Comments on: Getting Ayn Rand Objectively Wrong

By: Talking about Ayn Rand | Cato @ Liberty

Talking about Ayn Rand | Cato @ Liberty — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 20:04:20 +0000

[...] says Rand would tell us to stop blaming capitalism for problems caused by regulation and cronyism. Conor Friedersdorf can’t believe how wrong Hendrik Hertzberg gets her in the New [...]

By: shawngilbreath

shawngilbreath — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:05:36 +0000

I’m definitely not an economist, and my exposure to Rand has been reading Atlas Shrugged three or four times, along with the occasional web post about her. I agree that the message should be separated from the messenger. I also agree that one should not discard a whole train of thought because some of its contents are questionable. That said, I also would hate to live in a world where Objectivism was completely embraced. I know the rights of the individual are supposed to be sacrosanct, but when my self-interest is my only morality, how long will I really be worried about my neighbor’s rights? We have a whole wealth of history to draw on that says not for very long.
I just don’t see how an entire society following Objectivism could avoid destroying itself. By all means though, if you think I’m wrong let me know. I doubt you’ll make me a convert, but at least I’ll have learned something.

By: KinoSport | Tackling Ayn Rand, Part I

KinoSport | Tackling Ayn Rand, Part I — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:09:33 +0000

[...] And Conor Friesdorf, one of my favorite writers of late, takes issue with Herztberg. [...]

By: mtnrunner2

mtnrunner2 — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:11:50 +0000

Note: In other words, Chait read it but still got Rand wrong.

By: mtnrunner2

mtnrunner2 — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:59:57 +0000

Conor,

You are spot on. Some people think that by dropping the names Rand, Marx and Greenspan together, they have actually said something. Anyone who actually understands what Rand wrote knows that is not the case. Let’s call Hertzberg’s puff piece what it is: useless.

The Chait article starts out somewhat better, yet still slips into the usual errors about Rand, involving Nietzsche, cults, and a premature announcement of the failure of Objectivism as a cultural movement.

They should both read Ayn Rand: Goddess of the Market and get educated. However, they would probably only notice that she took amphetamines.

Jeff Montgomery
http://funwithgravity.blogspot.com

By: Tweets that mention Conor Friedersdorf - Metablog – Getting Ayn Rand Objectively Wrong - True/Slant -- Topsy.com

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:22:57 +0000

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Ayn Rand Fan Tweets, Liberty Ideals. Liberty Ideals said: A New Yorker writer getting Ayn Rand objectively wrong #libertarian http://bit.ly/1P1jr0 [...]