ATLAS SHRUGGED By Ayn Rand

>>[driving ithrough the countryside]
>>"It's a good road," said Rearden, "It was built to last. The
>>man who built it [was really good i swear]."
>>"Yes..."
>>"I don't like the looks of this."
>>"I don't either." Then she smiled. "But think of how often
>>we've heard people complain that billboards ruin the
>>appearance of the countryside. Well, there's the unruined
>>countryside for them to admire." She added, "They're the >>people I hate."

I've just finished Atlas Shrugged, and I am left somewhat conflicted. Part of me understands how this could have been voted the best book of the 20th century. Part of me understands how she, a person whom had experienced the Bolshevik's rise to power and was greatly affected by the negatives of communism, could have honestly and fully believed what she was writing. But for the most part, I can't help but to regard this book as a thick pile of shit. Opinions?

>>62
What I don't understand is how Ayn Rand finds the will to live. If you don't believe that human beings are meant to cooperate and share their problems and gains, if you don't believe that you were born to help others and make the world a better place for everyone, then why? What is the point of society, civilization, progress, evolution, invention, art? If we're not supposed to share our successes then we're no different from animals. I'm not saying it's reproachable to be animals, but if we are why have we been pretending to be more than that for more than 100.000 years. More importantly, if we are animals, don't you realize people like Ayn Rand should be the first to perish? People who spend their time idly observing the world, generating philosophies, opinions or art, what good is that to a chaotic dog eat dog world? If it's everyone for themselves, why are you wasting your fucking time writing a fucking book? Who are you helping? Why?