According to Ayn Rand, evolution is just a theory.

[Boojatta]

Discuss.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. No

(I feel so GOPish today)

[highplainsdem]

2. According to evolution, Ayn Rand is devolution.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

4. hahahhaha!!!

:rofl:

[Angry Dragon]

15. that would be radical right wing republicans

[drokhole]

3. Robert Anton Wilson, on Ayn Rand:

"I thought the Trots and Catholic priests were dogmatic, but Ayn Rand made both groups look like models of tolerance by comparison. I thought she was a clinical paranoid. It was nearly 30 years later that I found out Rand was merely on Speed all the time, which creates an effect so much like paranoia that even trained clinicians cannot always tell the difference, and some even claim there is no difference."



My opinion on her views of evolution? Fuck Ayn Rand.

[Canuckistanian]

5. There you go

That's Rand in a nutshell. Pun intended.

[GoneOffShore]

6. Fuck Ayn Rand? Ewwww!

[drokhole]

8. Yep, fell right into that old trap.

Guess I shouldn't be so hard on her.

[Iris]

16. I'm bookmarking this thread just to have access to this particular post in the future!

thanks for sharing!

[drokhole]

17. Glad to be of assistance!

Happened to come across it in a book last week and made a mental note of it. Happy to share!

[Kurovski]

7. Ayn Rand was a tobacco addict, therefore Ayn Rand harnessed the power of the Sun.

[jcboon]

9. It pains me to say so. . .

But she may have had a point. Science is itself a theory--based on cause and effect--you have to believe in cause and effect and it can't be proven by the "scientific" method. One has to "believe" in science therefore all science is theoretical. This is an interpretation of Hume but I doubt that Ayn Rand agreed with Hume on much else.

[provis99]

10. Response: Jane Goodall, primate evolutionary scientist.

"Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference."

Is Ayn Rand an individual that matters in the meta-narrative of evolution? The paradox ensues.

[backscatter712]

11. Evolution is a scientific theory...

It's the only explanation that scientists have that fit the facts of fossils, DNA evidence, radioisotope decay testing, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.

Of course, the word "theory" has a completely different meaning to right-wing fundies than it does to trained scientists.

Though to be fair, Ayn Rand created her philosophy of Objectivism, which is a completely different flavor of insanity than that practiced by fundie Christians.

[gratuitous]

18. Actually, evolution is a fact

There is undeniable evidence that plants and animals evolve, within the usual and ordinary meaning of that term. There is no serious dispute on this point. The "theory" part comes with the mechanism by which evolution occurs. Popularly understood mechanisms include "survival of the fittest," "natural selection," and "punctuated equilibrium." It seems likely to me that evolution occurs through all of these mechanisms, and perhaps in some combinations of them. Life as a complex phenomenon doesn't always yield to a single explanation; even seemingly identical outcomes can have very different mechanics for achieving them.

[seabeyond]

12. no way, someone thinks evolutionary theory is a fuckin theory... wow. nt

[Democrats_win]

13. According to Matt Taibbi, Ayn believed in "objective reality."

In his book Griftopia, Taibbi describes objective reality as, "When I'm right, I'm right" and "My facts are facts and your facts are not facts."

What a deal! Anyway, you can see the problem. To her, the only thing that matters is what she thinks. We've been through this before when the "church" decided that the earth was the center of the universe. This kind of thinking could be described in the words of Einstein: "the bad judgement of conviction."

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. By the strict workding of the Scienitfic method

Ayn Ryan is correct. This does not mean that she'd comprehend why.

In fact, even though we have no doubt the Theory of Gravity is real...and easily reproducible, it IS a theory.

[Curmudgeoness]

19. According to Ayn Rand, we are all lazy, ignorant, scum suckers.

She wasn't right about much of anything, although as I recall, it is known as the "theory of evolution". Although I cannot imagine why anyone can't believe it has been proven enough to be considered a "law".

I love people who do not believe in evolution, but they believe in "superbugs" that have become resistant to antibiotics. Duh, how did that happen? Oh, I know, god wants to kill us off so he created them.

[Bandit]

20. A true Scientific EXPERT has spoken

:shrug: Some people just can't seem to absorb facts.....They would rather live in their own delusional world.

[saras]

21. According to Gene Ray, EARTH HAS 4 CORNER SIMULTANEOUS 4-DAY

[pipi_k]

22. According to the dictionary...

Evolution is indeed


Definition of THEORY

1: the analysis of a set of facts in their relation to one another


http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/theory



The Theory of Evolution....the analysis of a set of facts in their relation to one another...


Where's the problem?

[robcon]

23. It IS just a theory. A theory with enormous evidence behind it.

n/t

[Sheepshank]

24. ...but her book is fact?

interesting, idiot brain cramp issue going on.

[Chris_Texas]

25. Fact Check Time

"I am not a student of the theory of evolution and, therefore, I am neither its supporter nor its opponent." --Ayn Rand

Obviously we know that Rand had no religious beliefs that stood between her and acceptance. I take her at her word: she probably did not really care.