# Why is Ayn Rand not taught in schools? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 1, 2014, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-ayn-rand-not-taught-in-schools/692078 "2014-07-01T10:30:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-ayn-rand-not-taught-in-schools/692078/281 "2014-09-29T19:31:04Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Not Rand herself. Her _acolytes_. I think it gives untalented annoying undisciplined people something to point to that gives them a reason to feel they are above the rest of humanity. She is an apologist for hipsters. HIPSTERS, not hitler - I just wanted to make sure that was clear. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-ayn-rand-not-taught-in-schools/692078/282 "2014-09-29T19:43:10Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Not? I’m content to criticize her and her followers. Well, not \*primarily \*her. She exists in our culture only because of her followers, and their annoyingness far exceeds hers. Going after her instead of them directly is only a proxy tactic. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-ayn-rand-not-taught-in-schools/692078/283 "2014-09-29T22:39:55Z")
Nobody ever asks “why isn’t Sartre taught in high school?” and yet by any rational analysis he was a more important figure in the history of modern philosophy than Ayn Rand. So were, for that matter, Locke, Spinoza, Kierkegaard, and Kant. In actual schools of philosophy, in real universities, those are the major leaguers. Rand’s down in double-A. Hell, I wasn’t specifically taught anything about MARX in high school, but agree or disagree with him, he was one of the most important philosophers of modern history, hands down. When are the schools going to find time for Ayn Rand? ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-ayn-rand-not-taught-in-schools/692078/284 "2014-09-29T22:42:40Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > But she WANTED to be raped, remember? :dubious: > (It was even worse in _The Fountainhead_!) I find it interesting about how her philosophy is basically that submission is bad, that people should never submit to government. But then in her sexual relations that’s the main thing she desires. Most women have some desire to submit, but she takes it way over the top. Even as a naive teenager when I ate everything up, this confused me. I’m not quite sure how it fits together with her philosophy and life history. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-ayn-rand-not-taught-in-schools/692078/285 "2014-09-30T01:31:10Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Nobody ever asks “why isn’t Sartre taught in high school?” and yet by any rational analysis he was a more important figure in the history of modern philosophy than Ayn Rand. So were, for that matter, Locke, Spinoza, Kierkegaard, and Kant. In actual schools of philosophy, in real universities, those are the major leaguers. Rand’s down in double-A. > > Hell, I wasn’t specifically taught anything about MARX in high school, but agree or disagree with him, he was one of the most important philosophers of modern history, hands down. > > When are the schools going to find time for Ayn Rand? I don’t think this thread has been about the original question since the first page. At least, none of my participation was on that account. I was merely trying to fight ignorance 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-ayn-rand-not-taught-in-schools/692078/286 "2014-09-30T01:49:11Z")
> [@bldysabba](#): > > Are you of the impression that IKEA is the only thing the Scandinavians have ever done? They gave us the Vikings. And lutefisk. Hard to say which smells worse. > [@Mr.Nylock](#): > > I think it gives untalented annoying undisciplined people something to point to that gives them a reason to feel they are above the rest of humanity. She is an apologist for hipsters. HIPSTERS, not hitler - I just wanted to make sure that was clear. That is cold, bro. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-ayn-rand-not-taught-in-schools/692078/287 "2014-09-30T03:09:40Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > They gave us the Vikings. Which is why **Grumpybunny** ’s amusement at a Scandinavian pirate made me go :dubious: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-ayn-rand-not-taught-in-schools/692078.md?page=14)