Who has more followers today: Sigmund Freud or Ayn Rand?

[Boojatta]

[Ozymanithrax]

1. Edward Bernays beats them both...

[OHdem10]

2. I thought Rand had fallen from her perch. Some hangers on but

no longer carries the punch she once did.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

3. Sometimes a cigar is just a phallic teabag

[Boojatta]

5. Clever!

:)

[ZombieHorde]

4. Easily Freud. nt

[On the Road]

6. Freud is More Famous

and a more integral part of the history of psychology than Ayn Rand is of the history of philosophy. That is beyond question.

The problem is, virtually no one believes more than a small fraction of Freud's ideas any longer, while a lot of influential people actually seem to believe most of Rand's ideas pretty wholeheartedly.

As far as place in intellectual history, it's definitely Freud. But as a far as current followers go -- Rand by a long shot.

[Luminous Animal]

7. Deleted because I am too tired to make sense.

[Solly Mack]

8. Schadenfreude has more fans and more followers.

[JDPriestly]

9. The question is absurd.

Sigmund Freud's work led to the development of the field of psychiatry and psychology. But Freud's own work is not followed by very many people.

Ayn Rand's theories are followed by very few. I doubt that very many conservatives have really read Ayn Rand. Many conservatives are Christians who would be shocked, horrified by Ayn Rand's atheism, her cynicism, her self-centered beliefs. And, yes, I read most if not all of Ayn Rand's books when I was young.

So, I would say that Sigmund Freud's legacy is more widely accepted and followed.

But some of the people who see psychologists are conservatives.

The number of people who really take Ayn Rand's teachings seriously is very small. Her teachings are just too harsh. If you really fall in love with another person, if you really care about your children, your family, anyone, you can't claim to be strictly following Ayn Rand's teachings.

Sorry, Boojatta, but your question is poorly stated.

[EFerrari]

11. Freud's work is followed by a ton of people

who study concepts like subjectivity and relationship, notably the British Object Relations folks, but also a host of others in other disciplines.

[napoleon_in_rags]

12. That's the thing, Freuds work mutated, Rand's really didn't.

That's actually a weakness of the Libertarians, too dogmatic. But as far as the originals, write down the core principles of both without the names attached, and ask Americans which idea they've heard. Rand will win 1000 to 1.

[EFerrari]

13. Try to find someone who doesn't know what "depression" means.

:)

[napoleon_in_rags]

16. Alternatively, try to find somebody on the street who can explain the concept of superego.

Hey, I'm not knocking the Freudster, but the guy seeded a living school of thought, he didn't found a religion. The same can't necessarily be said of Rand.

[EFerrari]

19. But isn't Rand the obsession of a few mostly upper middle class people?

They may get more attention but people study Freud every day all over the world.

[napoleon_in_rags]

30. Honestly I think its far more ubiquitous than that.

I used to be a Libertarian, and that movement, which is the basis of the modern tea party in the US, is oddly really economically diverse. I have known a lot of libertarian punk rockers... Its the spirit of self sufficiency, you alone against the cold hard world that appeals, way more than anything having to do with economic policy. You could describe them as "emotional followers" of Rand perhaps, the spirit of it all appeals to them. And I think that spirit is really widespread in America. Its something the Republicans know how to tap really well and they use it to succeed. To this day even I still really resonate that with spirit when I see it, I like it. Its when you think that spirit can be naively and simply translated to policy that you get problems, the problems you get whenever you try to craft a dogma out of a nebulous spirit.

But was that spirit around before Rand? Sure. And its definitely an American thing while Freud is a global thing, but I'm saying don't underestimate her influence.

[JDPriestly]

20. napoleon_in_rags, That is why I say that you cannot compare their

followings. Their effects on the world have been too dissimilar. I view Ayn Rand as a rather childish fad -- like the beat movement or the hippie movement. There are still people who hang on to the vestiges of that age, people living in hippie communes to this day, for example. But they are a dying breed.

[DeltaLitProf]

10. Freud by a long way

His concept of the subconscious has endured even in today's psychology and psychiatry. And the vocabulary he developed to analyze the subconscious has not vanished yet and shows no sign of doing so. It's hard to pick up a biography or a cultural analysis that doesn't assume that examining the childhood, or examining unspoken motivations is the way to truly know a person or a cultural practice.

Ayn Rand did nothing more than personalize vulgar laissez-faire capitalism so that what was argued for companies and nations in the mercantilist era was suddenly made an individual obligation. It became "good" to act entirely selfishly, according to her ethic. Even the worst of today's conservatives see the fallacy of acting entirely selfishly in every circumstance.

[tcaudilllg]

14. Freud is looked at as something of a oaf today

and rightfully so.

[Metric System]

15. Yeah, they're both quacks.

[Liquorice]

17. Not by people who understand the importance of understanding the unconscious mind. And

not by people who realize what he contributed to our understanding of ourselves.

[EFerrari]

22. Dynamics of relationship, first sketched out by Freud. n/t

[EFerrari]

21. Maybe in pop culture.

He laid the very foundation of every hour of therapy that happens today.

[themadstork]

25. Maybe by incurious scientists. As a thinker and a literary artist he's as alive as ever.

And he ain't going anywhere.

I'm amused by the pseudo-intellectualism displayed by those who proclaim that the modern world has no use for Freud, that we have "moved on" from his sexist ramblings.

[old mark]

18. I think that many who follow Rand have not read her books, nor much of anything else...

Most "followers" of Freud at least know who he was and what he tried to do...

Did you know tha Freud was a famous chef? There is a very popular dish named after him...Freud Chicken!

mark

[Modern_Matthew]

23. Much respect to Freud. nt

[Boojatta]

24. Kick to encourage the casting of votes and the posting of replies.

[themadstork]

26. I think Freud's ideas have permeated our culture to a far greater degree. Any Rand probably has more

explicit disciples.

[themadstork]

27. I wonder what prompted the comparison? Nt.

[stevenleser]

28. It's not a fair comparison...

Freud's work was scientific and medical in nature and he died 70 years ago. That is a long time in Science and as a result, much of his work has been superceded. Its also fair to note that though it has been superceded, his work was an important step in psychiatry/psychology and I am certain the field would not be nearly as far along without him.

Rand died only 35 or so years ago and much of her political philosophy was in align with a segment of the conservative faction politically. By its very definition, conservatism does not change much over time.

[RagAss]

29. Charlie Sheen.

[Boojatta]

31. Speak of the devil ...

and his imp appears.