Why Ayn Rand Matters

Ayn Rand was a novelist and thinker in the mid 1900s. Russian by birth, she came to the United States as thousands did before her. Her philosophy is revealed through her literary works, and the most famous of which is Atlas Shrugged. Having lived through the Communist movement in her own country, and seeing the tragedies that it propagated, she found comfort as well as opportunity in the United States.

Everyone should read Atlas Shrugged. It should be read, discussed, and analyzed in high schools. We have forgotten what greatness is, and we need to be reminded.

Atlas Shrugged is the ultimate reverence for rationality, individuality, and the beauty of capitalism. Not only are these themes addressed as such, but their moral justification is held as the novel’s highest ideal. Not only is capitalism the best economic system, it is the most moral system. Not only is individual freedom the most important of human rights, it is the foundation upon which all other rights are based. Not only is capitalism a beautiful and optimal system, but it can only succeed when rationality and individuality are fully in place. The celebration of the individual through responsibility and rational thought are carried through to a system which thrives on the results of that rationality.

Atlas is the metaphor for the entire novel. As punishment for rebellion against Zeus, Atlas, despite his courage, inner strength and external prowess, is sentenced to support the heavens on his shoulders. Atlas Shrugged is the story of the strong who are forced to work for the benefit of the weak, the thinkers for the benefit of the non-thinkers, the producers for the benefit of the users, and the individual of achievement and talent for the benefit of society. With his energy redirected toward the support of the weak, his strength can no longer be directed to the elevation of the world.

The understanding of the need for Atlas to shrug is exemplified in many of the poignant scenes in the book—one of the most notable is the conversation in the railroad car between Dagny Taggart and a former employee of a now-defunct automobile company. The worker described the eventual degradation of the culture, creativity and spirit of the workers when the motto “from each according to his ability – to each according to his need” was adopted. No longer was excellence rewarded with higher pay or envied positions, but was absconded by those less capable to satisfy what they determined to be their needs. No longer did the employees share in enthusiasm of a marriage or birth among them, but now dreaded the additional drain on their income to support the new burden in their midst. Where once spirit coupled with intelligence and work ethic drove the company to an exclusive position of excellence in the industry, now the company floundered to support itself under the loss of revenue resulting from the degradation in product quality.

The power of Atlas is exemplified in the words of John Galt in his speech to the world—a small parted beautifully stated in “In place of your dream of an omniscient automaton, accept the fact that any knowledge that man acquires is acquired by his own will and effort, and that that is his distinction in the universe, that is his nature, his morality, his glory.” The book demonstrates that within each of us lies the power that emerges from rationality and responsibility, and that it is free and independent will that creates success or failure, freedom or bondage, love and respect, or resentment and dependency.

Atlas Shrugged – What does this mean? Atlas abandons his responsibility to the world. He shrugs the weight of the world off his shoulders, freeing himself from the burden of carrying others. Without the weight of the world on his shoulders, Atlas is freed to use his full powers as he sees fit. The world, meanwhile, is left to support itself. John Galt warns – “Do not pretend that a malevolent reality defeated you—you were defeated by your own evasions. Do not pretend that you will perish for a noble ideal—you will perish as fodder for the haters of man.”
What happens in the novel when Atlas shrugs? The strong leave the weak to support themselves. The thinkers, creators, artists, and scientists of the culture renounce their responsibilities and form a world of their own in which no Atlas is required. The society thrives by the combined benefits of the talents of its members. These talents are not surrendered or subject to the community’s will; they are freely traded by mutual consent and in fair exchange for the talents and products of others.

The creed by which the inhabitants live in the Colorado valley is simple, pure and unencumbered by the burdens that Atlas once held. “We do not tell—we show. We do not claim—we prove. It is not your obedience that we seek to win, but your rational conviction.”
As this new society thrives, small, quiet, and secretive, the external world begins to flounder from lack of men and women of talent and the resulting works that they produce. Their economy slowly but steadily deteriorates until the greatness of their culture is a thing of the past.

Atlas Shrugged is about Greatness – the potential that exists within each individual and which can only be realized when the individual is unencumbered in the quest for objectivity, rationality, and excellence.

Atlas Shrugged is a cry against Dominance – the harnessing and sacrificing and burdening of the individual for the benefit of a society that does not understand, appreciate or respect the minds that have created the benefits that the society enjoys.

Atlas Shrugged is about Responsibility – of the individual to himself and to no other. If that individuality is honored with dignity and ethical foundations, society benefits directly from the creations of that individual.

Atlas Shrugged is about the Degradation of a society in which no individual stands out, a society in which the members are slaves, chained to the burden of the mass culture that they have allowed to emerge, rather than liberated by the advancement of the individual in accordance with the highest of freedoms.

Is the outlook depicted in Atlas Shrugged weak? Most definitely not. But it is a warning – a picture of a future society ruled by mob desire squelching individual freedom. It is the picture of degradation, of the shame of diminishing oneself to the whims of others.

What is its message? How are we to be uplifted? By the visions that each of us holds so dear; the vision of our future achievements, reached after hours, days, weeks and years of diligent, purposeful and rewarding work. It is the vision of our own moments of glory, of the real sensations that we experience when our efforts are rewarded through the appreciation of others who offer us their best in return.

Click here for the Ayn Rand Institute.
Click here for the Objectivist Center