What do feminists think of Ayn Rand?

Question

I can relate to Rand's theories and I think they go hand in hand with the basic human right that personal happiness is the key to success, but some feminists might think differently. If so, why?

http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer

Answer 1

i am a feminist i and i love ayn rand. i love all of her theories on individual rights and liberties, but i disagree with her quite a bit on economic issues.

try to remember, feminism is a big tent.

Answer 2

My intense dislike of Ayn Rand has very little to do with my feminism, except for the bits about how rape is not consensual or sexy and that she can't write a d@mn female character to save her life. Like you're totally supposed to go out on your own and all that, as long as you have a penis. If you don't, you should just support the free-thinking guys.

Feminism is not a monolithic whole here. There are plenty of feminist libertarians out there, as well as feminist socialists and every economic system in between. Heck, there are even feminist conservatives, although Ann Coulter's doing her best to disprove that. While there are those who tie their feminism in very strongly with their economic beliefs, just as there are feminist ecologists and feminists who believe that animal rights are intrinsically related to their social beliefs, none of that is necessary. The idea that men and women deserve the same rights and responsibilities is not tied into capitalism, socialism, anarchism, communism, objectivism, or any of the rest.

Answer 3

Ayn Rand's "philosophy" is pretty worthless and she didn't follow it herself (lacking personal integrity from my personal experience). Her ideas about society were out of date at the time she wrote her super opus, Atlas Shrugged, although her screen writing tricks make it a good read, and the simple basis for taking extreme action that she used as justification wasn't valid then and rapidly became less so as time has passed. A nice fantasy.
And all her ranting about A - Not A was aimed at General Semantics which in its philosophical form was dead several years before her book was written.
The few women she puts in her books are okay.

Answer 4

I used to be a Libertarian in college (10 years ago) and pretty obsessed with her. Even though she rejects Libertarianism somewhat, her ideas are along the same lines. I read all her books and even saw the movie about her life. She certainly had an interesting love life, contradicting her own philosophy in so many ways. A lot of what she believes in make sense regarding money, altruism etc....but I also think she's a bit over-the-top and has to be taken with a grain of salt.

Answer 5

I can't hang with serious objectivists, but it's not because their arguments and philosophy are specifically flawed. The true adherents are religious in their approach. Like Lioness said, things to think about, but to be taken with a grain of salt.
As for how feminists would likely view her, I would guess that most would be very intimidated by her and her views. There are 3 regulars here (first initials D, R, and B) that would have their ways of thinking torn apart by Ayn Rand; as would I, but not for my views on gender relations.

Answer 6

I understand where she's coming from. A lot of her ideas seem to be true for society. But I think the over all outlook is very sad. Everything in this world is interdependent. Though it would do no good to sacrifice all of oneself to the greater good, flexibility and compassion are admirable qualities to me. It breathes of a dynamism that allows for maximum personal growth.

Answer 7

"Objectivist" philosophy is expressed with much greater honesty by a whining spoiled toddler than by any of its actual adherents as far as I'm concerned.