The problem I have with Ayn Rand's philosophy is that while private enterprise can do a better job than government for a good many things, her "laissez faire" ideology that businesses should just be left to do what they want isn't really the best idea, either. Just look at what Big Pharma is doing to us all.
Businesses are not simply "left to do what they want" according to her philosophy. If anything the people would have greater legal recourse against big companies for damages they cause them. According to Objectivism any act that causes harm or impedes on the liberties of another party must pay restitution. She rails against the kind of thing Big Pharma is doing by coercing government to mandate their product. People would never buy from Pfizer with their track record without government backers propping them up with "studies" and "approvals". With no government approval system reputation would mean everything with drug companies, and Pfizer has a terrible reputation. Moderna had never made a vaccine before COVID, etc.
As a Christian I certainly don't prescribe to Objectivism, however I do find it the most true secular philosophy. If there was no God, Ayn Rand would be the person to follow if you wanted society to work.
Very true. The excuse I make for Rand though is that during her time, there wasn't a clearly established link between enourmous corporations (like Amazon) and political leftist, like there is today.
If anything, back then it tended towards the other way. Today though we have the clarity of being able to see how big business and leftism go hand in hand.
Actually, one of the running themes of "Atlas Shrugged" was what we today call "cronyism" in relationships between the government and favored industries. She was very aware of this incestuous relationship, and always made the point that it was not a feature of capitalism, but a corruption of capitalism. Businesses could not seek favors unless the government had favors to hand out.
Important to keep in mind that our big pharma industry today operates within the economic policy of State Corporatism, which is the economic policy of fascism. It also happens to be the policy of China, which makes the CCP more fascist than communist.
the only reason big pharma gets away with all this bullshit is because the government sanctions their bullshit and
protects them from consequences. This is not capitalism.
What we are witnessing is the merging of big business and big government. That's what Germany was all about a hundred years ago. Time for Nuremberg 2.0!
Big Pharma has monopolies and liability shield BECAUSE of Big Government.
True Capitalism does NOT allow for government to grant favors like that. Pfizer would have to be held accountable to anyone they harmed if it was a free market.
Every Pfizer executive officer and director of the past 20 years would be in prison for their criminal actions, and bankrupt due to the lawsuits, in a true free market.
Yes, in a truly free market and they would be put in prison by the government. I cannot claim to be an expert on Ayn Rand, but much of her proponents seem to blindly believe that companies will, by default, do what is right. Maybe I shouldn't judge her by her followers' attitudes, but the way I see it is that business and government should keep each other in check. I think that some deregulation is good, but at the same time, I side with what Michael Savage about overly-deregulating the EPA, for example. It needs an overhaul, but not to be eliminated in favor of letting businesses do whatever they want.
Rand's view was "minarchism," which she defined as the government's ONLY functions should be (a) Military, (b) Police, and (c) Courts.
She favored a voluntary contractual fee system, where when people engage in contracts (happens every day), fees would be paid and that would fund government. Not saying that is the best system, just what she advocated.
Companies will not necessarily do what is right. However, what is missed by MOST people is this: Governments almost NEVER do what is right, and private business USUALLY do. The main exception to that is when a private business or industry has PROTECTION from CORRUPT GOVERNMENT -- such as we see in Big Pharma, Big Agriculture, Big Media, Big Oil, etc. Why are these all "big?" Because they are in bed with Big Government, and the bribes pay for those special favors (which would not exist in a real free market).
BTW, the EPA is the #1 biggest polluter in America. Elimination is the ONLY thing worth talking about when it comes to EPA, Health and Human Services, Department of Education ... see a pattern?
The problem I have with Ayn Rand's philosophy is that while private enterprise can do a better job than government for a good many things, her "laissez faire" ideology that businesses should just be left to do what they want isn't really the best idea, either. Just look at what Big Pharma is doing to us all.
Businesses are not simply "left to do what they want" according to her philosophy. If anything the people would have greater legal recourse against big companies for damages they cause them. According to Objectivism any act that causes harm or impedes on the liberties of another party must pay restitution. She rails against the kind of thing Big Pharma is doing by coercing government to mandate their product. People would never buy from Pfizer with their track record without government backers propping them up with "studies" and "approvals". With no government approval system reputation would mean everything with drug companies, and Pfizer has a terrible reputation. Moderna had never made a vaccine before COVID, etc.
As a Christian I certainly don't prescribe to Objectivism, however I do find it the most true secular philosophy. If there was no God, Ayn Rand would be the person to follow if you wanted society to work.
Very true. The excuse I make for Rand though is that during her time, there wasn't a clearly established link between enourmous corporations (like Amazon) and political leftist, like there is today.
If anything, back then it tended towards the other way. Today though we have the clarity of being able to see how big business and leftism go hand in hand.
Actually, one of the running themes of "Atlas Shrugged" was what we today call "cronyism" in relationships between the government and favored industries. She was very aware of this incestuous relationship, and always made the point that it was not a feature of capitalism, but a corruption of capitalism. Businesses could not seek favors unless the government had favors to hand out.
Well, there was Nazi Germany, which was big corproations merged with socialist leftists.
Important to keep in mind that our big pharma industry today operates within the economic policy of State Corporatism, which is the economic policy of fascism. It also happens to be the policy of China, which makes the CCP more fascist than communist.
the only reason big pharma gets away with all this bullshit is because the government sanctions their bullshit and protects them from consequences. This is not capitalism.
They're not doing that alone. Lol
What we are witnessing is the merging of big business and big government. That's what Germany was all about a hundred years ago. Time for Nuremberg 2.0!
Big Pharma has monopolies and liability shield BECAUSE of Big Government.
True Capitalism does NOT allow for government to grant favors like that. Pfizer would have to be held accountable to anyone they harmed if it was a free market.
Every Pfizer executive officer and director of the past 20 years would be in prison for their criminal actions, and bankrupt due to the lawsuits, in a true free market.
Yes, in a truly free market and they would be put in prison by the government. I cannot claim to be an expert on Ayn Rand, but much of her proponents seem to blindly believe that companies will, by default, do what is right. Maybe I shouldn't judge her by her followers' attitudes, but the way I see it is that business and government should keep each other in check. I think that some deregulation is good, but at the same time, I side with what Michael Savage about overly-deregulating the EPA, for example. It needs an overhaul, but not to be eliminated in favor of letting businesses do whatever they want.
Rand's view was "minarchism," which she defined as the government's ONLY functions should be (a) Military, (b) Police, and (c) Courts.
She favored a voluntary contractual fee system, where when people engage in contracts (happens every day), fees would be paid and that would fund government. Not saying that is the best system, just what she advocated.
Companies will not necessarily do what is right. However, what is missed by MOST people is this: Governments almost NEVER do what is right, and private business USUALLY do. The main exception to that is when a private business or industry has PROTECTION from CORRUPT GOVERNMENT -- such as we see in Big Pharma, Big Agriculture, Big Media, Big Oil, etc. Why are these all "big?" Because they are in bed with Big Government, and the bribes pay for those special favors (which would not exist in a real free market).
BTW, the EPA is the #1 biggest polluter in America. Elimination is the ONLY thing worth talking about when it comes to EPA, Health and Human Services, Department of Education ... see a pattern?