> their made.
they’re

> So how does a man tell if he’s a “man of the mind”? How does he prove it?
why does he need to tell himself if he’s a man of the mind or not?

> And if he was not born a “man of the mind” but only becomes one contingent on other factors outside his control does he not owe something to the factors that make his success possible?
if you read “atlas shrugged”, you’ll see that the “man of the mind” that she idolizes and describes are made

> So if you don’t know whose in and whose out, you’ve got a problem.
who’s

> Be heroic, but humility is part of heroism. And if you aren’t recognized, but you are proud of the process, then go in peace.
well.. that was hank rearden’s philosophy

The whole idea of people being _more_ responsible given the social disconnect of the Internet in general (and in this case the web in specific) coupled with anonymous accounts (this is what’s being lamented by Graham) is just silly and shows a lack of basic human understanding, an understanding that children develop quite early.

“The Enemy wants to bring the man to a state of mind in which he could design the best cathedral in the world, and know it to be the best, and rejoice in the fact, without being any more (or less) or otherwise glad at having done it than he would be if it had been done by another. The Enemy wants him, in the end, to be so free from any bias in his own favor that he can rejoice in his own talents as frankly and gratefully as in his neighbor’s talents–or in a sunrise, an elephant, or a waterfall.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

“Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man… It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition is gone, pride is gone.”
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

One of the many problems with her philosophy is how you identify a “man of the mind”. Where do these unicorns come from? Rand’s only answer in her novels was to drop these totally inhuman ubermensch as fully formed adults into her world full of dues ex machinas. And her only method for proving that these men were “men of the mind” was to assume the market could figure that out because she couldn’t conceive of any other method for conferring the honor.

The reason she couldn’t conceive of it is because life is more messy. As you note, ubermensch aren’t just born, their made. A man’s success or failure depends on any number of factors, including luck. So how does a man tell if he’s a “man of the mind”? How does he prove it? And if he was not born a “man of the mind” but only becomes one contingent on other factors outside his control does he not owe something to the factors that make his success possible?

Narcissistic teenagers who haven’t lived life and realized how messy it is latch on to Rand for the same reasons as Rand, they were alienated and they need some philosophy that tells them its alright because they are really better then these people but nobody knows it yet (how positively Christian BTW). They are the ubermensch and everyone else is a parasite holding them down.

One reason that I find Rand so laughable is that I’ve met lots of Randoids in my life, most especially on Wall Street. Now a quick look at these men would expose them as the antagonist in Rand’s novels, and yet to a man they all believed themselves to be John Galt. And Rand herself would have endorsed their view, because without the market as the ultimate arbiter of who is and isn’t a “man of the mind” it becomes impossible to prove who is and who isn’t.

This is a problem because at the core of her philosophy is the idea that anyone who isn’t a “man of the mind” is only a tool to serve him. More like a hammer then a human. So if you don’t know whose in and whose out, you’ve got a problem. The narcissistic armor only works if you’re the ubermensch. And you’ve got to prove it to the world at all costs and by any means necessary.

A healthier attitude is to strive towards some ideal while recognizing you might not be the hot shit you think you are. Be heroic, but humility is part of heroism. And if you aren’t recognized, but you are proud of the process, then go in peace.

Rand could never accept that because what she was looking for was never really a philosophical ideal, but a strongman capable of defeating all the strongmen that had terrorized her as a child. Only the perfect ubermensch would do. Only the perfect ubermensch could protect her. A sort of human demigod on her side. Gods don’t show humility. Gods don’t have to play by any rules.

The problem is with me more than anyone else. I have a lot of anger, and it’s justified, but I can’t let it consume me or derail what might be better discussions.

That said, there seems to be a different standard on sites like Quora and stackoverflow, and it seems to be working better.

More on this dumb bitch and her toxic philosophy.