06-09-2008, 04:13 PM
There were also detailed 'scientific studies' as late as the 1700's that claimed that literacy would produce sterility and possibly insanity in women. I don't agree with those 'studies' either.
Like any philosopher, Rand's 'universal truths' are best taken in the context of her life and times. While elements of it are still considered laudable (self-reliance, etc.) other elements of her philosophy have fallen by the societal wayside.
Blindly adhering to totality of Miss Rosenbaum's conceptualizations makes no more sense than blindly adhering to the tenents of any particular school of thought or religion. And, to her credit, she wrote the following:
"My philosophy advocates reason, not faith; it requires men to think -- to accept nothing without a full, rational, firsthand understanding and conviction -- to claim nothing without factual evidence and logical proof. A blind follower is precisely what my philosophy condemns and what I reject. Objectivism is not a mystic cult."
Like any philosopher, Rand's 'universal truths' are best taken in the context of her life and times. While elements of it are still considered laudable (self-reliance, etc.) other elements of her philosophy have fallen by the societal wayside.
Blindly adhering to totality of Miss Rosenbaum's conceptualizations makes no more sense than blindly adhering to the tenents of any particular school of thought or religion. And, to her credit, she wrote the following:
"My philosophy advocates reason, not faith; it requires men to think -- to accept nothing without a full, rational, firsthand understanding and conviction -- to claim nothing without factual evidence and logical proof. A blind follower is precisely what my philosophy condemns and what I reject. Objectivism is not a mystic cult."