David S. Wilson’s “Sequel”: Atlas Hugged or Atlas Mugged?

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Keith Lockitch and Ben Bayer discuss biologist David Sloan Wilson’s so-called sequel to Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged.

Among the topics covered:

What Wilson’s book, Atlas Hugged, is about — and why it’s worth analyzing;
Whether the book can be considered a “sequel” to Rand’s novel;
How Wilson’s novel rewrites crucial events of the original, especially the story of John Galt;
Whether artistic license or parody are compatible with intellectual critique;
Wilson’s caricature of Rand’s views of happiness, productiveness, and individualism;
The “philosophical obtuseness” of Wilson’s argument for collectivism;
Why Wilson’s collectivism is defensible only by the denial of free will;
Miscellaneous questions and answers.

0:00:00 Introduction
0:03:26 Why the book is worth analyzing
0:07:05 Is it really a "sequel"?
0:08:54 Wilson rewrites the original novel
0:18:16 Artistic license, parody, and intellectual critique
0:23:34 Wilson caricatures Rand's views
0:43:46 Wilson's argument for collectivism
0:57:43 Why Wilson must deny free will
1:01:14 Miscellaneous questions and answers

[athenamurphy]

Gentlemen, thank you for saving me the purchase of the book and the hours it would have taken to listen to it. I already invested 32 hours and the mental energy in the unabridged "Atlas Shrugged" audio. I appreciate you saving me the addition resource allocation!!!

[dustbringer]

Excellent and lucid presentation. Once we get to the point where the intelligentsia is forced to reckon with Rand's actual ideas there is the potential for an unstoppable torrent of progress.

[wittietube]

"Thank God" some young people like you are willing to wade through this sort of material. Perhaps not as bad as having to read "The Critique of Pure Reason"

[friscodog]

Back in the day, I used to fairly obsessively follow all the main critiques of Ayn Rand's ideas, yet somehow I missed this one until just now. Interesting discussion of what sounds like a very uninteresting book!

[jameslitzinger]

Wilson's book must be Floyd Ferris' "Why Do You Think That You Think" come to life.
I don't think I could stomach a reading of such a book as Atlas Hugged, so thanks to Ben and Keith, I can hold down my food for now--for the most part.

[do]

You can at least say he got the title right if he was trying to contradict Atlas. A "hug" would be the contrary of a shrug, just not a good hug.

[barryb]

It’s no different than what’s happening to practically all history today. It’s being rewritten and devalued in order to push a new set of morals and values. The author uses the great to push his garbage views and philosophy, if he even has a philosophy. It’s an attempt to twist and subvert while making a buck. I see the caricature for what it is, and hopefully anyone who reads the garbage has already spent time with the true source. It’s very easy to see what the “sequel” is lacking if you value the objectivist philosophy.

[SpacePatrollerLaser]

The idea of "atomistic individualism" was dealt wtih in THE OBJECTIVIST NEWSLETTER titled "Counterfeit Individualism"

Wilson indulges in the worst sin against fiction: the "reboot" in which one takes a piece of fiction, re-write in away that turns it away from the original. Where you find a reboot, you find an author who can't deal with the rebooted world honestly. He is an intellectual looter

[SpacePatrollerLaser]

If social organization is the end-all and be-all how does wilson explain the praying mantis or the grasshopper, which, as species, are as successful as the ant colony or beehive? Ditto the spider or butterfly: All successful species

[willcorsair]

Why hasn't anyone from ARI taken Wilson up on his invitation to have a debate? What are you afraid of? Oh, wait...I guess it's tough to defend a thought experiment from a novel. If libertarianism is such an enlightened philosophy, how is it that there hasn't been a single government or society based on it? Oh, wait...

[everywherecat]

Maybe the reason he calls the idea of a static engine as a fraud, is because scientifically its not possible. It's almost as if the sequel was written from the point of a scientist.

Which is what libertarianism is absolutely not. Libertarian ideas don't work in the real world, any more than the static engine

[henrikknightingale]

My goodness. If Atlas Hugged wont scare people away from objectivism, the Ayn Rand Insititute’s boring, passion-lacking and uncharismatic people and agenda will

[Bigvaf]

Has Ben Bayer been getting after it on the Wrestling mats? Got some wicked Cauliflower ear going....Well done sir. Excellent video as well.

[clairerobsin]

@031:00 ...I know this is a little bit early to offer any criticism but, it would behoove thee to say Miss Rand not just 'Rand' thank-you.

[akirafelix]

I'm still gonna watch it, because is a very interesting topic. But i'm going to point out that Keith is very boring. I'm sure he's a lovely person and funny. But every time i watch anything with Keith i get bored to no end. I mean, he makes everybody i've seen with look bored.