h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

 I am reading Atlas shrugged and I like it even better than Fountainhead. seems difficult to believe that Ayn had to scream herself hoarse in defense of capitalism, considering that it is America that she is talking about....
The characters are reruns of the Fountainhead though not quite so heroic. Wonder how it will end. Hopefully i'll find out who John Galt is!!

Personally, I liked Atlas Shrugged much better, and found the characters even more heroic. The folks in the Fountainhead, with the exception of Howard Roark, are dysfunctional to the point of insanity. But that was, in large part, the point.

I finished reading Atlas Shrugged just after my senior year of college, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. For me, it's a much more well-rounded read, and it does a much better job of fleshing out her philosophy. I love the race to build the John Galt line and the hunt for the destroyer -- its like a murder mystery, only with reason as the victim.

I was disappointed by Dagny's approaches to sex, which to me seemed to be in sharp contrast to the rest of Rand's philosophy. Throughout the rest of the book, Dagny is a strong woman, but when you get her in bed she sees nothing wrong with submitting to Hank and Francisco's every whim -- the sex seems more about domination than two individuals showing mutual respect for each other. And the line about Rearden's bracelet, that says that being chained is the most feminine of looks -- that's just bizarre.

Aside from that though, excellent book, and excellent philosophy. If you'd like to learn more about it, I'd recommend checking out http://www.aynrand.org or http://www.capitalism.org.

Indeed, Rand seems to have a problem thinking about male/female relationships.

A notable example is her essay (written in, I think, the 1970s) titled something like "Why a woman would not want to be president of the USA".

If memory serves, she also said that she would never vote for a female presidential candidate.

Seeya, jd