Pynchon, Rand, school reading lists

[Paul Mackin]

On Mar 27, 2006, at 12:39 PM, jd wrote:

> http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer? 
> pagename=education_contests_atlas
>
> This is my only motivation to read Atlast Shrugged.  I get the feeling
> that anything I would write on it would be so cynical about its
> message that I wouldn't stand a chance but I haven't read it yet so
> therefore can't state that for certain.


A tack you might take would be a comparative study of Rand and some  
other prominent conservative thinker. E.g., Francis Fukuyama's  
Hegelian approach to the Ideal society is much in the news these days.

Many interesting contrasts between them.

Rand might be considered an anarchist, while FF deplores the  idea of  
anarchy.

Rand would find the excitement of the struggle to excel an end in  
itself. FF thinks that the end of  History constitutes a very boring  
(though of course ideal) existence.

We probably can't surmise as to how Rand might feel about the  Iraq  
war. FF is against.

Or similarities. Both thinkers had/have quite negative views of  
religion.  Rand called herself a convinced atheist, but not a  
militant one.