Online Discussion: The Wreckage of Consensus and The Cashing-In.
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Join us for a rigorous online discussion on two pivotal essays from Ayn Rand’s Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal. Writing during the cultural upheaval of the late 1960s, Rand argued that the political "middle of the road"—the ideal of government by consensus—was not a stable compromise, but a path to intellectual and moral bankruptcy.
"The Wreckage of the Consensus" (1967): Originally delivered as a lecture during the Vietnam War, this essay dissects the collapse of "government by consensus." Rand argues that when politics abandons objective principles and individual rights in favor of group compromise, the result is the destruction of a nation’s moral and political framework.
"The Cashing-In: The Student Rebellion" (1965): In this analysis of the New Left and the student uprisings of the 1960s, Rand explores how statist intellectuals and political leaders "cash in" on the philosophical void of modern education. She traces the path from the classrooms of the academy to the riots in the streets, illustrating the practical consequences of collectivism.