Ayn Rand versus conservatives
Posted by Zenphamy 9 years, 5 months ago to Philosophy
Since so much of Galt's Gulch Online content has become conservative headline aggregation posting and commentary over the last several months, let's discuss what Ayn Rand thought of conservatives and conservativism. She put forth quite a bit of commentary on the subject, particularly after Atlas Shrugged came out.
To put it bluntly, she considered conservatives as big a danger to this country as she did liberals/progressives, considering both leading the country down a path towards statism, socialism, anti-capitalism, and most importantly-anti-freedom. Following is just one quote, there are a number:
“Conservatives”
Objectivists are not “conservatives.” We are radicals for capitalism; we are fighting for that philosophical base which capitalism did not have and without which it was doomed to perish . . .
Politics is based on three other philosophical disciplines: metaphysics, epistemology and ethics—on a theory of man’s nature and of man’s relationship to existence. It is only on such a base that one can formulate a consistent political theory and achieve it in practice. When, however, men attempt to rush into politics without such a base, the result is that embarrassing conglomeration of impotence, futility, inconsistency and superficiality which is loosely designated today as “conservatism.” . . .
Today’s culture is dominated by the philosophy of mysticism (irrationalism)—altruism—collectivism, the base from which only statism can be derived; the statists (of any brand: communist, fascist or welfare) are merely cashing in on it—while the “conservatives” are scurrying to ride on the enemy’s premises and, somehow, to achieve political freedom by stealth. It can’t be done.
The Objectivist Newsletter
“Choose Your Issues,”
The Objectivist Newsletter, Jan, 1962, 1
So What Do You Think Conservatives
To put it bluntly, she considered conservatives as big a danger to this country as she did liberals/progressives, considering both leading the country down a path towards statism, socialism, anti-capitalism, and most importantly-anti-freedom. Following is just one quote, there are a number:
“Conservatives”
Objectivists are not “conservatives.” We are radicals for capitalism; we are fighting for that philosophical base which capitalism did not have and without which it was doomed to perish . . .
Politics is based on three other philosophical disciplines: metaphysics, epistemology and ethics—on a theory of man’s nature and of man’s relationship to existence. It is only on such a base that one can formulate a consistent political theory and achieve it in practice. When, however, men attempt to rush into politics without such a base, the result is that embarrassing conglomeration of impotence, futility, inconsistency and superficiality which is loosely designated today as “conservatism.” . . .
Today’s culture is dominated by the philosophy of mysticism (irrationalism)—altruism—collectivism, the base from which only statism can be derived; the statists (of any brand: communist, fascist or welfare) are merely cashing in on it—while the “conservatives” are scurrying to ride on the enemy’s premises and, somehow, to achieve political freedom by stealth. It can’t be done.
The Objectivist Newsletter
“Choose Your Issues,”
The Objectivist Newsletter, Jan, 1962, 1
So What Do You Think Conservatives
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My understanding of conservatism is a conservation of principals intended in our constitution.
Your right, one cannot be altruistically individual.
One can only make a choice and except the consequences, that's about as "altruistic" as it gets, however, it's still a choice. One with sound mind would never deny self but might chose to take a chance in favor of another.
An example of a necessary fiction of great value, the irrational belief in a God. To paraphrase Napoleon, "Religion keeps the poor from murdering the rich" which is way beneficial for we rich. It is a NECESSARY fiction because it improves my quality of life.
The Lexicon quote is from “Censorship: Local and Express” in Philosophy: Who Needs It and first published in The Ayn Rand Letter in three parts in 1973.
That's not pro-liberty, Objective, or even constitutional..
To the extent that man, as he evolved from the earliest times, used his conceptual faculty to understand the world, he used reason, and in that sense it has always "been around before Aristotle", whether or not used properly.
Plato was the first philosopher to systematize philosophy, and he formulated most of the basic questions. But Aristotle was the first to systematically identify and uphold the validity of reason as the means of knowing within the role of consciousness as grasping existence, and the purpose of personal happiness in this world as the ideal -- in contrast to Plato's mysticism and sacrifice, and his misuse of conceptual thought to rationalize both.
The intellectual battle ever since has been a duel between Plato and Aristotle.
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