Ayn Rand under attack by 'philosophers'

[RobinReborn]

I moderate the Objectivism subreddit (reddit is a website where you share links and vote up or down based on whether you like other people's links).

There's been quite a bit of controversy due to the Philosophy subreddit banning references to Ayn Rand:

Here is a screen shot of the explanation for why a link to Ayn Rand's Playboy interview was banned:

http://imgur.com/fDNPLVz

Here's the discussion

https://www.reddit.com/r/Objectivism/comments/3d1qrt/ayn_rand_is_banned_from_rphilosophy/

I suppose it's not a surprise that Ayn Rand hate pervades all mediums of communication.

[Brant Gaede]

Banned in Boston.

The banners just made themselves unserious to their purported subject--that is, philosophy.

I don't let myself be subject to moderation. A site may have a policy--I don't care too much--but when the moderator moderates me, goodbye.

As for reddit, whatever that is, I just stay away anyway. Life's too short. I now know it's worthless except for pissing people off and making them go where reddit says not. Another way of saying it's for children and their nannies.

--Brant

[Selene]

I moderate the Objectivism subreddit (reddit is a website where you share links and vote up or down based on whether you like other people's links).

There's been quite a bit of controversy due to the Philosophy subreddit banning references to Ayn Rand:

Here is a screen shot of the explanation for why a link to Ayn Rand's Playboy interview was banned:

http://imgur.com/fDNPLVz

Here's the discussion

https://www.reddit.com/r/Objectivism/comments/3d1qrt/ayn_rand_is_banned_from_rphilosophy/

I suppose it's not a surprise that Ay

n Rand hate pervades all mediums of communication.

What is surprising is that it is the "The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy," not philosophers. Context matters.

I mean being listed in Stanford's Encyclopedia of philosophers and also having an entire philosophical thought (objectivism) having been coined by her makes Rand a philosopher in her own right. Even ignoring that, it's clear to see that her writings continue to inspire and sway people's views today. Certainly more of a philosopher than any simple author.

Do you present yourself to be an Objectivist?

A...

[Reidy]

I'm not clear: did the moderator ban all mention of Rand or just the link to the interview? In the first case, saying she was not a philosopher is clearly wrong. In the second, the interview took up philosophy and and literature, careers for women and current events as well. Whether the moderator is wrong would depend on just how strictly he enforces the philosophy-only rule for other philosophers. If list members regularly talk about Russell on child-raising or about Wittgenstein's reading tastes but enforce the rule strictly for Rand, the moderator is wrong.

In either case, anyone who wants to talk about her has plenty of opportunities to do so.

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Pete,

I saw this earlier on a visit to Reddit. I don't get around too well in that environment for simple lack of use, but if nothing has changed from the other day, the stink is because someone posted a thread about Ayn Rand in a philosophy section. It was deleted or moved to a non-philosophy section (I don't remember which). When the person asked why, the answer was Rand was not a philosopher. When asked what Rand was, the answer was entertainer. Or something like that.

Also, the person linked to an entry about her at "The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy" to get the moderator to reconsider and the moderator responded with snark, "Did I studder?" or something like that.

We have snark here on OL, but at least we are not prejudiced against the letter "T."

The Reddit crowd is mostly millenials and slightly older, if I'm not mistaken. Good kids. I like their "take no shit from no one" spirit. I don't like their lopsided education, of course. Still, some brainiacs appear now and then. But I don't hold public education against them. They couldn't help that. I believe sites like Reddit will help keep the flame of loving to learn alive in their hearts.

Lots of peer pressure over there, though.

Michael