It's Addressed To The Public
The following quotes are from Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.
“But, Good God! The feeblest imbecile should be able to see the glaring contradictions in every one of your statements!”
“Let us put it this way, Dr. Stadler. The man who doesn’t see that, deserves to believe all my statements”(321).
…and…
“Now you see, Dr. Stadler, you’re speaking as if this book were addressed to a thinking audience. If it were, one would have to be concerned with such matters as accuracy, validity, logic and the prestige of science. But it isn’t. It’s addressed to the public. And you have always been first to believe that the public does not think.” He paused, but Dr. Stadler said nothing. “This book may have no philosophical value whatever, but it has a great psychological value.”
“Just what is that?”
“You see, Dr. Stadler, people don’t want to think. And the deeper they get into trouble, the less they want to think. But by some sort of instinct, they feel that they ought to and it makes them feel guilty. So they’ll bless and follow anyone who gives them a justification for not thinking. Anyone who makes a virtue - a highly intellectual virtue - out of what they know to be their sin, their weakness and their guilt”(322).
I am in love with this book and fascinated by Ayn Rand’s philosophy. My mind cannot move fast enough to process it all, but her words make me think, make me feel, and make me excited! Have you ever read a book that made your brain feel like its own single, breathing entity?
