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Author: TheHandle

Jan 17th 2013 at 5:54:20 AM

^If you use Hero in the classical sense, someone who does whatever the hell they want and has the balls to face the consequences, rather than the modern sense of TheHero, then I don't see why a villain couldn't be Randian; as a matter of fact, Rand was a self-confessed Hero Worshipper, and she meant it in the classical sense.

^^That article is misleadingly apologetic and would get in the way of qualifying a character as Randian. Modern Randians have a habit of pulling NoTrueScotsman on Rand ''herself''; with reason, too, since, by weakness or by design, she was a {{Hypocrite}}.

* In HarryPotterAndTheMethodsOfRationality, Harry Potter is dismissive of Rand's philosophy, which he considers a trap. He still relies heavily on the idea of enlightened self-interest to guide his moral compass and to assess others', but he is very keenly aware of a greater picture than his own, and he does not hesitate to sacrifice his own well-being for the sake of others. Slytherin and Ravenclaw, at their best, are very Randian, with the Ravenclaws focusing on the "enlightened" and the Slytherins on the "self-interest" parts respectively. Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, by contrast, are altruistic, putting the needs of the group before the needs of the individual.