Jack Vance

 

Jack Vance (1916-2013) was an American writer of science fiction and fantasy, widely regarded as one of the most important and influential writers in the genre. He was born in San Francisco and grew up in the Bay Area, where he studied mining engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. After serving in the U.S. Merchant Marine during World War II, Vance worked as a bellhop, a copper miner, and a seaman before turning to writing full-time in the early 1950s.

Vance's early stories appeared in pulp magazines like Thrilling Wonder Stories and Astounding Science Fiction, and he quickly gained a reputation for his inventive world-building, complex plots, and distinctive prose style. His first novel, "The Dying Earth" (1950), established him as a major new talent in the field of science fiction and fantasy. He went on to write more than 60 novels and numerous short stories over the course of his long career.

Ayn Rand

 

Ayn Rand was a Russian-American novelist, philosopher, and political thinker, born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum on February 2, 1905, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Rand's family was well-educated and financially successful, but they lost their wealth and status after the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. Rand studied philosophy and history at Petrograd State University but was forced to leave after her father's business was seized by the Soviet government.

In 1926, Rand emigrated to the United States, where she began her career as a screenwriter in Hollywood. She later turned to writing novels and became famous for her works of fiction, including "The Fountainhead" and "Atlas Shrugged." Her philosophy of Objectivism, which emphasized individualism, reason, and laissez-faire capitalism, had a significant impact on conservative and libertarian thought in the United States.

Throughout her life, Rand was an outspoken critic of collectivism and totalitarianism, and she believed that individual rights were paramount. She also believed that artistic and intellectual pursuits were essential to the human experience, and she celebrated the virtues of individualism, rationality, and self-interest.

We the Living, by Ayn Rand

"We the Living" is a novel by Ayn Rand, published in 1936, that explores the struggles and hardships faced by individuals living under Soviet communism in post-revolutionary Russia.

The novel centers around the life of Kira Argounova, a young woman who, despite her intelligence and independent spirit, is unable to escape the oppressive regime that dominates her life. Throughout the novel, Rand portrays the Soviet system as a suffocating force that crushes the individual spirit and ambition of its citizens.

The Tyrannical Impulse and Social Justice

There is no such thing as "social justice"; it is a null concept allegedly first-coined by Luigi Taparelli, a Catholic priest, c. 1840. If you try to find a definition of this term, you'll get something like this:

(from the Oxford English Dictionary): "justice in terms  of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and    privileges within a society."

(from The UN, 2006):  "the fair and equitable distribution of economic, political, and social resources, based on the principles of equality, human rights, and non-discrimination."

Just take a few minutes and digest that. Important questions arise. What are economic resources? Who decides what is fair, and just? Who distributes these things? And more importantly, who produces them?

Jean Valjean and Cosette

 

from Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo.

The story of Jean Valjean and Cosette is one of the central threads in Victor Hugo's novel "Les Misérables." Jean Valjean is a former convict who is transformed by the kindness of a bishop and becomes a compassionate and selfless man, dedicated to helping those in need.

After his release from prison, Valjean struggles to find work and is turned away from every opportunity because of his criminal past. Desperate and hungry, he steals silverware from the bishop's home but is caught and brought back to face punishment.

To everyone's surprise, the bishop tells the authorities that he gave Valjean the silverware as a gift and even gives him additional valuable items. The bishop's act of mercy changes Valjean's life, and he begins to live as an honest man, determined to make amends for his past mistakes.