Overview of the Novel
Atlas Shrugged is a novel by Ayn Rand, founder of the liberal philosophy of objectivism. It was her fourth book, the last, and the longest. It was published on 10th October 1957 by Random House Publishers and lies within the science fiction, mystery, and romance genres. The novel, just like its author, is famous in America since it advocates freedom, hard work, and individualism. It depicts a battle between two classes of humanity, the non-looters who advocate for capitalism and the looters who are pro-government control. In this novel, Rand describes her view of the failures of governmental coercion. She also brings out the central theme of the book as the role of the mind in the existence of human beings. Since this paper aims at discussing what businesspeople can learn from the virtues in the book, it shall focus on rationality as a sub-theme.
The book has five main characters. The first and most famous is John Galt, whose name is not provided until the seventh chapter of the third part of the book. Throughout the novel, Galt is described as a philosopher and inventor who believes in an individual’s right to use their mind for themselves. The second is Dagny Taggart, the operations vice president at Taggart Transcontinental (Rand 40). Hank Rearden is Dagny’s lover, a successful industrialist, and his invention is under attack from the government, scientific experts, and the media. The fifth character is Eddie Willers, an assistant at Taggart Transcontinental and Dagny’s childhood friend.
Rand elaborated the book’s theme through sub-themes. They include good versus evil, nobility of business, love, sex, and reason and freedom. This theme makes the book a favorite read among business people as it revolves around people’s lives in successful businesses. For example, the heroic characters in the book Dagny and Hank are virtuous and devoted to their careers. James Taggart and Orren Boyle are also successful business people who thrive on other people’s accomplishments; James on his sister’s success and Boyle on government handouts and favors.
Dramatizations of Rationality
In chapter seven of the third part of the novel, Galt’s name is mentioned for the first time, and he provides a list of virtues in his three-hour speech. The chapter begins when Hank disappears, fulfilling Dagny’s wish to be the only victim if things go wrong. He writes to Dagny explaining that he is fine and has met John Galt. Meanwhile, the country is panicky and is controlled by violent gangs. The president is to give a speech to address the crisis in an attempt to calm the public. After a week’s announcements and preparation, all radio stations go off at the time of the speech, and a voice goes on air, introducing John Galt. He gives a speech on his philosophy of reason and individualism.
One of the virtues that Galt talks about is rationality. Galt defines rationality as man’s responsibility to think and describes it as a moral process and the greatest, most noble, and heroic form of devotion. He argues that although one may cheat, make an error, or try to fake evidence, if devotion to truth signifies morality, then the noblest act of a person is taking the responsibility of thinking (Rand 1080). Galt’s version of rationality is portrayed in the novel through heroic characters, as discussed below.
The first character through who rationality is brought out in the novel is Dagny Taggart. Her character represents a heroine, and she is the story’s primary narrator. Dagny runs a transcontinental railroad and has vast knowledge in physics and engineering. Through this character, the author communicates that human greatness equals achievement irrespective of gender (Rand 80). Dagny’s character is dedicated to truth regardless of social construction, which helps her acquire knowledge in engineering and create new products. Dagny has an independent judgment, which allows her to accept Hank’s quality metal despite social opposition. Dagny is proof that there is no cognitive difference between men and women in their role as knowledgeable engineers. Through Dagny, Rand argues that a rational woman can outperform any man in whichever field.
The second character that Rand portrays as rational is Hank Rearden. According to Rand’s philosophy of objectivism, productivity is the sole purpose of human existence attainable through rationality. This version of rationality is best brought out in Hank’s character. As a teen, he worked in ore mines and persevered the pain and fatigue until he bought the mines. After ten years of hard work and incorrupt judgment and thinking, Hank created a metal alloy superior to steel. Rand argues that creation productivity can only be achieved through body-mind integration. The mind being the source of wealth, should be used to reshape the surroundings.
Francisco d’Anconia also brings out the virtue of rationality. He is Galt’s close friend and recruits great thinkers for the strike. A view of the world defines Francisco which Rand terms the benevolent universe premise. According to Rand, the assumption holds that the achievements of rational men shape reality. The most accomplished and happy people in the world recognize that rational thought and productivity advance life. Francisco has the mind of an explorer and a builder. He uses constructive irony, attacking only the irrational and sparing strangers and good people.
Ragnar Danneskjöld, also a friend of Galt, is the other rational character. He is an intelligent philosopher and fights the looters by robbing their ships and restoring wealth to their producers. His tactics are based on rationality as he fights by taking wealth from the parasitic and giving it to the productive. The other rational character is Hugh Akston, a philosopher who taught Galt and his friends at Patrick Henry University.
The virtue is also found in the dealings of Ellis Wyatt, the inventor of an advanced method to extract oil from shale rock. Wyatt is an entrepreneur and refuses the government to drink from the pool of his success. When the government’s destructive policies keep reaching his company, Wyatt opts to set his oil wells on fire. Rand uses this character as a perfect example of independent judgment, productivity, and rationality.
Finally, John Galt portrays the epitome of rationality and all other virtues discussed in the book. He reads a list of virtues in his three-hour speech, explaining the meaning of each and its importance in human survival. Galt’s character can only be compared to the most incredible mind in history since he is an excellent genius. He is the hero and main character of the novel. The book revolves around his actions and explains what happens after the thinkers go on strike. Galt is a virtuous and rational man who knows the power of productivity and rationality in objectivism. He initiates a strike and leads it to achieve successful outcomes. He carries the society from the exploitation of communism to the freedom of capitalism.
Departures from Rationality
While most successful characters are virtuous, a few villains show how failure to use one’s mind can negatively affect survival. The first character who portrays the absence of rationality is Dagny’s brother and president of Taggart Transcontinental, James Taggart. He is a looter who gains through political connections. James Taggart is motivated by his hate for good men, explaining why he intended to acquire Dan Conway’s Phoenix-Durango Railroad by force. He is against the strike and its proponents, all people who are portrayed as having cognition that rationality and productivity result in objectivism and a more fulfilled happy life.
The second character through who Rand shows irrationality is Lilian Rearden. She is Hank Rearden’s wife and hates her husband. Her primary goal is to destroy her husband; hence she cultivates a relationship with the looters who oppose Hank’s superior metal alloy. Like James Taggart, Lilian hates good people and is dominated by envy. However, unlike Taggart, who deceives himself and his purpose, Lilian hates good people and would never want to be associated with them.
The third character who depicts irrationality is the head of the state President Thompson. In the absence of rationality, Mr. Thompson acts in the heat of the moment and is driven by pragmatism. He can make deals with anyone to retain his power. He believes that all people are open to corruption and attempts to deal with Galt a deal, who he believes has control over a particular political group. Galt turns down the offer, and Mr. Thompson is puzzled by Galt’s unwillingness to take the deal. His assumption that all people are open to corruption shows that he lacks an open mind, and his thinking is controlled by social construction. While rationality entails responsible thinking, independent judgment, and recognition that productivity improves survival, Mr. Thompson lacks these traits highlighting his irrationality.
Application of Rationality by Businesspeople
Atlas Shrugged is a favorite book among many businesspeople. The plot revolves around the lives of businesspeople but through two different means. While one group is heroic and leads a life with virtues, the other is blind to virtues and is parasitical. The virtuous group depicts the theme of the book; the mind is the survival tool of human beings. Both groups show the role of man’s mind in existence, the virtuous group through sustainable success, and the irrational through wavering, dishonest gain.
Businesspeople can learn that rationality helps one make wise, reliable, and consistent decisions. For example, all the characters who depict rationality in the novel campaign for freedom from government oppression. While the state was dominated by communism and exploitation, rational people such as Dagny, Galt, and Hank, who had an independent judgment and a drive for productivity, could go through with a successful strike. Their rationality defined who they are, what decisions they made, and how they fostered those decisions. In the real world, business people need to know what they stand for by accepting the responsibility to think and understanding that rationality and productivity alter reality for the better.
Rationality makes thinking visible. Since it is a process, rationality helps other people understand why a person makes certain decisions or acts a certain way. For example, Galt realizes that businesses suffer under government regulations and plans a strike that he carries successfully. Ellis Wyatt also opts to set his oil wells aflame than having the government exploit him and drink from the pool of his success like a parasite. Unless one is rational enough to understand these sensible decisions, one cannot understand why they acted as they did. At first glance, one would even think Galt and Wyatt are negatively deviant individuals when fighting for what is right in an absolute sense.
The virtue of rationality promotes productivity, as clearly evidenced in the novel. For most of the characters who depict rationality, productivity is one aspect they foster. For example, Hank Rearden works tirelessly at an ore mine, buys the mine, and invents a metal alloy superior to steel. Ellis Wyatt develops a new methodology for extracting oil from shale rock. The two characters are intelligent innovators in the rail and mining industries, and their products contribute to the country’s economy. However, the government is exploitative, and they face opposition as the government imposes unfair regulations on their companies.
In conclusion, Ayn Rand’s novel Atlas Shrugged is a favorite book for many businesspeople. The novel delves into the lives of successful businesspeople, both heroes, and villains. It has a list of virtues through which one can identify on what side each character lies. Businesspeople can learn from the vast knowledge provided by the novel. For instance, from the virtue of rationality, they can understand that it is a process that enables one to make accurate, reliable, and sustainable decisions. It also makes thinking visible, helps train others to be rational, promotes productivity, and fosters the philosophy of objectivism for human survival.
Work Cited
Rand, Ayn. Atlas Shrugged. Penguin, 2005.