Ayn Rand’s monthly Objectivist magazine used to include the “Horror File,” which was reserved for the worst examples of mystical-collectivist evil offered by our current culture. If The Objectivist were still being published today, a recently published book would certainly deserve top billing in that category. There is no need to comment on it. The authors’ naked evil is far too transparent and despicable to be dignified by serious analysis.
Unjust Deserts—How the Rich are Taking Our Common Inheritance, and Why We Should Take It Back
By Gar Alperovitz and Lew Daly
C-Span summarizes the book’s theme as follows: “The authors argue that the majority of the wealth created in the United States is the result of inherited social knowledge, and is far less attributable to ingenuity, an increase in effort or smart investment decisions on the part of individuals. They argue that society as a whole should benefit from this wealth creation far more than it currently does.”
Mr. Alperovitz and Mr. Daly recently appeared on C-Span’s Book TV. Ugh. If either of them is at all interested in a second career in the movies, they should audition for the role of Wesley Mouch or the other villains in the upcoming film version of Atlas Shrugged. They would be perfect.
Showing posts with label rand. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rand. Show all posts
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Screwing the Pooch
Question: Is it possible that The Altruist Society finally grew some cajones and fired their pet Bulldog--Otto—for his gushing endorsement of Bible-thumping Sarah the Impaler and her running mate, John (“America is great for her sacrifices”) Mc Pain?
Answer: Probably too much to hope for. An organization that pretends to be Objectivist but endorses Christian “Just War Theory” and GW’s wanton sacrifice of 4000 innocent American soldiers in an altruistic crusade (the so-called Iraq “war”) has no fundamental principles, and is unlikely to be motivated by anything but pragmatism—i.e., their (well-deserved) financial troubles. Their slick, crypto-libertarian magazine (The New Individualist, previously edited by the pooch himself) had to drastically curtail its publishing schedule, and that’s probably a key reason underlying the split.
What a crying shame. This subjectivist goofball has such a pathetic, dim, garbled grasp of Ayn Rand and her philosophy. He and the unprincipled, dissipated Altruist Society were a match made in nether-nether land. But the good news is that, without TAS as a platform, Bulldog Otto will do much less damage to the long-range success of Objectivism.
Answer: Probably too much to hope for. An organization that pretends to be Objectivist but endorses Christian “Just War Theory” and GW’s wanton sacrifice of 4000 innocent American soldiers in an altruistic crusade (the so-called Iraq “war”) has no fundamental principles, and is unlikely to be motivated by anything but pragmatism—i.e., their (well-deserved) financial troubles. Their slick, crypto-libertarian magazine (The New Individualist, previously edited by the pooch himself) had to drastically curtail its publishing schedule, and that’s probably a key reason underlying the split.
What a crying shame. This subjectivist goofball has such a pathetic, dim, garbled grasp of Ayn Rand and her philosophy. He and the unprincipled, dissipated Altruist Society were a match made in nether-nether land. But the good news is that, without TAS as a platform, Bulldog Otto will do much less damage to the long-range success of Objectivism.
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