Some of the important '''concepts''' discussed in [[Atlas Shrugged]] include the ''Sanction of the Victim'' and the ''Theory of Sex''.
===Sanction of the Victim===
The Sanction of the Victim is defined as "the willingness of the good to suffer at the hands of the evil, to accept the role of sacrifical victim for the 'sin' of creating values."
The entire story of Atlas Shrugged can be seen as an answer to the question, what would happen if this sanction was revoked? When Atlas shrugs, relieving himself of the burden of carrying the world, he is revoking his sanction.
The concept is apparently original in the thinking of [[Ayn Rand]] and is foundational to her moral theory. She holds that evil is a parasite on the good and can only exist if the good tolerates it. To quote from [[Atlas_Shrugged/Galts Speech|Galt's Speech]]: "Evil is impotent and has no power but that which we let it extort from us", and, "I saw that evil was impotent...and the only weapon of its triumph was the willingness of the good to serve it." Morality requires that we do not santion our own victimhood.
Throughout Atlas Shrugged, numerous characters admit that there is something wrong with the world but they cannot put their finger on what it is. The concept they cannot grasp is the sanction of the victim. The first person to grasp the concept is [[Characters in Atlas Shrugged|John Galt]], who vows to stop the motor of the world by getting the creators of the world to withhold their sanction.
We first glimpse the concept in section [[Atlas_Shrugged/Section121|121]] when [[Characters in Atlas Shrugged|Hank Rearden]] feels he is duty-bound to support his family, despite their hostility towards him.
In section [[Atlas_Shrugged/Section146|146]] the principle is stated explicitly by [[Characters in Atlas Shrugged|Dan Conway]]: "I suppose somebody's got to be sacrificed. If it turned out to be me, I have no right to complain."
===Theory of Sex===
In rejecting the traditional Christian altruist moral code, Rand also rejects the sexual code that, in her view, is a logical implication of [[altruism]].
Rand introduces a theory of sex in Atlas Shrugged that is purportedly implied by her broader ethical and psychological theories. Far from being a debasing animal instinct, sex is the highest celebration of our greatest values. Sex is a physical response to intellectual and spiritual values - a mechanism for giving concrete expression to values that could otherwise only be experienced in the abstract.
One is sexually attracted to those who embody one's values. Those who have base values will be attracted to baselessness. Those who lack any clear purpose will find sex devoid of meaning. People of high values will respond sexually to those who embody high values.
That our sexual desire is a response to the embodiment of our values in others is a radical and original theory. However, even those who are sympathetic to this theory have criticized it as being incomplete.
This sexual theory is illustarted in the contrasting relationships of [[Characters in Atlas Shrugged|Hank Rearden]] with [[Characters in Atlas Shrugged|Lillian Rearden]] and [[Characters in Atlas Shrugged|Dagny Taggart]], and later with Dagny Taggart and [[Characters in Atlas Shrugged|John Galt]]. It is presented symbolically via the [[Atlas_Shrugged/Bracelet|bracelet]].
Important illustrations of this theory are found in:
Section [[Atlas_Shrugged/Section152|152]] - recounts Dagny's relationship with [[Characters in Atlas Shrugged|Francisco d'Anconia]].
Section [[Atlas_Shrugged/Section161|161]] - recounts Hank and Lillian Rearden's courtship, and Lillian's attitude towards sex.
This site is not affiliated with or endorsed in any way by the Wikimedia Foundation or any of its affiliates. In fact, we fucking despise them.
|
