The Return of the Primitive: The Anti-Industrial Revolution

Ayn Rand is a remarkable woman. She can point out salient features of social movements and where their destructive ideas came from - jealousy of the strong and willing. This book is talking about what is going on behind the scenes of politics and the motives for ridding America of industrial growth by leftists. Her comparison of what happened to her in Communist Russia and what is now going on in America by socialist groups operating under the guise of altruism, including the environmentalists who want us to go back to primitive living and let mankind suffer for the benefit of a certain species of plant or animal life. Rand says that all things are not created equal. She explains that all these social movements are born to take away individual freedom and move toward collectivism, that is, Communism. Communism did not work in Russia, nor has any country adopting socialism destined to succeed. Man must be the master of his own life and fate. She says that America is the greatest country in the world because creative people are being left alone by the government to pursue their dreams. Thoughts, ideas, and inventions produce benefits for all mankind, like electricity, in ground plumbing, television, radio, effective ways to grow food for millions, and industrial progress in farming and transportation. A wonderful book, written clearly and well researched. She warns that the intent of activist groups are to crack down on liberties and put us into a welfare state, which we are already in. Every College or University should make their students read her works and then make a decision whether they wish to support altruistic movements that they are interested in the "good of all" when what they really do is deny individual freedom for its members and promote power for its leaders. Social control is the enemy, freedom of spirit and free enterprise is the solution.

what a subway sandwich fallacy, anyways oops i forgot to read this, so far,edit: i wrote this review early march 2024. by mid-ish may i read it. seems like assorted essays with a bend towards supporting individuals who are productive and taking a stand against forms of altruism ethics which suggest self-negation as optimal. this is consistent with ayn rand's other writings about the value of being an individual and supporting both reason and styles of government which support productivity, like capitalism.

This was an eye-opening and liberating read for me. I wish I would have read this when I was younger. Finally, politics and various social movements make more sense. I encourage everyone to read Ayn Rand, especially if you are college educated and surrounded by one way of thinking.

This book is typical Rand: brilliant, funny, and a little bit crazy.I was telling one of my doctor buddies that Rand has a great theory of cognitive development in kids.He says, "Did Rand have any kids?"Me, "No."Him, "Did she do research in cognitive development."Me, "No."Him, "Wasn't she addicted to speed?"Me, "I don't know."Him, "She sounds like an impressive expert."Me, "I read tons of stuff on cognitive development, and Rand's article on brain development between the ages of 3-7 years old, is the best I've ever read. It fills in the gaps that you won't find from reading anyone else. Rand is a genius."Refutation of Nietzsche on "Apollo vs Dionysus" was also great!

Ayn Rand was prescient in her analysis of how the primitive, animal side of human nature is emerging as a dominant social force intent upon tearing down Western civilization by undermining, nudging, outlawing, stigmatizing and ridiculing universal family values, which include honesty, integrity, personal responsibility, moral reasoning, industriousness, love, affection, loyalty, self-discipline, compassion, cheer, generosity, and mutual respect. The new primitives of the Occupy Wall Street movement are a perfect example of the anti-industrial revolution, aiming to tear down the financial structures of Western civilization. New equalitarians do not offer opportunity to rise in socioeconomic status, but instead they incite envious greed and policies that will bring the haves down to the level of the have-nots through progressive taxation. There is no constructive goal of the radical, liberal primitivists, other than to create an edenic, collectivist paradise at the end of history, when we will all live in the open, the timeless, eternal now, without past or future to create meaning beyond creature comforts. It's a jungle out there, becoming more so every day.

This book is a combination of Ayn Rand essays from the time of the college campus "Free Speech Movement" of the 1960s and more recent essays by other commentators about more recent college campus turmoil. Basically, the book explains the faulty thinking that led to the earlier capitulation by college administrations to the leftist rabble (note, I was attending a summer session at UC Berkeley at the very beginning of the Free Speech Movement -- I was THERE).The comments about the more recent struggle arising with the current generation of campus leftists give an important perspective that helps to understand the philosophical errors and failures of both sets of leftists.

Ayn Rand was the author of our age. Her outstanding clarity and unique ability to grasp topics which nobody had ever integrated before made her the philosopher of the millennium. This book is not an exception to her endless, philosophical x-ray vision. Her approach to the new left is not only a critique but an autopsy made by the best doctor to a moving zombie, not a glimpse to a facade but an engineer structural analyzing of a rotten culture.To anyone who is interested in the power of ideas (or the lack of them) this is the book that they should read.

Title says it all.

Absolutely mind blowing how Ayn Rand analyzed the problems we are facing today over 50 years ago.She says in one 20 pages essays more than I read in 10 books by “acclaimed” authors on the same subject.

Livro extremamente bom, mas a estrutura das notas e bibliografia muda e em certos capítulos é difícil consultá-las. A qualidade material do livro é melhor do que a maioria dos livros da autora.

Magnífico artículo. Las ideas de Ayn Rand y su percepción de la realidad, con las ideas--excusa de los "progresistas" para imponer dictatorialmente sus posiciones (y ya van casi 230 años), siguen siendo plenamente actuales.

Every other page I had to bookmark whole paragraphs - powerful ideas - that can change the world! We must think.