Updated Books; Quote; Ayn Rand

Updated Book Store

Just in time for Christmas and the new year I've updated the book store

I've added more sections and consolidated the book titles to only those we endorse.

You can now find great books on, Economics, History, Politics, Philosophy, Religion and Foreign Policy. Plus works of Fiction, Movies and Music.

Free Speech Board

This is the last week of the semester so the question was not updated, but after having a discussion with TJ this weekend, I've decided to comment on the question.

The questions was: "When is civil disobedience OK?"

I originally thought the question was just a HIPPIE thing, but I've come to resent its wording.

The definition of disobedience is: "Lack of obedience or refusal to comply; disregard or transgression," and "civil disobedience," is taken to mean disobeying the government.

My common sense answer to this question is, 100% of the time. This is not including aggression.

My thoughts are this (I know an unusual amount of statement then colon in this section, I'll quit soon): any laws government makes (other than against aggression) are by definition taking away liberty, thus the question should have been: "When are Government Laws OK?"

Quote of the Week

"There is simply no other choice than this: either to abstain from interference in the free play of the market, or to delegate the entire management of production and distribution to the government. Either capitalism or socialism: there exists no middle way."

-Ludwig von Mises

Ayn Rand

I've been putting off writing about Ayn Rand's three main fiction books for a while, I don't have a lot of topics about which to write this week because of the short time in between articles, so I'll write about them now, in the order of my rankings of the three.

Atlas Shrugged

Story

Dagny Taggart is the heroine of the story, she is the Vice President of Taggart Transcontinental Railroad.

She is given the task of making the railroad survive during an economic depression. As she tries to do this a 'destroyer,' is roaming the country convincing all the captains of industry to disappear.

As all the people who run the best companies continue to disappear the economy starts to crash and Taggart struggles to run her company as more and more socialistic government laws are placed on the economy.

My Thoughts

I have not read the Bible in whole, so thus far Atlas Shrugged is my favorite book. There is no close competitor.

Nearly every story in existence preaches the goodness of self sacrifice, Atlas Shrugged shows how self-interest is logical and necessary. As every other book demonizes business and attempts to show government as a protector, Atlas Shrugged shows how the great businessmen are the producers in the economy and the government is the demon.

The book has the easily the best story I have ever read and although it is over 1,200 pages long I could not put it down and read it in just over three days. This book is a must read for literally everyone.

Anthem

Story

Sometime in the future the world has become so collectivized that the word 'I,' no longer even exists in the vocabulary, it has been replaced with 'we.'

In the dystopia created by collectivism all the progresses of the past are lost and the people spend all day working in the jobs chosen for them, many of these farming. There is no electricity and little technology of any sort.

The hero of the book, Equality 7-2521, finds a cave underground where there are remnants of old material, there he rediscovers electricity and creates a primitive light bulb, rejoicing in the fact that he has helped society.

But, when he shows it to the creative council they cast him out, because unless all men have thought of something it is necessarily bad. Equality eventually escapes with a woman he has fallen in love with and lives the rest of his life in the forest next to the city.

My Thoughts

This book is every bit as good as the more popular 1984, and carries more valuable lessons.

It is only 105 pages long and I read it strait through in about an hour and a half, after wards I had a great motivation to work and just create something for about a month.

This book is not as much of a must read, but I'd recommend it for anyone flights or for those with middle to high school aged kids or nephews/nieces etc.

The Fountainhead

Story

Howard Roark is an independent thinking architect, he refuses to go along with the norm.

As a result his life has a lot of ups and downs, but he never compromises on his independence.

In the climax he blows up the living complex he had designed, but was not built ot his specification.

My Thoughts

The Fountainhead is a good book, but I did not like it nearly as much as the first two.

Much of the book was about art, which is a subject I don't find very interesting, combine that with some very dry parts and you get the short summary I wrote above.

I would recommend it for thos einterested in art of just with a lot of reading time and want to read about individuality.

Thomas Aquinas is a college student who takes refuge in great books when his world becomes to inconceivable to make sense.