Jun 22nd, 2020 - Category: Change
Some people seem to be clearly destined to change the world even in the face of difficult circumstances. Isaac Newton and Leonardo da Vinci were both geniuses who changed the world during the Great Plague. Steve Jobs was fired from Apple before coming back to create the world changing iPhone. Albert Einstein changed the world before, during, and after two devastating world wars. Others are driven by personal or societal reasons: Linus Torvalds who created Linux “just as a hobby, nothing big or professional” (90%+ of the Internet runs on Linux), Elon Musk who obviously can’t help but invent (PayPal, Tesla, SpaceX, etc.), and J.K Rowling whose idea for Harry Potter “came fully formed” into her mind during a long train ride.
Now it seems that greatness is under attack. Elon Musk was heavily criticized during the pandemic for wanting to restart Telsa manufacturing too soon. He was simultaneously praised as the CEO of the first non-governmental organization (SpaceX) to carry humans into Earth’s orbit. During the same week Elon, who wrote an ebook on the coronavirus, criticized Amazon by tweeting “break up Amazon” after its reluctance to distribute his book. In another example, Apple is being investigated for anti-competitive behavior related to the App Store. Facebook, Google, and Amazon are under similar scrutiny both in the US and abroad. Even J.K. Rowling got sideways of the LGBTQIA+ movement with comments about her “concerns around single sex spaces.” What causes conflicts like these? Is it abuse of power as a result of a need to achieve or approrpriate use of power to achieve a greater good for society?
This question arose as a result of a resurgence in interest in author Ayn Rand’s philosophy of rationalism. There were even mainstream news articles comparing the recent pandemic bailout to the actions of dysfunctional government in Ayn Rand’s fictional world. I have read both The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged and do see why this is an attractive argument. Is the converse true as well? Are the great architects of our modern world really fighting both to put into practice their revolutionary ideas to help humanity, as well as fighting the small thinking of entrenched institutions like government? Rand is famously quoted as saying “Government help to business is just as disastrous as government persecution. … The only way a government can be of service to national prosperity is by keeping its hands off.”
A recent comment on a five year old thread (Thoughts on Ayn Rand) on the website “Wait but Why” caught my attention:
“Which brings me back to the kind of people that find her inspiring. I suspect Rand tends to sway gifted teen-agers, the wealthy, and the children of the wealthy among others. These people tend to be more ambitious than average. Reality tends to reinforce their belief that they, or their ideas, are better than those of others. Rarely have they had the humbling experience of finding themselves in a population of people as gifted or privileged as they are. To them, Rand’s philosophy reinforces their intuition that they are somehow inherently special. Crucially, their survivorship bias tend to under-weigh how much dumb luck has contributed to their situation. To be clear, self confidence, assertiveness, grit, and the ability to learn and adapt in the pursuit of one’s goals are admirable qualities. More so for those who can do it while preserving their core values. But Rand isn’t necessary for that. The world is full of imperfect role models full of human foibles and flaws who fit that bill. People like Thomas Edison, Steve Jobs, Satya Nardella, Sergei Brin, Elon Musk, Grace Hopper, and countless others. People whose names we may not know, but who all had, in addition to talent and hard work, numerous collaborators working tirelessly behind the scenes to help bring their innovations to life. Heck, even Jackson Pollock had Clem Greenberg and Peggy Guggenheim hyping him up. Unusual talent definitely exists, but Ayn Rand’s great man myth is just that: a myth.”
Yes, the power to “change the world” is a blessing but with great power comes great responsibility. It also comes with great resistance from the general public at times and with a myriad of challenges specific to the person and the endeavor. As Charlie Tips writes in his article “How to raise your kids to be billionaires,”
“Rational people do not become entrepreneurs. Like combat officers, one is [sic] constantly making critical decisions on partial information. One has to take steps without being able to see if there is support there. One must taste failure time and again and be inspired by it. One must be armed with a variety of rationalizations for continuing on despite doubt, buffeting, adverse opinion.”
He also points out that a love of work, generosity, being “worthy” are also critical traits of financially successful people who are also emotionally healthy.
So please, please don’t use Ayn Rand’s characters and worlds as examples of a more functional society. Her philosophy of “rationalism” is anything but rational. A selfish intent is antithetical to a fulfilling life. And if you want a laugh at Ayn’s expense, watch John Oliver’s short piece “Ayn Rand - How Is This Still A Thing?”
