Former Libertarian Begs Sam To Take Ayn Rand Seriously

A former objectivist-libertarian called in to discuss how he thinks the left would do better to combat libertarianism. He believed that to break down libertarian ideology you really have to study Ayn Rand. He claimed that Rand hated libertarians and accused them of plagiarizing her work. Sam isn't really buying it.

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Caller: I’m a former objectivist libertarian-leaning person. I’ve held these views for maybe the past 10 years. and it's just re and it's recently this year that I pretty much kind of crossed over into the leftist field. and as someone with these ideas that the one thing that became very common with debates that I told because what drew me to your show was the show with the yarn brook. Which was really wasn't important and interesting to me because of jean-boat. again was the what do you call the leader of the android institute whatever I think they like to circle jerk around basically. And when I watched it it's where the contradictions that I held or not really contradictions but more of I noticed the arguments that y'all made against them in the circles the circle talking that they do. And I feel like I can be maybe an explanation maybe explain these reasons why they believe what they think. Because in my personal view I argue that libertarianism and of itself was highly influenced by like Ayn Rand and objectivism. And I think a lot more than people like to think that they do and I think one of the biggest things that leftists and progressives in general do is ignore her. and say that she's not worth speaking about and I argue 100 that that's a fatal flaw and we never should have done that. I believe that the left should take her seriously. Because I truly believe that if we can understand her beliefs 100 percent that we can argue against libertarian think points. Because they don't realize that the arguments that they're making can be pulled straight out of the fountainhead. Straight out of that less shrug. No one only needs to read like the words she said to knows like where they got like the right gets these ideas from. Like parasites or you know personal liberty personal responsibilities. Like where they pull this nonsense from. Because we have to understand that Ayn Rand when she defined her philosophy objectivism she pretty much tried to re-write philosophy. And basically, justify capitalism and giving it that of that philosophical foundation. And we can throw around all the time he's like oh well she's not it's like she's nonsense.
Sam: My experience of a lot of libertarians is that they embrace Ayn Rand.
Caller: I mean maybe some of them don't to an extent. To an extent. And I will and this is where I will put that line so it's like when I saw the title calling Yaron Brook libertarian and objectivist view it makes like again I’m still kind of have the after-effects of having these views for so long that like calling them libertarian still makes me cringe. Because in rand's words she would have caught like completely one-on-ones probably a 30-minute tangent saying how she's not a libertarian. She hates libertarians. And she called them anarchists basically. So it's like I think the big mistake we make is comparing libertarianism and objectivism as the same thing. Because they're foundational to objectivists they're not. They're completely two different ideologies. To Ayn Rand herself, she considered libertarians to be complete plagiarists of her work. Where do you think the non-aggression principle became popularized from? was through ayn rand. Like, read Atlas Shrugged when she's pretty much at the end of John Galt's speech she said I swear by my life and my love of it that I’ll never live for the sake of another man nor ask another to live for mine. That is the philosophical moral basis for their entire ethics. It is that personal responsibility. So when they say personal responsibility their meaning on the outright that rights come are inalienable that right then and of themselves are given through the government. Not through the fact that you are born.

[jaymorgan]

"We should all take Marjorie Taylor Greene seriously!" - The dystopian future.

[DieNibelungenliad]

Ayn Rand fans dont care when company managers and landlords have policies but the moment a democratic elected leader makes policies, they freak out

[MWhaleK]

“There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings
and Atlas Shrugged . One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with
its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable
to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.” -John Rogers

[jessetorres]

1 of my biggest disagreements with Ayn Rand philosophy is the take on regulations. "Employees must wash hands" is an example of a regulation. Should we get rid of it to save restaurant and businesses a few bucks on hand soap and paper towels? No. Regulations (much like labor unions) are meant to be for the benefit and protection of both workers and the customers, and in the long-term be cost saving measures in case something bad were to happen, like spreading of the Coronavirus to other employees or customers. Also, Rand herself spent decades being critical of Social Security programs and other forms of welfare, yet once she was old enough to get on Medicare and Medicaid she did, and when asked why she said she needed the help and was wrong to be so critical of it.

[tayzonday]

Ayn Rand was a syntactic cartoonist: potentially entertaining, vaguely thought-provoking but not a depiction of reality.

[publicutility]

Psychopaths should be taken seriously. But they can never taken credibly.

[HAMID___]

Yep he’s definitely still a libertarian

[roentgen]

There's a reason that Objectivism isn't taken seriously in any political science department in any mainstream university in the world.

[Malacite]

I've yet to meet or hear from a single Libertarian who isn't completely out of touch with reality. The broken clock rule doesn't really matter here either.

[crystalromero]

Omg, seriously? Take Ayn Rand seriously? She's like L Ron Hubbard. Both are failed Sci fi writers who needed to take more grammar classes. Except one was the start of a religion and the other convinced illiterate Republicans to think that her writing was laced with wisdom from on high!

[goodwrittance]

I will never forget when I mentioned Ayn Rand in philosophy class. My teacher earnestly replied "who?" No one outside America takes her seriously in any capacity.

[matthewkosta]

My advice to the caller would be: you don’t need to clinically disprove the things that you used to believe. You have identified them as bs, now you can relax for a second and count your blessings that you are out. Instead of staying in that world you’ve been in and trying to debunk it from within, just take a step away and go look into something else that is interesting to you. It will be refreshing and Ayn Rand will still be there for you to debunk later. You will learn some other stuff and it will open up your mind. Challenge your idea that ayn rand is important and consider that she isn’t. Test it by ignoring her for a set amount of time and see where that takes you. Good luck in your journey.

[seanpatrick]

IDW pseudo-intellectual speak to rationalize sociopathy.
Emma hit the nail on the head.

[hudson]

"Altas Shrugged" Should be called, "Fischer Price's My First political book." Anyone who doesn't outgrow it should not be taken seriously as an adult in a conversation.

Children are naturally self-centered and selfish and don't project the consequences of their actions on others around them. It's something they outgrow. Any sane parent understands that. Libertarians are nearly exclusively single white unmarried males who resent being asked to think of anyone but themselves and want a justification for it, never seeing the hypocrisy inherent in a philosophy that proposes a totally unworkable society.

Every Libertarian is that one kid who got his first job with their first paycheck with taxes taken out and never forgave the whole damn planet for it. Then they act is if living in a civilization never benefited them. They would be totally irredeemable if they were not anti-war.

[JohnHall]

Even ex-Libertarians can't seem to land the plane when trying to make a point.

[roguetool]

Emma’s facial expression was the same as mine. I’ve been through all the Libertarian vs. Sam vids. I hold by breath for one second each time someone calls in.

[WaddyMuters]

Here’s my synopsis of objectivism.

“Hey all the people with money are psychos, so being a psycho must be good.”

[stephs]

The worst thing the USSR did was give Ayn Rand an education.

[chuckhaugan]

How can anyone take Ayn Rand seriously???? She was a child of privilege in old Russia, who married into money. Atlas Shrugged in no way represents her life, other than being a gold digger. Anyone ever attempt to slog their way through it? Seriously, if it were not for her husband's family, the thing would never be published and she'd never be interviewed on Donahue.

[traditionaltools]

"Here's the thing, nobody cares." Exactly. Rand was instrumental in developing the non aggression principle. Which is ironic since her whole philosophy is aggressive towards society as a whole.