Musings from Brian J. Noggle: The Utter Fallibility of Ayn Rand

The Utter Fallibility of Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand, the father of the Objectivism philosophy, was not infallible. Observe:

He thought of how convincingly he could describe this scene to friends and make them envy the fullness of his contentment. Why couldn't he convince himself? He had everything he ever wanted. He had wanted superiority--and for the last year he had been the undisputed leader of his profession. He had wanted fame--and he had his five thick albums of clippings. He had wanted wealth--and he had enough to insure luxury for the rest of his life. He had everything anyone ever wanted. How many people struggled and suffered to achieve what he had achieved? How many dreamed and bled and died for this, without reaching it? "Peter Keating is the luckiest fellow on earth." How often had he heard that?

The Fountainhead

You see, gentle reader, Ayn Rand used insure, that is to provide or arrange insurance for, instead of ensure, to make sure of. Granted, English was her second language and all, but it's important to note that Ayn Rand could make errors.

UPDATE: A capital-O Objectivist responds:

Dear whim worshipper:

Ayn Rand represents one of the greatest intellects of all time, so it's certain that your interpretation of her usage of "insure" instead of "ensure" in the passage you quote cannot rival her genius nor that of Leonard Peikoff, author of

and the Ayn Rand's Official Intellectual Heir®. Regardless, you parasite to the creators of wealth, I shall seek to educate you even though I suspect you would prefer your blessed collectivist ignorance.

By using "insure" instead of "ensure," Rand was illustrating the essentially bankrupt nature of Peter Keating; although he didn't have enough wealth to "ensure" his lifestyle--that is, he could not repurchase all of his meaningless, unearned belongings nor could he recreate his success from scratch without leeching the production of the successful Howard Roark, he could "insure" his wealth by knowing that in the event of a total loss, the State would steal from the real producers in the world to recreate the fantasy of his opulence.

So you see, you second-hander primitivist, Ayn Rand packed meaning into that passage that you couldn't, with your escapist worldview embracing "equality" and "altruism" instead of "egoism," understand. So stick to writing your silly little sentences on the latest pop-fiction book you've read and regurgitate other peoples' opinions without trusting your own judgment.

Okay, I made it up, but that's how sanctioned Objectivists sound, ainna?

- posted by Brian J. @ 8:29 PM