The Fundamental Issue of our Age: Individualism vs Collectivism

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Atlas Flexes His Muscles - MoneyShow.com

Great to see that others are still reading, still keeping the mind alert. We need more young voters to understand the principles Ayn tried to convey. Collectivism is not their friend, it is their doom.


If you take the time to re-read Atlas Shrugged, you’ll find it eerily predicted events that are actually happening in our country today. Did you ever think government would own a majority of General Motors, and have the power to name its chairman or chief executive officer? Did you ever believe we’d have a “pay czar”—setting compensation levels for corporate executives?

Labels: , ,


Link

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Objectivism meets 18 year olds in an award-winning BioShock video game. The game can surely be seen as an attack on Ayn Rand's philosophy, but Brian Crecente has written a good article on the positives of bringing the philosophy to a mass audience in a new way. And it's not just any game, it's one a slew of Game of the Year and Best Story categories.



The game isn't a 'serious' look at objectivism, but the philosophy is a strong thematic element. The president of the Ayn Rand Institute, Yaron Brook, has some positive analysis of the issue in the Crecente article. I'm pleased that my son has been assigned both Anthem and The Fountainhead in his high school, and I look forward to further discussion with him after he 'experiences' the game. Here's a quote from the article:


"The sunken city of Rapture, a world of art deco aesthetics, neon sales pitches and looming architecture, is home to more than just murderous splicers and lumbering Big Daddys, it's also a surprising breeding ground for introspection.

BioShock may have been conceived as a study in nuance, a place for gamers to discover and explore at their own pace, but its dip into the ethical morass of Ayn Rand's objectivist philosophies has brought her beliefs back into the mainstream spotlight and even piqued the interest of the Ayn Rand Institute's president, Yaron Brook."


--------------

And here's the 4th installment of the political-photoshopping fun:

Labels: , , , ,