Reply #72: Ayn Rand was a Russian Jew [View All]

[PatSeg]

Her family lived through the Russian Revolution and had everything taken from them. Her strong anti-socialist sentiments were a result of the suffering she and her family endured in Russia. Being Jewish made survival in Russia even more difficult.

The suppression of the individual in favor of the many obviously had a profound effect on her. Certainly not everyone would embrace such extreme views under the circumstances, but one can see how she came to those beliefs. It seems to me that she also had some serious psychological problems which may or may not have been the result of her very traumatic early life.

This is in no way a defense of Rand or her philosophy, but a rather an attempt to understand how she became the person she was.


Edit to add: Helen Mirren played Rand in "The Passion of Ayn Rand" which focused more on her irrational, controlling personality than her philosophy. Its been a while since I've seen it, but as I recall it was very good.