Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Atlas Shrugged
Book Review: A conceptual masterpiece conveyed through imperfect language is no less tainted
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a 'good' book. I call it such because its concerns are chiefly achieved, and its points are poignant. That is not to say, however, that there are some serious detractors contained in the 1200-page monstrosity.
To those who criticize her economic/political structure: it's a tad irrelevant. Ayn Rand was not proposing capitalism v socialism v communism, etc... instead, she used some fundamental aspects of economical/political structure to highlight things which were 'good' and those which were 'bad'. Please do not be distracted by the political/economic structure, they serve only as vehicles to a different point. I will agree, however, that her stance on 'objective values' is difficult to wholly swallow, as the world she constructs is a hyper-focused hypothetical one. Little is done to discuss the nature of these values; unfortunate, considering she had 1200 pages to do so.
To those who believe her ideas are 'pernicious' or 'destructive'... unfortunately she makes this misinterpretation far too easy to realize. She is not proposing that if you are good at your job, you should quit and work in obscurity. Her message is two-fold: to those who find themselves king of the 'able' hill, be wary of the cost you incur on yourself and the evil which you may inadvertently assist; to those who are everything else, understand that there is a purpose to your life - live it fully, productively, and use reason as your absolute. It is the latter of these ideas I think is a tad out of reach for society, but on the shelf of philosophy it sure looks pretty.
To those who say her writing sucks: I can't wholly disagree. She says 'as if', 'some', and 'as if some' far too frequently. "Dagny shuddered, as if some evil countenance were before her". It got frustrating for me, as Rand had clearly intended for the reader to bypass these words of ambiguity. Regardless, it's on nearly every page. She uses the same literary structure and devices in an almost frighteningly unaltering manner. Start the chapter with a metaphor of the weather and surrounding sights, introduce a character by deifying or uglifying their manner and physicality, write as if she's barely containing a veiled secret just out of reach for the reader (which it is not), then ground and pound with Objectivism. For a methodical person such as myself, I both enjoyed and disliked this method. Were the novel only shorter, I would have simply enjoyed the strict methodology. You'll notice even her descriptions of people make them a walking algorithm. The story, containing 1200 pages, is longer than the Mahabharata, which is considered one of - if not the longest - epic ever written. Considering all the things that happen in the Mahabharata, the story of "Atlas Shrugged" is an extended ramble in comparison. The story is insufficient to enrapture the reader, and the Objectivist content is repeated ad nauseum; for this reason, I find the length unjustified.
The end of the book, I believe, leaves the reader with a feeling of impetus, and of hope. The parting blow of Rand's ending set the stage for us to begin. Francisco, Dagny, Midas, Galt... they all represented a part of us. As they set out to begin anew in the world, so too are we to move forth in our own way. We're not supposed to quit our jobs in angst of incompetence; we simply are meant to pick the battles worth fighting, realizing at last that happiness is the moral purpose of our lives, with productive achievement as our noblest pursuit, and reason as our only absolute.
If you manage to escape the frustrating elements of this book, you will find a gem of an idea that just might alter your passage through life - for the better.
Book Review: A fantasy for our time
Summary: 5 Stars
"There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs." from DKos
Book Review: A few reasonable arguments against it
Summary: 2 Stars
"All you need to destroy Objectivism once and for all is a reasonable argument against it."Very well. Here are a few at random (by no means an exhaustive list):
1. In epistemology, Rand regarded herself as having solved the "problem of universals" when, in fact, she never raised it. Universals, if they exist, are repeatable features of reality; _whether_ they exist is an irreducibly ontological question, not (as Rand thinks) an epistemological one. Rand fancied herself to have found a Third Way between nominalism and realism ("Objectivism") solely because she identified "universals" with concepts (and abstractions) in the opening paragraphs of ITOE.
2. In ethics, Rand built "Objectivism" on a foundation of pure _subjectivism_. Since her ethic _presumes_ that one has made a positive "choice to live," Objectivism can give no guidance about whether to live or not, and all its ethical injunctions rest on an arbitrary decision about which, strictly speaking, Objectivism can give no guidance.
Moreover, having dispensed with any ultimate, objective ethical standard, Rand tried to introduce one anyway by insisting that anyone who did _not_ put the Objectivist ethic into practice was quite literally subhuman, even subanimal. She arrives at this insane view by (very much against her own epistemological standards) identifying "human" with just _one_ attribute of human beings: namely, rationality (understood in her own highly inadequate way). To see how this view works out in practice, read pp. 1054-55 of ATLAS SHRUGGED, where Dagny Taggart quite unnecessarily shoots a guard who has "proven" himself to be less than an animal.
3. In politics, Rand sapped all distinctive meaning from the moral concept of "rights" by making respect for rights depend solely on self-interest. That means that, in strict consistency, all Objectivism can say about Hitler's atrocities is that it's a shame he loused up his _own_ life so badly.
Moreover, her claim that a government requires a legal monopoly on the use of retaliatory force is a very foolish recipe for totalitarianism. The entire federalist system (including the Second Amendment) is supposed to _prevent_ just such a monopoly.
I could go on, and sometimes I do ;-). But that will do for now.
Book Review: A good book that would have benefited from brevity
Summary: 3 Stars
Atlas Shrugged is an ambitious book and Ayn Rand was a thoughtful, articulate author. Though illuminated through fictional characters, readers cannot help but understand Ms. Rand's positions about capitalism, socialism, the essential value of the people who contribute to our world and the drag on society created by those who contribute little while demanding much. The book (published in 1957) offers thought-provoking insight into what might happen to our culture and in our society if the most capable people among us were to strike and withhold their skills and contributions. The message must have been powerful in 1957 and it certainly has application today. Atlas Shrugged is a timeless work about human nature which has, and probably always will, stand the test of time.
My criticism is simple: The messages and character development could have been richly delivered in a book half this size. Laboriously LENGTHY monologues are sprinkled liberally throughout the book. Almost invariably, these chapter-length, one-sided pontifications repeat the same themes over and over again. I came away feeling that Ms. Rand was persuasive and eloquent, but very redundant in her delivery. The final radio-delivered speech occupies about four percent (that's how it is measured by a Kindle) of this 1000 page book. I believe the message could have been comfortably condensed to a quarter of that space. I found myself wondering just how many ways a person can say the same thing. I lost count, but the answer is: Quite a few. More insightful readers will probably disagree and find this review offensive, but I found a number of the monologues to be a little tedious.
If you are patient, you'll probably enjoy and learn from this book. The message is important.
Book Review: A grand masterpiece from a visionary philosopher...
Summary: 5 Stars
This was Rand's 4th and last novel, and also described as her "Magnum Opus." Boy, she wasn't kiddin'! With over 1000 pages, Rand essentially paints a picture of a increasing oppressive government filled with, and controlled by the "moochers" and "looters" of our society, verses the innovative and most productive citizens of our society. This eventually leads to these great individuals going on strike in response to the slow drain of their freedom.
They all basically close up shop, and take off. This is the nutshell version. Wait till' you see what the effects are. Rand was reporting on a trend in America that was happening for decades at that time, and increasing up until today...encroaching government oppressiveness, and control of it by the moochers! Ayn Rand hammers the point of the importance of individual freedom in this one. If you don't get it, you never will. And you'll probably be a looter or moocher for life.
She does explain this in a more complex manner, with great detail, great characters,
and emotion, but this is my two cents...