Anthem
by Ayn Rand
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Book Summary Information
Author: Ayn RandEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-02-28
ISBN: 1434100359
Number of pages: 66
Publisher: Boomer Books
Book Reviews of Anthem
Book Review: Self-Sacrifice and Treason
Summary: 5 Stars
No one becomes a traitor without first betraying himself. "All man's spiritually distinctive attributes derive" from the faculty of reason, and it is reason which possesses the ability to make choices. But "reason is a property of the individual." There is no such thing as a tribal, racial, cultural, or national brain. The choice of non-thinking, non-judging, non-willing, but instead of allowing others to run your life, is a betrayal of your own mind. Meaning: You are merely choosing to go along with the crowd, to follow a mob.
You may attempt to soften this reality by labeling your "group" after the name of your country, your tribe, your clan, your culture, or your skin color, but that does not change what it is: A gang, which makes you a gangster. You got to that point by choosing the worst form of treason: Self-betrayal. Can you ever really be happy by sticking to such a choice?
Realizing this, and desiring an alternative, I am enthralled by the solution demonstrated in the literary works of Ayn Rand. If your interest is already piqued, I suggest you start by reading the book ANTHEM. Weighing in at under 100-pages of text, it is one of Rand's shorter works of fiction.
ANTHEM is about a world of the future where all forward progress has been halted, and society as a whole has deteriorated to a backward, primitive state, not unlike certain undeveloped countries today. The ultimate cause of such worldwide decay is traceable primarily to the elimination of the concept of self; even the word "I," through disuse, is forgotten, whereas the word "We" has become god. Social progress coasts to a stop when great minds are forced to conform to a mediocre average.
In this backward world of the future, the world of ANTHEM, no one is permitted to think independently of his "brothers." Individuality is banned, and one is not even allowed to write any words, except for those sentences which are permitted by the State. Whoever dares to go against the status quo by researching and presenting his own ideas--even those ideas which would ultimately prove beneficial to his "brothers"--is severely censured by government officials. These are power-mongers who maintain that a wax candle is superior to the electric light bulb, and they torture the hero of the book, who has just "re-discovered" electricity--the electric light was a product of an earlier technological age, now forgotten--for promoting his "new" idea.
Our genius-hero is persecuted for refusing to submit to the tyranny of his so-called "brothers"--in today's terminology, this could refer to his tribe, his culture, those of his own skin color. In essence, it is for disagreeing with his own tribe that he has become a minority of one, but one who keeps intact his ability to think. He is not, however, a traitor to his own power of reason. ANTHEM continues telling about his ultimate victory, and about others who will make the same choice: the non-betrayal of self.
Atlas Shrugged (Centennial Ed. HC)
The Fountainhead (Centennial Edition Hardcover)
The Fountainhead
Philosophy: Who Needs It (The Ayn Rand Library Vol. 1)
SOCIALISM (Lib Works Ludwig Von Mises PB)
Summary of Anthem
Anthem is Ayn Rand?s classic tale of a dark future age of the great "We"?a world that deprives individuals of name, independence, and values. Written a full decade before George Orwell's "1984," this dystopian novel depicts a man who seeks escape from a society in which individuality has been utterly destroyed. Rand expertly shows how collectivism (including social programs in the United States) destroys freedom and individuality. Her philosophy is simple: "planning" is a synonym for "collectivism," and "collectivism" is a metaphor for communism and tyranny. This important book should be read by all who are concerned about the role of government in modern life. This publication from Boomer Books is specially designed and typeset for comfortable reading.Classics Books
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