Was Ayn Rand a genius, or was she insane?

Question

Personally, I think she was a genius, but I want to know others' opinions.

Answer 1

I don't think I would rate her as either, myself. While I think that Ayn Rand has some good ideas, she seems to make a number of erroneous assumptions.

One of the most egregious, in my opinion, that that what is profitable is what is best. While I'll happily concede that over-regulation can strip the motivation and the ability of great people to do great works, I think the solution is hardly under-regulation. It's not hard at all to find examples of completely amoral millionaires who are more than happy to cut corners and endanger everyone but themselves to make a few extra bucks. Their ability to produce great works hardly excuses this behaviour - I think, on the converse, it makes it doubly reprehensible, when they could so easily engage in alternatives.

Another major flaw in Rand's philosophy is the assumption that those with talent always choose to play fair. A world were such people simply work harder to each outstrip the others does seem idyllic, but again it's all to easy to find examples of great men who were more than happy to take other means to destroy the work of their contemporaries, even though they KNEW they were wrong.

Take the battle between Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla over power generation. Tesla had developed alternating current which was excellent for long-distance power lines, but Edison held no patent on it so he used his money and influence to try and squash the idea. He even went so far as to electrocute animals with alternating current to try and prove that it was inherently more dangerous (again, a claim he would know only too well was false).

So while Rand's ideas are nice in an altruistic world, even geniuses often fall far short of altruism themselves. Alas.

Answer 2

I have read Atlas Shrugged (and loved it).

Politically - a prophet and genius.

Capitalist / Business Person - amazingly genius.

Spiritually - clueless (but so close), if only she would have carried her logic out to consider that a human could love God with the same unconditional loyalty and passion that Dagny loved John Galt.

Answer 3

I go with neither...I think that she was completely conscious of her choices, and capable of distinguishing one path from another--thus, she is sane. I don't think she's a genius, because she's flat out wrong. The notion of radical individuality isn't accurate from any perspective--even hard science recognizes the benefits of cooperative behavior (both abstractly and socio-historically). That stupid scholarship contest that got me to read that devilish book almost cost me several friends, because I let it trick me into thinking I was better than everyone else and didn't need them.

Don't ever forget--Ayn Rand died alone in bed of lung cancer.

Answer 4

She was a smart, but driven person who had a talent for writing hypnotic novels with simple characters that had just enough action and interest to suck a lot of simple minded people in need of a strong leader into thinking she was a genius.

Answer 5

Turing has got the right idea this time, but to describe Rand's ramblings as hypnotic...well, Turing, you're easily hypnotized.

Answer 6

Slap me. I still haven't read Atlas Shrugged. I think I've had that book for over two years.

Answer 7

no person ought to settle for that they do no longer look to be incapable, except they haven't any desire to get out of the container they see themselves in. all of us be attentive to a pair people isn't super, yet only Simon Cowell is rude--or honest--adequate to assert so. The characterization of Keating is actual. He did see greatness, in Roark, and knew what that greatness grew to become into. He did no longer see it in himself. yet Toohey isn't what you signify. Toohey knew what greatness grew to become into, and set approximately destroying greatness, on purpose, turning out to be regular in the technique. As evil is going, he grew to become into super, and he knew it. His greatness grew to become into no longer virtuous in the traditional experience of the be conscious. He grew to become into evil. He drove his niece into turning out to be a female Peter Keating, while she might have fairly develop into something that delighted her. howdy STRAT: She's good correct to the Fountainhead; you're good approximately Atlas Shrugged. And the reason Willers grew to become into no longer admitted into Galt's Gulch grew to become into via fact in the top, what did he do? He did comparable to each and all the others did; he did what the hippies at Woodstock did while they chanted for rain--Willers screamed on the forces that have been previous his administration, screamed on the forces of nature to repair his prepare, why oh why did this ought to ensue and now what is going to ensue to me? in the top, the bum who advised Dagny the story of the automobile production facility had greater dignity than Willers.

Answer 8

There is a fine line between the two.

Answer 9

name one genius that isn't atleast just a tad bit mad...