Would Ayn Rand have been a Truther?

[BenBurch]

Somehow I don't think so. I disagree with her conclusions, but she was ultimately a materialist/realist who needed concrete proof of things.

But so many of the truthies seem to be Libertarians, and she is usually take to be the founding mother of that school of political thought.

Any thought as to why the decoupling of materialism from libertarianism?

 

[Totovader]

Somehow I don't think so. I disagree with her conclusions, but she was ultimately a materialist/realist who needed concrete proof of things.

But so many of the truthies seem to be Libertarians, and she is usually take to be the founding mother of that school of political thought.

Any thought as to why the decoupling of materialism from libertarianism?

I don't really think it's libertarianism itself that draws these people out- it's the arrogance of some individuals in general that causes them to think they are going to be the next revolutionaries.

The fact that proponents of individual liberty (no matter how nutty) are drawn to libertarianism is simply a product of the political structure- just like I'm sure there are plenty of commies in the Democrat party.

Libertarians, also, are generally drawn to the party for several reasons, the least of which (IMHO) is the rationality or the loose ties to Objectivism. I think the vast majority of Libertarian party members are just "not Democrats and not Republicans". The next largest group would be the normal every-day citizens who just believe in personal liberty, and then a small portion of the wackjobs who give the rest a bad name. The smallest group would be the Objectivists who happen to be Libertarians as a consequence- at least from what I have seen.

However- Rand was very much against the Libertarian Party, she saw it as counter-productive.

 

[Slayhamlet]

I don't really think it's libertarianism itself that draws these people out- it's the arrogance of some individuals in general that causes them to think they are going to be the next revolutionaries.

The fact that proponents of individual liberty (no matter how nutty) are drawn to libertarianism is simply a product of the political structure- just like I'm sure there are plenty of commies in the Democrat party.

Libertarians, also, are generally drawn to the party for several reasons, the least of which (IMHO) is the rationality or the loose ties to Objectivism. I think the vast majority of Libertarian party members are just "not Democrats and not Republicans". The next largest group would be the normal every-day citizens who just believe in personal liberty, and then a small portion of the wackjobs who give the rest a bad name. The smallest group would be the Objectivists who happen to be Libertarians as a consequence- at least from what I have seen.

However- Rand was very much against the Libertarian Party, she saw it as counter-productive.

Not that there aren't any, somewhere, but I've never once met a Democrat who was a "commie" (Marxist, Trotskyite or whatever). I've met self-styled "libertarians" who bought into Truther crap, though. A couple Democrats, too, sadly.

 

[Totovader]

Not that there aren't any, somewhere, but I've never once met a Democrat who was a "commie" (Marxist, Trotskyite or whatever). I've met self-styled "libertarians" who bought into Truther crap, though. A couple Democrats, too, sadly.

Oh I've met quite a few- although much like the group of wackjobs within the Libertarian Party, the wackjob commies in the Democrat Party would never admit they're wackjobs.

I wonder if it isn't a bigger problem for the Libertarians, though, because the Libertarians have a hard time telling people they actually are not libertarian. Democrats will disassociate themselves from conspiracists, whereas Libertarians sort of embrace anyone who is anti/small government.

 

[bje]

Somehow I don't think so. I disagree with her conclusions, but she was ultimately a materialist/realist who needed concrete proof of things.

But so many of the truthies seem to be Libertarians, and she is usually take to be the founding mother of that school of political thought.

Any thought as to why the decoupling of materialism from libertarianism?

Remember, Ayn Rand was not a Libertarian, and didn't think much of them anyway:

The anarchist is the scum of the intellectual world of the left, which has given them up. So the right picks up another leftist discard. That’s the Libertarian movement.

http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=education_campus_libertarians

 

[ktesibios]

I don't really think it's libertarianism itself that draws these people out- it's the arrogance of some individuals in general that causes them to think they are going to be the next revolutionaries.

The fact that proponents of individual liberty (no matter how nutty) are drawn to libertarianism is simply a product of the political structure- just like I'm sure there are plenty of commies in the Democrat party.

How like a fawning publican he looks!