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@RickiTarr *whispers* I was into Ayn Rand as a young teen and thought The Fountainhead was a guide to becoming some sort of elevated human.

@Tweetfiction You and me both lol

@RickiTarr I blame my honors English teacher who assigned it. Thank God I got to college and read real philosophy and realized Objectivism is a bunch of nonsense, and mostly stolen nonsense written by a massive hypocrite.

Glad I wasn't the only one sucked in who grew up.

@Tweetfiction @RickiTarr I think, in a lot of ways, Rand is optimized to be a bit of a tar pit for precocious youths. it has a veneer of philosophical discourse without challenging many fundamental assumptions about the world, so you feel like you're elevating yourself without being made uncomfortable. Adults will praise you for reading it. And it centers the ego at a time when ego development and individuation are part of one's cultural arc of development.

@Tweetfiction @RickiTarr I see nothing wrong with reading some Rand within context. The real problem with Rand is that, given how unchallenging and accessible it is, a lot of people just kinda stop there. Especially if they're teenagers, it kinda arrests parts of their intellectual and emotional development in those late-teen years.

I also think teens and young adults should read Nietzsche, but with guidance and context, as his work can *also* have a similar effect.

@roadriverrail @RickiTarr agreed on all points. I mentioned those pholosphers specifically because she either ripped them off, or they're Utilitarians, which I consider the more enlightened version of the self-interest she preaches.

@Tweetfiction @RickiTarr You know, I read that originally only thinking of "survey of philosophy", and my immediate reaction was "Hm...a lot of that's kinda redundant to Rand and/or her influences..." and then I didn't consider that the idea was precisely that. I shouldn't philosophy before coffee.