I’m a pretty staunch atheist, and don’t believe that any kind of moral laws are passed down from a higher power. In this much at least, we’re in agreement. I don’t even mind Rand’s emphasis on personal freedoms. I agree with many libertarian points of view on privacy rights, for example.

Where I vehemently disagree with Rand is when she asserts that hands-off capitalism is the best way to ensure personal happiness. Under her philosophy, selfishness is a virtue, and altruism is a foolish endeavour. I’d argue that it’s the only thing that makes society tolerable.

If you think “Atlas Shrugged” is shallow and/or trite, . . .

I never said it was shallow – the philosophical side is quite in-depth. In fact, most of my problem with Atlas Shrugged is that the plot was completely superficial to the book. It would have been easier for Rand to write another position paper outlining her philosophies. Instead, she tried to tack a story on top to create a grand allegory and failed miserably. The characters are one-dimensional, the plot is boring, and the dialogue unrealistic, almost to the point of being funny.

I really have to question what has happened to you personally in your life that has made you the way you are

I’ve moved past juvenile philosophies that don’t stand up to real-world application.

Ayn Rand’s philosophy supposes that if you removed all those pesky government barriers, that these young men could succeed in becoming successful wealthy businessmen. It gives them a convenient scapegoat for their frustration with the current system. Unfortunately, Rand’s fairytales are just that. I’ll point to this comment as one example of the dangers of letting the “invisble hand” take care of all our problems.