E8 - An Unobstructed Effort to Introduce Dagny Taggart

A Socialist Reads Atlas Shrugged

Today's episode begins with speculation about the "actual" Halley's Fifth Concerto in our Moment of Non-Contradiction. Jonathan then discusses the first scene with Dagny Taggart named, in which Dagny has a dramatic reaction to hearing a (new?) song by a favorite composer. The moments in which Dagny gets swept away by the music bring up some interesting elements of meditation and Buddhist philosophy. Jonathan then compares Dagny Taggart to the Count of Monte Cristo as a way of explaining some of the satisfaction a reader experiences with Dagny's journey in Atlas Shrugged. Some might wonder why Dagny let James Taggart mismanage the company and we explore a possible explanation for that connected to Dagny's character. This episode concludes with an exploration of the difference between fame and success.
Today's Moment of Non-Contradiction comes from YouTube. The person who created this post on YouTube cites the book 100 Voices: An Oral History of Ayn Rand.
My five themes to explore in this podcast's close read of Atlas Shrugged are:

1. What is human nature?
2. Straw-man arguments and their impact on the world Ayn Rand creates.
3. Dagny Taggart as a true hero.
4. How empathy can be de-legitimized.
5. What is Capitalism and what is wrong with it?

Questions or comments? Email me at: [email protected]
Learn more about Jonathan Seyfried at their website, https://jonathanseyfried.art
If you'd like to support my creative work, please visit my Patreon page.
The intro/outro music was composed by John Sib.
The podcast theme image was created by Karina Bialys.

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