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Summary: The Illuminati Manifesto Compliments This Great Book!
Review: I loved this book and The Illuminati Manifesto!Very powerful works!
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Summary: An interesting philosophy indeed
Review: I've read many philosophy books by the likes of Montaigne, Nietzsche, Marx, Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, etc., but none has so enthralled me as that of Ayn Rand. Whilst I've often found parts of every philosophy I've read to be intriguing and even some times reasonable, never have I found such a book that inticed me to wish to look into many of said authors other works. Now, don't interpret this wrong, for I am very critical and would suggest that for any person that reads this book that they also become aware of the rational criticisms out there that exist, in fact, I recommend upon finishing this book, each individual read an article written by Michael Shermer of the Skeptics Society, entitled, The Unlikliest Cult. Rand's philosophy contains within it many idea's that could definitely enhance the way a person lives life in this world as well as understands it, but it can also work as a tool to limit many people who have a superficial and cynical outlook or predisposition towards others. If you've never read a philosophically inclined book before, don't let this experience limit future reading's with various schools of thought, always, continue to judge for yourself, because Rand's philosophy can enable many who allow it to, not to think for themselves.
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Summary: To be read and digested on many different levels!
Review: Looking through the reviews below, it is not suprising that they run the gamut. This book can and should be read on many levels. Atlas Shrugged was offered to the world as Miss Rand's grand exposition of her philosophy of Objectivism. Unlike most philosophical novels, it is offered as something of a mystery story, revolving around Dagney Taggart's struggle to save Taggart Transcontinental railways. As if the task wasn't big enough, she's puzzled by the out-of-the-blue disappearance of brilliant businessmen. Their businesses fold and they vanish, just like that. Why? This is the book on it's first level. That of a completely enthralling mystery. The second level is as a philisophical discussion. Relativism v. objectivism (small 'o'), faith v. reason, self-reliance v. government paternalism and the nature of man- to name a few- are given treatment. All I should say here is that while the discussion (usually through first-rate dialogue) can seem throrough to the uninitiated, Rand certainly tends to misrepresent views she disagrees with- not just in Atlas Shrugged, but in the complete body of her work. This brings us to the third level of the novel. Not just a discussion of philosophy, but of Objectivism. Especially towards the end when we enter 'Galt's gulch', we see Miss. Rands vision of the future. It is exciting, to say the very least. So there are the three levels. The novel tends to be known as an exposition of Objectivism but I would urge the reader to read Atlas Shrugged first as a gripping story. When I came to the novel, I'd already read Rand's non-fiction, Peikoff's "Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand" and Chris Sciabbara's "Ayn Rand: The Russian Radical." If the reader wants simply an exposition of Objectivism only, she would do best to pick up Peikoff and Sciabbara first. As a novel however, there is seldom a 1,000+ page book more gripping and provocative. I think it took me about a week and I'm a medium paced reader. As a footnote, I am a former objectivist. The reason I feel it important to mention is that as other reviewers note, to the uninitiated, this novel can become something of an obsession. If this is the first philosophy a reader experiences, she might hesitate to read more philosophy, partly because of Miss Rand's erroneous depiction of other philosophers- namely pragmatism and Kantian philosophy. This is the position I found myself in and as other reviewers attest, it is not uncommon. If a reader finds themselves in that position, two good books to read (it might hurt a bit, but trust me) would be Karl Popper's "Objective Knowledge" and Antony Flew's "Introduction to Western Philosophy." While I'm still in a great degree of sympathy with most of Rand's philosophy, there is a wealth of great philosophy out there.
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Summary: Laborious, low-brow tripe for robber barons
Review: ATLAS SHRUGGED is a bewilderingly dull, painfully long book that is full of poor philosophy and even worse writing. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone, unless of course I wanted to drive him to suicide. The problem is not only Rand's philosophy, which is bad enough, but the sheer stupidity and astonishing childishness of the book itself. To begin with, the characters are laughably two-dimensional. From the flawless industrialist-heroes who possess the "virtues" of greed and egocentrism, to the straw men villains who lurk about the marble halls of Washington, to the simple every-day people who defer to their superiors, every character is so cartoonish that the book quickly becomes unbearable. Rand subjects her readers to page after page (after page) of mind-numbing redundancy and monotony. I found myself wondering who edited it, because anyone with a high school diploma could see that it repeated itself far too much. The characters are stiff, the dialogue artificial, and the plot devices as sophisticated as those used in the Hardy Boys series. Moreover, Rand has such a heavy-handed style, such a lack of artistic sensitivity and subtlety, that I felt brow-beaten and numb after the first couple hours reading. Reading the book to its conclusion is a heroic act of self-sacrifice, and I can only wonder about the sanity of those masochistic souls who have read it more than once. As a novel, it is probably the worst thing I've ever read. A thoroughly unpleasant experience. As for Rand's philosophy, Objectivism, it too is surprisingly childish and overly simplistic. It is a preposterous hodge-podge of Aristotle, Nietzsche, and Adam Smith, with a little American pragmatism to boot. Rand rips a few lines of these philosphers out of context in order to fashion a philosophy that permits one to be utterly self-serving, for no other reason than it feels right. Objectivism is also elitist, and Rand insinuates throughout the book that the masses of humankind, hats in their dirty hands, should bow to her "uberpeople." She disregards the concept of the human soul altogether, apparently preferring instead the inherent dignity of washing macines. Indeed, Rand seems to suggest that people are only good insofar as they can produce, admirable only in proportion to the size of their bank accounts. Come on, lady. There is more to life than money, and while I'm no liberal, I'm neither so cold-hearted as to suggest that greed is a great virtue. It might have made for a tolerable 150-or-so page novella, but as it stands--arrogant, juvenile, and oppressively long-winded--it is absolutely awful. I will admit that Rand does have a point: relativism is causing problems in our society. But the solution is not contained in a one thousand page book that claims that our salvation lies "in the sign of the dollar."
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Summary: 1 star for the ideal 4 star for the book
Review: Ayn Rand believed in some thing , so do most of us .The only difference is she took it to extreme hights .We must remenber
That any kind of extremism breeds intollerence and intollerence
in turn breeds all type of social problems.
Ayn Rand was pro capitalism , So are most of us ,but she took it too far.So far that
as per her philosophy selfishness is ok.
If we have to question her philosophy then the first question that comes to mind is what about humanity?
The book is well written but ....?
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Summary: Worthy reading for all people
Review: This is a very entertaining and inspirational book about people that find their own self worth through their hard work, their success, and their determination. Though there are many people who take Ayn Rands philosophies to the extreme, and who will insist that this work of fiction is a tome to base your life upon, the basic philosophy in the novel is simple. . . work hard for what you want, and dont expect others to carry you on their shoulders by freely giving you what THEY earned. This is a simple message in an entertaining book, with the benefit of being one of the very few novels that invites you not simply to escape into its world, but to relate it to your own world and to think about your own place in it. Reading this novel is truly an experience I would recomend to everyone, especially those who are looking for a book with a great amount of substance and character.
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Summary: Five stars and why
Review: Five stars because if any book explains the spirit of Man, this is it. This is what the "Greats" are made of....all those people, the Valedictorians, the inventors, the ones who stand on their own--this is the stuff they're made of. To me what the Bible is to others, only more dear, and more applicable.....I apply a lot of what I've read from this in real life, and guess what, 5.2 GPA, 4th best Med. School in the nation right now. Yeah. Stand up for you, it's nice to be selfish in every sense of the word. Forget being forced into groupwork where you carry the load of seven others who slack off, and then end up with a "D-" for their lack of effort. Be your own group. Your grade is yours, do not cut your "A+" into eight chunks and end up with a "D-"...Your grade, why give it to those who don't even try? I love what this book taught me...I'm not here to support others..."Good of all" so that none fail? What good is "good of all" if that "good" drowns all of us? I didn't earn a "D-"...I should've gotten an "A"...there's no way that anyone else in that class pulled more than I did, but because the rest of my group was composed of slackers, a D- was the result. On all of my individual projects, I had A's. It was that I let them take away from me, that's what it was. I was just too stupid to realize it. So wake up, if you're doing what I did. Wake up and see. Selfishness is a beautiful thing. Conceit is not, there's a difference a fine line..keep that part straight, and this will do you nothing but good!
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Summary: READ "THE FOUNTAINHEAD "FIRST!
Review: This book explores the same concepts as the Fountainhead in macro form while using characters to act out the important philosophical concepts at stake. It is aflawed book though. For one thing,It is too long.Plus, Ayn rands view Male /Female relationships is ...odd(this book like the Fountainhead has a rape/love scene). That said ,she shows us how one government edict begets another bringing us down the slippery slope towards tyranny and poverty. I think she really does a fine job of showing us a how an FDR-like President with "emergency powers" could do it here. I say all this having read the book 4 times. Flawed but magnetic.
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Summary: Capitalism in all of it's beauty
Review: This book is beautiful: it shows how capitalism is the perfect system, the system in which each person's success is accountable only to herself or himself. Nobody owes you anything in capitalism. You have inalienable rights. Beyond that, you make what you are, you make your own choices, you are master of your own fate. This book has been awesome to read. Going into it, I was unsure as to my ideologies, not absolutely positive about anything (though I was leaning strongly towards Ms. Rand's position). It seemed that I knew what I was for and what I wanted, but did not have true expression of it. But now I do. I am certain of one thing: capitalism is the most moral social philosophy.
Even if you do not agree with this philosophy, the novel is great. It has many elements besides the underlying advocacy of capitalism that make it a worthwhile read, so I would reccommend it to anyone and everyone.
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Summary: Dynamic, rich, nuanced fiction
Review: Forget about the overall philosophy and enjoy this book for its fiction. With over 1000 pages, it's not *all* long, boring speeches. Whether you agree or not in the end, read it, and experience new ideas you aren't likely to find elsewhere. (Someone also said it is 'high school level' writing, a sentiment I find patently ridiculous. The writing is simply very precise and descriptive and I do not think anyone would argue the book fails to present its ideas adequately.)
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