The document provides a detailed summary and analysis of Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged. It examines four of Rand's philosophical ideas presented in the novel, including her defense of the independent mind. The summary explores Rand's views on the role of reason and thinking in human existence and survival. It also analyzes Rand's perspectives on individualism, happiness, and the importance of pursuing one's rational self-interest.

1. Atlas Shrugged: A National Hunger for Scholars to Understand Rand’s Uncompromising Defense of the Mind<br />Bennie Lee Graves, M.Ed.<br />PhD Student in Educational Leadership<br />Whitlowe R. Green College of Education<br />Prairie View A&M University<br />William Allan Kritsonis, PhDProfessor & Faculty Mentor<br />PhD Program in Educational Leadership<br />PVAMU/Member of the Texas A&M University System<br />Abstract<br />The purpose of this article is to examine four philosophical ideas of Rand’s uncompromising defense of the mind as presented in Atlas Shrugged (1957), expanding the subject matter of individualism that Ayn Rand developed in The Fountainhead (1943). Rand shows that without the independent mind, our culture would give way into primitive savagery. In the twenty-first century, scholars seek to read such a novel that allows them to understand that thinking is the mind’s way of creating meaning and making sense of one’s internal and external world.<br /> “I know but one freedom and that is the freedom of the mind.” – Antoine de Saint-Expuery<br />Atlas Shrugged: A National Hunger for Scholars to Understand Rand’s Uncompromising Defense of the Mind<br />As thousands of individuals have discovered, Atlas Shrugged (1957) is a novel that requires one to read and listen with a state that is to perceive by ear, usually with thoughtful and responsive attention. Throughout the novel, the catchphrase of the day is “Who is John Galt?” Nobody seems to know the answer, or how the phrase began, and not until some six hundred pages later does the reader find out (Valiunas, 2005). <br />Ayn Rand’s novel, Atlas Shrugged (1957), her work of genius and last work of fiction-is the exceptional staging of her extraordinary revelation of existence and of man’s main purpose and promise in life. The theme of Atlas Shrugged (1957), as Rand described it, is quot;
the role of man's mind in existence.quot;
The novel delves into a number of philosophical themes that Rand would subsequently develop into the philosophy of Objectivism. It advocates the core beliefs of Rand's philosophy of Objectivism and communicates her concept of human achievement. In doing so, it expresses many facets of Rand's philosophy, such as the advocacy of reason, individualism, the market economy and the failure of government coercion (Rand, 1957). Rand examines how the mind gives information and response from three important areas; these areas are thinking, feeling, and desiring.<br />Atlas Shrugged (1957) is a powerful example of Rand’s mind in action, confident even when groping, purposeful even when blocked, and brightly eloquent even though utterly unedited. Rand’s basic purpose as a novelist was to present not villains or even heroes with errors, but the ideal man-the consistent, the fully integrated, the perfect (Rand, 1957). While literary critics complain that her works are over-wrought and edifying, and academics can dismiss the school of thought she founded, Objectivism, as little more than a justification for selfish behavior, to her legions of loyal followers, that hardly matters. As far as her followers are concerned, the late writer was a mastermind (Rompalske, 2000). Atlas Shrugged (1957) is a <br />mystery about an individual who said that he would stop the motor of the world. <br />Purpose of the Article<br />The purpose of this article is to examine four philosophical ideas of Rand’s uncompromising defense of the mind as presented in Atlas Shrugged (1957), expanding the subject matter of individualism that Ayn Rand developed in The Fountainhead (1943). Rand shows that without the independent mind, our culture would give way into primitive savagery. In the twenty-first century, scholars seek to read such a novel that allows them to understand that thinking is the mind’s way of creating meaning and making sense of one’s internal and external world.<br />Ayn Rand: Atlas Shrugged<br />Rand said, <br />Your time is not ours to give. Take your time. You alone can decide what you’ll choose <br />to do, and when. We know the cost of that decision. We’ve paid it. That you’ve come <br />here might now make it easier for you-or harder. (1957, p. 749) <br />Rand (1957) illustrated how several heroes of the novel had to make a choice to depart from their occupation. John Galt was the first thinker in the group of great minds to understand that a rational man could be free if he withdrew himself from the looters’ corrupt code. Rand argues that freedom and personal achievement enables society to survive and prosper, and should be accepted. But this requires a rational moral code. She maintains that, over time, coerced self-<br />sacrifice causes any society to self-destruct. <br />In Part II of the novel, the reader is challenged to integrate knowledge of domains, <br />intellectual standards, and elements of reason. First, perspectives from several domains may be inherent in understanding how Rand calls for a reasoned decision. In seeking to appreciate Rand’s thoughts, it is not necessary that an individual be an expert in every domain, but it does mean that the thinker needs to be aware of such domains in order to explore the many facets required in comprehending Rand’s reasoned responses. Some common domains examined by Rand include psychology, education, sociology, ethics, medicine, law, and religion. <br />She felt the same emotion in school, in classes of mathematics, the only lessons she <br />liked. She felt the excitement of solving problems, the insolent delight of taking up a <br />challenge and disposing of it without effort, the eagerness to meet another, harder test. <br />(Rand, 1957, p. 51)<br />Second, intellectual standards for thinking critically require an individual to assess the criteria that form the fundamentals for good reasoned thinking. When an individual reads Atlas Shrugged, it is imperative that he or she focus on identifying the author’s question, accuracy of information, relevancy of the author’s considerations, the complexities of the issue being explored, thinking logical, and making sure the conclusion is justifiable? <br />Third, individuals must realize that the process of reasoning as demonstrated by Ayn Rand highlights the formal aspect of thinking. Reasoning takes place when one engages in a conscious act of assimilation, as one purposefully identifies and integrates a set of elements that forms the foundation for reasoned thinking. <br />A short wire led from the machine to an electric storage battery behind it. Long coils of wire, like the twisted arms of an octopus, stretched forward across the stone floor, from the machine to a leather mattress spread under a cone of violet light. John Galt lay strapped to the mattress. He was naked; the small metal disks of electrodes at the ends <br />of the wires were attached to his wrists, his shoulders, his hips and his ankles; a device <br />resembling a stethoscope was attached to his chest and connected to the amplifier. <br />(Rand, 1957, p. 1140)<br />Galt, knowing the unavoidability of Dr. Stadler’s end, rejects the opportunity to turn his mind over to the three men of force. Galt uses his mind to create and defend the values necessary for life on earth. When the machine stopped working, Galt assisted the looters in their effort in repairing the instrument of torture (Rand, 1957). This act demonstrated to the looters that they were still dependent on the men of the mind even for the most evil act carried out by humankind.<br />Ayn Rand: Man’s Mind<br />According to Rand (1957),<br />Man’s mind is his basic tool of survival. Life is given to him, survival is not. His body is <br /> given to him, its sustenance is not. His mind is given to him, its content is not. To remain alive, he must act, and before he can act he must know the nature and purpose of his action. (p. 1012) <br />Survival is taking any given condition, accepting it, and trying to perfect it, while sustaining your life until you can get out of the situation. Survival means to remain alive; to live. It is taking the postmodernistic view of accepting the status quo and developing strategies to survive that is the state of the mind. In chapter three of the novel, Galt states that man cannot obtain his food without knowledge of food and of the way to obtain it. Man cannot dig a ditch-or build a cyclotron-without knowledge of his aim and of the means to achieve it. To remain alive, he must think. Man’s mind is his tool for survival, but like all tools, it must be properly used. (Rand, 1957).<br />For an individual, to keep your body alive you must react to your body’s problem indicators and defend yourself against the major enemies of survival as did the characters in Atlas Shrugged (1957). Rand’s perspective suggests to individuals that the brain will be your best asset but it could also be your most dangerous enemy. Rand said, “But you are not free to escape from your nature, from the fact that reason is your means of survival-so that for you, who are a human being, the question ‘to be or not to be’ is the question to think or not to think” (1957, p. 1012). <br />As an instructor of Blinn 0101, my students must complete an assignment that requires them to think and think well- how to look at an argument, evaluate it, decide on how reasonable it is, and decide whether Situation A or Situation B is right based on their thought of reason. The key point is that scholars should strive to give clear, focused, and logically sound reasons for thinking what they think. With the proper attitude, such a project could be interesting. “Man must obtain his knowledge and choose his action by a process of thinking, which nature will not force him to perform” (Rand, 1957, p. 1013). <br />Man cannot survive except by gaining knowledge, and reason is his only means to gain it. <br />Reason is the faculty that perceives, identifies and integrates the material provided by his <br />senses. The task of his senses is to give him the evidence of existence, but the task of <br />identifying it belongs to his reasons, his senses tell him only that something is, but what it is must be learned by the mind. (Rand, 1957, p. 1017)<br />At this point, scholars must remember the important aspect of their lives and uphold <br />their willingness to think. Some individuals experience loneliness, pain, hunger, thirst, and fear, <br />but have not had to contend with life circumstances all at once, and to the extent that the conditions have been a threat to their lives. Atlas Shrugged (1957) suggests that anyone of these feelings can diminish one’s self-assurance or bring down a desire to struggle for life. Galt shared this message with each person that was living in the valley, but only when each was prepared to accept his idea. “No, you do not have to live; it is your basic act of choice; but if you choose to live, you must live as a man-by the work and the judgment of your mind” (Rand, 1957, p. 1015).<br />Ayn Rand: Existence Exists<br />Rand (1957) posits,<br />We, the men of the mind, are now on strike against you in the name of a single axiom, <br />which is the root of your moral code, just as the root of yours is the wish to escape it: the <br />axiom that existence exists. (p. 1015)<br />Historically, it is important for society to understand that the Great Railway Strike of 1877 was the first major American strike started by railway workers who were angry over pay wages. It began July 14 in Martinsburg, West Virginia, of the United States and ended some forty-five days later. In Atlas Shrugged (1957), Galt’s strike is intended to confirm that the mind-not physical labor-is the basic source of wealth, and that the men and women who do intellectual work are the true originators of value. In the statement, “the axiom that existence exists”, the existence exists is an axiom which states that there is something, as opposed to nothing (Rand, 1957). One must realize that a thing cannot exist without existing as something that something being identity, otherwise it would be nothing and it would not exist.<br /> Reality is that which exists; the unreal does not exist; the unreal is merely that negation of existence which is the content of a human consciousness when it attempts to abandon reason. Truth is the recognition of reality; reason, man’s only means of knowledge, is his only standard of truth. (Rand, 1057, p. 1017)<br /> Directly or indirectly, every phenomenon of consciousness is derived from one’s <br />awareness of the external world. As individuals encounter new experiences and explore new <br />ideas, John Galt highlights the importance of scholars to pursue their own self-interest. That idea <br />suggests that individuals will begin to realize that life is full of ambiguities and that it involves understanding why some people believe one thing rather than another. For example, Galt states that man needs political freedom to apply his intellect to pursuing the values that his life requires. On the other hand, Dr. Standler believes that reason is impotent in dealing with people and that only intimidation and force are effective weapons. He is driven by logic of his theory to become a looter, a power seeker, and ultimately Galt’s worst enemy (Rand, 1957). As scholars think about whether to support a logical argument, a good critical thinker must be able to communicate an idea to others in an understandable, convincing way in speech or in writing as did Galt.<br />If you find a chance to vanish into some wilderness out of their reach, do so, but do not <br />exist as a bandit or to create a gang competing with their racket; build a productive life of <br />your own with those who accept your moral code and are willing to struggle for a human <br />existence. (Rand, 1947, p. 1067)<br />Ayn Rand: Theory of Happiness<br />As individuals become more comfortable with their own self-awareness and begin to find happiness by exploring different ways of thinking, it is often based on an external emotion. Happiness found by many individuals is a process of discovering self. The following passage examines the expression of Hank Rearden, a man who has spent his life in the pursuit of happiness that he places more value on his accomplishments than his relationship with others. “It was he who had to make himself learn to understand them, since he had so much to give, since they could never share his sense of joyous, boundless power” (Rand, 1957, p. 40). It is important for individuals to understand that accomplishments do not always guarantee attainment of true happiness. Although some would agree that accomplishments can make a <br />person happy, most would also agree that you will never be happier than you expect.<br />Today’s scholars recognize that philosophers and religious thinkers often define happiness in terms of living a good life, or flourishing, rather than simply as an emotion. The perspective is presented in detailed by Dannagger when he said:<br />The only man I ever loved.” It came from Ken Dannagger, who had never expressed <br />anything more than “Look here, Rearden.” He thought: Why had we let it go? Why had <br />we both been condemned-in the hours away from our desks-to exile among dreary <br />strangers who had made us give up all desire for rest, for friendship, for the sound of <br />human voices? (Rand, 1957, p. 449) <br />According to Rand, it is important for Rearden to announce to his begging family that he has no moral obligation to support them; however, he does so only out of generosity and kindness (Rand, 1957). Henceforth, a major part of society’s present belief acknowledges that true happiness is doing what brings one the most pleasure and gratification to one’s life. <br />Conclusion<br />In conclusion, to enjoy Rand’s novel, it is important to understand her worldview. Atlas Shrugged (1957) allows the reader into a world of mystery about a man who said that he would stop the motor of the world and he did. Rand’s stated purpose was that reason reliably determines emotion, never the other way around. She held the notion that a man’s mind is his character and his fate. It is from this point that Rand represent the proper integration of a complete human being. I cannot refrain from quoting one additional paragraph. “You don’t have to see through the eyes of others, hold onto yours, stand on your own judgment, you know that what is, is—say it aloud, like the holiest of prayers, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise” (Rand, 1957, p. 890).<br />References<br />Rand, A. (1957). Atlas shrugged. New York, NY: Penguin Group.<br />Rompalske. (2000). She lived only for herself: Ayn Rand. Biography, 4(1), 80. Retrieved from <br /> http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=6&hid=13&sid=cd85402c-e5ce-433fblb464 <br />Valiunas, A. (2005). Who needs Ayn Rand? Commentary, 120(2), 59-62. Retrieved from <br />http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=5&hid=13&sid=cd85402c-e5ce-433f-blb4-64<br />