The Journals of Ayn Rand (94 page)
Read The Journals of Ayn Rand Online
Authors: Ayn Rand
This
is what the creators must stop. Don’t give your enemies the means to destroy you. Don’t accept the enemy’s terms.
You
are the power. Deliver an ultimatum to the parasites: take
my
terms—or nothing. And
my
terms here mean: individualism, egoism, independence. [This means] the recognition of the primary life principle—the faculty of man’s independent rational judgment; the translation of this into concrete morality—the principle that each man exists
only
for his own sake (and can claim nothing from others); the translation of this morality into politics—a society of individualism and capitalism. The creators destroy themselves by any acceptance (complete or partial) of the creed of altruism.
is what the creators must stop. Don’t give your enemies the means to destroy you. Don’t accept the enemy’s terms.
You
are the power. Deliver an ultimatum to the parasites: take
my
terms—or nothing. And
my
terms here mean: individualism, egoism, independence. [This means] the recognition of the primary life principle—the faculty of man’s independent rational judgment; the translation of this into concrete morality—the principle that each man exists
only
for his own sake (and can claim nothing from others); the translation of this morality into politics—a society of individualism and capitalism. The creators destroy themselves by any acceptance (complete or partial) of the creed of altruism.
June 21, 1946
Civilization (which means everything made by men, not nature—all physical wealth, all ideas and spiritual values) was made by man’s intelligence.
It can be used and maintained only by man’s intelligence.
(And this applies to any part of it, any product—industry, machines, art, anything.) It has to vanish when intelligence vanishes. But intelligence is an attribute of the individual; it functions individually, it cannot function under compulsion ; it cannot be tied to the decisions of others and, therefore, is destroyed in a collectivist society. That is why collectivism cannot produce or survive.
It can be used and maintained only by man’s intelligence.
(And this applies to any part of it, any product—industry, machines, art, anything.) It has to vanish when intelligence vanishes. But intelligence is an attribute of the individual; it functions individually, it cannot function under compulsion ; it cannot be tied to the decisions of others and, therefore, is destroyed in a collectivist society. That is why collectivism cannot produce or survive.
Besides, the intelligent man does not live for others.
The higher the intelligence, the greater the self-sufficiency.
(Your need of others can be used as a measure of your intelligence—in inverse ratio.)
The higher the intelligence, the greater the self-sufficiency.
(Your need of others can be used as a measure of your intelligence—in inverse ratio.)
As a clue to the net effect:
The book could be dedicated “to all those who think that material wealth is produced by material means.”
The book could be dedicated “to all those who think that material wealth is produced by material means.”
Minor note:
Since the material is an expression of the spiritual, the physical state of the world in the story (their physical assets, capital goods, means of production, tools, machines, buildings, etc.) must be a reflection of men’s spiritual state: incompetent, weak, falling apart, disintegrating, uncertain and senselessly contradictory, maliciously evil, dull, gray, monotonous—above all, decaying.
Since the material is an expression of the spiritual, the physical state of the world in the story (their physical assets, capital goods, means of production, tools, machines, buildings, etc.) must be a reflection of men’s spiritual state: incompetent, weak, falling apart, disintegrating, uncertain and senselessly contradictory, maliciously evil, dull, gray, monotonous—above all, decaying.
Re: looting.
The primitive form of looting is to seize the end products of the work of others, consume them and then look for another victim. This is the pattern of the plain criminal, the most primitive savage tribes, and the early Asiatic nomadic invasions, such as Attila or Genghis Khan. The modern form is to loot the
means of production
and try to carry on (which is only a variation of the same thing, actually more stupid, more vicious, and less practical). This is the pattern of Soviet Russia.
The primitive form of looting is to seize the end products of the work of others, consume them and then look for another victim. This is the pattern of the plain criminal, the most primitive savage tribes, and the early Asiatic nomadic invasions, such as Attila or Genghis Khan. The modern form is to loot the
means of production
and try to carry on (which is only a variation of the same thing, actually more stupid, more vicious, and less practical). This is the pattern of Soviet Russia.
What makes it less practical is the fact that grabbing an industry and expecting it to run without intelligence is like grabbing an automobile and expecting it to run without gas. It rests on a savage’s misunderstanding of the nature of production, his ignorance of the fact that
intelligence
is the energy that keeps the tools going, that tools cannot go by themselves, and that intelligence can neither be taken over nor forced.
intelligence
is the energy that keeps the tools going, that tools cannot go by themselves, and that intelligence can neither be taken over nor forced.
If the primitive looter left his victims alive, he at least left them alone to start production again—he took over the product,
not
the means of production (the chief of which is
freedom).
The modern collectivist looter takes over the product
and the means.
He enslaves men. He seizes and stops the source. Therefore, after he has consumed the existing accumulated wealth, no more can be produced, neither for him nor for his victims. This is how he destroys the world and himself.
not
the means of production (the chief of which is
freedom).
The modern collectivist looter takes over the product
and the means.
He enslaves men. He seizes and stops the source. Therefore, after he has consumed the existing accumulated wealth, no more can be produced, neither for him nor for his victims. This is how he destroys the world and himself.
So the pattern of disintegration in the story must be
the increasing consumption of capital assets, without replacements.
(Here the last emergency of taking up old rails fits quite well.)
the increasing consumption of capital assets, without replacements.
(Here the last emergency of taking up old rails fits quite well.)
A savage invader also enslaved the conquered population (which is taking over
man
as the means of production); but then he established a slave society, which could just barely exist, in the most primitive way, without intelligence. You cannot enslave intelligence—only brute, physical force, only muscle power. Actual looters, such as the nomadic tribes, grabbed property and departed. Now the modem collectivist is attempting the impossible; he is not a slave master, in the ancient sense of a slave economy, an economy that produced something by means of slaves; he is actually
a perpetual looter,
and what he wants to loot, continuously, is the source of production—man’s intelligence. This can’t be done.
The Pattern of the Railroads’ Growthman
as the means of production); but then he established a slave society, which could just barely exist, in the most primitive way, without intelligence. You cannot enslave intelligence—only brute, physical force, only muscle power. Actual looters, such as the nomadic tribes, grabbed property and departed. Now the modem collectivist is attempting the impossible; he is not a slave master, in the ancient sense of a slave economy, an economy that produced something by means of slaves; he is actually
a perpetual looter,
and what he wants to loot, continuously, is the source of production—man’s intelligence. This can’t be done.
The basic scientific invention: the steam engine.
The application of this invention to transportation: the designing of a steam locomotive.
The parallel growth of two elements (two lines of endeavor, integrated by one purpose): the entrepreneurs who organize railroads, the inventors who improve the technical equipment.
Main developments here:
1.
Enterprise:
branching into new territories, laying out new lines, acquiring better equipment, giving better and more service cheaper, planning better organization of the whole system.
Enterprise:
branching into new territories, laying out new lines, acquiring better equipment, giving better and more service cheaper, planning better organization of the whole system.
2.
Invention:
scientific progress in an immense number of lines, the four main ones being:
track
(rails, ties, grade, tunnels, bridges, terminals),
motive power
(engines: steam, oil, electric, diesel-electric),
rolling stock
(cars, brakes),
signals
(telegraph, radio, semaphores, automatic safety devices).
Invention:
scientific progress in an immense number of lines, the four main ones being:
track
(rails, ties, grade, tunnels, bridges, terminals),
motive power
(engines: steam, oil, electric, diesel-electric),
rolling stock
(cars, brakes),
signals
(telegraph, radio, semaphores, automatic safety devices).
Main purposes:
speed, safety, economy, comfort, reliability.
speed, safety, economy, comfort, reliability.
Results:
the creation of new territories, the birth of new industries and growth of all industries due to rapid transportation permitting exchange of raw materials for production and exchange of produced goods over vast regions, opening up huge new markets.
the creation of new territories, the birth of new industries and growth of all industries due to rapid transportation permitting exchange of raw materials for production and exchange of produced goods over vast regions, opening up huge new markets.
As the parasites take over a huge, working system, the first thing to stop is progress. No improvements made, no new lines opened, no new inventions accepted (or made).
Lack of judgment makes Taggart incapable of grasping the needs of the system. Routine makes him keep lines, activities, and procedures no longer necessary; this is a drain on the system and hampers the needed activities.
When the smallest thing goes wrong, he has no idea how to repair it—like a moron operating a dishwasher when he wouldn’t know and couldn’t think of how to wash dishes by hand; if one small screw falls out, he has no idea how to mend it. Taggart is a moron in relation to TT—a moron with an immense, complex machine. His smallest attempt at “mending” only grows into major destruction of the machine.
Lack of judgment makes Taggart adopt new policies (when forced to by obvious trouble) that are disastrous and only aggravate the trouble (by transferring it to other points and problems).
Unnecessary branches are kept going for irrelevant reasons at great expense and effort. Needed branches curtail their services, dislocating needed industries, while the unneeded ones are artificially kept alive for political and other second-hand reasons.
As needed industries are crippled or dying off, the railroad suffers from lack of the materials and products that it needs.
The vicious circle: bad railroad service leads to bad industries, bad industries make the railroad service worse—and all go down together, disintegrating.
In the realm of
enterprise,
the process is: branches being closed off, the system contracting, the service getting worse and more expensive, the organization falling apart with consequent confusion, inefficiency, hit-and-miss policy, a growing chaos.
enterprise,
the process is: branches being closed off, the system contracting, the service getting worse and more expensive, the organization falling apart with consequent confusion, inefficiency, hit-and-miss policy, a growing chaos.
In the realm of
invention,
the process is: as the technical equipment wears out, it is replaced by older, inferior models of the preceding technical stage, going back to easier, more primitive methods (but not for long, since this can’t be done); [there are progressively more] accidents and breakdowns of equipment.
invention,
the process is: as the technical equipment wears out, it is replaced by older, inferior models of the preceding technical stage, going back to easier, more primitive methods (but not for long, since this can’t be done); [there are progressively more] accidents and breakdowns of equipment.
Track:
rails deteriorate and replacements are made of inferior steel; ties rot and some are not being treated; grades worn by floods and weather conditions are neglected; tunnels collapse and are closed; bridges collapse and cannot be repaired or replaced; terminals deteriorate—switching causes endless delays, confusion, loss of freight.
Motive power:
as locomotives wear out, older and weaker ones are put into service, promptly breaking down, too; locomotives are used without necessary repairs, or on a shoe-string, with patched-up “fixing,” just to complete one run—with the result that at the end of the run the locomotive has to be junked, worn out beyond repair (beyond
their
capacity to repair it, anyway); crucial shortages of fuel—and inferior fuel that ruins the engines.
rails deteriorate and replacements are made of inferior steel; ties rot and some are not being treated; grades worn by floods and weather conditions are neglected; tunnels collapse and are closed; bridges collapse and cannot be repaired or replaced; terminals deteriorate—switching causes endless delays, confusion, loss of freight.
Motive power:
as locomotives wear out, older and weaker ones are put into service, promptly breaking down, too; locomotives are used without necessary repairs, or on a shoe-string, with patched-up “fixing,” just to complete one run—with the result that at the end of the run the locomotive has to be junked, worn out beyond repair (beyond
their
capacity to repair it, anyway); crucial shortages of fuel—and inferior fuel that ruins the engines.
Rolling stock:
the same deterioration and same vain make-shifts as with engines. Cars for special purposes vanish first—such as refrigerator cars, huge special flat cars, then stock cars, tank cars, grain cars, until nothing but a few old standard boxcars and flats are left. Passenger cars get more and more uncomfortable. Diners are eliminated (“economy”), then sleepers (except a few for politicians).
the same deterioration and same vain make-shifts as with engines. Cars for special purposes vanish first—such as refrigerator cars, huge special flat cars, then stock cars, tank cars, grain cars, until nothing but a few old standard boxcars and flats are left. Passenger cars get more and more uncomfortable. Diners are eliminated (“economy”), then sleepers (except a few for politicians).
Comforts are eliminated, in reverse order from that in which they came: first air-conditioning goes, then heating, then water (and toilets), then lighting. Brakes are defective and shaky, causing endless accidents.
Signals:
breakdowns, mainly (or at least ostensibly) through inefficient personnel. Breaks in telegraph service leave schedules and trains in confusion, and cause traffic snarls. Automatic safety devices are long since gone. Automatic signals are replaced by manual ones—going back to lanterns and flags—and these wreak total havoc in the hands of semi-moronic collectivist “lower labor.” There are dreadful accidents—the kind that could have been prevented by intelligence.
breakdowns, mainly (or at least ostensibly) through inefficient personnel. Breaks in telegraph service leave schedules and trains in confusion, and cause traffic snarls. Automatic safety devices are long since gone. Automatic signals are replaced by manual ones—going back to lanterns and flags—and these wreak total havoc in the hands of semi-moronic collectivist “lower labor.” There are dreadful accidents—the kind that could have been prevented by intelligence.
Main direction of the process:
railroads become slow, dangerous, expensive, uncomfortable, unreliable.
railroads become slow, dangerous, expensive, uncomfortable, unreliable.
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