X-Message-Number: 4735
Date: 07 Aug 95 23:15:12 EDT
From: Mike Darwin <>
Subject: Re: Sweep of History and Odds, Re: CRYONICS sarcastic humor

The following is response to a post I received privately.  I am encouraging the
author to post his criticisms on Cryonet.

>Ayn Rand did not believe that history is moving in a positive direction
>overall.  She believed that the direction of history depends on the
>choices that individuals make, and that those choices are voluntary
>and not predictable by her or by anyone else.

I think Ayn Rand's position was pretty clear.  Certainly, I agree with your
remarks that she felt that how history goes is a volitional choice. However, no
one who reads her novels and nonfiction writing would not conclude that her
philosophy was melioristic.  By this I mean that she believed that IF people
make the right choices (i.e., are guided by rationality) that history is an
ever-improving thing.  I SHOULD have made this qualification more clear.


My point was that NOWHERE in any of Rand's works does she posit a scenario where

man is not ultimately triumphant and where reason does not ultimately win.  Even
WE THE LIVING has this message in it.  That is what I was refering to.  Indeed,
the cover to one of the paperback editions of THE FOUNTAINHEAD carried a

painting by her husban Frank called Man Also Rises.  This, incidentally, was the
inspiration for the name for Manrise Corporation, one of the first for-profit
cryonics service provider companies.


In short, she had a Victor Hugo, heroic view of mankind which is most definitely

a melioristic one.  Rand did not write nihilist novels and in fact detested that
branch of writing (for Chrissake she didn't even like Shakespeare!).

Finally, she IS on record as viewing the Universe as begin place.


As to Pauling, maybe my mistake about the details but not the substance.  He was
on a list of people forbidden to leave the US as security risks.  He needed a
special permission or "exit visa".  I do not know the details, but I do know

that he was unable to go and that this was meted out as punishment.  I would not

be at all surprised if he had to surrender his passport. Others were treated the
same way during this period. The FBI in the person of J. Edgar Hoover was
largely responsible.  I can recommend a vastly interesting and entertaining
biography of Hoover if you are interested.  

Others may be able to clarify the Pauling issue. Regretably I do not have a
biography of Pauling. Can anyone recommend one?

>Nitpick:  You're probably thinking of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.
>The Verazzano Narrows Bridge never failed, that I've heard of.


You are quite right, it was  the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.  The Verrazano Narrows
is still standing as far as I know.  An excellent little book dealing with the
history of engineering is TO ENGINEER IS HUMAN.  I do not have it with me, so I
can't give you the ISBN or author (and its absence lead me to guess the wrong
Bridge!).  It is highly accessible and very interesting and, in my opoinion, of
considerable relevance to cryonics organization/engineering/finance design. It

was remaindered through Barnes and Noble about 6 months ago.  Pity.  More people
should read it.

Finally, please feel free to post corrections and/or criticisms of my posts on
the open list.  I am not a god and try to readily admit mistakes when I make
them, even though humility is MOST CERTAINLY NOT a trait I am very well
acquainted with, let alone proud of.

Mike Darwin


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