The God of the Machine
Encyclopedia
The God of the Machine is a book written by Isabel Paterson
and published in 1943. At the time of its release, it was considered a cornerstone to the philosophy of individualism
. Her biographer Stephen D. Cox
(2004) believes Paterson is the "earliest progenitor of libertarianism as we know it today."
Paterson opposed most of the economic program, known as the New Deal
, American president Franklin D. Roosevelt
put into effect during the 1930s, and advocated less government involvement in social and fiscal
issues. She also led a group of younger friends (many of whom were other Herald Tribune employees) who shared her views - one of which was the young Ayn Rand
.
Paterson and Rand promoted each other's books and conducted an extensive correspondence, touching on religion and philosophy. This correspondence ended with a personal quarrel in 1948. Rand, an atheist, was critical of deist Paterson's attempts to link capitalism
with religion. Rand considered the two to be incompatible.
Isabel Paterson
Isabel Paterson was a Canadian-American journalist, novelist, political philosopher, and a leading literary critic of her day. Along with Rose Wilder Lane and Ayn Rand, who both acknowledged an intellectual debt to Paterson, she is one of the three founding mothers of American libertarianism...
and published in 1943. At the time of its release, it was considered a cornerstone to the philosophy of individualism
Individualism
Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, or social outlook that stresses "the moral worth of the individual". Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and so value independence and self-reliance while opposing most external interference upon one's own...
. Her biographer Stephen D. Cox
Stephen D. Cox
Stephen D. Cox is the editor of Liberty magazine, an American monthly libertarian and classical liberal review. He is also a professor of literature at the University of California, San Diego and author of several non-fiction books....
(2004) believes Paterson is the "earliest progenitor of libertarianism as we know it today."
Background
Isabel Paterson wrote a column for the Herald Tribune, where she first articulated many of the ideas that reached their final form in The God of the Machine. These ideas, especially free trade, were also foreshadowed in the historical novels she wrote in the 1920s and 1930s.Paterson opposed most of the economic program, known as the New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
, American president Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
put into effect during the 1930s, and advocated less government involvement in social and fiscal
Finance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
issues. She also led a group of younger friends (many of whom were other Herald Tribune employees) who shared her views - one of which was the young Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand was a Russian-American novelist, philosopher, playwright, and screenwriter. She is known for her two best-selling novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged and for developing a philosophical system she called Objectivism....
.
Paterson and Rand promoted each other's books and conducted an extensive correspondence, touching on religion and philosophy. This correspondence ended with a personal quarrel in 1948. Rand, an atheist, was critical of deist Paterson's attempts to link capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
with religion. Rand considered the two to be incompatible.
Quotation
- "Most of the harm in the world is done by good people, and not by accident, lapse, or omission. It is the result of their deliberate actions, long persevered in, which they hold to be motivated by high ideals toward virtuous ends... ...when millions are slaughtered, when torture is practiced, starvation enforced, oppression made a policy, as at present over a large part of the world, and as it has often been in the past, it must be at the behest of very many good people, and even by their direct action, for what they consider a worthy object." (The God of the Machine)
External links
- The God of the Machine
- Preview of book on google books
- Cato Institute: The God of the Machine.
- Doherty, Brian, Review of Cox (2004), Reason, February 2005.
- NeglectedBooks.com: Review and Excerpt from Never Ask the End
- RationalReview.com: Essay-Review on Stephen Cox's The Woman and the Dynamo: Isabel Paterson and the Idea of America by Jeff RiggenbachJeff RiggenbachJeff Riggenbach is an American libertarian journalist, author, editor, broadcaster, and educator.Riggenbach's first book, In Praise of Decadence , argued that the baby boomers turned out to be far more libertarian in their personal philosophy than had been expected.His second book, Why American...