Re: Longevity and Ayn Anti-Venom

From: E. Shaun Russell (e_shaun@extropy.org)
Date: Sun Jun 02 2002 - 23:40:19 MDT


Olga wrote:

>I've admitted it to the list before - I have this problem with Ayn Rand. I
>break out (tears? laughter? hives?) when I see her name. I just poked my
>head into the new Extropians List Guidelines, and saw Ayn's name there
>again, keeping company with all the other erudite recommended books.

First of all, I have no idea where you saw Ayn Rand in the list
guidelines. I was baffled to read this, and upon checking, I don't see it
anywhere. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Secondly, while I understand how there are probably about as many people
who feel negatively towards Rand as there are who feel positively, I must
admit that I don't know why her presence in any extropian document (I'm
assuming you saw the "recommended reading" list on the Principles page)
would be surprising or out of the question. I'm pretty sure that most
extropians have had a Rand influence at one point or another, whether or
not they think that all of her words are great. I'm no Randroid myself,
but I have no problem claiming that _Atlas Shrugged_ changed my life. It
led me to see the world in a different way...a way that showed me the
limitations that most people impose upon themselves (as a side note, I view
Objectivism itself a self-imposed limitation...). It is this same shared
sense of logic that makes a lot of extropians extropians.

Rand was by no means perfect, but she did provide a great starting point.

________________________________________________________
E. Shaun Russell<---------------->Operations Officer, Extropy Institute
e_shaun@extropy.org<--------->http://www.extropy.org
Music Production Student<--->Trebas Institute
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          Hear my music at: http://www.mp3.com/eshaunrussell
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                  ~K i n e t i c i z e Y o u r P o t e n t i a l~



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