Nathaniel Branden on "My Years With Ayn Rand"

[@mangoswiss]

"Everybody on this planet has done things in this world that they wish they had done differently. And those things they may be a little bit ashamed of now or embarrassed by now. So what? Welcome to the human race. The real issue that separates the good guys from and the not so hot guys is what do you want to do about it now?" Nathaniel Branden at 9:24 I love this! Probably the best short critique of Rand's novels I've ever heard.

[@What_If_We_Tried]

I used to loath Ayn Rand, and her [selfish] Objectivist philosophy for years, until late March 2018. It also did not help that she was an atheist, as I used to be very atheist adverse as well. However, I heard Ayn Rand's philosophy mentioned in a [somewhat] positive light by Jordan B. Peterson - who I've been listening to for several months - and decided to take a fresh look at her ideas by starting with two movies, The Fountainhead, and, Atlas Shrugged. Now I am completely captivated by OBJECTIVISM and have ordered six of her books this week.

[@woodsofchaos]

Funniest thing I've read in a while.

[@Brindapr]

Daniel Berry welcome aboard

[@thecapone45]

Just finished Fountainhead yesterday and bought another one of her books. Her ideas changed my life honestly, and helped me be a happier and better person.

[@LintRiggs_]

The word 'selfish' has deliberately been misconstrued and made into a provocative term. Society wants you to be a 'team player'. In other words, not thinking for yourself. Selfish is synonymous with individuality. It's the individual pursuing ones own interests. That's all. It's nothing to do with walking over others to meet your ends. This is what most people can't get their minds past. Rand's work is about the individual using his or her mind, volitionally, since we are all born with rational minds and must figure things out for ourselves. This is what separates us from the plant and animal kingdom, yet we are encouraged not to use our minds but to live our lives following others who may or may not have this thing called life figured out. The irony about those who bash Rand's work is that they have clearly abnegated their minds, themselves, in that they have clearly not looked into her work to figure it out for themselves but have took on a collectivised opinion of it.

[@rnnr3719]

how did it go?

[@OppressedAnarchist]

To the people blindly hating Ayn Rand: Try reading some of Rand's books before spewing all of your hateful nonsense towards her.

[@BuyTheDip627]

OppressedAnarchist true good advice

[@carpenter3069]

I agree 99.99%

[@AdamSmith-qo6km]

Buttercup58 he said “blindly”

[@danil874]

@Buttercup58 so, "numbnuts", what do you have to say about them?

[@-RandomBiz-]

There are plenty of critics, professional and amateur, that are previously experienced in her work. It is precisely that experience which guides them to opine. Perhaps you are the one that needs to be more objective. Rand should have called the book The Ugly Virtue of Selfish Arrogance

[@MrGchiasson]

Personal responsibility & accountability.. These are virutes that have been erased in America today. Everybody is either a victim of something or can point the finger of blame somewhere else. The 'societal experts' have fed us this mind-numbing garbage for decades. Look at the decline that has occurred in the last 40-50 years. Dumbing-down in every sense. I'm reading Atlas Shrugged' and it is an eye-opener. I've also read the works by Nathaniel Branden...very good reading.

[@drmodestoesq]

Accountability? To who? The human race? I thought this was the moral justification of ego and self aggrandizement at the expense or at least indifference to other people's needs or wants.

[@ObjectiveZoomer]

Wow! After all these years, he still speaks with this much reverence for her. I guess it goes to show that even the devil recognizes God's brilliance

[@alexanderleeart]

That issue about redemption mirrors my thoughts exactly. I thought it would have been so good if Ayn Rand had shown how one could become moral, that is, the progression from immorality to morality. She always presented her protagonists as if they were born with morality. This is not possible according to Objectivism, because it states that man is not naturally moral, and so must make the decision to become moral.

[@DavidWalden-en2vo]

As a young know it all with an almost lifeless soul, I was thrown a paperback copy of Atlas at the age of 21 with the admonition, "here, read this! Who knows, you might like it!" The rest became the history of my life. When the break-up between Rand and Branden became public, the results to many, many, "Objectivists," were traumatic. You see, at that time (sixties), many, many, minds and souls were drawn to Rand because they were either seeking a replacement for Jesus, or fleeing from him! Their "savior" or "potential savior," was demonstrating herself, in spite of her seemingly unprecedented intellectual horsepower and literary skill to, alas, be but one of us - a human being. Most of my fellow sycophants immediately felt that they must "take a side." They overwhelmingly chose Rand. No one, save me, chose Branden. I actually didn't choose him, I just didn't automatically side with Rand. The reason? While Rand had awakened my darkened soul to the world I had cynically ignored or impugned, Branden awakened it to ME! His book, "The Psychology of Self-Esteem," was as profound a read as was Atlas, though for different reasons! I have since met both Rand and Branden - the former in 1976, the latter in 2008. Both meetings are memorable. If I read or hear of an admirer of Rand impugn Branden, I immediately ask "why?" It is on rare occasion that I get what I consider to be a "reasoned" answer. I shall always be grateful to both of them that I am able to judge such a circumstance, confidently using reason as I do so!

[@ephidel285]

That mention of redemption in Rand's work reminds me of two of her characters; Andrei from We the Living and the Wet Nurse from Atlas Shrugged. Both received redemption of morality.

[@girumzemichael704]

ephidel285 She was captivated by Dostoevsky as so many of us, that I bet was her influence with the redemptive ending..

[@mrzublyon]

There is no hate in her philosophy, simply a rejection of the prevailing philosophy of altruism, a rejection of the belief that the highest virtue is sacrificing one's individualism for the benefit of another or for the benefit of society. I have watched her interviews and her solo videos and see no contradiction, only consistency.

[@drmodestoesq]

Yeah...we need a moral philosophy telling people to be more selfish. We don't have enough immoral and amoral narcissistic greed. We need someone to preach the message of not giving a flick about other people.

[@73split]

@@drmodestoesqwhat we need more of is a bunch of liberals who are so arrogant that they think they know what’s best for everyone else and they think so little of their fellow humans that they think they are incapable of knowing what’s best for themselves and are incapable of making decisions for themselves. And don’t kid yourself, people with the mindset I pointed out are some of the most selfish self centered arrogant individuals you will ever meet who only pretend to care for others to feed their own egos.

[@ZeroRyu7]

@@drmodestoesqYou have a fundamental misunderstanding of her philosophy

[@margaretwordnerd5210]

Why does no one complain about the evils that contaminated the last years of Rand's life? Medicare and Social Security benefits!!! Why do none of you see that by allowing her to sell her integrity for a few doctor visits and living expenses, the nanny state spoiled the pure virtue of her selfishness? A true devotee would be angry with the government for tempting her to live like the kind of useless parasites she hated. What a tragic injustice that they stole her right to die free and made her get medical care from doctors who insulted her by correlating her cough with a harmless capitalist habit like cigarettes.😕

[@deluks917]

Damn he looks good for 83!

[@sandythomas8911]

He was 78.

[@mokunju8296]

@@sandythomas8911 He still looks good!

[@fexurbis123]

Yep! Attractive dude.

[@asstone7]

Have you seen how the most prominent proponents of organised objectivism (aka obleftivists) are biological dead-end immigrants? Why do we call them obleftivists? What differentiates rightists with leftists is not the difference about capitalism vs socialism, it’s not even about individuality vs collectivism. It is not even a view of hierarchy vs equality. In fact the difference is even deeper. It is a world view based on socio biology vs a worldview based on the blank slate view of human nature. If you just look and analyse these obleftivists you will see why they say what they say. These are not biologically gifted people. They are not tall, handsome and muscular. They may have a speech impediment and their accents in their new countries separate them negatively from the natives. Also they do not have very high IQ levels and thus envy the people above them that do. You see being tribalist is in our DNA, and these obleftivists do not wish to be discriminated against, since this discrimination does affect their quality of life i.e. by not getting the good job or the promotion, or the man/woman they desire. These obleftivists wish to attack the natural socio-biological differences in humans in order to benefit their life (mostly benefit financially). Like all leftists they attack the naturally gifted, the naturally charismatic, the ones that come from a privileged background, the ones that were born smarter (higher IQ) and/or more handsome/beautiful. They attack the Howard Roarks of this world. Their statement is simple. Free will man!!! If you just think it you can become anything you want. This is the fundamental message that obleftivism is selling to all its naïve victims. Scientology without the aliens. The truth about humans and all DNA based life is that we are simply NOT individuals. We are living organisms that stretch across countless generations. Our ancestors live through us and we will live through our descendants. The accomplishments of your ancestors are your accomplishments. Everything they could do, you can do. Everything you can do, your descendants can do. You were not born from a vacuum, you were not born from individuals. You are the product of a tribe’s gene pool, an entire history’s worth of choices mashed together and separated wheat from chaff to create the algorithm of preferences in your brain, the brain that your DNA coded for, including your case specific preference for sacrificing the herd for your own wellbeing. With the right information/situation at your disposal you would sacrifice yourself for the herd, be it in form of pushing your own son out of the way of a speeding car and getting run over, or working a lifetime so that your children can live better lives. You are not alone. You came from something much bigger than yourself, and you have only got one people left in the world that can reciprocate your good will if you choose to direct it outward. Remember where you came from, what you are, and where you are going. Naturally a woman who chose to die childless, who chose to remove herself from her people and her history, would not be able to educate others on the truth. This explains why her heir declared her philosophy to be closed. He did it in order to insulate it from the truth, in order to cover his own failings in life and in order to attract similar failures. We shall call these people with one simple word. Obleftivists!!!

[@alexleibovici4834]

Possibly a (minor?) stroke and also onset of Parkinson's

[@steves8014]

Ayn Rand was a genius. People seeking truth in the end wind up students of Rand.

[@user-sk9sp7pe4y]

That's a fact. She can't be denied. Ever!

[@user-hy9nh4yk3p]

nah .... Fare thee well.

[@elmoblatch9787]

It's amazing that Nathaniel said to a book store owner, "I'm a big admirer of Rand," and the book store owner could not have imagined that Nathaniel had a sexual relationship with Ayn Rand. In fact, the book store owner would have never believed it.

[@fazbell]

Ayn Rand was approximately as sexually attractive as Jabba the Hutt.

[@quakers200]

And what a relationship. He was a married man at the time and Rand just figured his wife shouldn't mind it. When he ended the relationship Rand tried to ruin him and succeeded fairly well. Delightful woman.

[@daphnethedrummer]

It's good to know that people are admired for intelligence...the media wants everyone to believe that the only important thing is physical appearance.

[@SaintNektarios]

These days the only thing that makes an individual important is her or her victim status.

[@joelobe187]

which media??? zionist satanist owned media..... hohohoh.

[@mrtibbs8335]

Yeah but he might not agree, his forehead doesn’t move.

[@danwallach8826]

The "media." It isn't a monolith run by an alien brain. Anyone who dumps all his or her complaints on the "media" isn't doing much thinking. Also, my time spent caring about what Ayn Rand said or did is currently zero.

[@1023JPG]

Redemption - "what do you want to do about it now" Simply brilliant

[@lance9749]

Wow 14 years ago... Great interview and interesting insight into the world of Ayn.

[@SpinStar1956]

Ayn Rand didn’t tell us what to do; Ayn Rand told us how to go about it! Forever changed by reading her books, studying her philosophy and putting it into action. I’ve never encountered a Rand critic, that didn’t misconceive, lacked worldly or human-knowledge, or themselves a were a fraud! After studying many years of philosophy, I feel you’ll go far further by putting into practice her ideals and precepts… 😊

[@PanhandleFrank]

“a Rand critic that didn’t misconceive”? She denied the existence of her Maker. No misconception there …

[@fisayoobilaja2960]

"Feel Deeply to think clearly"

[@BodyByBisson]

This resonated with me massively

[@mepemcl]

By "value life", I mean an individual person should value his life, and also the lives of other persons. This means survival, but it also means to pursue happiness, pursue values, to have a sense of life beyond just getting by, etc... “in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute”

[@libertarianjury]

@6:24 Thank goodness that Nathaniel Branden sets the record straight here (as he has in print) about libertarianism and objectivism! Ayn Rand promoted a totally irrational, destructive, movement-destroying, freedom-destroying rejection of the libertarian movement that both preceded her, existed during her life, and continued growing after she died. The ARI philosophical hair-splitters and infighters who have taken Rand's name have mostly continued this in-fighting. Thank you, Nathaniel!

[@Bigturns33]

Branden has wrote the books on self esteem. I think for Branden he loved all the values that Rand showed and lived and likewise, rand loved the values nathaniel lived. Rand stated this is love. And this is why Nathaniel said this is why we had a relationship.

[@LucisFerre1]

A = A, It is what it is, holmes.

[@ENLIGHTENMENTING]

On my opinion, after reading the whole of Branden books, and some Rand's books, errors of morality can be redimed like errors of knowledge, because morality is knowledge of oneself...They should be redimed, and only by oneself. Is the essence of Branden philosophy: responsibility.

[@Game-of-Heroic-Meaning]

The Wet Nurse. 8:30 in to the video, Nathaniel says "there is no treatment of regeneration of your life, of the motion from failure to success in the moral sphere." The Wet Nurse in Atlas Shrugged is my favorite scene. He was THE redemptive character Mr. Branden is talking about.

[@OppressedAnarchist]

I will be honest and admit that I wasn't a big fan of Atlas Shrugged, but I would highly recommend reading her non-fiction work, I find it to be a lot better than her fiction. Try "The Virtue Of Selfishness" and "Philosophy: Who needs it?"

[@rwoz]

I wonder what happened with that marijuana incident.

[@MVHS85]

To what are you referring?

[@TheBelovedDisciple144]

He needs to work on learning how to blink his eyes.

[@larrygardner1328]

Anthony Badessa I, too, found myself quietly wishing that he had run out the door that moment and got themselves some. But, alas, it was not meant to be.

[@MVHS85]

He was very ill at this point. Happy now?

[@fairdose]

Why do I get the weird impression that he's talking like a robot and doesn't blink like a human?

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Nathaniel Braden=Great Mind!

[@LucisFerre1]

Rick Deckard is apparently a weak-minded irrational coward. I said nothing "rude" to him and yet he removed my comments from his thread instead of addressing them. Notice how he doesn't want YOU to know what I actually wrote. Does those sound like someone who cares about the strength of his own arguments, or someone who's evading reality? In fact, I was nice enough to write some rather long-winded responses to someone else in that thread, about where rights come from, etc. I even volunteered to discuss Objectivism with someone else, saying that they're probably misunderstanding the philosophy. I guess that warrants deletion too. I think Rick got his feelings hurt when I pointed out to him that he contradicted himself.

[@blujesus]

". I said nothing "rude" to him and yet he removed my comments from his thread instead of addressing them. Notice how he doesn't want YOU to know what I actually wrote. Does those sound like someone who cares about the strength of his own arguments, or someone who's evading reality?" I've noticed that Rick Deckard has removed a number of comments, including some of mine. I agree with you 100 percent, if rick had confidence in his arguments it's doubtful he would have done so.

[@xexixk]

@RolandStGermain Then of course there is the issue of Rand's husband Frank O'Connor. The affair not only went on in front of him, but before they started the affair she sat him down and explained to him that she was going to have this affair with Branden and why it was rational and acceptable to do so - again that is something that this well known to biographers of Rand from multiple sources including Branden as well as others who were in her inner circle at that time.

[@MongPhu]

Just saw the movie. It was awesome. Can't wait for part 2.

[@garykellam5596]

Ayn Rand was a very imaginative person who had sufficient knowledge and understanding of many things, but she lacked the wisdom that comes from God.

[@vincentadultman8527]

Dr. Stadler made moral mistakes in Atlas Shrugged. He sees the error of his ways and begins to move in the right direction. John Galt doesn't absolve him by the end of the book, but a reasonable extrapolation of his storyline moves towards moral redemption.

[@MadMax-dr6mf]

Vincent Adultman No he doesn't. Exactly the opposite. What book were you reading?

[@chrismcgraw2112]

lol wut?

[@thomaszeun6605]

Rand wouldn't tolerate disagreement. She was just plain wrong about a lot of things. Judge others and prepare to be judged? That's crazy.

[@annepoitrineau5650]

Interesting, but as somebody who used to work in science, I have witnessed first hand the amazing science the Soviet Union denizens could do on a shoestring budget. Incompetence was mostly in all administrative processes.

[@daphnethedrummer]

I am fascinated with the relationship between Rand and Branden--and he was 18 years her junior? Maybe his self-esteem issues at the time played a role in his being in the relationship with her for so long. I'm trying to learn from the experiences of others. Branden's self-esteem books may help me stay out of trouble..

[@CARMELOGP]

They used to bang.

[@2renaisance71]

So many people commenting who clearly haven't taken the time or effort to understand what Rand was saying. Atlas Shrugged has sold more copies than any other book besides the bible. Bible 2000 years, AS 60 years. It is above the comprehension of many it seems.

[@SMSUMarine]

Haha, I love his smile at the very end of the video! I just finished reading My Years With Ayn Rand. He is amazing!

[@urdisturbing]

"Each person possesses and inviolability founded on justice that even the welfare of society as a whole cannot override. For this reason, justice denies that the loss of freedom for some is made right by a greater good shared by others." - John Rawls John Rawls is without a doubt the world's most influential post-ww2 political philosopher, and he will probably remain that way for the next several centuries or so. If you don't understand John Rawls, you don't understand modern political thought.

[@erikvdln]

Very good interview.

[@richardzellers]

When I lived in St Petersburg, Russia I couldn't find any book by Rand in any book store.

[@seeqr9]

oh man.. splitting a fat brownie with Ayn woulda been cool as hell.

[@LongTimeAtheist]

Ayn Rand's philosophy is interesting. Although anytime you take any "ism" theory to its extreme it fails. They all fail because of human nature. Ayn Rand's worlds were lacking real details. A much better but difficult world would be a world of reasonable capitalism and socialism. The problem with doing this is balancing issues on the tip of a needle. Its interesting how society pushes the social pendulum back and forth. When everyone is most happy and productive when it is in the middle.

[@lukehall7112]

Song in the background?

[@MayasHaddad]

+luke hall Kevin MacLeod - Tango de Manzana

[@MichaelThomas1]

He is fantastic. His books have influenced quite a bit. Especially "6 Pillars".

[@APaleDot]

I would like to point out that Ayn Rand does offer a story of redemption in 'Atlas Shrugged'. If you recall the character "The Wet Nurse', who worked for Hank Rearden, he was a subjectivist and a collectivist in the beginning but by the end he changed his character. Unfortunately, he died shortly afterward, Not much of a story of redemption.

[@SamuelCyrus]

Ms. Rand was hot, brilliant and compellingly committed to freedom. She was a tour de force who survived one of the great evils of our time - Stalin and his fellow travelers. Couple that with the always embarrassing fantasy for the younger man for the older, experienced and attractive women and the rest is history. And then if she acts like she wants you bad enough it is very difficult to get her out of your mind.

[@eksortso]

I'm speaking of Justice as the personal judgments, good or bad, positive or negative, that each of us makes, whether or not the Rule of Law is properly observed. There's "what works," but how do you know what works? What guides you? If we don't make the effort to figure out what's best for ourselves, our lives hold little meaning and our acts of Justice and Mercy turn chaotic. And, it gives others the chance to reign over us, because they'll assert themselves where we won't!

[@antonboludo8886]

They were both brilliant.

[@marantzdantz9685]

Killing in itself isn't an evil or immoral act. The initiation of force is considered "bad". Murder is murder whether you it is done it self defense or in ruthless cold blood. If you have killed someone you have murdered them, the only important part is whether this was a moral or immoral action. Killing to defend yourself is murder and justifiable. Killing to kill is murder and unjustifiable.

[@Randomest_Stories]

Dont hate Ayn. Dont love her. Find her human and flawed. She would hate that 😂 but she never escaped being MERELY human. That is the irony of it and the beauty of it.

[@TorontoLibertarian]

Objectivism, weed, and mushrooms go really well together.

[@TeaParty1776]

And the long-run?

[@eksortso]

In an Objectivist sense, Mercy blends into Justice, because Justice is about both advancing life-affirming values and dispensing with non-values. Mercy is the recognition after damage is done that the great potential has more value than the harmful potential, and is hence worth preserving. It's like the old adage, "A friend is somebody who knows you but likes you anyway." But seen from the friend's perspective! Mercy is potentially myopic, though, unless the potentials are weighed reasonably.

[@Cirnenric]

Fascinating insights.

[@benthejrporter]

Reading Ayn Rand changed my life!... I developed chronic backache carrying Atlas Shrugged to the library and back :-)

[@user-hy9nh4yk3p]

I received a dose of mental heaviness and limitation - me heart hinted - at going to meditate and I immediately felt lighter and this continues yet. Fare thee well.

[@etiquettefiend]

You present the great analytic/synthetic dichotomy. Allow me to point out - you "subjectively" deny the "objective" idea that killing is bad? If I am to understand you correctly - meaning in your opinion, the fact that murder is bad - is okay in other countries where murder is frequent? (sorry about the late response, I enjoy this talk though so send word if you like)

[@transformations1]

@wbarquez There is also a fallacy of composition involved when people say "mathematics, love and generosity" are "just physical" Ultimatelly the foundation of all reality may be some energy/matter dynamics be itquarks or Higgs Bosons or whatever may be discoveed next. However once these assemble into complex systems relating to each other then we have "love, generosity and mathematics" What would love & generosity even mean outside a physical framework ? Mathematics can be more tricky....

[@anthonypate8657]

Why cant we make a ayn rand biography picture with aubrey plaza as rand.????

[@loufancelli1330]

I found the snippet starting at 4:50 chillingly reflective of the current status of the US.

[@transformations1]

Within mathematics there is a genuine problem of universals and Ayn Rand didnt quite deal with it trying to dodge between the skeptic antirealist-nominalists and the platonistic mystical-realism. Thats quite an ambitious project for anyone to come up with "THE ANSWER" to these metaphysical dilemmas. It keeps philosopher academics employed and still writing books long after Plato vs Protagonistes, & aristotles debates.

[@memphis8427]

Great interview

[@user-ib7jr6uu1b]

The same blank stare, the same absence of self-awareness, and of empathy, as in Ayn Rand. No wonder that from this arises a philosophy of a successful society, in which it is nevertheless not worth living.

[@etiquettefiend]

She actually said that suicide is fine if you value nothing else in life. You obviously have not read any of her non fiction. Check your premise.

[@fredrikhaslund7986]

One hour is one hour for everyone.

[@mrzublyon]

Nothing personal, simply an analysis of your analysis. At the heart of the issue is the fact that Marx and his followers have so indocrinated the so-called intelligentia, the counter culturists, of the past 150 years that we have forgotten what made America the greatest country (if only the greatest economical power) ever: individual freedom.

[@Bigturns33]

Objectivism deals with principles folks. Some of you hear are showing your intellectual powers which are very small.

[@bryher2]

What a great little interview! It has a few well made points and then ends. Especially interesting are his remarks about "redemption" as a missing topic in the works of Ayn Rand.

[@etiquettefiend]

To elaborate my statement: The fact IS that there is rational and irrational behavior. Rational be it achieving a goal in life, irrational be it someone who picks up a gun and demands your money. What is rational to you, if you are of logical mind, is thus rational to another logical mind.

[@HankSedan]

Nathaniel's eyelids seem to be broken.

[@etiquettefiend]

The definition of murder: to kill unlawfully. Self defense is lawful, thus not murder. This is an analytic truth made by the definition. Logically to retaliate against an oppressive/abusive society or government means to demand a stop by means of voice, if this does not work - welcome to America, perhaps. When someone demands that they MUST agree, they will eventually pick up a gun - and that is a pretty good indication that logic has ceased (if it can not be talked about).

[@PaulTheSkeptic]

Well said. Very well said.

[@Monchi2006]

i would really like to know wheter they wound up trying it and what happened

[@Larry065]

Monchi2006 they did. It made them lovers

[@joeblow1942]

I wish he would have been asked how awkward was it to be openly boning Ayn Rand while her husband was there?

[@KajiCarson]

Thanks for your comment, your position is very interesting. Could you give an example of this happening with one of these people in real life?

[@aashiquistudios]

@bobbygnosis If you disagree with reality, on what basis do you act? Towards what purpose? Objectivism asks you to work towards your best interests in life, on this planet. If you really, truly disagree with that ideal, than what would you prefer? To die and live in Heaven? To live in perpetual sleep? Are you waiting for a nirvana you can not know until you die? I live on this planet, with full conscience of what it means to do so. This is Objectivism.

[@SamuelCyrus]

I am aware of the bold and courageous Pizza confrontation. It proves nothing nor do angry often profane bloggers. What proves anything in our great 'land of the free and home of the brave' country is a successful criminal or civil lawsuit where 'the innocent must be first proven guilty by a jury of peers' until and 85 year old man with his lovely wife gets threatened at a small restaurant. That is unless we are replacing our method of achieving 'guilty' decisions to vigilantism.

[@dorianphilotheates3769]

7:04 - “We’re advocates of lazy fare capitalism.” - Ayn Rand

[@QED_]

Laissez-faire capitalism is a policy where the government plays a minimal role in the economy. The term "laissez-faire" translates to "leave alone" or "allow to do".

[@dorianphilotheates3769]

@@QED_ Yes, except when Americans say it; then, it’s “lazy fare” or “lazy fair”, or Lizzie Farr...

[@FreakingDoubt]

Ayn Rand is immortal

[@oltch.]

So did Picasso give away his art or did he sell it. That is where reason plays a role. He reasoned, I am an excellent artist and i will use my talent to make me happy by selling it.

[@seeqr9]

18 people are afraid to be judged on their own merit.

[@bobbygnosis]

@SculptedThoughts You are correct - the map is not the terrain. Ayn Rand / Aristotle, however, don't have a very good grasp of this.

[@theepic7224]

hold up, aint you nathaniel b?

[@DanLetts97]

@theredscourge ..but how would the "average person" dictate the appropriate work load, for that is not their choice to make. A captain of industry will always want to maximize profits which means more work by fewer men. The only way an "average person" could have a say in such matters would be to unionize. By the way, Ayns life constantly contadicted her own philosophy...read Nathaniels book! Nobody could live like Henry Rearden.

[@SatchmoSings]

@MetalBox10 Rand's glorification of The Capitalist is pretty unreasonable; while there is much validity in it, there are also good arguments to be made against this. Still, she was a very valuable and able social commentator who I very much enjoy and often agree with.

[@emc75uk]

@mapleleafdc I totally agree, her philosophy has helped me become who I am today.

[@bobbygnosis]

Clicking my heels in the mud, whistling Dixie as I stare at a rainbow. I know what an ass I am. And I know a good rainbow when I see one.

[@patootybaby85]

I think Linda means she used Medicare towards the end of her life to which Mrs. Rand paid into her whole life so what is the problem? Lets face it her philosophy is brilliant and no man or woman will ever be perfect. She may well be close but even Ayn Rand had imperfections! Her credit is that she worked so hard to be a worthy individual to which so many do not in our society. I understand many question her athiesm but that too is her business! I believe in Rand philosophy and God too!

[@cherylannegroth5164]

Exactly!

[@eksortso]

Geh. When I said "dispensing with non-values," I meant doing away with non-values. And speaking philosophically, values can be as simple as food, as complex as friends, or as abstract as freedom.

[@xexixk]

@RolandStGermain Aside from the personal attack, that is pretty accurate. Anyone who knows anythng about the life of Rand knows that the breakup was explosive. She denounced him in her newsletter, forbade those in her inner circle to attend his lectures or to have any communication with him. Those who did were 'excommunicated'. Rand wasn't the always rational, all knowing and inffalible 'god' with all of the answers to life's problems that so many of her followers seem to think she was.

[@shlockofgod]

"But evolution says that we have evolved in order to reproduce first and foremost; survival is a bi-product of this." That we may be driven primarily by reproduction does not mean our standard of value is not life and survival.

[@TeaParty1776]

We evolved a volitional mind ,w/no innate ideas. Evolution has stopped for man.

[@michael.sealander]

I can't believe they boiled that down to 10 minutes.

[@MACKATTACK1970]

I would like to see a statistic of Ayn Rand followers that would show how much or how little they know of her writings. She seems to have built a cult of ignorant simpletons that have taken her writings in piecemeal fashion without putting any effort in exploring other writings or interviews that contradict the basis of her tainted philosophy. This woman was a hypocrite in her instructions versus her actual behavior. 'Do as I say and not as I do' should have been her rallying cry.

[@theseanze]

Gee, I wish I were as smart as Saul Kripke and Ayn Rand, having the profound insight to write entire books about how "X=X," or the hit that plays off of Aristotle, "A=A," and for the more political or economic crowd, "facts=facts, reason=reason, truth=truth," etc... Why is that so tantalizing, just because it affirms identity?!?

[@Jmayng]

@MACKATTACK1970 Ad Hom. Invalid

[@aliazarkasb9468]

He's speed is so high

[@aashiquistudios]

@bobbygnosis I understand where you're coming from, but look at it this way. Objectivism is a philosophy about living on Earth. I deal everyday with people, with work, with the elements I have come to rely on as being constant in my life (stone is hard, wood is durable, water is good, concrete is rough, etc.) Do I really care to theorize on whether these and everyone I meet are only existent in my head? No, I do not. Why? Because when I go to sleep in five minutes, I will wake up tomorrow.

[@bobbygnosis]

@AashiquiTheri The focus is different. "Purpose" suggests an interest in ends and conclusions. I think those things are nice, but not worth obsessing over.

[@eurogoldexchange]

Knowledge and skills should be shared, as they are based on a lot of kowledge that you recieve for free. I hate people that think they go 'John Galt' only because they are to selfish and unempathic to see that their reluctance to share is the cause of the ugliness they want to remove themselves from..

[@LibertyJedi]

Thank you, very nice, I like his books :-)

[@SatchmoSings]

@UBSCARED First of all, Rand was quite dead by the time Greenspan was chairman. Secondly, Greenspan was doing all he could to help G.W. Bush get a Republican Congress and to help Bush's re-election campaign; this is not unheard of for the politically connected.