Why I Am Not an Objectivist

Ayn Rand wrote two great books--The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. She also spawned a movement known today as Objectivism. I find a lot of value in her writings and in the viewpoints of Objectivists. But I am not an Objectivist. Here's why.

I agree with Ayn Rand when it comes to egoism and capitalism and the need for individual freedom. Unfortunately, Rand took her viewpoints to an extreme that became a distortion and ultimately a caricature of what I consider to be the correct stance to take which I call secular individualism.

Rand was dogmatic. I do not believe in dogma. Much of her speeches and those of her fictional heroes--Howard Roark and John Galt--seem like propaganda patterned on the Bolshevik model. Clearly, she rejected the viewpoints of the commies, but she seems to have borrowed heavily from their style. The result is less than reality. This is fine for a work of fiction, but it is disastrous for a philosophy of life.

I believe in questioning things. I am skeptical, and I encourage others to do the same even if that skepticism is pointed at me. I encourage dissent. Rand did not and neither do her followers. I am willing to take a stand, but I am also willing to admit when I am wrong. My worldview is always a work in progress. For Objectivists, it seems they have all the answers even if it requires pounding a square peg into a round hole.

Another aspect of Rand that I found troubling was her emphasis on pride. I am not big on pride. I don't think you should hate yourself either. I think the best approach is to not take yourself too seriously. I make fun of myself and have a self-deprecating sense of humor. I try to accept myself as I am flaws and all. Rand seems to have been on a quest to make herself and the men she loved into heroic beings. The reality is that they were nobodies. Rand was a good novelist who rested on her laurels and surrounded herself with sycophants who stroked her massive ego. This is where pride gets you.

Finally, I am not a big fan of the Objectivist's love for preemptive war. I realize there are libertarian minded people who have fallen on both sides of this issue, but I think the USA's recent adventure in Iraq should show the folly of going on offense and trying to reshape the world in the name of liberty. Basically, an Objectivist is a libertarian who believes in freedom at the point of a gun. This is why they have found such common cause with the neocons in the GOP. But it isn't freedom if it comes by force.

On a sidepoint, I'd like to comment on the Nathaniel Branden affair. The bottom line is that Rand got her pussy wet for some young stud and got ditched for a younger chick. I have no sympathy for her because she was cheating on her husband and turned him into a cuckold. I don't see anything heroic in any of that. But Rand in her shitheadedness made it like it was the moral thing to do. Stupid.

There is a reason that Objectivism has a cultlike feel about it. It isn't a cult because they stress individualism so much. But like any cult you have your heretics, your dogma, and your schisms. I know I would never have lasted a day in Rand's circle. I would have told that bitch to suck a dick. But I will say that I think she was the smartest woman that ever lived. This isn't saying much since I think there are a whole lot of men that were smarter than her. But she changed my thinking in a profound way, and I think everyone should read her work and understand her.

Posted in: