Philosopher Warrior,

I have pulled "The Virtue of Selfishness" and "The Romantic Manifesto" off of the shelves and dusted them off. In principle the ideas are solid, but I view them as the ideas of an idealistic society (sort of a Utopia), which is often the same as an unrealistic society. Would you say that the ideas presented would be perhaps acceptable for individuals at times, but not for societies as a whole?

One of my favorite works on Utopias is Thomas More's "Utopia" which I think appropriately means 'nowhere'. Although I don't subscribe to the communistic (not Bolshevism communism, but more communal living) ideals of the work, "Utopia" seems to be a society that works. Although if you deal with ideas only without taking into account individuals, virtually any Utopia would work.

It seems to be diametrically opposed to Objectivism. I don't think that More's Utopia is any more realistic than Rand's Objectivism. My main objection to Rand is that I don't see room for compassion, unless it serves you, and then is it really compassion?