"This odd little woman is attempting to give a moral sanction to greed
and self interest, and to pull it off she must at times indulge in
purest Orwellian newspeak of the “freedom is slavery” sort. What
interests me most about her is not the absurdity of her “philosophy,”
but the size of her audience (in my campaign for the House she was the
one writer people knew and talked about). She has a great attraction for
simple people who are puzzled by organized society, who object to
paying taxes, who dislike the “welfare” state, who feel guilt at the
thought of the suffering of others but who would like to harden their
hearts. For them, she has an enticing prescription: altruism is the root
of all evil, self-interest is the only good, and if you’re dumb or
incompetent that’s your lookout."
...
"Ayn Rand’s “philosophy” is nearly perfect in its immorality, which makes
the size of her audience all the more ominous and symptomatic as we
enter a curious new phase in our society. Moral values are in flux. The
muddy depths are being stirred by new monsters and witches from the
deep. Trolls walk the American night. Caesars are stirring in the Forum.
There are storm warnings ahead. But to counter trolls and Caesars, we
have such men as Lewis Mumford whose new book, The City in History,
inspires. He traces the growth of communities from Neolithic to present
times. He is wise. He is moral: that is, he favors right action and he
believes it possible for us to make things better for us (not “me”!). He
belongs to the currently unfashionable line of makers who believe that
if something is wrong it can be made right, whether a faulty water main
or a faulty idea. May he flourish!"
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