Only a loser like Obama would take a swipe at a dead woman, and one that I may add is probably the greatest philosopher of the twentieth century (warts and all), but I digress. Ayn Rand was born in Russia and left there when communism was in full swing. If anyone could make a case against Marxism, it would have been Ayn Rand and I would have loved to see her cut Obama down in a head to head debate. Obama seems to think that categorizing people that disagree with him as Objectivists in a pejorative way boosts his position as a socialist. This clearly shows his facile understanding of Ayn Rand and Objectivism. Ayn Rand believed in using reason, and to that extent that rational self-interest was a virtue. It doesn't proscribe that you would never help others outside of your family, but never as a sacrifice of yourself or anyone else. She didn't believe in altruism as it isn't rational. She was right of course. I do have issues with some of the results of her philosophy, but she brings more to the table in a positive way than negative. Thank you for reading this blog.
2 comments:
I doubt Obama really meant a reference to Rand's book.
Also, it is not just Obama who criticizes such selfishness; virtually every religion does the same. Even McCain says "Country First".
Considering he's been taking a beating from libertarians (while not the same exact thing, there is crossover), he should be well read enough (or more likely his speech writers are), and it is the title of a book she wrote (although he would be attacking his perception of her ideas), I would bet more than a $1 it is a swipe. McCain doesn't enter into this statement directly, but people that understand what Ayn Rand meant when she discussed rational self-interest would more likely be supporting McCain or Barr and not Obama (Obama's political philosophy is anathema to Objectivism and libertarianism). Lastly, Obama didn't criticize taxation from a religious perspective, unless of course his position is that the state itself is a religion. Taxation is after all, a tithe to the state.
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