Monday, November 16, 2009

Best Suggestion of the Month

How to deal with denialists, from the comments at Gin and Tacos, in a post on Ayn Rand

I think scientist should “go Galt” and call it “Einstein Shrugged”

Where will all the Creationists and science deniers be then?

That's Beyond Belief. Snark fans should read the whole thing. Eli gives you a taste:
My opinions about Ayn Rand have been stated unambiguously. There is no silver lining to anything Rand, not her infantile “philosophy”, sub-Twilight writing skills, or legions of socially retarded acolytes who devote their “lives” to annoying the living shit out of the rest of the world and wondering what it would be like to talk to a woman. The great thing is that I don’t have to pretend differently. It is perfectly acceptable in the academic world to treat Rand’s Objectivism like the intellectually bankrupt farce it is. If I say Catholicism is a big pile of bullshit, I will get fired or at least seriously disciplined. If a student makes some Ron Paul argument about abolishing the Fed I am not allowed to laugh at him. But Ayn Rand? She is taken as seriously as astrology. If a student complained I think the people in the Dean’s office would hit him with pies.
Comments?

The grand master of pie throwing, Soupy Sales, has recently left us and gone to the bakery in the sky.

7 comments:

carrot eater said...

The comparison between L Ron Hubbard and Ayn Rand is an interesting one.

Does anybody over the age of 25 have trouble telling the difference between reality and Ayn Rand's novels? I thought that was mainly an adolescent affliction.

Marion Delgado said...

I love the connection between soupy and ayn. However, I think it's evidence for something Jungian or synchronistic or at least Fritjof Capra. The fit is too good to be random processes!

WV: Waratin

Deech56 said...

"Objectivism" manages to pull off that rare feat of being both anti-religion and ant-science. The success of Homo sapiens is due to the success of human societies, in which which on altruism and self-sacrifice play an important role. What's the Objectivist version of "Ask not what your country can do..."?

j said...

Deech:

You obviously see nothing wrong with that statement, right?

You realize it has its origins deeply rooted in fascist thinking. Not Nazi uniform stuff.

It basically means being a slave to the state.

Eli:

I'm a little shocked you'd think of Rand that way. Some of the Objectivist stuff is a bit off the planet however I always thought I detected just a tad little libertine in you...
Oops I meant libertarian.

Eli:

You don't need a Fed if you had thought about it a little more.

j said...

I notice Marian has latched onto your site like a bull terrier. How awful for you

EliRabett said...

Marian's a regular. Welcome to the tea party k.

EliRabett said...

As Gin and Tacos said, Rand is for 14 year old guys with a lot of wet dreams and no girlfriends.

Fits Alan Greenspan to a T.

Ms. Rabett takes care of the libertine part