Chops Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123146363567166677.html A good article, though it does link briefly Libertarianism with Objectivism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01503 Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 Well, linking Objectivism with Libertarianism is not uncommon. But a fantastic article nonetheless. I love hearing praises of Atlas Shrugged/Ayn Rand/The Fountainhead in mainstream news sources. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian0918 Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 Make sure to Digg it up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khaight Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 The main thing that struck me about that article was how relentlessly superficial the writer's understanding of the book was. The theme is far, far broader than the political and economic issues mentioned. Atlas Shrugged is about the role of the mind in human existence, and this person couldn't see anything beyond the social. If this is what conservatives and libertarians take away from Atlas Shrugged it's no wonder they're mostly useless. That said, it's always refreshing to see extended and positive mention of Atlas in mainstream news outlets. This looks like a superb opportunity to write letters to the paper thanking them for the article and mentioning (politely) some of the deeper themes that they didn't touch on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian0918 Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 (edited) Atlas Shrugged is now up to #71 on Amazon! I wonder how much this article affected the rank. Edited January 10, 2009 by brian0918 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake_Ellison Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 I hate to say this about the most positive Atlas Shrugged mention of recent weeks, but it is stupid. The book is not about government regulations and macro-economics. Saying that it is doesn't help anyone. Why would someone who wants to learn about macro-economics read a book written by a philosopher 50 years ago? I understand that the WSJ is all about economics, but surely there's room for a mention of Objectivism and philosophy in there somewhere....How about instead of plugging "the Atlas Society", dedicated to promoting Rand's ideas, and a movie which will never get made, he mentions the fact that there's a two hour speech in the novel, presenting a brand new philosophy based on reality, reason and individualism? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMartins Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 Atlas Shrugged is now up to #71 on Amazon! I wonder how much this article affected the rank. 61st now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian0918 Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 54th! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimpy Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 (edited) This op-ed is currently the most read and most emailed piece in the entire online publication. Edited January 11, 2009 by Mimpy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mammon Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 (edited) The main thing that struck me about that article was how relentlessly superficial the writer's understanding of the book was. The theme is far, far broader than the political and economic issues mentioned. Atlas Shrugged is about the role of the mind in human existence, and this person couldn't see anything beyond the social. If this is what conservatives and libertarians take away from Atlas Shrugged it's no wonder they're mostly useless. That said, it's always refreshing to see extended and positive mention of Atlas in mainstream news outlets. This looks like a superb opportunity to write letters to the paper thanking them for the article and mentioning (politely) some of the deeper themes that they didn't touch on. You hit it out of the park, khaight. I had the same thought when reading this. Especially since the language came off as strictly anti-Democrat more then pro-anything good. You said it already and I think this provides a little bit of a revelation as to why we are having such trouble getting the point across to the rest of the world. There is mind-set that Rand and Objectivism are strictly right-wing, Republican support materials and articles like this, though good for media exposure, really just spur the confusion. The broader moral points are totally missed. Even some of the economic points are missed. Somehow people read it and walk away with only "anti-big-government!" in their minds. The only way we can our ideas ingrained is if people walk away with broader ideas like "Christianity is wrong" "Maybe I should pay more attention to intellectual ideas, and take them seriously" "Maybe I should be a more creative, productive and honest person instead of a mooch and slacker"... Also, I think blaming the businessman in the current crisis is idiotic. Some guys messed up, specifically the automakers, but the vast majority of people are victims of a deadly cocktail of expansionist monetary policy, taxation, unfair accounting regulations, a stifled education system and increasing hostile population. Not just here, but abroad as well. We can throw Atlas Shrugged around forever, but it's useless unless if falls in the hands of the right people. And I fear some of those people are becoming apathetic before they give it a chance because they are associating it with as khaight said... something shallow. Edited January 11, 2009 by Mammon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian0918 Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 It has broken the top 50! Four more slots until it overtakes Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mammon Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 It has broken the top 50! Four more slots until it overtakes Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope. We are still behind The Twilight Series, Ann Coulter, and Diet books! We've got a long way to go. Rand should of wrote about sexy vampires and flat stomachs too, America would demand it then. I guess it's a good thing that it's selling though, amongst the people who read the WSJ. But, like I was trying to say above, I'm worried that the author of that article will give people a false impression coming into reading the book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softwareNerd Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 We are still behind The Twilight Series, Ann Coulter, and Diet books!I bet if you check back in Jan 2010, most of those books would have dropped significantly, while AS will still be near the top-100 or so. What is special about AS is that is retains this position, even though it was first published in 1957. Very few books -- e.g. the ones by Tolkien-- have retained market share that long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khaight Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 I guess it's a good thing that it's selling though, amongst the people who read the WSJ. But, like I was trying to say above, I'm worried that the author of that article will give people a false impression coming into reading the book. I'm actually not that worried about that. The political-economic aspects he cites are in the book; they just aren't the main point. If people pick up Atlas Shrugged expecting a story about the collapse of the United States under a statist regime, they'll get what they're expecting. They'll also get more, and the honest, insightful readers will see that. The ones who choose not to see, will not -- but they wouldn't have anyhow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian0918 Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 (edited) It is now ranked #46! People must be coming to work and seeing it on the front page of WSJ, then ordering it from there. Update: 40th! Once again it's 4 slots behind Obama's book. Edited January 12, 2009 by brian0918 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian0918 Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 (edited) 35! It has trumped Obama! Edited January 12, 2009 by brian0918 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benpercent Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 Just when I thought it was going to come back down! What's the old record for last year? #52? Right now it's at #34. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IchorFigure Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 35! It has trumped Obama! Talk about a picture being worth 1000 words. It's like an icon of our times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian0918 Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 It's at 33 now. It appears Amazon updates the list on about the 40th minute of every hour. One important thing pointed out on the OActivists list is that, if you look at the list of the top-selling classics, there are four separate copies of Atlas Shrugged in the top 15!! They consider these separately, and so that negatively affects the book's overall ranking. If you look at the overall bestseller list, the top two editions of AS are at #33 and #92, whereas, for example, Obama's "Dreams of My Father" is at #26 and #1,241. No comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clawg Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 (edited) #29 Soon it will have surpassed "Dreams of my father" Now is the time to buy @Mammon: Look at the release dates of those books... Edited January 13, 2009 by Clawg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mammon Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 @Mammon: Look at the release dates of those books... Look at America. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Marshall Posted January 16, 2009 Report Share Posted January 16, 2009 This entire article was read aloud on the Mike Gallagher show this morning. It's nice to hear the extreme religious conservatives plugging AS.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mammon Posted January 18, 2009 Report Share Posted January 18, 2009 This entire article was read aloud on the Mike Gallagher show this morning. It's nice to hear the extreme religious conservatives plugging AS.... It's nice?! It's friggin terrible. One step forward; two steps back, man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01503 Posted January 18, 2009 Report Share Posted January 18, 2009 It's nice?! It's friggin terrible. One step forward; two steps back, man. True. If the religious right start endorsing Objectivism... Gah. The last thing we need are more "Christian Objectivists". As if that's not a contradiction of terms. I mean, seriously. As Penn & Teller say, "Read the bible, we need more atheists". My teacher actually said (he is a Christian, very devout): Many people think that Christianity is about being a good person, and it's not. Christianity is about saying "I am not a good person". Great sense of life, huh? Seems to fall in line with Objectivism completely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake_Ellison Posted January 18, 2009 Report Share Posted January 18, 2009 (edited) Mike Gallagher (judging by his WIki page, never heard of the man), is not a religious leader. He has a political talk-show, not a religious one. I'm sure plenty of Conservatives who aren't deeply religious listen to it, and this was an excellent opportunity for them to hear about Ayn Rand, and now have a chance to find a moral foundation for their economic views. P.S. If you guys want the Republican Party to turn back toward secular conservatism, you can't then be pissed when they use Rand to attack Obama during these next four years. It's just something that's gonna happen from now on, and the best way to make sure people hear the truth about her entire philosophy is through a contribution to ARI, which is in an excellent position to start going on these talk-shows, and bringing the right information to schools and campuses. Edited January 18, 2009 by Jake_Ellison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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