...But He Also Likes Her
John Piper notes Ayn Rand's unusual status in the writing/publishing world, then goes on to comment on her atheistic-but-compelling blend of philosophy and novel-writing. In the process, he praises Rand while critiquing the flaws in her system of Objectivism...
Despite her success the literary establishment considers her an outsider. Almost to a man critics have either ignored or denounced the Book [Atlas Shrugged]. She is in exile among the philosophers too . . . liberals glower at the very mention of her name, but conservatives too swallow hard when she begins to speak. For Ayn Rand whether anyone likes it or not is sui generis: indubitably, irrevocably, intransigently individual.
Given my mixed feelings after I read Atlas Shrugged, I resonate with Piper's review. And, like Piper, I found some elements of Rand's thought which were true to human experience, such as her emphasis on unified desire, or Integrity: "this is the conviction that man is an indivisible entity and that no breach can be permitted between body and mind, between action and thought, between his life and his convictions" (Rand). Likewise, in regard to the non-contradictory nature of reality, and the unadulterated nature of real Happiness, Ayn Rand gets it right.
Of course, Rand is due for censure as well. Why? Because her assessment of reality failed to take into account the fact that to love and serve a holy, beautiful God is in the best interests of every person. Piper's conclusion: "Ayn Rand's philosophy does not need to be scrapped. Rather, it needs to take all of reality into account, including the infinite God."
John Piper's essay is heavy going at some points, but you philosophical types will like it: The Ethics of Ayn Rand.
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