The God of the Machine (LFB)
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.16 (537 Votes) |
| Asin | : | B008LYYLNY |
| Format Type | : | |
| Number of Pages | : | 151 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-05-30 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Mike Bayer, CFP, CIM, FCSI said Most of the harm in the world is done by good people. "Most of the harm in the world is done by good people, and not by accident, lapse, or omission. It is the result of their deliberate actions, long persevered in, which they hold to be motivated by high ideals toward virtuous ends when millions are slaughtered, when torture is practiced, starvation enforced, oppression made a policy, as at present over a large part of the world, and as it has often been in the past, it must be at the behest of very many good people, and even by their direct action, for what they consider a worthy object." (The God of the Machine)"The hand-mill," wrote Karl Marx, summar. One of the most important books of the 20th Century! God of the Machine was my first clue that history could be more than a boring recitation of names and dates.Paterson looks at the whole sweep of history, from ancient to contemporary, and relates it to the ideas and principles of freedom. Her central concern is to discover the political forms which freedom and civilization require. Her central unifying concept of "the long circuit of energy that makes civilization work" is both exhilarating and true: if economic thinking has not yet caught up to Isabel Paterson, so much the worse for it!Written by a friend of Ayn Rand, and a lover of freedom, God of t. "I particularly like Ms. Paerson's different perspective on the history of" according to Ned Netterville. I particularly like Ms. Paterson's different perspective on the history of Rome, and her insight into the advantages of individualism. She is a true friend of human freedom.
It is wise. We had been through more than a decade of the planning state, with government robbing people in order to help them. It is prophetic. And after the war, a whole generation of writers and books dropped down the memory hole to make way for the new and reconstructed scions of the statist postwar culture. The answer presented itself in the form of the draft, the war, the wrecking of family and community — and, finally, mass bloodshed on all sides.The God of the Machine blew the whistle on the entire trajectory and celebrated individualism as no one else had yet done. This book is her masterwork. It is, in many ways, a founding document of the entire laissez-faire perspective in modern America.Paterson was clearly a genius and a woman of enormous courage. It
Paterson’s one-time protégé Ayn Rand said of The God of the Machine: ‘It is a sparkling book, with little gems of polemical fire scattered through almost every page, ranging from bright wit to the hard glitter of logic to the quiet radiance of a profound understanding.’ Paterson’s wit, logic, and understanding still cast light today, and The God of the Machine remains a source of illumination for modern readers seeking a better understanding of the preconditions for development and freedom.”—Cato Institute, Libertarianism. It is focused on the great continuing issues of civilization, which it confronts with the authority of Paterson's special character and experience. Reflecting on the Prohibition debacle, Paterson ridicules the notion that government can set moral standards for anyone. Paterson develops a consistent, comprehensive, courageous world view. It offers an unforgettable experience: a pano
He is the author of The Woman and the Dynamo: Isabel Paterson and the Idea of America. . Isabel Paterson (1886-1961) was a journalist, critic, and author of nine books. She is considered to be one of the founders of American libertarianism.Stephen Cox is professor of literature and director of the Humanities Program at the University of California, San Diego