A Foundation-Crumbling Tome

Virgil, who put together the dismissive musical chart in the post below, has also done the same thing with books. booksthatmakeyoudumb is also a product of his fertile mind.

I see in his chart at the top and towards the far right (of the chart) that Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged scores high. That book is a foundation-crumbling tome that in the end may be as damaging as Das Kapital. It’s still got appeal for the young, one of whom went on to become head the Federal Reserve, and whose activities had a large part in fomenting our current crisis.

The book has a mesmerizing effect on young intellects. The same can be said of Scientology or Marxism, but most people outgrow youthful siren songs as the complexities of life become apparent. I am sure I would have fallen for it had I read it before I did in my thirties. But Atlas lingers in its devotees, it seems. They don’t discard the wooden characters full of false emotions. The economics are as suspect as the attitude of Rand herself about love and attraction and altruism.

Rand’s heroes – Galt and Roark and Reardon, are the engines that drive the economy and culture. Rand was full of contempt for most people, especially ordinary people. She saw no value in them, and had them living as remorra on the sharks who give us our sustenance. She created a cultural meme that has spawned many offspring. Her ugly philosophy underlies the supply side, the flat tax with special favors for the investing class, and the very notion of “trickle down”.

All of us have benefited from the creative efforts of a few, but little of that creative effort would have come about without a system that fosters mutual aid. Bill Gates epitomizes the successful entrepreneur, but he merely took a software developed by others used on a product that came about in large part (not totally) because of government-sponsored research, and built a business model around it. That model was dependent on patent, a government protection, and monopoly, the natural end-product of unregulated markets.

The same can be said of pioneers of aviation and communication. The Internet that allows me to publish my lightly-read prose came about because of government, but it took the private sector to make it into a wonderful toy even adolescents can enjoy. If it were government alone, the Internet would be a dreary tool used for back-channel communication among embassies and colleges. If it were the private sector alone – there would be no internet. The research that spawned it was expensive, and none involved could see a profitable outcome.

Atlas constructed an imaginary world, one that formed a Utopian vision for those who bought in. Rand herself thought it would transform our world. It has succeeded to a small degree. It is like a perfume that lingers long after the ugly aunt who overuses it has left the room.