I'm now listening to John Galt's extended radio rant so I think I'm almost finished with Atlas Shrugged.
Ayn Rand condemns mysticism and religion and holds self-interest as the sole rational reason for engaging in any action. I'm not sure this makes sense for society as a whole. When war heroes such as Sgt. Paul Smith die to save their comrades they are acting against their own personal self interest and in the communal self-interest. I think Ayn Rand would say that this is not rational, but I think that there is significant reward in doing one's duty. This might be similar to what Dagney is doing when she returns from the hidden valley. Much as she might like to stay, she knows that by not returning she will cause harm to men who she respects. She is unwilling to exact her own pleasure at the cost of bringing harm to those whom she counts as her friends.
In the Christian Science Monitor today I found a book review of Age of Betrayal: The Triumph of Money in America, 1865 – 1900. The book review describes the book as a treatise on the corruptive influence of corporations on democracy. What caught my eye was this quote:
Upon reading this, I found myself wondering if Tom Scott at all influenced Ayn Rand's portryal of James Taggart.
Of course, corporate depravity is far from being just a historical footnote. In yesterday's wall street journal is an article about TerraCycle Inc. TerraCycle is a small company that makes organic fertilizers and it is being sued by the much larger Scotts Miracle-Gro. The law suit alleges among other things that TerraCycle's packaging is too similar to Scotts and that TerraCycle has been making unfounded comparisons to Scotts' products even though TerraCycle has not specifically mentioned any Scotts brands, referring in its advertising only to "synthetic chemical fertilizers".
The lawsuit strikes me as an example of corporate looterdom. If James Taggert were CEO of Scotts, undoubtably he too would sue tiny competitors rather than try to beat them in the marketplace with better products and more effective marketing. The Wall Street Journal quotes Scotts spokesperson Su Lok as saying that "Scotts is a leading brand and like any other consumer brand, we have to protect our trade dress and brand and products. That is part of smart business." I would counter that while it might be smart business it is unethical, dishonest and a misuse of the law that is ultimately disruptive to our country and our economy. TerraCycle has a blog, www.suedbyscotts.com in which they are chronicling their legal battle with Scotts. Best of luck to you, TerraCycle!
Ayn Rand condemns mysticism and religion and holds self-interest as the sole rational reason for engaging in any action. I'm not sure this makes sense for society as a whole. When war heroes such as Sgt. Paul Smith die to save their comrades they are acting against their own personal self interest and in the communal self-interest. I think Ayn Rand would say that this is not rational, but I think that there is significant reward in doing one's duty. This might be similar to what Dagney is doing when she returns from the hidden valley. Much as she might like to stay, she knows that by not returning she will cause harm to men who she respects. She is unwilling to exact her own pleasure at the cost of bringing harm to those whom she counts as her friends.
In the Christian Science Monitor today I found a book review of Age of Betrayal: The Triumph of Money in America, 1865 – 1900. The book review describes the book as a treatise on the corruptive influence of corporations on democracy. What caught my eye was this quote:
Beatty describes this largely by focusing on Tom Scott, who built the Pennsylvania Railroad into a colossus and demonstrated a special gift for "winkling favors out of politicians" with handsome bribes. Yet as the railroads grew and their profits increased, he cut the wages paid to his employees. When the workers organized a strike in protest, Scott used political connections to crush them with federal troops.
Upon reading this, I found myself wondering if Tom Scott at all influenced Ayn Rand's portryal of James Taggart.
Of course, corporate depravity is far from being just a historical footnote. In yesterday's wall street journal is an article about TerraCycle Inc. TerraCycle is a small company that makes organic fertilizers and it is being sued by the much larger Scotts Miracle-Gro. The law suit alleges among other things that TerraCycle's packaging is too similar to Scotts and that TerraCycle has been making unfounded comparisons to Scotts' products even though TerraCycle has not specifically mentioned any Scotts brands, referring in its advertising only to "synthetic chemical fertilizers".
The lawsuit strikes me as an example of corporate looterdom. If James Taggert were CEO of Scotts, undoubtably he too would sue tiny competitors rather than try to beat them in the marketplace with better products and more effective marketing. The Wall Street Journal quotes Scotts spokesperson Su Lok as saying that "Scotts is a leading brand and like any other consumer brand, we have to protect our trade dress and brand and products. That is part of smart business." I would counter that while it might be smart business it is unethical, dishonest and a misuse of the law that is ultimately disruptive to our country and our economy. TerraCycle has a blog, www.suedbyscotts.com in which they are chronicling their legal battle with Scotts. Best of luck to you, TerraCycle!
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