studentofobjectivism Posted May 2, 2005 Report Share Posted May 2, 2005 I always get attached to the characters that Ayn Rand created - so much that I think they actually exist. Same with Terry Goodkind. In fact, I got very emotional at the ends of We the Living with Kira Argounova, Soul of the Fire and Faith of the Fallen with Richard Rahl. Is this commonplace with anyone else besides me? Am I alone in this?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iouswuoibev Posted May 2, 2005 Report Share Posted May 2, 2005 I always get attached to the characters that Ayn Rand created - so much that I think they actually exist. Why would being emotionally attached lead you to thinking they exist? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wrath Posted May 2, 2005 Report Share Posted May 2, 2005 I got attached to Kira and to the dude from Anthem. Anthem is still my favorite Ayn Rand book...so short, yet incredibly powerful. For some reason, I had a hard time getting into Atlas Shrugged. I loved the underlying philosophy that it contained, but I just couldn't get into the story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the tortured one Posted May 2, 2005 Report Share Posted May 2, 2005 I have that same issue: I get emotionally attached to them as well. I found myself not wanting Atlas Shrugged to end, as well as Fountainhead. One scene that stands out in my mind was when Rearden was looking for Dagny's crashed plane towards the end of Atlas Shrugged. Someone tell me you couldn't feel the raw emotion of that scene. I find that they exist not in a physical sense but in a spiritual sense (ignore the mysticist connotations that comes with that word) Howard Roark and John Galt are not actual living men, but concepts in my mind, the ideal towards which I strive. Their existence in my mind is all that I need. What Would Galt/Roark Do? Of course, the question is somewhat rhetorical since the answer is always "think" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_X69 Posted May 4, 2005 Report Share Posted May 4, 2005 Well your emotional reaction is a reaction to what you liked about those characters. Rational people have rational emotions. There is no reason/passion dichotomy. But in all honesty, I would advise you not to idolize them, they are floating abstractions designed to represent concepts. And may I dissent from 'popular Objectivism' on one regard: hero worship is something to be avoided because worship, in the true sense of the word, is unrestrained and unlimited devotion, and from my perspective, such a thing is irrational (it undermines cognitive independence for one) for I have never met any being worthy of worship. Admiration, of course, is something else, and admiring heroes is a good thing, but it has its limits. Worship doesn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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