I’m Reading Atlas Shrugged; You’re Invited!!!!

[G-Man]

Several ppl on the forum have evinced a desire to read Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged but it wasn’t until I googled Kak’s profile line “Who is John Galt?” that I decided I had to read this freaking book before the Summit.

I’m not a fan of Ayn Rand. I’ve never read ANY of her books before. I have no clue what this book is about.

Since Atlas Shrugged has 30 chapters I need to read 2 chapters a week to finish by February 7th. I ordered my copy last week and started reading today. I’m four pages in and I already know from experience that

This is real literature.

And I want to discuss it.

If you’d like to join me I’d love to have you in this SCHEDULED book discussion. Really. I think you’re smart. Whether you’re 15 or 78. Get in here and discuss. What does that mean?

A Scheduled Book Discussion means:

1. We read at an assigned pace together.

2. Each week I summarize what the book said then we talk about what we think it means and how we felt about it.

3. We can only talk about that weeks chapters in that thread. There will be a new thread every week.

4. You CAN ONLY TALK ABOUT the chapters we have already read.

5. No spoilers.

6. NO FREAKING SPOILERS OR I WILL CUT YOU!!!

I can’t possibly make this an inviting and flourishing book discussion if everybody just reads the whole book really fast.

I want to read it together. WITH you. Not AT you. My intent is to ponder and wonder about the book NOT TEACH. I’ve never read the book and I will not be reading any summaries or cliff notes or websites about it. I’m jumping in with only my wits and a pen to underline stuff. Yay!

In other forums this type of structured book discussion has gone amazingly well and has resulted in some powerful paradigm shifts and great relationships. I’m hoping it will happen here but I have no idea. Y’all might just ignore me. I doubt it though cuz I’m entertaining and oh so much fun. Lol. Also, sarcasm. Ha!

Every week I will post a new thread with a summary of the two current chapters. IN THAT THREAD we can discuss what we got out of those two chapters. Please read w/ me!! But no spoilers!!!!!!

If you’ve already read the book PLEASE PLEASE come hang out! But don’t give spoilers. The beauty here is that we will most definitely get some stuff wrong and/or have differing (sometimes passionately so) views but that w/ humility we will change our minds by reading more and DISCOVERING FOR OURSELVES what the book has to say to us.

You’re not a sheep. I don’t have to tell you what to think. You can figure it out on your own. But figuring something out together is just more fun.

If you’re not interested.. no worries. If you are interested (and excited!) please order your book now because this is the discussion schedule.

Part One
November 1st ~ Atlas Shrugged Ch 1-2
November 8th ~ Atlas Shrugged Ch 3-4
November 15th ~ Atlas Shrugged Ch 5-6
November 22nd ~ Atlas Shrugged Ch 7-8
November 29th ~ Atlas Shrugged Ch 9-10

Part Two
December 6th ~ Atlas Shrugged Ch 11-12
December 13th ~Atlas Shrugged Ch 13-14
December 20th~ Atlas Shrugged Ch 15-16
December 27th~ Atlas Shrugged Ch 17-18
January 3rd ~ Atlas Shrugged Ch 19-20

Part Three
January 10th ~ Atlas Shrugged Ch 21-22
January 17th ~ Atlas Shrugged Ch 23-24
January 24th ~ Atlas Shrugged Ch 25-26
January 31st ~ Atlas Shrugged Ch 27-28
February 7th ~ Atlas Shrugged Ch 28-30

Woot!

in

 

[Primeperiwinkle]

Ok, you're on. Like you, I am not a fan, have never read her, have no idea what the book is about.
I'm going to be cheap and get it from the library until I determine whether it is worth the purchase price.

We’re gonna be arguing vehemently about the characters. You’ll keep up so you can be an intelligent participant. Seriously, one of the characters is EXACTLY like half the wannabe entrepreneurs who post on here... it’s eerie.

Ladies and Gentlemen... You should prepare to never be the same. You will realize that you have had Stockholm Syndrome your entire life. If you can't learn to cope, you will live in perpetual frustration with government.

Wisdom is a blessing and a curse.

So my Christian friends say it’s dark, twisty, and that there’s a worldview in it that is unsettling. I’m hoping everyone participating will unravel the hell out of the characters motives. But the writing.. oh dude.. the writing is just.. glorious. Rand writes so clearly.

Better start the download now so it’s ready by November 1!

Discussion for chapters 1&2 STARTS November 1st so y’all better get absorbed in the story QUICK.

Good thing I already know you will.

There’s a character that’s JUST LIKE EACH OF US in the book or, at the very least, like who we wish we were. I’m already in love with this book!!

 

[Primeperiwinkle]

Been meaning to read it for a while. I'm pretty busy now. But I'll do my best to keep up.

You gotta commit man.. it’s a big challenging book. You’ll give up by pg 200 if you’re not committed. Lol. I neeeeeeed you to commit to this or I won’t finish it! (I never lead stuff so I need the accountability!)

And I already know you’re a leader. Yep yep. You can do this!

 

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[Primeperiwinkle]

And it’s not just the book you’re investing in.. it’s yourself and relationships with ppl on the forum who you will be meeting in February.

I mean.. that’s priceless. Have you seen the line up so far?!? We got leaders voluntarily offering to hang out w/ us and argue. I GUARANTEE you will end this book a closer friend to somebody just because of the convo cuz there’s literally no way to tackle a book this big without us getting our butts hurt, having to reassess our own limiting beliefs, and CHANGING. It takes guts to do that. It earns respect. Just wait. You’ll see!

I’m just hoping y’all can dive in and attack the crap out of it without holding back.

 

[WJS]

@Primeperiwinkle count me in! I've never heard of this book before and was hesitant to join the discussion due to the sheer volume of the book (as mentioned by others). However as I started reading it got really interesting and before you know it I'm done with the first chapter (and yes I see a lot of areas that are up for discussions/debates) so thank you for doing this and for the recommendation. It's a really interesting novel indeed =)

 

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[scottmsul]

I'm interested! I read Fountainhead many years ago but not this one. Just breezed through the first two chapters, I had trouble putting it down. It's gonna be hard to restrain myself to not read ahead for the discussions (I may have peeked at chapter 3). Definitely a lot of similarities with Fountainhead in terms of the types of characters that exist in this universe.

 

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[Rawseed]

I'm in.

 

[Hassassin]

Ladies and Gentlemen... You should prepare to never be the same. You will realize that you have had Stockholm Syndrome your entire life. If you can't learn to cope, you will live in perpetual frustration with government.

Wisdom is a blessing and a curse.

I’ve ordered the book. Your statement reminds of how I felt closing the last few pages of George Orwell’s 1984, brutally mind-f**ked man!

Btw @Primeperiwinkle, have you guys started reading yet?

 

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[Primeperiwinkle]

Btw @Primeperiwinkle, have you guys started reading yet?

Discussion on Chapters 1&2 starts on November 1st. So that means by Nov 1st you should have read both chapters one and two.

ETA: Happy to have you on board.

 

[AniM]

I read anthem back in high school and loved it. Definitely changed some of my beliefs.

I've been meaning to read Atlas Shrugged since then so count me in.

Btw I ran a book club with a similar format at my last job where we had multiple meetings per book and read together at the same pace. It was great for discussion so I'm excited for that aspect of this.

Not sure if any of you have played any of the Bioshock games which are loosely based off of Any Rand's works but those were pretty cool too although I'm not sure I ever finished them.

 

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[Ocean Man]

Is this a book that’ll require you to stop, take notes, and continue? Or is this the type of book to simply listen and soak in?

I’m getting close to committing, haha.

 

[doot]

Sounds like a great opportunity for some personal growth (and a nice intrusion into Halbert's Letter Challenge). Count me in!

 

[BellaPippin]

Hey @Bekit @broswoodwork @Strategery @BellaPippin @PapaGang @MTEE1985

I double dog dare you guys to read this with me.

GIRL I got a head start on you, I am half way since like, 2 years ago LOL. You read my mind. In fact my 3/3 NY 2019 resolution was to finish it, and it's October.

Let's get this bread

 

[StrikingViper69]

First time reading it, and I’m almost done with the first 8 hrs. The conversations had by Hanks pretentious party guests could have come right out of the BS I used to be subjected to when I worked for NGOs.

Fiction just got real.

One of my friends read it a while ago, and she started finding real life examples of the characters everywhere...

 

[csalvato]

Does this mean you’ll be joining us for the discussion??

Yes, I'm always down to discuss this book at length

But I won't be re-reading since I'm ripping through other classics at the moment

 

[G-Man]

first infraction noted.

*pulls out knife sharpener and looks at it

Dammit I’m 39 and I still don’t know how to use the knife sharpener.. ugh.

*throws olive at person-who-shall-not-be-named

Heh.

*goes to freshen up the hors d’oeuvres.

There were no actual spoilers. I followed the letter of the law if not the spirit.

 

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[being.simon]

I found The Fountainhead more useful and inspiring personally. Give that one a go too.

 

[Blaise]

I've never read it so I'm down. I got the ebook from my library. Happy reading!

 

[Primeperiwinkle]

Why do you think there are more guys than girls here? I haven't figured out why entrepreneurship is primarily a "guy thing." I mean what difference does it make?

Lots more women lurkers in this forum than you guys are aware of..

But my unpopular opinion is that raising a handful of children is harder than running a business.

Have you ever tried nursing an infant? We lose our minds. We can’t function. We run on 1/2 hour of sleep a day for weeks. You can’t run a business and have babies constantly for years on end. Somethings gotta give. It just makes more sense that the person who is responsible for keeping a tiny person alive runs the business of the home. THAT is a full time job in and of itself. And there are forums for that.

ETA: I don’t really know. I just meant that all the finest, strongest, most brilliant women I know are already busy running a home.. but I’ve never worked in corporate America.

Good stuff! Could we keep an off-topic thread we can send such forays to while having the current thread do the discussion to your parameters.

Silly banter is part of the discussion. I’m totally lying when I say we’re gonna stay on point 100% of the time. But I feel like I should at least try. Lol. If we’re too silly we scare away the ppl who only have so much time to post. Often the ppl who have EXCELLENT points to make really don’t want to take the time to plow through four pages of ridiculous banter.

We’ll strike a balance for sure. We have to, I can’t possibly stay that emotionally consistent. #sorrynotsorry

 

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[Primeperiwinkle]

I hope discussing philosophy in abstract terms does not make this post a spoiler.

The short answer is that faith is anti-reason. For the long answer -- read Atlas Shrugged!

Jesus is more similar to Ellsworth Toohey from The Fountainhead rather than to Howard Roark or any character from Atlas Shrugged.

This is an interesting opinion. I think you’re misinformed and maybe haven’t been surrounded by enough Christian intellectuals but I won’t know for sure until I finish the book.

I reserve my right to hate it with every fiber of my being by the time I’m done.

 

[StrikingViper69]

Here is a comprehensive article for those wanting to reconcile objectivism and religion:

Can You Love God and Ayn Rand?

Jennifer Anju Grossman, writes about whether it’s possible to love God and Ayn Rand. A friend claims the atheist philosopher at one point saw the appeal of spirituality.

www.wsj.com

If one likes both, the good author to read is Jim Rohn. His "The Art of Exceptional Living" consists 80% of the Ayn Rand's philosophy (even though he mentions her only once and gives her no credit) and 20% of excerpts from various Christian sermons. It used to be my favorite, I can still quote many ideas and even some paragraphs.

the author of that article isn’t on the ball. The three axioms in her philosophy are:
1. Existence exists
2. A is A
3. Consciousness perceives existence.

However, As a consequence, we get the law that contradictions cannot exist - one fact cannot contradict another. This is not to say that man cannot hold contradictions in his mind. The article fails to make this distinction.

ie existence and rational men do not contradict each other, but we can make mistakes or evasions with our reasoning.

Now, this article doesnt actually make a point. It takes a quote from Rand when she was grieving her husband. I imagine she was incredibly upset at the time. And the quote sounds more like her sense of humour than an addition to her philosophy. To take that quote from her, at that point in her life, and to use it to try and undermine her work, is actually pretty offensive
This article is really an attack on her work, and the method is common - straw man arguments and context dropping. The author either sets up a false situation presented as real, or leaves vital parts of the context out in an attempt to make their point.

are there no religious villains in her fiction? Not in the way the article mentions. However, the first page of “the virtue of selfishness” (one of her books of non-fiction essays) explicitly states objectivism and religion are not compatible.

To say that Rand politically supported freedom of religion is true, but that does not mean she supports religion.

Religion rests on faith. You can’t prove religion, or give evidence for it. Faith and reason are not compatible.Epistemoloigically, religion relies on anti-concepts.

If you think Objectivism and religion are compatible, then you need to read some of her non-fiction.

and to wrap up... if we’re discussing the ideas, let’s do that, and not post random articles.

 

[JasonR]

Rand may have been a bit of a crazy person in real life, but both Altas Shrugged and The Fountainhead are excellent.

I enjoyed the Fountainhead more. Rand's writing is verbose, and Galt's 40 page (or was it 100) was excessive in Atlas Shrugged.

That being said, both are must reads.

 

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[Supercar]

the author of that article isn’t on the ball. The three axioms in her philosophy are:
1. Existence exists
2. A is A
3. Consciousness perceives existence.

However, As a consequence, we get the law that contradictions cannot exist - one fact cannot contradict another. This is not to say that man cannot hold contradictions in his mind. The article fails to make this distinction.

ie existence and rational men do not contradict each other, but we can make mistakes or evasions with our reasoning.

Now, this article doesnt actually make a point. It takes a quote from Rand when she was grieving her husband. I imagine she was incredibly upset at the time. And the quote sounds more like her sense of humour than an addition to her philosophy. To take that quote from her, at that point in her life, and to use it to try and undermine her work, is actually pretty offensive
This article is really an attack on her work, and the method is common - straw man arguments and context dropping. The author either sets up a false situation presented as real, or leaves vital parts of the context out in an attempt to make their point.

are there no religious villains in her fiction? Not in the way the article mentions. However, the first page of “the virtue of selfishness” (one of her books of non-fiction essays) explicitly states objectivism and religion are not compatible.

To say that Rand politically supported freedom of religion is true, but that does not mean she supports religion.

Religion rests on faith. You can’t prove religion, or give evidence for it. Faith and reason are not compatible.Epistemoloigically, religion relies on anti-concepts.

If you think Objectivism and religion are compatible, then you need to read some of her non-fiction.

and to wrap up... if we’re discussing the ideas, let’s do that, and not post random articles.

Dude -- In a true objectivist fashion you are attacking not your enemies but your closest friends, those who you think said something anti-reason. The author of the article is Jennifer Grossman, the CEO of the Atlas Society, one of only two pillars of Objectivism, the Ayn Rand Institute being the other. Whatever the reason Jennifer Grossman had to write for WSJ, it was not to undermine Ayn Rand or Objectivism. Neither is it my reason for linking her article here.

And yes, I have read everything that has ever been written by Ayn Rand, and almost everything that was written about her and about Objectivism by her friends and enemies.

And I have read the Bible too, both the Old and the New Testaments, for entertainment purposes only. Not a fan, but the parts with sex and murder are just as entertaining as in any other novel. I can't say I recommend it, but it's worth knowing what one third of the world is bowing to.

 

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[Primeperiwinkle]

Guys? Stop now. Take it to private pm. We’re here to discuss the book on Fridays not the philosophy of other ppl who read the book.

Thank you!

 

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[csalvato]

Guys? Stop now. Take it to private pm. We’re here to discuss the book on Fridays not the philosophy of other ppl who read the book.

Thank you!

Oh you’re in for a bit of heartache here ... the book is a philosophy book written as fiction. Discussing the philosophy in your other threads will be absolutely unavoidable

 

[BizyDad]

A book I've always been meaning to read. Faith. Reason. Economics. Politics. Religion. Good characters. Differing perspectives. Excellent narrative. Structured discussion. There's a chance some people are going to get cut.

And there's cake? I can't not be in. Looking forward to Friday.

 

[Kruiser]

I'm in too! Thanks for putting this together! I am enjoying it so far - I read almost no fiction, so it is a really nice change of pace.

I've never liked Ayn Rand. Or rather, I used to be so annoyed by the folks who read Ayn Rand, Milton Friedman, and Friedrich Hayek and thought they had attained the summit of all possible human knowledge that I never actually read her stuff.

But I'm enjoying it. Thanks again!

 

[Joaquim]

Would love to join this book discussion and share our thoughts.

I heard about Atlas Shrugged for the first time on this forum and it's more than clear that it is a must read. Although I know it would be better for me personally to have some guidance while reading this particular book and learn about your interpretations.

The book arrives tomorrow and will catch up the first four chapters.

 

[Quart-Jar]

Damn, this is the book that took me from a whiny wage-slave to a wantrepreneur fresh out of high school.

Looking forward to catching up and jumping in!

 

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[Conscripted]

I've enjoyed atlas shrugged. I've get the audio book. I'll listen to it again so I can join the discussion.

I know many people don't like Rands books but I really enjoy her view of personal accountability.
Looking forward to see how this goes.