Man is an animal biologically yet philosophically he rules the planet, he is as good as that chimpanzee stupidly jumping around on the tree when his physical faculties are questioned, but then what differentiates the chimp and us? Let me throw in some words like industry, enterprise, wisdom, determination, perseverance, and knowledge, to differentiate the chimp from us.
Let me pose another set of questions to you, think hard on this one, as this isn?t a physical one but a metaphysical one.
Have you ever pondered what differentiates the thinker and the follower, the guide and the pupil, the owner of a mill and the workers who toil on his industry? Or what is it that guides some men to heights to excellence while some men are content with the drudgery of daily life? For instance why some men tread the path less taken while others would wait till are shown the path to take? Or why do some men find opportunities in hardships while some others would find hardships in every opportunity they are provided with?
Let me make things simpler for you, the former is the breed of us who have that streak to excel under all odds, who have that unquenchable thirst for knowledge and a zealous hunger to make a mark for themselves and do something beyond the normal, tread where there are no paths and leave a trail for others to follow them on. The former is the rare species while the latter is commonplace, the hoi-polloi, the you and me?s of the society so to say.
If those men are rare, rarer are those whom we call as legends, men of individual brilliance, men gifted with that spark which lights the torch of mankind, men who run the motor of this world. Men whom we all look up to and always think those are exceptional people and are fit to lead us and guide us to shape our destiny. We end up trying to entwine our course of life with theirs in myriad ways so that we can benefit from those men of merit, men of gift, of virtue and talent.
Atlas Shrugged is the story of each one of us and the men of talent and gift. It is not just a story of human enterprise and wisdom; it is also a treatise of his gluttony, his follies and his vilest desire to rule by mediocrity. The magnum opus dwells into issues which confront each of us, yet only rare men of quality grasp the true importance and grandeur of those issues and grapple with the challenges facing them to emerge the winners.
There are only two breed of men, the gifted and the non-gifted. The non-gifted is still a species which can be dealt with; the sinister is that imbecile breed of non-gifted mediocrities who still dream of ruling the world. They dream to rule not by merit but by mediocrity, not because they have the talent to rule, but they dawn upon themselves the mantle of the rulers. They want to fire the pistol, while men of merit hold it for them. This book is the story of such men and how the men of merit, one who is assured of his brilliance, succumbs to their pressures and then finally come out triumphant to shape a world of dreams, aspirations and stellar achievements.
Atlas Shrugged is perhaps the most powerful piece of fiction ever created. Ayn-Rand beautifully blends fiction with philosophy; she narrates her ideas and beliefs so very convincingly in a story form, that it is not only riveting but also very strong and convincing. It is not the kind of book one would read in one go; it?s an epic, which needs to be gulped slowly like old wine, to savor it. It is powerful oratory in prose, silken like velvet yet rugged like the rocks. It makes you think, fret and question your roots and your identity. It makes you question your beliefs and your rationales which have been telling you that we all live in a fair and equitable world where there is, to each according to his abilities and merits. It will make you question the premise of the social system, which you have zealously guarded and supported until now. Ayn makes you ask uncomfortable questions to yourself, and she forces you to look at life and the things around you in a different angle all together.
AS is the story of the man who said I swear by my life and by the love of it, I would never work for anyone nor ask anyone else to work for me , it?s the story of men who are fierce champions in their own spheres of work, men of intellect, men of action who shape the destiny of mankind. It is also a story of weak, impotent men who force their will, their mediocrity and their follies on the former to have their way with them. Its about the struggle of the individual?s rationale, his individualism and the vilest of us who do nothing but crave and bemoan the wealth and success of men who toiled and earned their riches.
Theories which Ayn talks about in her work are:-
Metaphysics or objective reality, which says nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed. The rules of nature cant be altered to suit man?s interests. A will always be A and a rationale man would accept it rather then trying to make A is equal to B. It says that nature is the only truth around us and a rationale man would accept it and try to benefit from it rather then try and change it to suit his own whims and fancies.
Epistemology or reason says You cant eat your cake and have it too or to get the best out of the gifts of nature and to make sense out of them, you have to reason, you have to ask and question, you have to apply your mind to nature. It?s only the synergy of mind and nature that will give out productive output.
Ethics or self interest i.e. Man is an end in himself is what says that man is a rationale being and its inherent in his nature to work for himself and to toil for his own betterment. No man can depend on the hard works of others to excel and no man should depend on him for his beneficence, either. The moment a man starts leaning on someone else for himself, he is dead spiritually, though he might live on in physical realities.
Politics of capitalism which implies give me liberty or give me death . Men can?t perform to the best of his abilities unless he is assured that whatever profits he makes out of his efforts are his own. The society cant hang itself around an enterprising man?s neck and demand that it should be fed by him because he is rich and powerful and successful.
The language she uses in the book is powerful in content and presentation, bold in their theme and idea, and path breaking in their impact on the intellect of the discerning. The imagery she implies is mind-boggling. She says something like this what would you tell Atlas if you saw him, blood running down his battered body as he holds the weight of the globe on his shoulders, I would tell him to shrug. In her world, machine is inanimate and dead until powered by the intellect of man, people like Hank Rearden, Fransisco D?anconia, and Dagny Taggart et al run the motor of the world.
I haven?t talked about the story of the book on purpose, as it would rob the fun for those who want to encounter it as they read.
AS makes you think, visualize and question things around you, it makes you scratch your brains, shrug your shoulders and ask puzzled and confused to yourself and others around you Who is John Galt??.