Though Murray Rothbard wrote it in 1972, this valuable essay is still valid. I feel more followers of Rand should read it and learn from it. Has anyone else apart from me benefited from reading this essay and leaving Objectivism? Any thoughts?
I like her books, but I’m not an Objectivist. I can see how people could become Objectivist, but from observation it seems they get into Objectivism before getting into Austrian economics and libertarianism, and when they do they relinquish themselves of the title and the philosophy. I didn’t read Rand for a long time. I was into Rothbard and Mises before I picked up her books. Only reason I did was to see what the buzz was about. When people would know I’m a libertarian they’d assume I’d read Rand, so I figured I might as well give her a try.
The Rand Cult doesn’t seem that known outside of libertarianism, nor do I think her idea’s are fully understand to someone who doesn’t read or read about her (same with libertarianism and Austrian economics). The problem I have is actually not one directly related to her, but the fact that I have people assume she’s libertarian, or that I’m an Objectivist because of my ideas. I recently had a socialist claim “Rothbardian anarchism is just Objectivism”, and went on to say “I assume you’re inline with Rothbard. That may be totally uneducated. I know little about Anarcho capitalism except that I don’t feel it’s at all legitimate”.
Other than that, you could probably get a more clear and direct idea of her philosophy by reading the first 60 pages of the Satanic Bible by Anton LaVey. It’s practically the same thing, except there’s no politics or economics.