Shots Across The Bow

Atlas Shrugged

I just finished reading it yesterday and I'm still processing it, but on the whole, it reminded me of reading Battlefield Earth. When you have complete control over your cast of characters, it's easy to make a utopian vision hang together. In real life, it's a bit messier.

My first impression is that Ayn Rand is spot on with her diagnosis of what's wrong with our society. However, her prescription appears to need a little work. Altruism, the thing that she damns as the downfall of mankind, is the only thing that separates us from the rest of the animals on the planet. I'm going to have to do some more thinking, and read some of her non fiction, just to make sure I'm understanding what it is she's saying.