Can Ayn Rand tell us something about achieving a deeply satisfying relationship? It’s hard to imagine. She was notoriously churlish, dumped friends and allies who didn’t give her works positive reviews, and cheated on her husband with a man 24 years her junior, then eventually expelled the young Nathaniel Branden from her intellectual circle. And heck, she even made her husband wear a bell on his shoe, to warn her about his comings and goings.
But, no matter, you have to separate the philosophy from the person … or so many acolytes of flawed thinkers have argued. Right fans of John Edwards? All three of you? So here you have it, The Selfish Path to Romance, a love manual based on Ayn Rand’s Objectivist philosophy. The video almost screams parody, but it’s apparently not. You can snag a copy of the book on Amazon here…
This makes me sick.
Philosophy is about the truth. You cannot separate the philosopher from the philosophy, since the philosopher should embody the philosophy espoused. Rand made enormous mistakes, that’s true. And Objectivism has several major flaws (outlined in a number of places). But she was bang-on in her criticism of “selflessness” and “sacrifice” as virtues. Fundamentally, the task is neither to excuse Rand and accept Objectivist writings uncritically, nor to condemn Rand and reject Objectivist writings out of hand. Rather, it’s to look at these works and judge them on their own merit – including the context of the philosopher’s *practice* of what she preached, and the times in which she preached it, in our evaluation.
What about the video screams parody? Seems very reasonable to me.
Man, there’s just something about Ellen Keller’s mannerisms and way of speaking that gives me the screaming heebyjeebies.
This book has some very valid points, but some ideas work better for different types of people.
Rand’s principles of self-improvement and self-interest have worked very well for some people. If this book can help someone have a healthy relationship, then why not?
It is true that many people make poor decisions out of their emotions and feelings. People often sacrifice far too much in relationships. It is all about balance.