" and hence, it is our destiny to dwell in the realm of the Subjective.

The very notion of an objective reality is, in my opinion, nothing more than subjectivity simulating objectivity; subjectivity in denial of itself. An idea that can't bear to examine itself in the mirror for fear that it might not see its own reflection.

I've tried to appreciate Ayn Rand but she's a little too in love with her own intellect. I'll go with someone who thinks he's right over someone who knows he's right. Even Einstein didn't trust his own conclusions and he was a scientist. How can a philosopher have less uncertainty of his own opinion than a scientist of his own conclusions?

Particularly ironic is that Rand's philosophy which, it can be argued, has its roots in Plato's cave is being advanced in an age where quantum theory has given rise to a more compelling empirical model of reality that sprang out of observing the subatomic world. The idea that the mere act of observing reality affects reality which precludes the notion that one can stand on the bank of the river and make an objective observation about the river.

In a world where nothing is truly independent of anything, objectivity as an idea is null and void.