On May 17, 2016, I blogged about Ayn Rand’s book, Atlas Shrugged. In preparing for my current Caribbean cruise I decided to read Rand’s earlier work, The Fountainhead.  Rand began outlining The Fountainhead in 1935, began writing it in 1938 and published it in 1943.  Rand is known for her philosophy known as “Objectivism” – “My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute.” 

The Fountainhead is the story of about 20 years of the life of Howard Roark, an architect, and the cast of characters around him.  The story begins around 1920 and runs to about 1940 with most of the action taking place in New York City and its metro area.  A major element of the story is Roark’s unique relationship with Dominique Francon, a writer and daughter of a leading architect.

Rand presents her philosophy directly through the testimony of Roark during a trial near the end of the book.  She presents commentary about her philosophy is a variety of scenes throughout the second half of the novel.   Rand makes clear she has no use for those who attempt to bring down the great among us under the guise of helping others.  There is no basis for redistribution of wealth under Rand’s philosophy.  There is no place for collectivist thought in Rand’s world.  She presents those that wish to achieve power by controlling and placating the masses as evil. It is clear that Rand’s philosophy continued to evolve between the publication of The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged but all of the key elements are presented in The Fountainhead. 

Why is it important to read a 74 year old book today?  Because many of the issues addressed in The Fountainhead are extremely relevant today.  Many leaders in the world support various forms of collectivism.  Collectivist leaders have been responsible for some of the greatest evils in the history of mankind.  We must ask ourselves the question what kind of society we wish to have.  The Fountainhead is a story that asks the right questions for this time at a personal and societal level.  It is a counter argument to the leftist/collectivist mentality that permeates much of our current academic philosophy.  It is important book for everyone to read. 

One of the interesting facets of Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead and Rand’s personal life is that none of the main characters have children.  Rand was never a mother.  Her key female characters in Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead are not mothers despite being of child bearing age.  Some people, including myself, that generally support Rand’s philosophy believe that her views are too strident, too absolute.  They don’t deal with the reality of raising children and the full impact of children on the lives of adults.  Her views don’t address the broad spectrum of people in our society.  Is this the result of a flaw in Rand’s character or her reasoning or her philosophy?  I don’t know.  But when reading anything about Rand’s philosophy, one must take care to understand that Rand is providing tools for a philosophical tool kit, not a fully developed philosophy of life.

TPM

How much do we know about Orville and Wilbur Wright, the Wright brothers of aviation history fame?  Even though I am an aerospace engineer by education, worked in the aviation and space industry for almost my entire career, and visited Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, site of man's first flight by a heavier than air powered machine carrying a pilot in December of 1903, I really didn't know a lot about the Orville and Wilbur Wright.  The historic flight achieved by the Wright brothers is simply one part of their extremely interesting life story.  I encourage anyone with interest in this topic to read David McCullough's The Wright Brothers which was published in 2015. 

The story of the Wright family is extremely interesting.  I had never heard of Katharine Wright, the younger sister of the Wright brothers, before reading McCullough's book.  Katharine was the most highly educated person in the Wright family, an Oberlin College graduate.  Katharine was part of the Wright Brothers family team that ran the original bicycle shop, developed their test gliders, tested the original Wright Flyer and traveled throughout Europe demonstrating and selling Wright Flyers.  While Katharine was not involved in designing or producing the aircraft, her role as part of the overall family unit was critical as you will find out when you read The Wright Brothers. 

While the Wright brothers place in history is firmly established there is no doubt they could have done even more.  Orville Wright's crash at Ft. Myer, in Arlington, Virginia, in 1908 resulted in the death of his passenger.  The crash also resulted in severe injuries to Orville which impacted him for the rest of his life, even though he returned to flying after a long recovery.  Wilbur Wright's death from typhoid fever at the age of 45 in May of 1912 cut short a life that could have done much more.  Wilbur was the business leader of the family and after his death Orville didn't have a lot interest in continuing to grow the family aircraft manufacturing company.  Orville sold the business a few years after Wilbur's death. 

Wilbur, Orville and Katharine were part of an American family based in Dayton, Ohio.  They achieved much in their lives, but they were also human, just like the rest of us.  We never know when and where the next Wright family will emerge to change the world.  They could arise from anywhere. 

TPM