Originally Posted: 2007-11-06 21:56 (no longer live)
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An apology to the Ayn Rand man - w4m

Ayn Rand man, I would like to apologize for a few things. To begin with, I am sorry that I did not state in simpler words, when you asked why Ayn Rand was shelved in the fiction section instead of the philosophy section, that the Fountainhead is a novel.

After I took you to the philosophy section to show you her absense in person, you began to explain your personal theories to me.

You explained to me that Ayn Rand is the first person to radically change philosophy in history. You explained to me, in a soft, intimate voice, that capitalism should in fact be called "liberalism," due to the fact that it comes from the French word for "free," and that capitalism makes us free.

I would like to apologize at this point for the fact that my employer prevents me from engaging in political or philosophical discussions with customers, because instead of nodding quietly, at this point, what I really should have done was point out that liber actually comes from Latin, from which both the French and English words are derived. I also apologize for not explaining that capitalism actually falls under the subject of economics.

You continued on to explain that although you do not have a degree in philosophy, you teach this theory to businessmen. So I would also like to apologize for not explaining that I do actually have a degree in philosophy and would be able to clear a few things up for you; also for not mentioning that while I'm sure businessmen who regularly screw the little guy over for money in the name of capitalism are happy to learn it's actully in the name of freedom, and that I'm sure you also enjoy the benefit of the freedom your large salary entitles you to, it does not actually constitute a revolution in the philosophical world.

It was only when you went on to explain to me that it is only now, through Ayn Rand, that philosophy has started to be "taken seriously as a science" and is no longer "useless," that I really began to regret this missed opportunity to engage in discussion.

So, for all these reasons, man with the Ayn Rand obsession, I aplogize profusely.

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