Read Ayn Rand: The Russian Radical Online

Authors: Chris Sciabarra

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Ayn Rand: The Russian Radical (93 page)

75
. Rand (October 1962), “To young scientists,” in
Voice of Reason
, 13; (4 June 1973), “Selfishness without a self,” in
Philosophy
, 62; Peikoff 1991b, 442–43.

76
. Rand (October 1975), “From the horse’s mouth,” in
Philosophy
, 96; Rand 1972T.

77
. Rand (January–February 1971), “The anti-industrial revolution,” in
New Left
, 131, 142, 146; Schwartz 1990T. This emphasis on the unexpected consequences of technological innovation suggests a further convergence of Randian and Hayekian views.

78
. Rand (January–February 1971), “The anti-industrial revolution,” in
New Left
, 145–46. Rand’s opposition to wage and price controls was based on the same epistemological criterion, since no one could possibly predict the effects of an edict controlling the price of a single item within an interrelated network of production. See Rand (16 July 1973), “… and the principles,” in
Ayn Rand Letter
2:221.

79
. Rand (January 1963), “Collectivized ethics,” in
Virtue of Selfishness
, 84; (September 1969), “Apollo 11,” in
Voice of Reason
, 169.

80
. N. Branden (June 1963), “Common fallacies about capitalism: Public education,” in
Unknown Ideal
, 89; Rand (13 March 1972), “Tax credits for education,” in
Voice of Reason
, 250–51; (8 May 1972), “The establishing of an establishment,” in
Philosophy
, 201–4. Compare Paterson ([1943] 1993, 251–61), who is critical of “progressive” education.

81
. Rand (22 July 1962), “‘The cold civil war,’” in
Column
, 23.

82
. Marx,
Surplus Value
, 3:507.

83
. Rand (22 July 1962), “‘The cold civil war,’” in
Column
, 23–25.

84
. Rand (August 1962), “The ‘conflicts’ of men’s interests,” in
Virtue of Selfishness
, 56.

85
. Rand (August 1969), “Books: Shirley Scheibla’s
Poverty Is Where the Money Is
,” in
Objectivist
, 8:699.

86
. Rand (25 September 1972), “How to read (and not to write),” in
Voice of Reason
, 133–34.

87
. Rand (July–August 1971), “The age of envy,” in
New Left
, 166. For another, sometimes complementary, view of the fragmenting effects of U.S. political processes, see Roelofs 1976.

88
. Rand (May–June 1965), “The new fascism: Rule by consensus,” in
Unknown Ideal
, 206–7.

89.
Rand (16 July 1973), “… and the principles,” in
Ayn Rand Letter
2:221.

90
. Rand (July 1963), “Check your premises: Vast quicksands,” in
Objectivist Newsletter
2:25.

91
. Rand (September 1962), “The pull peddlers,” in
Unknown Ideal
, 168–70.

92
. Rand (1 July 1962), “Progress or sacrifice,” in
Column
, 11–12. This contention is echoed by others in the modern libertarian tradition, especially Paterson ([1943] 1993). There are other libertarians who accept the contention of intragroup conflict, even as they develop a more structured class analysis, based on an integration of Austrian theory and revisionist history: Rothbard 1983; Grinder 1975; Grinder and Hagel 1975, 1977; Sciabarra 2000,
chapter 7
.

93
. This particular thesis was advanced by Childs ([1974] 1977). Childs integrates Branden’s theory of neurosis with a neo-Objectivist, libertarian critique of statism.

94
. Rand (23 September 1962), “Blind chaos,” in
Column
, 61.

95
. Rand (16 July 1973), “… and the principles,” in
Ayn Rand Letter
2:221; (July–August 1971), “The age of envy,” in
New Left
, 175.

96
. Rand (September 1963), “Racism,” in
Virtue of Selfishness
, 126–28.

97
. Rand (8 April 1974), “Moral inflation, part three,” in
Ayn Rand Letter
3:309.

98
. Rand (7–21 May 1973), “The missing link,” in
Philosophy
, 50–51. In the current study, I do not examine every manifestation of the anti-conceptual mentality. For instance, in Rand (4 June 1973), “Selfishness without a self,” in
Philosophy,
56–57, 60, Rand argues: “All tribalists are anti-conceptual in various degrees, but not all anti-conceptual mentalities are tribalists.” She identifies the “tribal lone wolf” as another distinct type of anti-conceptual mentality. The lone wolf is an amoralist who is rejected by the tribe. He avoids commitment to anything, or anyone, and disassociates his “self” “from his actions, his work, his pursuits, his ideas.”

99
. Rand (10 April 1977), “Global balkanization,” in
Voice of Reason
, 117.

100
. Peikoff (July 1992), “Some notes about tomorrow, part one,” in Schwartz 6.4.4; Schwartz (24 March 1986), “Foreign policy and the morality of self-interest, part one,” in Schwartz 4.5.5. It is on these grounds that Binswanger has argued against all forms of protectionism. In Binswanger (April 1987), “‘Buy American’ is un-American,” in Binswanger 8.2.2, he condemns the protectionist “buy-American” campaign as a form of economic nationalism, collectivism, and tribalism.

101
. Rand (10 April 1977), “Global balkanization,” in
Voice of Reason
, 118, 122.

102
. Peikoff (July 1992), “Some notes about tomorrow, part one,” in Schwartz 6.4.

103.
Rand (17 July 1972), “Representation without authorization,” in
Voice of Reason
, 235–36.

104
. Rand (8 April 1974), “Moral inflation, part three,” in
Ayn Rand Letter
3:309.

105
. Rand (September 1963), “Racism,” in
Virtue of Selfishness
, 128; (June 1966), “The roots of war,” in
Unknown Ideal
, 36.

106
. Rand (10 April 1977), “Global balkanization,” in
Voice of Reason
, 127.

107
. Rand (7–21 May 1973), “The missing link,” in
Philosophy
, 52.

108
. Rand (10 April 1977), “Global balkanization,” in
Voice of Reason
, 128.

109
. Rand (September 1963), “Racism,” in
Virtue of Selfishness
, 128–30; (30 September 1962), “The man-haters,” in
Unknown Ideal
, 136; (10 April 1977), “Global balkanization,” in
Voice of Reason
, 127–29.

110
. Rand (September 1963), “Racism,” in
Virtue of Selfishness
, 128. For Objectivist discussions of South African apartheid, see Rand 1978T, and Schwartz (20 January 1986), “Untangling South Africa,” in Schwartz 4.4.5.

111
. Rand (September 1963), “Racism,” in
Virtue of Selfishness
, 130; [1964] 1993dT. The evidence suggests that Rand would have seen contemporary “bias” crimes as one more concession to tribalism. She did not believe that racially motivated crime was worse, morally, than any other crime. For Rand, the smallest minority was the individual.
The difference between the murder of a single individual and genocide was quantitative, not moral. Evil ideas, in Rand’s view, were dangerous only because other individuals failed to offer a better alternative. Rand (June 1978), “The first amendment and ‘symbolic speech,’” in
Column
, 110; Schwartz 1990T.

112
. Reisman (27 May 1982), “Capitalism: The cure for racism, part three,” in Schwartz 2.17.6; (21 October 1982), “Capitalism: The cure for racism, part five,” in Schwartz 3.1.3.

113.
Rand (14 August 1972), “A preview, part two,” in
Ayn Rand Letter
1:100–101.

114
. Rand (July–August 1971), “The age of envy,” in
New Left
, 166–67. Also see Steele (1990) whose book receives an excellent review in the catalogue of Second Renaissance Books. Steele (1994) provides an analysis of “group entitlements” that is compatible, in many respects, with Rand’s own views.

115
. Rand (7–21 May 1973), “The missing link,” in
Philosophy
, 52.

116
. Reisman (23 August 1982), “Capitalism: The cure for racism, part four,” in Schwartz 2.19.3.

117
. Reisman (15 November 1982), “Capitalism: The cure for racism, conclusion,” in Schwartz 3.2.4.

118
. Reisman 1990. Reisman criticizes the multiculturalists for attacking the values of Western civilization, values which are
not
confined to the West or to white Eurocentrists. He argues: “Western civilization
is a body of knowledge and values
.” See also Hull (November 1993), “A postscript on post-modernism,” in Schwartz 7.6; Schwartz 1994T. In the multiculturalist debate, many non-Objectivists have noted similar tendencies toward ethnic fragmentation in education and politics. Magner (1990, A37) observes that at Berkeley, “Words like ‘balkanization’ and ‘tribalism’ are being used to describe undergraduate life here. Both refer to a tendency among students to segregate themselves into racial and ethnic enclaves.” Krauthammer (1992, 33) argues too that “racial Balkanization [is] so routine” in U.S. politics, that it has become a principle for the gerrymandering of congressional districts.

119
. Rand (September 1963), “Racism,” in
Virtue of Selfishness
, 131.

120
. Rand (June 1968), “The presidential candidates, 1968,” in
Objectivist
7:468.

121
. Rand (7 December 1960), “Conservatism: An obituary,” in
Unknown Ideal
, 196; [1964] 1993cT.

122
. Rand 1981T. This anti-Reagan stance differs significantly from Rand’s initial assessment of the former president when he campaigned for Goldwater and was elected governor of California. Rand (April–May 1967), “The wreckage of the consensus,” in
Unknown Ideal
, 234–35.

123
. Rand (21 November 1981), “The sanction of the victims,” in
Voice of Reason
, 155–56. For a complementary critique of religious authoritarianism, see N. Branden 1994, 294–97, and Schwartz (14 October 1987), “Secularism and public schools,” in Schwartz 4.13.7.

124
. Rand (June 1981), “The age of mediocrity,” in Binswanger 2.3.5.

125
. Ibid. On the mutual responsibilities of parent and child, see N. Branden (December 1962), “Intellectual ammunition department,” in
Objectivist Newsletter
1:55; Rand 1983T, interview 2; and Rand in Peikoff 1976T, Lecture 9.

126
. Rand (18 November 1962), “Post-mortem, 1962,” in
Column
, 86.

127
. Rand (24 September 1973), “Thought control, part one,” in
Ayn Rand Letter
2:245. Though Rand opposed censorship, it must be emphasized that she saw censorship as an outgrowth of governmental action. It was not censorship, in Rand’s view, in (June 1963), “Man’s rights,” in
Virtue of Selfishness
, 98–99, for a private individual or group to refuse to fund projects or to provide a forum for the expression of ideas to which they were opposed. Likewise, Rand opposed
all
government involvement in the arts. The establishment of the National Endowment of the Arts introduced, by necessity, an element of government control over artistic expression. Objectivists endorse the
adage: “He who pays the piper, calls the tune.” In recent years, they have argued that the debate over who would receive government art subsidies fails to question the legitimacy of granting
any
subsidies to
any
artist. See J. Blumenthal (December 1968), “Art for power’s sake, part two,” in
Objectivist
7:563–71; Peikoff (1 August 1981), “The conservative establishment: A report,” in Schwartz 1.19.

128
. Rand (13 August–10 September 1973), “Censorship: Local and express,” in
Philosophy
, 210.

129
. Rand (26 March 1961), “The intellectual bankruptcy of our age,” in
Voice of Reason
, 86.

130
. Rand (13 August–10 September 1973), “Censorship: Local and express,” in
Philosophy
, 228–29.

131
. Rand (26 March 1961), “The intellectual bankruptcy of our age,” in
Voice of Reason
, 88.

CHAPTER 13. HISTORY AND RESOLUTION

1
. Rand (December 1969–January 1970), “Apollo and Dionysus,” in
New Left
, 58.

2
. Rand credits Branden for this designation in
New Intellectual
, 14n. Also see Hollinger (1984), “Ayn Rand’s epistemology in historical perspective,” in Den Uyl and Rasmussen 1984, in which Hollinger relates the Witch Doctor-Attila distinction to Rand’s critique of Plato, Descartes, Hume, and Kant.

3
. Marx and Engels ([1845–46] 1970, 39–68) saw the division of society into businessmen (the “bourgeoisie”) and intellectuals as a by-product of capitalism, a system which thrived on the dualism of material and ideal factors.

4
. Rand (November–December 1965), “What is capitalism?” in
Unknown Ideal
, 30–31.

5
. See Peikoff (July 1992), “Some notes about tomorrow, part one,” in Schwartz 6.4. Compare Hayek (in Geddes 1979), who argues too that the movement toward capitalism “requires a very slow and gradual change in national morals and national customs, which takes a few generations.” Without such an evolutionary change, the market economy is “bound to fail.”

6
. Rand (7–21 May 1973), “The missing link,” in
Philosophy
, 53.

7
. Rand (October 1975), “From the horse’s mouth,” in
Philosophy
, 94.

8
. Rand (October 1975), “From the horse’s mouth,” in
Philosophy
, 94; (August–December 1970), “The comprachicos,” in
New Left
, 238.

9
. Rand (August 1964), “Is Atlas shrugging?” in
Unknown Ideal
, 165. There are some parallels here with Kuhn [1962] 1970. I do not explore these similarities in the current study.

10
. Rand (30 April 1946), “From Ayn Rand’s notes for
Atlas Shrugged
,” in Schwartz 6.1.3.

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