Atlas Doesn't Seem to be Shrugging in the Social Imagination...

 

 

Ayn Rand wrote the book, Atlas Shrugged. The story is about a new revolution, a capitalist revolution. It is truly "The Capitalist Manifesto".

The theme of Atlas Shrugged, as Rand described it, is "the role of man's mind in existence". The book explores a number of philosophical themes from which Rand would subsequently develop Objectivism. In doing so, it expresses the advocacy of reason, individualism, and capitalism, and depicts what Ayn Rand saw to be the failures of governmental coercion.

The book depicts a dystopian United States in which private businesses suffer under increasingly burdensome laws and regulations. Rand's stated goal for writing the novel was to show how desperately the world needs prime movers and how viciously it treats them and to portray what happens to the world without them.

Who was Ayn Rand and why did she write that kind of story? Rand, her pen name, was Russian born. She was educated (studied philosophy) in Russia and moved to the US in 1926. Rand advocated reason as the only means of acquiring knowledge; she rejected faith and religion in favor of rationalism and ethical egoism thereby rejecting altruism. 

First of all, to understand why Atlas is or isn't shrugging these days, we must look at why Rand's faith in reason, rationalism, ethical egoism and acquiring knowledge was sadly misplaced. What? Indeed, those very crucial and value laden aspirations fall short in a fallen world. They are necessary to strive for but they only have meaning for those striving toward them who are driven by deeper motives...

Rand touted that she believed in herself and that may be very important; but such a belief can leave you among islands of others who believe the same about themselves. Sure, you can argue that if a bunch of people think they are their own best shot at the world and have only themselves to rely on just try to negotiate with them in order to get the best for yourself. Now, some might think that such a scenario allows everyone participating to win but is that really true given the nature of social dynamics in the social imagination. Its not always going to be a win win, is it?

You see, the problem with that kind of thinking (win win) is that meaning runs deep. You are more than just an island of total self-sufficiency. You are a composite of social reality... all encounters within a given frame of the social imagination. Your life has meaning to it and so do other lives. All meaning is acquired in the place where you have found and find yourself over a period of time. Your social imagination is unique while at the same time a kin to others within that same framework; hence, we can define cultural data as this kind over another.

Sure, there are belief systems or world views that many people find meaning in and share in that meaning. But, if you don't find yourself in the framework of meaning, you will feel outside of it, indifferent or resistant to. Blood is  thicker than water if you know what I mean. Thus, others that are outside of your framework of meaning will indeed become obstacles to your best shot at the world. We need to have a reason to move out, but that reason is tied to the mother of our reasoning... like an umbilical cord.

Is that the reason Atlas is or isn't shrugging these days? Yes and no. Atlas cannot bear the weight of the world wherein objectivism is the means for living.  Every objective view is yet tied to the thing its looking at. And, that thing is a weight but one that grounds and sustains and allows the mover to move out. A Constitution (social contract) does that... like the Constitution of the United States for example. 

Rather, Atlas maybe shrugging in grief these days for cords are being cut all around the world. The tethered rope that keeps us sane has been sniped by a crown and its mandatory jab as if that is the only resolve to stop the chaos. 

Atlas needs room to move and that is obviously being limited. He needs to shrug off that which binds while at the same time keep at least a constant thread of meaning for what is common among us. 

Remember, Rand described Objectivism as "the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute". He can only know what his/her happiness is in comparison, his noble activity can only be seen as noble if there are others to witness it. Thus, it means something to him/her and to others. 

Are you willing to stand up and be a hero? If you can't be one for others, you can't be one for yourself. In fact, you would not even know what a hero is let alone that you need to be a hero for yourself or others. You need social context to know that and if others either stand in your way of being a hero or stand in wait of one. Such a hero has no purpose in socialism, communism. The State is your goal, your savior. 

You might think that there is everything wrong with capitalism and yet there is nothing wrong with capitalism... its freeing. It looks for and embraces the hero and lifts him/her up. It sets a precedent, a standard which in a free society is for all that try to reach it.

Hence, Atlas needs to shrug and take up the weight that is not only a burden to him but obviously to everyone else. Take that weight and cast it out, free up the burden that weighs you down and those around you. As yourself, "if I can't who will"? The State won't... its bogged down in bureaucracy that wants to make all things mean the same. 

Again, as social actors living in the social imagination, we all need to share in the same meaning (group identity) which comes from being together in a place over time: being in our town, our city, our country and at the same time we don't need a top down driven tyranny that dictates meaning to the extent that its intention is to clip the wings of eagles that might soar. 

Cast out that which hinders... Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind ~ 1 Peter 2:1...for you have the authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases ~ Luke 9:1.