given the world Ayn Rand created, if John Galt were concerned only with the greatest welfare for the greatest number, if his effort was entirely to maximize collective utility, his actions would differ in no respect from what he did.
That’s true, but it’s a privilege of being a fiction author—you can create a world where your personal philosophy happens to maximize what your readers care about. This does not mean the same thing happens in the real world too. The lesson can be useful if the same situation happens in the real world, but we should take care to consider whether that is really the case.
That’s true, but it’s a privilege of being a fiction author
Oh, certainly. But if it doesn’t conform with reality, that’s a defect of the author; no blame should attach to the character. I grant it’s a somewhat odd point, to defend the honor of a fictional character, but . . .
. . . I think it flicked me in particular because I find a persistent pattern of people critiquing Atlas Shrugged in particular for things that aren’t actually in the book. Most often people say that it claims all businessmen are good (James Taggart is a businessman and a major villain), or that being smart and virtue are the same thing (Dr. Robert Stadler is a genius and a villain), or whatnot.
Picking apart Rand’s work is one thing; I’ve done it myself fairly often. But I like to see it done right.
First, thanks for the great comment!
That’s true, but it’s a privilege of being a fiction author—you can create a world where your personal philosophy happens to maximize what your readers care about. This does not mean the same thing happens in the real world too. The lesson can be useful if the same situation happens in the real world, but we should take care to consider whether that is really the case.
Oh, certainly. But if it doesn’t conform with reality, that’s a defect of the author; no blame should attach to the character. I grant it’s a somewhat odd point, to defend the honor of a fictional character, but . . .
. . . I think it flicked me in particular because I find a persistent pattern of people critiquing Atlas Shrugged in particular for things that aren’t actually in the book. Most often people say that it claims all businessmen are good (James Taggart is a businessman and a major villain), or that being smart and virtue are the same thing (Dr. Robert Stadler is a genius and a villain), or whatnot.
Picking apart Rand’s work is one thing; I’ve done it myself fairly often. But I like to see it done right.