Ayn and Capitalism (Zane Mandell)

Capitalism and Socialism are at this point at the forefront of the novel. When I read through I only see two characters: Capitalism and Socialism. These two characters take many forms, whether it is in who Rand labels as the virtuous, that being Dagny and Rearden, or those Rand labels as the horrible, that being John Taggart, Oren Boyle, or the U.S. government, everything falls under one of these two characters. But again I find myself conflicted at what Rand presents; she is not comparing opposites, but playing God and creating her own reality so that his opinions are justified by the book.

I am a huge fan of dystopian literature; I have enjoyed Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, or my favorite 1984. I guess one could say that this is dystopian with a political mindset, where as those focus primarily in their substance on humanity. That is probably where the root of my problem with this novel lies, I do not believe politics is the root of all of our problems, I believe it is man himself who is the problem and supersedes all political detriment. The way I see it, things like Directive 10-289 are not a result of political conflict but the result of our humanity. I believe in the long term it is much better to have a pure socialist society than that of a capitalist one. My reasons are my reasons and they can be seen in previous posts. If you are falling for the trap Ayn Rand has laid than she has won, you cannot base your thoughts on one person’s opinion, it is absolutely necessary, and also your right, to take a look at the conflicting views to then form your own opinion.