What are /lit/'s thoughts on Atlas Shrugged?
>>7704000
One of the greatest books of all-time and must read for any libertarian. The rights of the individual should take precedent above all else.
>inb4 statist socialist collectivist shills
>>7704000
Enjoyable, but incompetent philosophically and economically.
Do memes shrug?
>>7704000
A modern masterpiece. Even if you think her philosophy is complete bullshit (which I don't), the plot, characters, and structure of the novel make it an enthralling read. It's exceptional, and takes the mind of a genius to be able to write something of this scale. Most of the people who scorn and criticize it have never actually read it, but that's to be expected.
The only gripe I would say I have is that her comma placement is sometimes awkward.
>>7704000
Interesting when viewed as the result of trauma inflicted on a petty bourgeois girl by collectivism, and how it shaped her world view in reaction.
As a novel, meh
As a philosophy still meh, but the rejection of a social safety net is retarded, not to mention I have never actually met a Dagny Taggert or Howard Roark in all my years of life. The individuals needed to lead this movement towards personal responsibility dont exist.
>>7704015
Because they're waiting for you. In hiding.
>>7704006
communist detected
>>7704022
The way things are going, I hope they are comfortable.
>>7704023
Not even close.
Absolute shit, but please read and figure this out for yourself so you don't ever need to consider the opinions of these guys >>7704003
Put personal politics entirely aside and it's an overlong, poorly written, incredibly preachy book with two dimensional characters that exist only to represent the authors agenda in a way that ignores style and substance.
It was a great satire of opportunistic leftism. My favorite scene was when Balph Eubank was arguing for limiting book sales because no one was buying his.
>>7704064
Yeah, Rand does a decent job of critique sometimes. Overall she's a very shallow ideological philosopher, but Shrugged isn't nearly as bad as people make it out to be as a work of literature. It's not amazing but not horrendous.
Objectivism is pants on head retarded though which kind of discredits any bigger intellectual points she's trying to make. I remember listening to someone try to compare her to Nietzsche and she gets asspained, calls him a mystic and says OBJECTIVISM IS THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF NIETZSCHE!
Despite the fact that it's very clearly influenced by his take on morality. The only big difference is that Nietzsche says that it's all just his perspective and you should figure shit out for yourself instead of taking his word for it while Rand says her opinions are actually universal truth.
Atlas Shrugged is shit, OP. Bad philosophy and bad literature.
Also: why would an objectivist/egoist want to spread their philosophy? Wouldn't it be more advantageous for an objectivist to be surrounded by altruists to take advantage of them?
>>7704135
The book specifically denounces taking advantage of people for economic gain.
>>7704000
Possibly the best books ever written, besides some of Rothbard's stuff. Basically essential unless you want to be economically illiterate.
>>7704040
not a bad description.
I'm toying with the idea of watching the movies today just to torture myself.
>>7704322
It doesn't teach you anything about economics. It just teaches you about greed and there are far more greedy people who are poor than there are rich. I mean, just look at all the people who love ayn rand.
>>7704322
>Possibly the best books ever written
wew
>>7704135
Good god, you're stupid...
>>7704000
This thread is interesting because my real life friend who exists and talks to me sometimes said it wasn't a good book and that I shouldn't read it.
>>7704322
>Rothbard
>Economically literate
>>7704322
rothbard is trash, so is mises
hayek is an economically literate austrian, of which there are very few. though he veered away from economics after austrian econ got shown to be a crock of shit (lmao austrian business cycles)
>>7704215
Except when the Spanish guy coned people out of money. But they were are all parasites and He was the good guy so it doesn't count!!
Serious question, why is this book called atlas shrugged?
I haven't read the book so I'm not quite sure the statement she's making.
It just seems to go against the message of determinism and picking yourself up by your bootstrap.
>>7704015
Personal Responsibility is a meme pushed by big business and retarded rednecks who unironically believe everything fox news tells them. The fact of the matter is, no "libertarian" would last 5 seconds without Big Brother being there to make sure no one violently revolts against them for fucking up the economy for everyone then acting like they contributed anything of value to society.
>>7705259
I only read ~300 pages before stopping, but the situation outlined at the beginning of the book is one of economic and cultural decline caused by hardworking people (Atlas) getting fed up with the way lesser humans are mooching off them and quitting their struggle to achieve as a consequence (shrugging).
>>7705300
ah got it. OK then that makes more sense.
>>7705259
It's not about picking yourself up by your bootstrap at all and the people who think it is are literal retards. The idea is that if "Atlas" (an extremely hamfisted metaphor for the "creator class", meaning capitalists) shrugs, or stops "holding up" the world (the economy), it'd crash down on everyone else.
>>7705323
Like I said, I haven't read it and have only old second hand information much of which I could be remembering incorrectly. I was just curious about the title.
>>7704000
One of my favorite books of all time, it really changed my life in high school and turned me into a hard worker.
It should be mandatory reading in most school curriculums, there would be a lot more objectivists and rational, hard working people in the world.
>>7706234
One thing that I will say though, is that I disagree with The Atlas Society, Ayn Rand Institute and other objectivists who say that it should be read first.
I would consider it her Magnus Opus but I think her body of work should be read chronologically so you can be eased into her life and philosophy, it just seems more natural.
Anthem is a great, easy read as well. Good way to start. It was like 1984 but published 10 years earlier.
Never not an AS thread. Not even once.
>>7704000
way too thick
not enough dick
>>7704000
>this triggers the collectivists
Does anyone else think it is strange that she idolized the railroad industry? In a book about looters and takers she chose the American railroads as paragons of hard work and industry. I'm not someone who demonizes industrialists out of principle but railroad companies were incredibly corrupt and some were created to solely rob wealth or land from others.
