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Atlas Shrugged (Paperback)
by Ayn Rand
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| MSL Pointer Review:
A piece of artwork in the form of literature and philosophy, Atlas Shrugged qualifies as an all-time classic with profound implications. |
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Author: Ayn Rand
Publisher: Plume
Pub. in: August, 1999
ISBN: 0452011876
Pages: 1200
Measurements: 9.0 x 6.0 x 2.0 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BA00435
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- Awards & Credential -
An all-time bestseller, Atlas Shrugged is the "second most influential book for Americans today" after the Bible, according to a joint survey conducted by the Library of Congress and the Book of the Month Club. |
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Without a doubt one of the most influential novels of the twentieth century, Atlas Shrugged describes a philosophy of existence, in Rand's terms, "of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, and reason as his only absolute."
Ayn Rand continues, "I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another, nor ask another man to live for mine."
This is the creed of the heroes of Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand's epochal novel about the triumph of the mind and the unlimited potential of human ability. In it, Rand provides a stark warning against collectivism and the progressive/liberal mindset that the producers of the country should be punished for their success and sacrificed for the "poor". This serves the essence of her "Objectionist" philosophy, a close relative to the Libertarian ideals of government and property. Indeed, Rand dedicates an entire chapter to postulating her beliefs via John Galt, an unheralded inventor who decides to "stop the motor of the world" by convincing those of mind to withdraw from society.
Essentially, this is a novel where the successful producers of society show a collective middle finger to their leeches and let them struggle to subsist in their own cesspool of socialist ideals. This explores the extremes of collectivism, when the mindset of the looters, as Rand calls them, is that need trumps ability, ability should be punished, and a pursuit of self-interest is greedy and selfish. This novel has many elements that are too prevalent in today's society - the entitlement mentality, the guilty rich, junk science, just to name a few. The heroes of Rand's world are the unapologetic capitalists who ask nothing of others and strive to live life to the fullest, for the fulfillment of one's ego is an end in of itself. The "good of society" is a thinly veiled phrase used by corrupt powermongers to seize control of the country through mandates, directives, and regulations. The youths are taught that the "mind is the root of all evil," that there is no right or wrong, and no black and white. Everyone is expected to obey - not to think. The dregs of society are elevated on a pedestal, while the producers are delegated to evil and greedy.
This is an epic novel, both in length and ideals. Honestly, I could write pages and pages of essays about the various issues raised. However, I will say that one idea that resonates with me is that some people will dislike you, not because of your failures, but because of your success, be it in business, sports, or school. Undoubtedly, you should always strive to be the best, and let the others you leave behind be damned if they want to bring you down to their subpar level.
Rand provides a powerful punch against socialism and collectivism. Indeed, most of Rand's ideas has been validated by the fall of the Soviet Union, although it seems like the lesson will never be fully learned. For those of the liberal/progressive persuasion, this book will challenge your dearest ideas about "social responsibility" and the roles of the "poor" and "rich." Be warned, though, as this might be an unending torture if you are hostile to her ideals, especially in the voluble chapter in which John Galt postulates the Objectionist philosophy on a hijacked national radio broadcast.
This is a book that is a challenge to read because of its length, but it is well worth the effort. Atlas Shrugged may challenge the very foundation of your inner-self.
(Quoted from Sean K of USA)
Target readers:
General readers
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Born February 2, 1905, Ayn Rand published her first novel, We the Living, in 1936. Anthem followed in 1938. It was with the publication of The Fountainhead (1943) and Atlas Shrugged (1957) that she achieved her spectacular success. Ms. Rand’s unique philosophy, Objectivism, has gained a worldwide audience. The fundamentals of her philosophy are put forth in three nonfiction books, Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, The Virtue of Selfishness, and Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal. They are all available in Signet editions, as is the magnificent statement of her artistic credo, The Romantic Manifesto.
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From the Publisher:
At last, Ayn Rand's masterpiece is available to her millions of loyal readers in trade paperback.
With this acclaimed work and its immortal query, "Who is John Galt?", Ayn Rand found the perfect artistic form to express her vision of existence. Atlas Shrugged made Rand not only one of the most popular novelists of the century, but one of its most influential thinkers.
Atlas Shrugged is the astounding story of a man who said that he would stop the motor of the world - and did. Tremendous in scope, breathtaking in its suspense, Atlas Shrugged stretches the boundaries further than any book you have ever read. It is a mystery, not about the murder of a man's body, but about the murder - and rebirth - of man's spirit.
Atlas Shrugged is the "second most influential book for Americans today" after the Bible, according to a joint survey conducted by the Library of Congress and the Book of the Month Club.
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| View all 12 comments |
Robert Mladek (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-09 00:00>
Yes, it is a long book. Yes, its characters are one-dimensional. And yes "Christian moral values (or pick any religion, except maybe Scientology), are in complete opposition to the ideals of Objectivism".
That's the point. Atlas was written to be a definitive defense of the individual. Its length is necessary because it must address and refute all the arguments that have, for millennia, need used to convince individuals that acting in their own best interest is immoral, sinful and evil.
As to the one-dimensional characters, the fact is that there are two kinds or people: those who are capable and willing of living for themselves (and neither need or want to be served) and those who are not (and for whom service is a life and death proposition).
To make this point, Ms. Rand's "good people" seek to create something of value and then, in a fair trade, exchange it for something of value produced by someone else. Her "bad people" are either not willing or not able to produce anything anyone else would want, and so must rely on other charity (in the best case) or forced servitude (in the worst). Her point is thus that in charity or servitude there is always a winner and a looser: one who gives and one who takes. In fair trade, winners and losers cannot exist because each side receives something he or she values at least as highly (probably more) that what he or she has given up (which is, BTW, the basis for a free-market economy).
Or, this is what it would be like if every person fully reasoned through his or her own actions and motivations. Most people, however, do not. The fact is that most people living on this planet are confused. They seek hold two mutually exclusive views (such as: I must be charitable and give the beggar my last crust of bread, but if I do I'm going to starve) at the same time. In other words, the average person is not simple, the way Ayn Rand paints people, he or she is "complex".
Complex people always see an inherent conflict in everything they and they go through life feeling guilty about wanting to eat the bread themselves. But, that's the point. Guilt is a powerful tool for convincing an individual to act against his or her own best interest and those that benefit from these actions are past masters at getting people to feel guilty. Obviously, this leads to the last point.
Objectivism is inconsistent with Christian moral values and the moral values of any organized religion. The simply fact is that you cannot believe in God and be an objectivist at the same time. This presents no problem to the atheists of the world. It's the rest that have trouble understanding Ayn Rand.
The point of this review is that, if you are committed to some "selfless" philosophy (be it Platonic, Christian, communist or whatever), you are not ready for Atlas Shrugged. At best, the book will disappoint you and, at worst, leave you without a value system. It will not, however, change you mind. Irrational beliefs, by their nature, cannot be overcome with rational arguments.
If, on the other hand, you find that the meaning of life as taught in Sunday school, sociology class and most economic text books doesn't seem to make sense, you may be ready for Atlas Shrugged. If, on the other hand, you a looking for a philosophy that will justify your desire to place your own self-interest on a higher plane than the self-interest of every other human being, you are also looking in the wrong place. If there is any central premise to Atlas Shrugged it is that while each individual has the right to promote his or her self-interest, he or she cannot do so at the expense of any other individual.
From a practical perspective, one should never start with Atlas Shrugged anyway. Atlas Shrugged is a continuation of Fountainhead and simply asks "what would happen to organized society if altruism won"? As such, it is very much a (negative) utopia much like George Orwell's 1984. It presents a horrific worst case scenario of what would happen if individuals surrendered that which make them individuals: their individuality.
If you do decide to take the plunge, be prepared to disagree with most people, even those who claim to be objectivists. For example, not long ago, I talked with a person who claimed to be a member of an "Ayn Rand society", who acknowledged that the government does have some legitimate role in society (to provide a common defense, police force and justice system) but who thought that the cost (paid in taxes) should only be borne by wealthy businessmen (who benefit from the system) and not the average person (for whom taxes should be voluntary). Some people's desire to live on someone else's dime is so strong, that they will go to any length to justify it.
And finally some good news, it you do read The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, and understand what you have read (which you probably will not), you will cease to care what any reviewer, including myself, thinks about these novels, or Ayn Rand, or her philosophy. You will have grown up. You will have learned to own head. Congratulations. |
J. Kindseth (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-09 00:00>
It has been over 10 years since I read Atlas. Since reading Atlas for the first time I've undergone experiences and seen places that reinforced the conditions of life described so eloquently in Rand's great mystery novel. At the same time, however, I've experienced situations both first-hand and from a distance that highlight the grayish hues of social justice and, without contemplation, appear to undermine Rand's themes and world view. Through a grueling process of self-realization, I've found myself able to answer the 3 most important questions that I think this book leaves with it's readers:
Why does this book affect some people so deeply?
- The archetypal characters of Atlas experience the lonliness that all passionate people feel at some point in time in life. One does not have to be a cutting-edge scientist of executive to feel the emotions that men like Hank Reardon feel. Atlas is filled with detailed scenes depicting this brutal lonliness. What makes these scenes memorable is that the characers are self-realizing this painful emotion, and the reasons for it, in the narrative. Those people who cherish this book, I think, do so in large part because it is comforting to know that we are not alone in our dreams and aspirations for the world around us; sometimes events make these items difficult to hold.
Who is the more moral man - John Galt or Eddie Willers?
- 6 years ago someone asked me this question and I felt dumbfounded. I did not know! Are they not equals? This is a difficult question for one to answer, because, I think, that one cannot honestly answer it without first judging his or herself. This question has come to mean a great deal to me because I think that there is a difference between John Galt and Eddie Willers, and not simply in terms of talent (the obvious difference and superficial basis for comparison). John Galt is the moral man because he takes definitive action. Eddie Willers - it must be said that he does not possess the same talent as Galt - permits his fear of failure to tie him to a world that he does not respect, despite the fact that he sees the morality of the world he cannot release. I am ashamed to say that I aided the U.S. to overthrow the government of a sovereign nation with brute force and disrupt the lives of its population. I know that the threat of violence does not accelerate change, even if it does permit change to occur. I know that it is excruciating not to know how to act when someone makes you choose between the life you know and your sense of honor.
Finally, do presence circumstances (Enron, MCI/Worldcom, bank eat bank) post Atlas as an irrelevant piece of American history?
- No. Ayn Rand expounds a philosophy in Atlas Shrugged and her speech to USMA "Philosophy: Who Needs It" - her 2 best works I think - that is communicated through a story. The story has distinct characters, but the social position of these characters in the novel make it deceptive to hastily view todays capitalists through the same lens. While Rand uses the $ sign to symbolize value, it is not dollars themselves that are the currency of men in Gult's Gulch. Instead it is value that is the real currency. Capitslism IS a complete philosophy - and not just an economic system, as children are prone to be taught - exactly because it allows us to assess value in absolute terms, not in currencies which merely reflect value. If you apply this logic - that the true capitalists are those who exchange items of equal value - it seems to me that the real looters of today ARE the proposed capitalists who propose that their only objective is to get cash to their investors (and themselves, of course). What is lacking with this 21st century generation of looters is a sense of direction or pride in the actual fruits of their labor beyond the rewards that show up as big numbers in bank accounts.
Atlas Shrugged is a thrilling mystery story and, after one reads it, much like a religious text for those who believe that men can discover truth, even if we must be content, today, to merely stand on the edge of the unknown and hypothesize. |
Ronald Springer (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-09 00:00>
The sheer number of reviews on this page is evidence of the value and effect her work has had on so many. I've devoured the works of Ayn Rand, Aristotle, Aquinas, Hugo, Shakespeare, The Bible, and she stands above them all. Actually, she stands with the founding fathers of America.
The animosity and isolation some feel after reading her work is common. Her depiction of how things should be, makes many choices we witness in the world that much more unbearable. Rand's own declared "loathing for humanity" unfortunately was transmitted to her students who often do not have the intellectual ammunition to overcome the negativity. The constructive abandon the hostility and grow to Galt's stature while the poor thinkers ultimately have to abandon Rand, in pace with their abandonment of ideals.
Seeing the many asinine comments new readers are subjected to, such as the idiot speaking of the male hero in the book who runs the railroad, making it obvious he didn't even read the book (Dagny runs the railroad and is a woman), the trite crassness of making her every character out to be a joke, the literary attack of those who could never equal her, or those trying to convince new readers that Rand's ideas amount to the exact opposite of the civil, rational, honorable truths they actually amount to, somewhat justifies Rand's hostility. To them I say, "We do exist. We have all the treasures in fulfillment and wealth that you desire and we worked for them, just as you've earned your position and all the self-loathing it generates." Hate us because we're happy.
What did Rand actually stand for? She stood for the spirit that built this country. She stood for the greatness of America and her best people; the hardest working, the most passionately devoted and the most honest dealing. If you want to learn how life is lived by those at the very top, from a moral as well as a day to day actionable perspective, there is no better fiction work to show you than Atlas Shrugged.
I went through the negative phase myself and fortunately, through Moral Armor, I solved it. The anger is gone, the pure happiness described when Dagny met Galt for the first time is mine as a constant, and I've mapped out the way for it to be yours. The next step past Atlas Shrugged has been taken to simplify the structure of Western Philosophy and remove the isolationist barriers between all sects, by drawing a deeper moral parallel between men than has ever existed.
Atlas Shrugged gave me more than I can tell you, though it widened the breach between Christianity and Western Philosophy that Aristotle (through Aquinas) had closed. Rand followers are closer to the goal, but both sides have a bit to learn. Join me, and together we will reach Atlantis. |
Clint Mosso (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-09 00:00>
Set aside your preconceived notions about the philosophy of Ayn Rand and read Atlas Shrugged with an open mind. It is hard to dive into it without having heard at least something about the storyline and ideas within. Both positive and negative. It also takes a pretty decent commitment coming in at over 1000 pages. But the journey is well worth it. The book has it all: politics (all bad, as they should be and usually are), economics, mystery, adventure, philosophy, drama, clandestine affairs etc. etc. It is truly epic story telling. My only two problems with the book are that it could indeed use some editing. Some ideas are covered way too many times, and it gets tiresome having the feeling that Rand is literally trying to pound certain concepts into your head via repetition. The characters are another. There just isn't enough variety in her characters. You feel like, whenever one of her heroes speaks, the dialogue could be coming from any of a dozen characters in the novel. Individual personalities are hard to distinguish at times. However neither of these issues could detract from what is otherwise an amazing achievement, and should be read by fans, critics, and the unexposed for its thought provoking ideas, refreshing outlook, and practical philosophy that is all too rare nowadays. |
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