039 – Atlas Shrugged review

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Paul Wheaton and Jocelyn Campbell review Atlas Shrugged, the movie, as well as its original book, by Ayn Rand written in 1957. They notice how different the movie is from the book, Jocelyn notes how the words used by the actors trying to fit the wording to modern times really didn’t fit and were awkward.

The movie chops up the story of the book. Paul and Jocelyn decide the movie is so poor that it’s more important to speak about the book. Paul says there are many permaculture folks that have liked the book. Paul recalls how the book tries to respect and really admire people who successfully renovate things that are of value to others. Reading the book reminded him of some things he experienced in his life. For Paul the book’s message is: I’m not the same as everybody else stop making me feel that I am.

He was hooked by a point in the beginning of the book where Rearden makes his first pour of metal and the way he is treated by his family, Paul lived the same moments in a way in past times. The book filled gaps in his head that needed to be filled.

The book review is very personal, intimate. The book speaks about: egoism, integrity, honesty. Paul thinks in some ways without egoism, intended in a better way than today, it would be so difficult to have any progress. If we don’t have people that go down their road we really can’t have any progress.

Integrity is so important in Rand’s novel, and Jocelyn highlights how Paul is so close to that vision.There is a lot in the book that Paul doesn’t agree with but, the important thing is that there are some concepts that really helped him. A randian hero could be Sepp Holzer in Paul’s view.

If you see a piece of art you don’t have to say I agree with everything, the book is a piece of art and you may not like it all. The author has used only black and white, and no shades of grey, and that’s her art.

The book is well written, well structured, easy to read. It is philosophy, apparently it should be “objectivism”,
but Paul really doesn’t care about this aspect. Jocelyn recalls how in a thread on the tinkering forum at permies.com there are mixed feeling about the book many think Rand doesn’t appreciate the workers, they underline how the book is all about wealthy people and upper class. Jocelyn doesn’t agree with this interpretation, Rand is anti-communism and pro capitalism, and that is politics, but it’s Rand’s view, one doesn’t have to have the same feelings. Paul doesn’t like seeing the book under a political view.

The way the author builds the story is that when society is so broken she would want all her heroes to leave the world and go and create their own society. There is the creators and the looters the society
is divided in two, the complexity of society really is a shadow. There are the white hats and the black hats in the book and no one really
changes color.

From a permaculture perspective there are people that are going to be
innovative and creative and they could like the book, for how it
speaks to those that dare.

Relevant Threads
Atlas Shrugged
Atlas Shrugged in Art
Permaculture and Capitalism

Credit: Lorenzo Costa

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