Comments on: The Ayn Rand Century http://www.yazadjal.com/2005/02/02/the-ayn-rand-century/ Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:41:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.1 by: Indian Randian « Leitmotif http://www.yazadjal.com/2005/02/02/the-ayn-rand-century/#comment-22605 Fri, 27 Apr 2007 23:49:20 +0000 http://www.yazadjal.com/2005/02/02/the-ayn-rand-century/#comment-22605 [...] This one post onYazadjal.com reminded me of another favorite article I read a long time ago at the Von Mises Institute website. Here’s a particularly lovely quote from that article: [...] […] This one post onYazadjal.com reminded me of another favorite article I read a long time ago at the Von Mises Institute website. Here’s a particularly lovely quote from that article: […]

]]> by: assman http://www.yazadjal.com/2005/02/02/the-ayn-rand-century/#comment-15208 Fri, 19 Jan 2007 02:31:06 +0000 http://www.yazadjal.com/2005/02/02/the-ayn-rand-century/#comment-15208 The greatest scientific texts of all time were never subject to peer review. These include Euclids elements, Netwon's Principia, Darwin's Origin of the Species, and Maxwell's Electricity and Magnetism. So why is peer review so important? The greatest scientific texts of all time were never subject to peer review. These include Euclids elements, Netwon’s Principia, Darwin’s Origin of the Species, and Maxwell’s Electricity and Magnetism. So why is peer review so important?

]]> by: Ergo http://www.yazadjal.com/2005/02/02/the-ayn-rand-century/#comment-8165 Sat, 29 Apr 2006 07:55:10 +0000 http://www.yazadjal.com/2005/02/02/the-ayn-rand-century/#comment-8165 I find it revolting to hear someone advocate that individual rights are not absolute and not desirable! Someone advocating that must be the first one to give up his individual rights. Rights are necessary *because* we live in a society. However, the particulars of a given society is *irrelevant* to the absolutism of fundamental rights. Yazad, Are you based in Delhi or Mumbai? I've been wanting to start a Mumbai Objectivist Salon, and was wondering if you had any tips/advice on the matter. Or better still, is there already a Mumbai club of Objectivism that I could participate in? I find it revolting to hear someone advocate that individual rights are not absolute and not desirable! Someone advocating that must be the first one to give up his individual rights.

Rights are necessary *because* we live in a society. However, the particulars of a given society is *irrelevant* to the absolutism of fundamental rights.

Yazad,
Are you based in Delhi or Mumbai? I’ve been wanting to start a Mumbai Objectivist Salon, and was wondering if you had any tips/advice on the matter. Or better still, is there already a Mumbai club of Objectivism that I could participate in?

]]> by: Amardeep http://www.yazadjal.com/2005/02/02/the-ayn-rand-century/#comment-2947 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.yazadjal.com/2005/02/02/the-ayn-rand-century/#comment-2947 Just playing devil's advocate here: Wasn't much of the skyline of Bombay built in the era of License Raj? Also -- on New York -- that skyline is a metaphor for capitalism, to be sure. But it is also almost entirely built with unionized labor. Great to see all these quotes, but I want to hear more about what <em>you</em> think about why libertarianism is so great, and what it might mean in India. Liberalization has been great, but the state is still utterly essential when it comes to protecting various minority groups, pushing the reform of backwards social values (things like outlawing dowry and child marriage), regulating business, and about a thousand other things. Personally, I am in favor of constitutional liberal democracy w/ free markets, along the lines of Fareed Zakaria's <em>The Future of Freedom</em>. I'm not a big fan of Rand (though I respect her), and I find the more critical take on her centenary in the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/02/books/02rand.html?pagewanted=2&ex=1265086800&oref=login" rel="nofollow">New York Times</a> to be compelling. This isn't a flame -- I find your blog quite interesting to read. I guess I'm just looking to hear you explain more about how you envision this working in India. Just playing devil’s advocate here:

Wasn’t much of the skyline of Bombay built in the era of License Raj?

Also — on New York — that skyline is a metaphor for capitalism, to be sure. But it is also almost entirely built with unionized labor.

Great to see all these quotes, but I want to hear more about what you think about why libertarianism is so great, and what it might mean in India.

Liberalization has been great, but the state is still utterly essential when it comes to protecting various minority groups, pushing the reform of backwards social values (things like outlawing dowry and child marriage), regulating business, and about a thousand other things.

Personally, I am in favor of constitutional liberal democracy w/ free markets, along the lines of Fareed Zakaria’s The Future of Freedom. I’m not a big fan of Rand (though I respect her), and I find the more critical take on her centenary in the New York Times to be compelling.

This isn’t a flame — I find your blog quite interesting to read. I guess I’m just looking to hear you explain more about how you envision this working in India.

]]> by: jammy http://www.yazadjal.com/2005/02/02/the-ayn-rand-century/#comment-2948 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.yazadjal.com/2005/02/02/the-ayn-rand-century/#comment-2948 Quite a read ur blog. Dont u think it is too heavy for somebody on the net...just browsing by... Quite a read ur blog. Dont u think it is too heavy for somebody on the net…just browsing by…

]]> by: Deepak http://www.yazadjal.com/2005/02/02/the-ayn-rand-century/#comment-2949 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.yazadjal.com/2005/02/02/the-ayn-rand-century/#comment-2949 Thank you for the amazing post. It certainly helped me understand Rand a little better, and, definitely made my day. Thank you for the amazing post. It certainly helped me understand Rand a little better, and, definitely made my day.

]]> by: Ck. http://www.yazadjal.com/2005/02/02/the-ayn-rand-century/#comment-2950 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.yazadjal.com/2005/02/02/the-ayn-rand-century/#comment-2950 Yazad you will be pleased to know that I find a lot of similarity between you and Rand especially this: <blockquote> Many academic philosophers criticize Rand not only for her sweeping denouncements of academic philosophers, but also for her practice of explicating her philosophy in popular fiction, rather than publishing in peer-reviewed journals. .... Her critics reply that Rand knew her work would not stand up to serious scrutiny by trained thinkers. </blockquote> That seems to be a common tactic of her followers - Yazad, Julian, Sauvik and people like Lomborg - when things don't stand up to close scientific srutiny - just write it as a work of fiction or better still publish it yourself. I applaud you for following in the footsteps of your idol - keep blogging! Yazad you will be pleased to know that I find a lot of similarity between you and Rand especially this:

Many academic philosophers criticize Rand not only for her sweeping denouncements of academic philosophers, but also for her practice of explicating her philosophy in popular fiction, rather than publishing in peer-reviewed journals. …. Her critics reply that Rand knew her work would not stand up to serious scrutiny by trained thinkers.

That seems to be a common tactic of her followers - Yazad, Julian, Sauvik and people like Lomborg - when things don’t stand up to close scientific srutiny - just write it as a work of fiction or better still publish it yourself. I applaud you for following in the footsteps of your idol - keep blogging!

]]> by: Nilu http://www.yazadjal.com/2005/02/02/the-ayn-rand-century/#comment-2951 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.yazadjal.com/2005/02/02/the-ayn-rand-century/#comment-2951 Amardeep, Let me know if the absence of unionized labor would have meant the Manhattan skyline would resemble that of interor Bihar. Amardeep,
Let me know if the absence of unionized labor would have meant the Manhattan skyline would resemble that of interor Bihar.

]]> by: Amardeep http://www.yazadjal.com/2005/02/02/the-ayn-rand-century/#comment-2952 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.yazadjal.com/2005/02/02/the-ayn-rand-century/#comment-2952 No, but the point is, the United States has never been naked capitalism. It's a welfare state: social security, medicare, a huge state bureaucracy. Ayn Randism doesn't have room for these things in its philosophy. No, but the point is, the United States has never been naked capitalism. It’s a welfare state: social security, medicare, a huge state bureaucracy.

Ayn Randism doesn’t have room for these things in its philosophy.

]]> by: Antara http://www.yazadjal.com/2005/02/02/the-ayn-rand-century/#comment-2953 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.yazadjal.com/2005/02/02/the-ayn-rand-century/#comment-2953 also, and maybe i'm in a minority...i just don't like the way she writes. her characters are all too simplistic- all too black and white to make for very good fiction. she's a product of a cold war world where given her background she found legitimacy, i'm not sure her fiction (taken purely as fiction) has very much merit. but that's just my two cents. also, and maybe i’m in a minority…i just don’t like the way she writes. her characters are all too simplistic- all too black and white to make for very good fiction. she’s a product of a cold war world where given her background she found legitimacy, i’m not sure her fiction (taken purely as fiction) has very much merit. but that’s just my two cents.

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