Are you a loyal Objectivist?

[benjipwns]

Nathan Branden (Rand's lover/second-in-command) on what they "transmitted" at NBI as the core premises of Objectivism in the 1960's:

• Ayn Rand is the greatest human being who has ever lived.
• Atlas Shrugged is the greatest human achievement in the history of the world.
• Ayn Rand, by virtue of her philosophical genius, is the supreme arbiter in any issue pertaining to what is rational, moral, or appropriate to man's life on earth.
• Once one is acquainted with Ayn Rand and/or her work, the measure of one's virtue is intrinsically tied to the position one takes regarding her and/or it.
• No one can be a good Objectivist who does not admire what Ayn Rand admires and condemn what Ayn Rand condemns.
• No one can be a fully consistent individualist who disagrees with Ayn Rand on any fundamental issue.
• Since Ayn Rand has designated Nathaniel Branden as her "intellectual heir," and has repeatedly proclaimed him to be an ideal exponent of her philosophy, he is to be accorded only marginally less reverence than Ayn Rand herself.
• But it is best not to say most of these things explicitly (excepting, perhaps, the first two items). One must always maintain that one arrives at one's beliefs solely by reason.

[Great Rumbler]

hahaha

[benjipwns]

She only hit them because she loved them:

Rand would stop speaking to them over such sins as expressing respect for intellectual enemies of Rand or approving of a movie Rand thought evil (without even seeing it).

"We were scolded, all of us, for leaving to Ayn and Nathan the burden of saving the world. All of us were in effect parasites, going about our own lives and concerns, children, careers and the like, while they were doing all the hard work [of the Objectivist cause]."

Once an eager young acolyte asked Rand's opinion of the art of Maxfield Parrish, clearly seeking some validation of her favorite artist from her favorite writer. Rand's one word reply: "Junk!" The girl was crushed.

"As one former NBI student put it...'Look how much she had to offer! Look how much I was learning! If she got a little beserk now and then, so what?'"

[benjipwns]

Are you one of those self-loathing libertarians?

Please don’t tell me they’re pursuing my goals. I have not asked for, nor do I accept, the help of intellectual cranks. I want philosophically educated people: those who understand ideas, care about ideas, and spread the right ideas. That’s how my philosophy will spread, just as philosophy has throughout history: by means of people who understand ideas and teach them to others. Further, it should be clear that I reject the filthy slogan “The end justifies the means.” That was originated by the Jesuits, and accepted enthusiastically by the Communists and the Nazis. The end does not justify the means; you cannot achieve anything good by evil means. Finally, libertarians aren’t worthy of being the means to any end, let alone the end of spreading Objectivism.

I don’t think plagiarists are effective. I’ve read nothing by Libertarians (when I read them, in the early years) that wasn’t my ideas badly mishandled—that is, the teeth pulled out of them—with no credit given. I didn’t know whether to be glad that no credit was given, or disgusted. I felt both. They are perhaps the worst political group today, because they can do the most harm to capitalism, by making it disreputable. I’ll take Jane Fonda over them.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Because libertarians are a monstrous, disgusting bunch of people: they plagiarize my ideas when that fits their purpose, and denounce me in a more vicious manner than any communist publication when that fits their purpose. They’re lower than any pragmatists, and what they hold against Objectivism is morality. They want an amoral political program.

[close]

[recursivelyenumerable]

Yeah libertarians are pretty disgusting. This Rand person intrigues me, I'd like to know more about her ideas.

[Brehvolution]

It's a noble venture for rugged individualists to save their fortune by sucking off the government teet when it benefits them. Everyone else is a leech.

[ToxicAdam]

It's pretty impressive the amount of agita that was created from her book. Here we are 40 years later and people are still obsessed by it.

[Joe Molotov]

Yeah libertarians are pretty disgusting. This Rand person intrigues me, I'd like to know more about her ideas.

If you hate people, you're already half-way to understanding her.