[Porcupine]

Dear Forum Members,

I just thought I would ask to get the thread started. I've read and admired her philosophy ever since I was 15 and still do.

 

[Theduardo]

Ayn Rand is a pretty good philosophy primer for those interested in self reliance and responsibility. The main issue I have is her characters are one-dimensional stereotypical archetypes, ones she uses to make her points. For example in Atlas Shrugged, the characters were either ultra competent industrialists, or slobbering corrupt incompetent socialists. No gray or middle ground. People in life I have found do not have these polar extremes, so application of some of her ideas are suspect.

I'm not slamming Ayn here. Its just that she rights fiction. Because of that one must filter her work versus real life. Its not as black and white as she projects.

 

[Porcupine]

Greetings, Theduardo, Rand wrote both non-fiction philosophical works as well as fiction works. And according to her non-fiction work on art The Romantic Manifesto the purpose of fiction literature is to portray life as it should be, not as it actually is, so as to provide confirmation of one's ideals and emotional fuel for the struggles of real life.

I'm glad there are other readers of Rand here. I hope we can keep this thread going.