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Introducing The God of the Machine Series!

Posted by mshupe 1 year, 6 months ago to Economics
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Beginning Monday June 12th, I will post excerpts from Isabel Paterson’s exceptional tribute to individualism and capitalism – The God of the Machine. As a matter of course, the book is not Objectivism, but for those who may be unaware, Paterson and Ayn Rand were close confidants and exponents of each other’s work. In fact, Rand wrote to Paterson in 1943: “The God of the Machine is a document that could literally save the world . . . (it) does for capitalism what Das Kapital does for the Reds and the Bible did for Christianity.”

One exception to Objectivism is evident in the title of this book. It should also be noted that the excerpts will not necessarily match the order in which the sentences or paragraphs appear in the text. My first objective is to highlight some important themes in a coherent, yet highly abridged format. The second is for people to study this important book for themselves, a copy of which can be found at: http://Amazon.com: The God of the Machine: 9781773239170: Paterson, Isabel: Books.

Generally, there will be three snippets per chapter posted every week (M, W, F), three short paragraphs each, and the project will conclude by the end of the year. Like The Fountainhead, the year 2023 marks the 80th anniversary of its publishing, so this exposé is none too soon.


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  • Posted by j_IR1776wg 1 year, 6 months ago
    Excellent. One of the most intelligently written books in history. I look forward to your interpretation of Chapter XIV. I never could quite understand her meaning of The Virgin and the Dynamo.
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    • Posted by 1 year, 6 months ago
      To me, the Virgin is analogous to the raw wilderness of the territory of America, barren of any mechanized political system. The Dynamo is free will and the intellect of man, the creative mind. The chapter reviews various forms of socioeconomic machinery attempted in Europe that prevented a machine economy (capitalism) from emerging. Of course, Paterson gives the Virgin a divine provenance - the paralyzed free will of man.
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  • Posted by VetteGuy 1 year, 6 months ago
    I just finished "The God of the Machine" so I'm glad to see this discussion. To me, some of the historical material was a little hard to follow and required additional study to understand.

    I look forward to the first installment!
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    • Posted by 1 year, 6 months ago
      Thank you, and I think the historical material may be understood best in the context of energy circuits: how and when they are cut short, and contract societies: how and when they are formed and when they are displaced by status societies.
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