Ayn Rand: The Virtue of Selfishness

[@hazulpierdut6699]

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]

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]

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]

Stereotyping much?

[@stephjovi]

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

[@jenniferschmitzer299]

@@stephjovi allegedy

[@JediHobbit89]

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]

We live in a polarized world where bias is the norm

[@harrisonjodeit4340]

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

[@diypictures]

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

[@darkskyinwinter]

Resisting... urge to troll comments...

[@vurpo7080]

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

[@DejanOfRadic]

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]

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

[@AS_210]

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

[@NaviRyan]

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]

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]

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

[@Mr.Witness]

@@JoshSweetvale what power

[@jamesrountree3991]

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

[@_Iscream]

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

[@jordanneal576]

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.

[@MoarCheeseBirb]

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

[@Cindy99765]

Extremely funny

[@Cindy99765]

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

[@rutherzheng3981]

@@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]

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

[@rutherzheng3981]

@@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.

[@tiernanmcguire722]

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

[@williamwingo4740]

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]

@@williamwingo4740 As a matter of principle.

[@shanetoumey2835]

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]

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

[@itsanit123]

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

[@perfboi69]

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]

True!

[@caseymcadams5483]

Nice try Simon Whistler’s fake account lol

[@ShannonLynn21]

I now have a powerful desire to replay Bioshock.

[@ShaneBermingham616]

A man chooses A slave obeys

[@solortus]

NO GODS, NO KINGS, ONLY MAN

[@Nemania10]

@@solortus 😎😎😎

[@John-cj6pr]

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]

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

[@JohnnyWrongo-b9l]

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]

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

[@ProfPsycDad]

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

[@SaulOhio]

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]

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.

[@cerd6292]

Wow. I guess you missed her point.

[@zgSH4DOW]

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

[@DeathEater93]

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

[@blacksocrates1]

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

[@davidglad]

@@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]

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]

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

[@seanbinkley7363]

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

[@richcherwalk6349]

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

[@brianfreestone6367]

@@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]

@@richcherwalk6349 She was the greatest genius since Aristotle.

[@SergeyMilitaryRankings]

@@micchaelsanders6286 Aristotle wasn't a genius lmao

[@micchaelsanders6286]

@@SergeyMilitaryRankings Of course he was.

[@celieboo]

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]

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

[@vaughnreedjr6592]

@@jamesricker3997 she live on social security.

[@Siwarð]

@@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]

She also was not a pro lifer.

[@Bunny-ch2ul]

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."

[@daveF1993]

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]

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]

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]

@@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]

@@daveF1993 exactly

[@quintessenceSL]

@@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.

[@t.a6159]

“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]

*brings over the burn salve*

[@michaelterrell5061]

I have never loved a comment more than this.

[@MWhaleK]

That is one of my top five favorite quotes!!

[@mikespencer4922]

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

[@jerluc7209]

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

[@keiththorpe9571]

"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]

Great quote 👍

[@Jungoguy]

Nice

[@sansoucie1969]

I saw it coming, but it was still pretty good

[@Shellyz2u]

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]

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.

[@kayleelockheart8208]

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]

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]

Right?

[@drewkennedy2480]

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

[@SirBlackReeds]

And it definitely wasn't a liberal arts college?

[@kayleelockheart8208]

@@SirBlackReeds nah, public High School in east Texas

[@snufkinhollow318]

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!

[@russellwatkins3170]

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

[@stefanburns3797]

I know… I was actually surprised.

[@raymondcoventry1221]

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

[@curranfrank2854]

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

[@erutherford]

@@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]

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

[@lib-center96]

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]

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

[@mikeoneil5741]

@@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]

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

[@RationalMorality]

Exactly! Tell that to the all the activists blocking the road

[@jeffersonadams8711]

@@edwardgiovannelli5191 You must be sooo mad that Trump won. Hahahaha! 😁😁

[@kevinrwhooley9439]

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

[@blakejohnson9730]

Playing it right now actually

[@tobasco_jones6160]

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]

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]

specifically its a warning about how fucked up it was.

[@roxyamused]

@@Ace42x I mean moving pictures is better anyway... though I haven’t checked the lyrics for Peart’s objectivism.

[@gailcbull]

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]

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

[@willnill7946]

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

[@KaasIsLekker]

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

[@jasonblalock4429]

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?

[@BP-dn9nv]

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.

[@rimfire8217]

"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]

And if the person you love lies about their values?

[@reverendbarker650]

puke making.

[@ANProductionsOfficialChannel]

My favorite quote.

[@ANProductionsOfficialChannel]

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

[@xjhintonx]

Golly what a romantic

[@tobasco_jones6160]

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

[@justin.8777]

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

[@Raelspark]

they did one on Tolkien and another on Bram Stoker

[@ahuddleston6512]

@@justin.8777 me too!

[@mikepastor.k6233]

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

[@MashMonster69]

@@mikepastor.k6233 Maybe more so

[@daniescott3000]

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]

Have you read OPAR? Great read.

[@DCMarvelMultiverse]

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.

[@donaldclifford5763]

Rand's detractors have their own problems that get revealed by their unfounded findings of fault.

[@behindthespotlight7983]

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.

[@lisa2948]

Rule 32 Karl Marx and Ayn Rand just going at it while John Maynard Keynes sits in a chair just watching and smoking a pipe.

[@seanleith5312]

Karl Marx is probably no.1 evil philosopher in the history of mankind. He does more damage than anyone could in the history. Oh, God, how can one be so evil.

[@averageboi5195]

@@seanleith5312 idk man literally dictator didn't even follow the #1 thing marx wanted & that was the workers owning the means of productions but instead the state just did that. Also that 100 million figure is heavily exaggerated with it including dead nazis unrelated deaths like all deaths from the beginning of the ussr to the 60's, not to mention the 2 co-authors discredited themselves from it aswell.

[@jaketaz2848]

I'm thinking they probably wouldn't want to get it on with each other, seeing as how they have the opposite stance on every issue.

[@jaketaz2848]

@@seanleith5312 What specifically do you think is evil about it?

[@seanleith5312]

@@jaketaz2848 What?!

[@dgrmn12345]

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

[@duaneoldfield]

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

[@seanjames6642]

Ayn rand doesn’t want things band but socialists

[@adabsurdum5905]

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

[@ryanedwards7487]

@@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]

@@ryanedwards7487 exactly!

[@dunnetahl]

@@ryanedwards7487 Who hurt you?

[@1voluntaryist]

At 82, I look back and give Ayn credit for being a "life saver". When I stumbled on "The Virtue of Selfishness", Jan. 1, 1966, I was transformed from a lost anarchist, atheist anti-social loner to a person with purpose. I wanted to be a philosopher. So I read Ayn's "For the New Intellectual" and "Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology". Next I read her entire works, which included all her essays in her monthly pamphlet "The Objectivist". When I got out of the Navy I went back to college, majoring in philosophy. I was disappointed with my teachers, the other students. None seemed to care about truth or philosophy. I graduated and went to work for myself as a professional gambler, mostly playing poker and "21". But I didn't stop reading, building a large library with emphasis on politics, economics, psychology. I got to know Brandon.

[@ARIXANDRE]

The comments are gonna be good with this one.

[@b.thomas8926]

That was exactly my thought.

[@brya9681]

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

[@teknotk]

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

[@Stable_Genius]

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

[@seanbrazell6147]

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

[@jc-ke3ll]

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

[@ironwolf2244]

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]

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

[@vikingspud]

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

[@theshadowman1398]

Such a great irony that capitalist hospital bills wiped her out.

[@damonhage7451]

Funny thing is that it didn't. Another leftist myth. You make a pretty good parrot though. Nice job.

[@jorenvanderark3567]

​@damonhage7451 Is that your great rebuttal? "Nu, uh it didn't" even though Ayn Rand said the same?

[@2guys1cliplol]

​@@damonhage7451lotta cope with that. 😂😂

[@SaulOhio]

They did not. Its a lie. She died leaving an estate worth $1/2 million.

[@SaulOhio]

@@jorenvanderark3567 Do a Google search on the terms "Ayn Rand left estate New York Times article 240270". You will find a newspaper article that reports that Ayn Rand left an estate worth about $550K. The claim that she died broke is a lie.

[@Fancy_Lebowski]

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]

Another great book.

[@airkrd]

Live for yourself, there’s no one else more worth living for. Begging hands and bleeding hearts will only cry out for more.

[@justincarroll1836]

The fact that Rand became a victim of her own philosophy is perhaps the best demonstration of how wrong it is: everyone loves throwing rocks while their on the top but as soon as you slip down and get pummeled then you get a harsh lesson on the downside of self above all.

[@damonhage7451]

How was she a victim of her own philosophy?

[@donaldclifford5763]

Anyone making such a charge reveals himself as a mental pauper envious of Rand's intelligence.

[@williamsallen608]

I read Anthem and was shocked by how boring the plot and characters were. It was just brow beating libertarian values through a story that could use some gusto

[@Stable_Genius]

Same with Shrugged. I got bored halfway through it and never finished it.

[@carlh-thehermitwithwi-fi679]

i found that concentrating on the message of Anthem and not the characters made it an influential book for me. I fear many of us will suffer the protagonist's fate for telling the truth.

[@williamsallen608]

@@carlh-thehermitwithwi-fi679 I guess I was reading more for entertainment and when comparing it as a narrative to books like Animal Farm I found it lacking a compelling story

[@carlh-thehermitwithwi-fi679]

@@williamsallen608 that's perfectly fine. Until you have to pay a penalty for telling the truth, the book may not have an appeal. For those of us that have been beaten for doing so, it's a bit more "uplifiting", and a bit sad.

[@tophers3756]

She was an awful writer besides being a selfish hypocrite.

[@masonkanterbury3007]

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.

[@donaldclifford5763]

I'm big on Rand non-fiction, like Virtue of Selfishness, Capitalism the Unknown Ideal, and Objectivist Epistemology. Pure Gold.

[@solortus]

“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]

I love that...🤑🤑🤑🤑

[@masonheitner8410]

“Your mom gay.” -me, a socialist

[@solortus]

@@masonheitner8410 socialism is gay

[@electricmaster23]

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

[@nolongerblocked6210]

Someone had to do it 😉

[@robertmurphy6772]

"There are two books when read in adolescence can alter the course of one's life: the Lord of Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that can lead to a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable characters, leading to social dysfunction and an inability to live in the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs."

[@swagmanandy]

ABSOLUTELY!!!

[@iamchillydogg]

Have you read either?

[@johnnyjoestar7769]

You forgot to add The Capital by Marx

[@robertmurphy6772]

@johnnyjoestar7769 True.

[@ioannispaxinos5171]

I love how quickly he just glossed over her McCarthy witchhunt era. Who knows how many writers she resented ended up ostracized. I suppose, if you're brainwashed enough to think she's a brilliant writer you'll probably be inclined to look over casual persecution and not even stop to think about the irony.

[@lorettacaputo6997]

"The individual is the most important minority".......Thank you Ayn Rand for coming to the USA and help strengthen the original premise of our nation.

[@micchaelsanders6286]

Yes!

[@JaelaOrdo]

Too bad we don’t have more people like her today.

[@markc4176]

One huuuuuuge problem with her views: she assigns the creations of morals to the individual, which can lead to anarchy…it’s a common problem among philosophers who try removing a divine authority from ethics.

[@F_ckAllTrumpVoters]

Too bad there isn't a single individual mind among the many Rand sycophants. 😂 Every precious little home-schooled snowflake isn't an individual .

[@johnnyxmusic]

@@markc4176 Divine authority or collective cultural agreement.

[@kjjohnson1689]

"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]

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

[@12abirato]

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]

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]

@@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]

@@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

[@flamencoprof]

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]

right on

[@Debiddo_33]

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]

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

[@sybo59]

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

[@DrProgNerd]

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]

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

[@iwatchDVDsonXbox360]

Suggestions: Rene Descartes David Hume Immanuel Kant Lev Tolstoy Epicurus

[@Fhdjdkrnrnddnd]

I would never criticize Simon but we need more philosophers.

[@lambert581]

I wanna see one on Bruno Sammartino.

[@nietzschesghost8529]

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]

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]

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

[@lorenzogabutti8303]

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

[@williamwingo4740]

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]

This channel doesn't always get its facts right.

[@ignitionfrn2223]

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]

You da mvp.

[@davidEdwardsTalk]

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.

The virtue of selfishness is you become your own god. The downside is you will never have a true friend and you will die alone.

[@lainhikaru5657]

There's a middle ground in that, it's called satanism. Doesn't go goody-goody enough to be stepped on, doesn't go full Ayn Rand to be heartless. Least the version preach by the Satanic temple. The version of the Church of Satan is more close to Ayn Rand in many things. Still...Even them don't go full Ayn Rand though 🤣 That woman was merciless.

[@Taurusguy]

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

[@BrutusBellamy]

Suggestion: Voltaire, John Locke, or Rousseau

[@pamelamays4186]

Suggestion: American author James Baldwin.

[@masonheitner8410]

helllllll yes

[@avalonmarie99]

YES!!!

[@lyndoraburroughs-robinson5663]

Yes👍🏼

[@WallStreet06]

Yes please.

[@gladeonrav22]

No

[@DrJohnnyJ]

Sad woman. She thinks that nothing is accomplished in group when, in reality, nothing is accomplished alone.

[@PiedFifer]

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]

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

[@reverendbarker650]

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

[@reillyflaherty9234]

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

[@rebelblade7159]

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]

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

[@celsius7972]

*Just say no!* ..."Racism didn't exist in this country until the liberals brought it up," ~Ayn Rand Native Americans did not "have any right to live in a country merely because they were born here and acted and lived like savages." ~Ayn Rand During an interview, Mike Wallace said, “You say that you do not like the altruism by which we live.” Rand responded by correcting him ever so slightly: “I will say that, ‘I don’t like’ is too weak a word. I consider it evil.” ~Ayn Rand When a woman in the audience of the Phil Donahue show asked how Rand would feel about a female president, she said, “I wouldn’t vote for her. I don’t believe that any good woman would want that position.” Lest you think this was a spontaneous one-off, Rand put a lot of thought into this issue, writing the essay, “About a Woman President,” which read, “For a woman to seek or desire the presidency is, in fact, so terrible a prospect of spiritual self-immolation that the woman who would seek it is psychologically unworthy of the job.” ~Ayn Rand On subnormal children and on the handicapped… "It’s the attempt to bring everybody to the level of the handicapped. It includes the mentally retarded, subnormal children who are not able to learn. So at the end of spending thousands of millions of the tax payers’ dollars, you’re left with a half-idiot who may learn to read and write. May!" ~Ayn Rand "Any white person who brings the elements of civilization had the right to take over this continent," ~Ayn Rand “Ayn Rand's 'philosophy' is nearly perfect in its immorality, which makes the size of her audience all the more ominous and symptomatic as we enter a curious new phase in our society.... To justify and extol human greed and egotism is to my mind not only immoral, but evil.” ― Gore Vidal

[@loona_mew]

Many bad takes she had

[@donaldclifford5763]

@@loona_mew Name one?

[@onetripwonders]

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]

@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'

[@zim-zf7mq]

Her dying on welfare is the greatest irony.

[@mindy56374]

Also developing her theories during a post-war boom brought about by socialist policies. That boom didn't just happen. It was made. It was a concerted political effort to rebuild America (and the rest of the west) which she then worked to bring right back down. Talk about the American Dream.

[@SaulOhio]

She did not die on welfare. She left an estate worth $1/2 million. She still had an income big enough that she was paying more in income tax every year than she was getting back in SS payments. And since she was forced to pay taxes against her will all her working life, she saw it as restitution. Inadequate restitution at that.

[@SaulOhio]

@@mindy56374 Government spending and regulation were at a minimum. That was the time when America was closest it had ever been to her ideals since the New Deal. And the New Deal is part of what kept America in The Great Depression so long.

[@katieholland4244]

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

[@undeadwill5912]

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

[@Bloombaby99]

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

[@xmlthegreat]

She would despair, but for the completely wrong reasons.

[@gregpenismith1248]

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

[@jth4242]

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.

[@claytonchaney9171]

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.

[@olGrandpaby]

Learning that Ayn Rand was on social security is just -chef’s kiss-

[@ElPolloDiabloCH]

The irony is just too delicious

[@eodyn7]

All Americans have social security because we all pay into it regardless of whether we want to do so.

[@olGrandpaby]

@@eodyn7 You’re absolutely right even though some people try their damnedest to make that not the case. (People who read Ayn Rand like it’s the Bible)

[@SaulOhio]

She left an estate worth $1/2 million. She still had an income big enough that she was paying more in income tax every year than she was getting back in SS payments. And since she was forced to pay taxes against her will all her working life, she saw it as restitution. Inadequate restitution at that.

[@dangelo1369]

Ayn Rand thought she was smarter than she actually was. And she fell into the trap of egoism through her cult of personality. See her affair with Nathanial Brandon and it’s predictable ending. She didn’t even couldn’t afford to maintain her convictions, due to her debilitating lung cancer which necessitated her acceptance of Social Security payments. One could reference Rose Wilder Lane( whose mother Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote the Little House on The Prarie” books)and Isobel Paterson as far more committed to their ideology than Rand.

[@SaulOhio]

She still had an income big enough that she was paying more in income tax every year than she was getting back in SS payments. And since she was forced to pay taxes against her will all her working life, she saw it as restitution. Inadequate restitution at that. She had her lung cancer surgery years before she was old enough to qualify to apply for her SS benefits, and paid for her brother-in-law's heart surgery. Health care was not as expensive as it is now, after decades of regulation and subsidies. She died leaving an estate worth $550K. I think $400K of that was cash in the bank. Stop listening to the people telling you these lies.

[@johnnynick3621]

Rand maintained her moral convictions her entire life. She remained self-sufficient and economically independent right up to her death. She left a sizable estate to Leonard Piekoff, who used much of it to open the Ayn Rand Institute, dedicated to teaching her philosophy around the world.

[@veronicamaine3813]

I love how liking an Ayn Rand is shorthand for instant douche status - in my experience it’s fitting and accurate 😂

[@TimeOfTroubles73]

That’s almost precisely how I feel about Leftists, with the exception that I’d also add murderous sociopaths to the description.

[@wstavis3135]

Maybe it's you projecting. Just saying.

[@TimeOfTroubles73]

@wstavis3135. More likely it’s the nearly 100 million people murdered during the 20th century by Leftists such as Stalin, Hitler (yes, the Nazis were to the Left of American conservatism), Mao, Pol Pot, the Kims, and others. Maybe you’re the sort who wears a Che Guevara tee shirt without understanding that he was a sadistic murderer and a rabid, violent homophobe? Don’t believe me? Look these facts up for yourself. I doubt you will because most Leftists are more concerned with appearing virtuous than they are being right.

[@MWhaleK]

@@wstavis3135Nah! Once you actually dig into who she was, what she did and a lot of the things that happened in her books? It becomes pretty accurate that any unironic fan of hers that actually reads her books (which isn't easy since they are door stoppers that aren't very well written) is pretty much a douche. There is story that while Alan Greenspan (who was one of her groupies) was head of the fed? She demanded the he unilaterally implement her extreme libertarian policies and when he told he that while he would like to? He couldn't because that was well beyond his powers, Greenspan became persona non grata to her.

[@jacobjoachim2138]

​@@wstavis3135 "this is what i dont answer, you have already come to a position, incidentally displaying the quality of your brain, before saying what you you said. you are an idiot." -Ayn Ran on phil donehue 1979

[@hilarymol6607]

Even though my degree is in English literature and I've read voraciously since I was a kid, I still knew next to nothing about Ayn Rand. This was an enjoyable introduction to her. Also, I'm betting not a lot of people pay attention to this kind of thing, but kudos to the person who did the music/sound engineering for this video, especially the opening music. As someone who has been classically trained in music, I tend to notice how sound is woven through something like this to propel the story forward. Kudos to all of you! I'm a huge fan of this channel (and the other sister channels) and can't wait to see what comes next.

[@lolilollolilol7773]

It's interesting that outside of the US, Ayn Rand has virtually zero influence at all and her philosophy is not considered serious philosophy.

[@sybo59]

@@lolilollolilol7773 And observe that lunatic postmodernists and literal proto-Nazis are still held in high regard in Europe. Truth is not a democracy - thank goodness for that.

[@lolilollolilol7773]

@@sybo59 which "lunatic postmodernists" and "literal proto-Nazis" are you talking about ?

[@keenoled]

@@lolilollolilol7773 Literal proto-Nazis, I can think of one? Wagner. But while musically in high regard, I wouldn't say anyone is a proud fan of his music AND his proto-Nazi ways. It's always embarrasment. I'd love to know which people they talk of, cos I don't know of any that are held in high regard regarding their people-hating bits.

[@LoliLikesPedobear]

@@lolilollolilol7773 I can tell you that in Post-Soviet context she has lost to the semi-religious branch of non-libertarian liberals slightly leaning right or left. But she's known and her early novel was compared to Zamyatin's We. She's mostly known as prominent immigrant writer of Russian descent and her radical ideas of individualism is studied as response to Soviet Union and its ideology.

[@tkhiryr2]

"Although she had carried on a multi year affair with Branden, Rand had always been devoted to her husband." Nah my guy. It don't work like that.

[@DerykRobosson]

It is also a point that detractors of her work constantly raise when they have no valid arguments against her works.

[@derfgerps4016]

She hated the communists but praised the Americans for how they treated Native Americans?

[@b.thomas8926]

MILTON FRIEDMAN ENTERS THE CHAT:

[@truth5705]

another weasel who thought automobile quality shouldn't be regulated by the government but by the free market. So; "Here buy this car and see if it's safe enough, if it is that's great. If it's not, don't worry you won't need a car anymore" He also thought Central Park should be sold off to big business

[@b.thomas8926]

@@truth5705 Hey look, I went trolling and caught someone. Freedman wasn't correct. There DOES need to be some regulation. But over regulation hurts the small guy by driving up costs and just lining the pockets of the regulators and rich people. That's a point Rand made. A current example is that 1.9 billion was set aside for homelessness in LA and almost all of that money is already gone into regulation, and the problem still isn't being addressed. Only the rich fucks and government regulators have gotten anything out of it. There's got to be a middle ground. What we're doing aint working.

[@truth5705]

@@b.thomas8926 I'm interested in a balance between the two as well. But it could be a Middle Ground Fallacy. Eg. Mr A says "2 + 2 = 4", Mr B says "2 + 2 = 8" therefore the real answer must be "2 + 2 = 6". This would be an example of a MGF. But a dynamic middle ground which moves depending on the time and situation is probably the right answer. But that wasn't what my statement said. My statement wasn't for regulation in general. But in those two cases where examples how extreme Milton was. He was clearly wrong, and instead of admitting it, he just carried on with smug intellectual complacency He was a weasel. I think you unintentionally strawmanned me.

[@shagituz]

Peoples lack of a belief in the free market stems from peoples lack if belief in freedom itself. People are smarter than the regulators give them credit for.

[@truth5705]

@@shagituz I was thinking the free market would set up reviewing business to review car quality and safety, people would buy these reviews books, blogs, videos etc,.. And they could do a better job than the government, but still Central Park is better as Central Park rather than another shopping center

[@dachsiemomma1725]

When I was in high school my mother and I went to the drugstore and we were waiting for my asthma medicine to be prepared. I saw a paperback stand and eyed a book entitled "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand. Being a rebel, I was attracted to a claim on the back cover of the book: "One man against the world!" My mother bought the book for my and my life has been guided by her philosophy. I noticed that a lady in a car next me rolled up her car window with annoyance when I complained that only the government could have arranged this train wreck of an COVID 19 vaccination system. I couldn't believe the inefficiency before my eyes! The annoyed woman said, "You have to accept what you cannot control." I knew that if everyone thought like her we'd all be slaves! Now the US is facing huge forced unemployment numbers and I know that Ayn Rand was right in "Atlas Shrugged." Atlas is shrugging!

[@KeitieKalopsia]

This is probably going to be an inefficient argument against you, but the COVID-19 vaccination system is a train wreck because people don’t want tog et vaccinated. You’re right, we shouldn’t just accept things the way they are. We should encourage more people to get vaccinated and get this whole ordeal over with. There should be no religious exemptions. Safety is not political and it is not divided by religion. On another note, it’s so sad that so many small businesses making their way in the world were crushed by the pandemic. If the government is going to levy taxes on businesses and individuals, they should use it for the good of the community. They should have made more of an effort to save those suffering businesses! Ai yi yi. I’ve never read _Atlas Shrugged,_ but _The Fountainhead_ was pretty spectacular and inspiring.

[@jfangm]

"I will stop the motor of the world." And the truckers did exactly that.

[@Cain__m]

So she is anti-socialist? No wait anti-capitalist? No wait she is ...... very opinionated?

[@nickthompson9697]

Try stupid.

[@jacevance10]

@@nickthompson9697 how

[@jacevance10]

@@nickthompson9697 please random KZbin man tell me how one of the best authors from the 20th century is stupid

[@mattroxursoul]

@@jacevance10 Thinking that corporations by themselves with no rules or regulations by the state will run well. Corporations are to make money, all the money the can as fast as they can. They will sacrifice stability of a company they control in order to make a huge profit quickly. They will cut corners and stamp down on workers....Cause when people are not people but numbers on a spreadsheet it is easy to consider them a cost....Instead of the people who actually do the work. She is not stupid, but her ideas on a large scale are just as bad as any extremist one. With her instead of Nazi Germany, or Communist Russia you would get an eventual corporate controlled world. Ceo would be leader of everyone. On a political compass she would be extremely right wing but instead of "Up" on the axis to where authoritarian states are she would be "Down" which would be libertarian side... meaning no government type stuff. No public works at all like police or anything. Everything would be privately owned. Like roads, military, fire department, schools..... Technically you would have the most personal freedom in this state. Well unless corporations decided they did not like what you do...so instead of a state telling you smoking pot is bad...It would be a private guard. Long term it would be whoever is wealthy would have complete control.....I know it already feels that way now but it can get way worse.

[@James-sk4db]

​@@mattroxursoul Kind of yes but actually no. Companies doing unethical practices will lose customers to their ethical competition. An example of this is Victorian England, children left the workforce due to consumers not buying from places that exploited children, eventually this lead to the government making a rule banning child labour but it was unnecessary as there was hardly any child laborer's at the time as it was seen as cruel. Consumers can act quicker than governments, consumers keep companies in line. But a country controlled by consumers requires informed consumers and reliable non-corrupt media. Basically the system is only ever as ethical as the consumers are, this is not now viable without something to replace church and the love of money and the self before all else it wont work, back when it was written it was more viable. (I say this as an atheist)

[@kitchencarvings4621]

Rand was not a miltant atheist. She was an intransiget atheist. Big difference.

OK given the terms " militant atheist." and " intransigent atheist" have the same meaning ... they both represent an unshakable belief in the none- existence of the soul, life aftermath, god, wherever where's the big difference.

[@sylviadailey9126]

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 KZbin. 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]

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

[@walterthorne4819]

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

[@rbrinks5]

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

[@TouchofShunshine]

Ayn Rand applying for social security benefits has got to be the funniest thing.-@lietz13 and being heartbroken when her lover started seeing someone else. Objectivism as a thought that has no feelings and selfness is hogwash. All humans have emotions. Selfness must give others the right to be selfness.

[@Willowflat16]

Your first comment speaks to the phenomenon of the millions of anti-government American conservatives who ignore the fact that Medicare and Medicaid are government-run social programs. Without the Socialist policies that brought M&M into existence, how many anti-government conservatives would have suffered and died, while corporate health care and pharmaceutical companies left them to die in the name of profits?

[@SaulOhio]

Its not funny if you understand two things. First of all, since she was forced to pay the taxes for it, getting some of her money back is perfectly just and fair by her philosophy. Secondly, what she got back was a pittance compared to what she was paying. Her income was big enough that she was still paying more every year than she was getting back in SS payments. It amounted to at best a small tax refund.

[@Saezimmerman]

Never quite understand how so many Christian Conservatives balance Rand's philosophy with a faith that espouses love for others as the greatest of all virtues. I was very interested to find that she'd have agreed with me...

[@josephrobinson6171]

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

[@DeathEater93]

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]

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

[@stefanburns3797]

@@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]

@@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]

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

[@jiggygrand]

There's more Happiness in giving than in receiving.

[@AeneasGemini]

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

[@RHCole]

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

[@bateman2112]

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

[@jiggygrand]

@@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!!

[@RHCole]

@@jiggygrand The joke You

[@DesertHomesteader]

I think there's a common misunderstanding about Rand's philosophy of objectivism. It is not about "selfishness" so much as it is about "self-interest". I don't believe Rand would say that selfishness is necessarily in your self-interest. If you read Atlas Shrugged, for example, you'll note that the protagonists are frequently generous in their dealings with each other because their future goals are in alignment and there are future benefits to all parties in being generous or taking a loss. It is the (often rich) moochers in Rand's writing who are portrayed as selfish because they want something now for nothing in return...ever. This is Rand's principal argument against communism. The assertion is that ultimate ends of taking from the productive to give to the unproductive is for the productive to stop producing and for the entitled moochers to bring down an entire economy.

[@AndSendMe]

Rand pointed out that our cultural conception of 'selfish' is nonsensical, as it equates self-responsibility with childish and short-sighted behavior. The man who builds a life and funds his own retirement and doesn't give to charity is equated with someone who pulls off a ponzi scheme. She supported rational selfishness, which means principled, long-term self-interest, which looks nothing like the childish portrait of selfishness our culture holds.

[@citizensnips2348]

Doesn't make her correct. And if the message isn't understood then she failed to communicate it.

[@AndSendMe]

@@citizensnips2348 To evaluate the correctness of her point, one has to have an idea of how concepts should be formed and used. If one believes that concepts can be formed and used any which way, Rand will sound crazy. But if one believes that clear thinking requires that we form our concepts carefully so that they differentiate things as clearly as possible, Rand will sound intriguing and one might want to study her views. Rand's message is understood by many people, but it takes work. If one tries to grasp her broad ideas only on the basis of what most of us learned in school and from our culture one will not succeed.

[@DesertHomesteader]

​@@citizensnips2348 I didn't make a single assertion as to Rand's "correctness". I'm not sure why you felt this comment was necessary or productive. Also, Rand is definitely not to blame for any misunderstanding. Atlas Shrugged is over 1,000 pages of story illustrating her philosophy - and the chapter-long John Galt speech is basically Rand saying, "Just in case you didn't understand the point of this story, here is exactly what it means." If nothing else, she was almost annoyingly clear in her message.

[@citizensnips2348]

@@AndSendMe to understand her I have to know the secret way to interpret concepts? I understand through the scientific method. Saying I have to subscribe to a new methodology, that will only make sense when I accept it, sounds like cult thinking to be honest. Critical analysis is the way to analyse things, informed by the scientific method. The scientific method which when properly utilised is without ideology. It is nothing but the pursuit of truth through reasoning and mathematics.

[@ericjianuzzi3448]

Ayn Rand's Social Security check...that got turned up to eleven.

[@DarkFire1536]

Does it go to 11?? 😂

[@SaulOhio]

She was forced to pay taxes, including Social Security taxes, all her life. So by her own philosophy, anything she could get back was restitution for theft.

[@cschacker99]

I object to you, as a biographer, calling objectivism “crap”. That’s your opinion and not for you to say

[@walterCronkitesleftshoe6684]

Is a "biographer" duty bound to slavishly subscribe to their subject's own world view?

[@RaulFelixINC]

"Childhood is an intellection wasteland." I wouldn't be able to stop laughing if I heard a kid say that.

[@davidhiatt1486]

Please do one on President James K. Polk. Multiple interesting stories during his time in office.

[@casper6405]

Dutch historical characters first

[@prussianhill]

James Polk is probably one of the most influential US presidents as far as the international stage is considered, yet despite being consistently listed in the top 10 US presidents list he's often forgotten. Polk would be a good choice for a video. The Napoleon of the stump.

[@klaytonkent5203]

I second this motion... would not be angry to see a US presidents series

[@AndrewTubbiolo]

@@casper6405 No! It's America First! America First! But the Netherlands second!

[@AndrewTubbiolo]

Didn't he have a pig?

[@quatele]

Not sure why people are interested in her biography. It is the philosophy that is important. Just read "The Fountainhead", which is in the great Russian tradition of presenting philosophy as fiction, because you are able to absorb it at a more emotional level. Ideology is the disease and philosophy is the cure.

[@sergeikshiminskiy2818]

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]

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

[@FakeAccount3333-d2t]

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

[@pansophia93]

Rand's novels, either intentional or unintentional, mirrors Nietzsche's philosophy, so much so some have even labeled plagiarism charges against Rand. Rand acknowledged the many similarities between her work and Nietzsche's, but completely rejected Nietzsche's mysticism. To Rand Nietzsche wasn't a strong enough atheist. I'm rambling. Most people: Nietzsche is awesome. Also most people: Rand sucks.

[@johnhatchel9681]

We need her to be revived and resume writing. The Progressive wing of the Democratic Party is literally everything she wrote about.

[@Schnoz42069]

Eww no

[@andrewszigeti2174]

You forgot one of her biggest fans, Anton leVey, writer of the Satanic Bible. Which makes the Religious Right's embracing her works even more ironic.

[@Mansini77]

Rand was secular and an atheist. She’s no icon to the “religious right”.

[@andrewszigeti2174]

@@Mansini77 And yet Republican politicians love her and publicly praise her work. Congressman and 2012 VP candidate Paul Ryan is on record saying "There is no better place to find the moral case for capitalism and individualism than through Ayn Rand's writings and works." Given Anton leVey's prior statement of "My religion is just Ayn Rand's philosophy with ceremony and ritual added," this says volumes about the moral flexibility of both the Republican party, and the so-called Religious Right as they support these morally flexible candidates.

[@sofia_calista]

@@andrewszigeti2174 conservative =\= religious.

[@andrewszigeti2174]

@@sofia_calista : Yes, absolutely. However, the evangelicals make such a big deal of a) the fact that they are highly religions, and b) the fact that they support the Republican party heart and soul. Even when the Republican in question spits on many of the basic tenets of their sect, such as Trump. There's the reason the term 'Religious Right' contains the individual terms 'religious' and 'right'. It's not because they're correct more often than not.

[@James-sk4db]

@@andrewszigeti2174 IF Paul Ryan said "There is no better place to find the moral case for christianity than through Ayn Rand's writings and works." I'd get your point. Lots of people especially are happy to accept peoples ideas on certain things and reject their ideas on other things without it being an issue, the left have an issue with this and will cast anyone out who disagrees on a single thing even if they agree on everything else, e.g. Joe Rogan Left wing on nearly every policy point but enjoys hunting and says that men shouldnt be allowed to fight women in MMA / UFC and is screeched at nonstop and banished from the left.

[@jerrylags]

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

[@avneet12284]

What? Atlas Shrugged and Fountainhead were failures? They were mega successes. In fact, they sell thousands of copies TODAY

[@rn6312]

They're terrible

[@AnCapJohn]

He meant during her life and didn't really take off until after. But they were successful and were incredible books

[@paulcaridi4964]

It seems like her time in America was just too early; if she was around another 5-10 years later when the U.S. was all about anti-communism, she'd be a household name as an example of someone who escaped the dictatorship and can speak from experience,

[@thugnomics123]

Come on Simon John Steinbeck or Fyodor Dostoyevsky deserve their biography done if Rand is gonna get one.

[@thugnomics123]

@Hyperskreem 82 unfortunately he hasn't. Hate the way a magnificent writer is often ignored these days. But hopefully someday.

[@ahuddleston6512]

Definitely!

[@St.Linguini_of_Pesto]

YES!! I've got a _few_ suggestions: [A] Biographics -John Steinbeck + Geographics -Cannery Row/Monterey/Carmel; [B] Biographics -John Muir + Geographics -Yosemite. [A] & [B] would be awesome.

[@St.Linguini_of_Pesto]

@Hyperskreem 82 I think you may be correct. Has he covered F. Scott Fitzgerald? Or Agatha Christie?

[@dunnetahl]

Simon Whistler deserves a biography ;)

[@davekiernan1]

Ayn Rand was friends and neighbour to Milton Friedman and Alan Greenspan i hear.

[@severalwolves]

Yeah - I hear that the Eighth Layer of Hell is a great place to live. Great schools. But yeah, a lot of our favorites in that neighborhood :)

[@jstone247]

I don't think she had friends. She had collegues.

[@deadlyoneable]

Ah…more of the “tribe” I see.

[@davekiernan1]

@@deadlyoneable quite interssting.

[@FireinTheBowl]

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]

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

[@kevintaylor791]

Could we get a Bio on Haile Selassie I?

[@pgfinna]

dubs

[@randyisrad]

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

[@nolongerblocked6210]

I lol'd _waaayyyyy_ to hard at this

[@txchick817]

Ayn Rand, same as the GOP - will stand defiantly against anything they disagree with until it happens to them, personally.

[@saintbinkley4988]

You’re, um… well, you’re describing all political affiliations with that. At least the American ones.

[@aaronstolz9936]

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]

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

[@aaronstolz9936]

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

[@brendaforevergreen7436]

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

[@DCMarvelMultiverse]

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.