Friday, April 11, 2008

Unborrowed Vision

From The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, Gary Cooper as Howard Roark defends "the men of unborrowed vision" who create everything that is new and glorious, in science, in art, and in business.

4 comments:

Swamp Fox said...

It's a narcissistic and sad view of humanity, isn't it?

Ben Asa Rast said...

So long as the narcissist does not use force or fraud, humanity benefits from his narcissism.

Swamp Fox said...

"Humanity benefits from his narcissism." You probably don't really believe that either in your heart of hearts.

In the speech is the following ridiculous statement, "Everything we have, every great achievement has come from the independent work of some independent mind."

There is no human that has walked on the planet that has not built on legacies by others.

People acting in their enlightened self-interest is a good thing; an enlightened self-interest that recognizes that all people thrive best in a vibrant community.

Narcissism is a corrupting character flaw that destroys the trust and mutual accountability essential in successful communities.

Ben Asa Rast said...

Can you demonstrate how the narcissist "destroys trust and accountability," if he cannot resort to force or fraud?

A thought from Benjamin Franklin is appropriate: "If the rascals knew how much money they could make by being virtuous, they would be virtuous by their very rascality."