Comments on: Rational Mastermind

By: Ryan

Ryan — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 08:59:21 +0000

I don’t mind the closed-loop novelization of philosophic ideals so much, since one of the best ways to teach someone something is to couch it in a story. They can take it or leave it, but at least they weren’t bored.
But when it’s as heavy-handed as Rand, it’s unpalatable. I can only handle so many comparisons between the chiseled, charismatic, work-a-holic protagonist and his buffoonish, lazy, stupid, idiotic family. She might as well have just hollowed out a little hole in Atlas Shrugged and stuck a hammer in it a la Shawshank Redemption (retroactive spoiler alert) with the words “rational self-interest” carved on the handle. The dust jacket would read: “Flip open the book, pull out the hammer, aim it at your forehead, and pound away.
* * *
And instead of thinking as Gandalf as a test-taker, I prefer to think of him as a proctor … you know, handing out SATs to nervous high schoolers and intoning, “You shall not pass!”

By: Josh

Josh — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 05:25:26 +0000

Also, I think when Gandalf took the M-B test, he might have been feeding biased answers to score an INTJ.

By: Josh

Josh — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 17:15:19 +0000

Results do tend to fluctuate if you are near the middle of the scale when taking the “informal” tests. Many tests just dump you into a group when the formalized tests place you on a scale for each characteristic pair.

Regarding lucas, I don’t know if I think that means I am capable of great things, or if it means I have already done my life’s best work.

By: Bret

Bret — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:32:35 +0000

I made it through The Fountainhead, but I seem to remember it making me a little queasy. The emotionless, egocentric main character is set up as a paragon of individualism, the selfish genius standing alone against the attacks of the common rabble. So incredibly elitist…and not that great a writer, so double bleh.

Rand’s bad, but how do you feel about being on a list with Lucas? That’s got to cause some mixed feelings.

The last time or two that I’ve taken these tests, the outcome has changed, but that’s not too weird since I tend to be in the middle for most categories. Maybe it’s time to take another one…

By: Josh

Josh — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:21:09 +0000

Yeah, Rand isn’t a fantastic writer. I never got further into Atlas than to open at random and skim a few passages (this is how I decide if I want to read something).

For one thing, I don’t buy into writing a work of fiction in order to “prove” the validity of your philosophical ideal. Talk about a closed loop.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 06:45:19 +0000

I had a friend who, when asked about M-B, always said that he was an IDGF. I suppose I’m an IDGS.
As for you, you’re in good company with Gandalf, Moriarty, and Lewis, but Ayn Rand? Bleh. I tried reading Atlas Shrugged twice and ending up choking on Objectivism both times. I mean, I can get behind a solid work ethic, but the woman couldn’t allow even one femtogram of grace into her life. Also, as a writer, she was really into telling, not showing. Bleh.