What I think is the main problem some people have with Objectivism

Those who enter into unpleasant deals to attain "freedom" and "individualism" will gain neither.

Objectivism, if you ever cared to read about it, is not about what others have led you to believe. It is simply about "A is A" and there is no "in between" or "shade of grey" or "depends on viewpoint".

Objectivist Epistemology (as well as being one of her better books) gives us an excellent grounding in LOGIC and PERCEPTION. One of the fundamental concepts is IDENTITY. A thing is what it is.

Stop being a governmental apologist and get out of everyone's way. We'll enjoy the movie without your whining about things aren't the way you wish they were.

I think the main problem some people have with Objectivism is that it is loaded with absolutes and that it doesn't feel good. It's a lonely existence that places one in a constant state of judgmentalism (either giving or receiving). Joy is rare. Ire and depression are nearly a constant and it rarely affords a person the opportunity to coexist with others in any pleasurable manner.

That being said, I have found a lot of value in reading Rand's material and have applied many of her ideas to my own life as I live it. But it is simply not the apex of human thought. It is a great cornerstone of reason. But man cannot live on reason alone. We are emotional beings. We are spiritual beings. We are social beings and ultimately we not only like the company of others, we are reliant upon others for our physical, psychological and emotional well-being. This includes surrounding ourselves with people of different opinions and perspectives. We need the challenges of differing values and lifestyles. To deny ourselves of these spiritual commodities is to deny our own value as human beings.

It is the diversity that gives us the colors we need to paint our lives' landscape. Rand has value and I encourage others to read her literature. But it's simply not enough to complete the picture.



**WARNING: MY POSTS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS**
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I think Objectivists tend to be obsessed with precise, pinpoint logic.

Ayn Rand's novels were hugely helpful to me in getting my thoughts together when I read them in college. Rand was a powerful voice saying things that made perfect sense, things that are not supposed to be said. She illuminated the manner in which we become controlled and dehumanized; she helped me achieve resolve to think and reason for myself.

That being said, I wouldn't call myself an objectivist, and the flaws in Rand's undiluted ideology become obvious when you examine the details of her personal life. To understand the genius that is Rand, and to also understand her shortcomings, I recommend Barbara Branden's "The Passion of Ayn Rand".

In her novels, I could believe in the reality of Rand's villains much more than I could believe in the reality of her heroes. I'm fumbling to say this clearly, but I think Rand regarded every life decision as a thing to be objectively contemplated. And that's the wrong way to look at it; a vital aspect of humanity is our inherent subjectivity. We aspire to objective judgment for the sake of dealing with each other, but in the privacy of our souls, we are irrational beings. Rand used her genius, in part, to rationalize and deny her own irrational emotions and yearnings. In a word, she lacked introspection.

It's consistent that Rand was an atheist. She was not one to acknowledge a higher authority than herself. I can't go there because I see human shortcomings, including my own, more clearly. We need the ideal of God because we are inadequate. Concepts of good and evil come out of God, not from logic.

I support Rand because her framework allows me the leeway that the collectivists will deny me. I do believe in charity and the social safety net, but governments lack the moral or legal authority, or the practical skills, to administer these good works. Our humanity and productivity is degraded and debased by government, whether we're on the giving or receiving ends of this coerced "charity".

Rand, for all her flaws, lets me think for myself, decide for myself. This is why many people regard her as dangerous.