First off: if you are someone who values realistic characters and a superior grasp of language, then this is not a book for you. Not that her language is bad, it's that this book is more about her philosophy than plot.
The thing that stood out to me the most was that it sort of plays "devil's advocate" against the whole "equal opportunity" and "feed the poor" argument. It really challenged my beliefs on the morality of taking from the rich who have more than enough, and giving to the poor who have barely enough to survive. Basically, my interpretation of what Rand says in this book is that rich, successful people have earned their wealth have the burden of being ostracized because of their ability and their mind. Less-well-off people don't have the mental and physical capabilities of being leaders and entrepreneurs and therefore need the rich, successful people to manage them. When rich, successful people remain rich and successful, they can use their abilities to create job opportunities, better pay, and motivate less-well-off people. I know that most people reading this will probably think something along the lines of "That's not true! Just because someone is rich doesn't mean they are better than everybody else!" And I agree. But Ayn Rand presents the argument in such a way so that at times you can't help but think, "Yeah, I can see why he would be upset that the government is controlling his profit." That's partially where the mixed feelings come from.
Luckily, there's an actual plot to this book where Ayn Rand lays out her philosophy. The premise goes: What if all the presidents of major companies and corporations decided to go on strike?
There's Henry Rearden, a seemingly cold-harded a steel developer, Dagny Taggart, the pretty vice president of Taggart Transcontinental Railroad who runs the company better than the actual president, James Taggart, an older-looking man who prefers to stick to an unrealistic moral compass when making decisions that seem to drive the railroad to bankruptcy. Later, new socialist reforms start to cripple the companies' production, and when an economic slump comes around James, who supported the socialist government, begs Dagny and the "people of mind" to fix it. They say they can't until they are given the means to, ie, more freedom in their business. In retaliation to the socialist government stifling their business, telling them how much they are allowed to produce, by what means, and to whom they are permitted to sell their products, all the company owners leave and refuse to contribute to their businesses. The less-well-off people and the socialists go crazy, because now they don't know how to successfully run the businesses. Trains stop working, there is not enough electricity and raw materials being shipped out, poverty increases, and chaos in the government ensues.
No comments:
Post a Comment