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Laura’s Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
I put off writing this review for a long time, simply because there is just so much to unpack and digest with this book. Atlas Shrugged is considered to be Ayn Rand’s magnum opus and serves as the base for her philosophical idea of objectivism. The three values of objectivism are reason, purpose, and self-esteem.
The Analysis:
At a high level, the book is about a dystopian United States where businesses are crushed by rules and regulations. A group of “looters” control much of the government and are able to write exploitative policies that allow them to benefit from the production of private companies. As railroad executive Dagny Taggart and steel magnate Hank Rearden fight against red tape, other lofty business leaders begin to disappear, abandoning their empires and estates.
While some conservatives and libertarians have cited Rand as an inspiration or expression of their beliefs, Atlas Shrugged is more complex than that. The values of objectivism in the book are rational thinking, individualism, and production. Rand fiercely supports capitalism and competition and opposes socialism, ideas which do align more with the right side of the political spectrum. On the other hand, she denounces religion and traditional beliefs as a basis for controlling and influencing people, causing her philosophy to tilt farther left. Essentially, Rand rejects anything that threatens to overtake individual reason and rational thinking, whether that be government, religion, or the needs of others.
Rand adamantly preaches against a socialist society, where need is the only qualification to receive wealth and value from others. Additionally, the novel points out the corruption behind such a society, where government officials tax and regulate businesses in the name of helping the less fortunate, while they stand to profit from these deals.
“When you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing. When you see that money is flowing to those who deal not in goods, but in favors. When you see that men get richer by graft and by pull than by work, and your laws don’t protect you against them but protect them against you... you may know that your society is doomed.”
The only real evil in Rand’s eyes is the choice not to think. To be herded like sheep towards ideas without a second thought is shameful and enables the looters. In the book, the system preaches that “The rational is the insane. Nothing exists but contradictions. Do not look for common sense.” This type of thinking allows people to surrender their sense of responsibility, which clears out any resistance the looters might face against their takeover.
“There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong. But the middle is always evil. The man who is wrong still retains some respect for truth if only by accepting the responsibility of choice.”
Choosing a side is better than indifference because it shows that a person is still thinking and attempting to be rational by forming an opinion. Heroes like Dagny and Hank must be decisive and willing to take responsibility for their actions, finding confidence in their abilities rather than feeling guilty for outperforming someone else.
Many of Rand’s ideas have been criticized for being elitist, and I can’t say I disagree. While many of her rational concepts seem to make sense in the context of the book, they ironically seem impractical in the setting of real life. While those in positions of power and wealth could follow Rand’s ideas, those without means to begin with, and even many middle class individuals, would struggle to live up to Rand’s ideal. Another concept not explored by the characters in the novel is the idea of how families and children would fit into objectivism. How could one provide for children? How would the disabled be supported in a system like the one Rand preaches? Rational thought and production work as ideals for intelligent, able-bodied adult individuals, but do they work for other parts of society? Rand argues that guilt is what empowers the looters to disarm the wealthy and successful business leaders. While true in a sense, I might argue that feeling “guilt” for others is really a basic display of humanity.
I would have to write an entire academic paper in order to just brush the surface of all the themes and ideas contained in Atlas Shrugged. Although it is written in the narrative format of a typical novel, this book functions as more of a dense philosophical manifesto. Due to the immensity of the world created, with its many characters, settings, and side plots, the book feels like a daunting task to tackle rather than a pleasurable read. At first, I struggled to ascertain which characters and messages were important. Yet Rand never strays too far from her main ideas and despite the vastness of the book, it never loses sight of itself. Whether or not you agree with the philosophical ideologies contained in the book, the work is an impressive feat of writing. I would only recommend this book for someone wishing to explore philosophy and willing to dedicate the time to analyzing all of the concepts that Atlas Shrugged’s 1,168 pages contain.
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