• The Monster of We (2021)

  • Jan 5 2023
  • Length: 59 mins
  • Podcast
  • 5.0 out of 5 stars (1 rating)

The Monster of We (2021)

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  • Summary

  • Are most modern problems caused by selfishness or a lack of it? Ayn Rand, a Russian American philosopher and writer, would say it's the latter — that selfishness is not a vice but a virtue — and that capitalism is the ideal system. Everyone from Donald Trump, to Alan Greenspan, to Brad Pitt have sung Ayn Rand's praises. The Library of Congress named her novel Atlas Shrugged the second most influential book in the U.S. after the Bible. Ayn Rand wasn't politically correct, she was belligerent and liked going against the grain. And although she lived by the doctrine of her own greatness, she was driven by the fear that she would never be good enough.

    In this episode, historian Jennifer Burns will guide us through Rand's evolution and how she eventually reshaped American politics, becoming what Burns calls "a gateway drug to life on the right."

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I stumbled onto Ayn Rand through a 20th century American Lit class in college in the 1970s. I never became a follower but I sure found her interesting. I happen to have just the finished the new J Edgar Hoover biography which covers the same time period In American history a few days ago and I found this podcast just a great contrast. The political and social ideas that were being experimented with post WWI were just fascinating. And a little scary at times…

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