Robert Khuu Presents

Can’t I lie down and worship?

Amazon recently recommended that I buy Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged” based on my past purchases. I wonder where it found the connection? The only book that might result in this suggestion is Alan Greenspan’s “The Age of Turbulence” and I bought that book a few months ago. The rest of my purchases tend to center around science fiction, video games, and the occasional liberal hippie sociology book.

I’ve actually considered reading “Atlas Shrugged,” but my main complaint is that it’s a really long read. I’m mostly satisfied with reading about Rand’s viewpoint on Wikipedia in addition to listening to true believers gush over Rand’s greatness. Needless to say, but I think I’ve got a pretty good grasp of what that viewpoint entails. I mostly reject the broader implications of the Randist philosophy, but I like what it says on the micro level. On the other hand, my view is definitely incomplete. I probably won’t have the full picture until I’ve actually read “Atlas Shrugged” in addition to the rest of her bibliography, but every time I set my mind to reading her book I always encounter the same old problem: it’s so long.

In any event, given my liberal quasi-socialist tendencies, I find it amusing that Amazon suggests I read an author that tends to run counter to my philosophical leanings. It’s a little like asking me to read and enjoy Ann Coulter.