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From: naiman@pegasus.UUCP (Ephrayim J. Naiman)
Newsgroups: net.books,net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: ATLAS SHRUGGED by Ayn Rand
Message-ID: <2387@pegasus.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 20-Jun-85 11:53:41 EDT
Article-I.D.: pegasus.2387
Posted: Thu Jun 20 11:53:41 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 21-Jun-85 00:56:58 EDT
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 <I BRAKE FOR TAILGATERS>

>      Rand's obvious happiness in killing off all the "worthless" characters
> in this book (which includes over 90% of the general public) makes it
> somewhat difficult for most people to buy into the good points that she is
> making.  While her methods of making her points are not the most subtle in
> the world, Rand's questions of ability and the responsibility of an
> individual to "donate" his or her ability to the general good because others
> have decided so is well worth considering.  Unfortunately, eleven hundred
> pages is more considering that you may want to do.  The best way to read
> this book is to skip all the long speeches (particularly in the second half)
> and read it as a science fiction "end of the world" story.  Then do your
> philosophizing on your own.
> 
> 					Evelyn C. Leeper
> 					...ihnp4!mtgzz!ecl

I disagree.  Although I am an avid science fiction fan, I enjoyed the story
not for its link to science fiction.  Her style of writing has got me
totally hooked (although her philosophies I tend disagree with).  I even
got through two-thirds of her 56-page speech the second time around.

> Of course, things quickly go to hell in a handbasket because of this,
> starting with the collapse of the railroads, which Rand sees as the
> foundation of American society, trade, and culture.

I allso felt that Ayn Rand was pushing things a bit to assume that the
railroads would pull the rest of the country and world down.
-- 

==> Ephrayim J. Naiman @ AT&T Information Systems Laboratories (201) 576-6259
Paths: [ihnp4, allegra, mtuxo, maxvax, cbosgd, lzmi, ...]!pegasus!naiman