tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8549971354391868786.post653345169865517633..comments2024-03-07T08:27:01.482-05:00Comments on Rational Nation USA: Rand, Classical Liberalism, and Independent ConservatismLes Carpenterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01120280762698472496noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8549971354391868786.post-19508129590932801872010-10-05T01:10:28.740-04:002010-10-05T01:10:28.740-04:00Oso - Knowing your leanings I suspect you will qui...Oso - Knowing your leanings I suspect you will quickly find reason to dismiss her.<br /><br />She was not without blemishes. No one is. However when one spends the time it takes to study her complete works it becomes clear her Objectivism is on whole a wonderful non contadictory philosophy.<br /><br />I hope you can seperate that which I am sure will annoy you and see beyond it to the core of her philosophy as they are sound.<br /><br />Indeed I have added the missing link. Rand did not consider herself to be either a conservative or a Libertarian.She had many problems with both.<br /><br />She was indeed the radical thinker she claimed to be.Les Carpenterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01120280762698472496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8549971354391868786.post-27447869442180383172010-10-05T01:00:23.116-04:002010-10-05T01:00:23.116-04:00Shane - Thank you for pointing out tthe missing li...Shane - Thank you for pointing out tthe missing link. I have now rectified the ommision.<br /><br />Rand was above all else a radical and certainly more alligned with the thinking of the 18th century classical liberals and revolutionaries.<br /><br />Interesting you point out fascism. Leonard Peikoff wrote a complelling book called "The Ominous Parallels" which makes the argument that America is in fact heading towars facism rather than european style socialism or Marxism.<br /><br />As I am sure you know Peikoff was Rand's "intellectual heir."Les Carpenterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01120280762698472496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8549971354391868786.post-22798327390744123052010-10-05T00:23:07.103-04:002010-10-05T00:23:07.103-04:00I'm curious what you meant to link in that 2nd...I'm curious what you meant to link in that 2nd sentence. Though she allied with them early in her career, Rand certainly was critical of most conservatives, including Reagan. She considered religion a threat to life and liberty. What she would think of the Tea Party movement I don't know. She rejected Libertarianism with a big 'L' (the other movement she helped spawn), but the Tea Party movement is not so much about anarchy as it is about limited government and individualism. Even Santelli has called himself an Ayn Rander.<br /><br />As for the second part of your thesis. Yes. Liberals are a huge disappointment. You'd think you could count on them to at least defend those rights they claim to defend, even while you hated them for attacking the remaining rights. Like freedom of speech. Well now they're all behind DISCLOSE because they want to muzzle the Tea Party and they didn't raise a peep to defend Rushdie or Terry Jones. Or like womens and gay rights, which they are willing to jettison as they embrace Islam with open arms. I can't remember what else they used to defend. Now they're just all out statists--fascists mostly.<br /><br />What they really hate I don't know. They hate proud individuals, production, civilization, intelligence, reason, science, humanity. See that environmentalist video with exploding kids? That about sums it up. But in a deeper sense I think they just really hate themselves and everything else is lashing out. Atlas Shrugged explores this. I remember one of the villians collapsing when he realizes in the end he was a raw killer and hated everything.Shane Atwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12268148003641995554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8549971354391868786.post-19794221741888882042010-10-04T19:36:07.641-04:002010-10-04T19:36:07.641-04:00This is really interesting,Les.I'm gonna do so...This is really interesting,Les.I'm gonna do some research - can't really comment much further cause I'm a skeptic by nature but will definitely look at her with an open mind. I appreciate it man!Osohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09513535195785731541noreply@blogger.com