Ayn Rand and John Galt : Anarchists

Ayn Rand Series Index

Who was John Galt?

John Galt, the inventor who was himself only an invention of Ayn Rand's mind, rejected the existing government, economy, and society. He withdrew from the prevalent culture - physically, economically, spiritually - and developed his own alternative economy and social system in Galt's Gulch.


The story itself appears to be (at best) a derivative of The Driver, by Garet Garreth, which is somewhat in conflict with Rand's stated position in favor of intellectual property rights.

John Galt was an Anarchist

John Galt's Oath is instructive: "I swear by my life and my love of it, that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine." I'm trying to imagine my relationship with Princes Charles if the Founding Fathers had felt like John Galt.

What do Anarchists believe?

First, there's the dichotomy of what a scheme professes and how it exists in the world. You could criticize Communism, and hear "the problem is with the Russian implementation of Communism, not the essence of Communism". So let's talk about professed, theoretical anarchy.

Essentially, Anarchy (an-archy) is a system of no-rulers, of individuals living on terms they define. Anarchism is the belief that people can organize themselves without having someone tell them what to do. Anarchists believe that it is better for everyone to have a direct say, instead of having leaders or bosses make decisions for them. Anarchists also believe that participation (in society, in government, in an economy) should never be compulsory. (link)

What did Ayn Rand / John Galt believe?

Rand believes in gold as the only true medium of exchange. In her utopia, depicted in Atlas Shrugged and symbolized by “Gault’s Gulch”, cash is worthless because there is no value in a piece of paper just because a government assigns it a value. Gold is the only medium of exchange in her paradise. When Ragner returns wealth to the producers he does not use paper, he gives Reardon bars of gold. Rand's admiration of the dollar sign as a symbol of wealth is only consistent while that dollar is worth some amount of gold.

Anarcho-Capitalism

John Galt was not just a generic anarchist; he was an Anarcho-Capitalist, an anarchist who specifically rejects a monopoly economy or an imposed economy, and who rejects currency because he disputes government's legitimacy to assign value to paper scrips.

What do Anarcho-Capitalists Believe?

Anarcho-capitalism is an anarchist philosophy that is against the idea of political government and a compulsory economy, and for voluntary, economic government through free market capitalism mediated by supply and demand.

Anarcho-capitalists think that people can protect themselves without any government. Instead of stopping intrusion with laws, people could protect their own things, or agree to pay other people such as insurers, and private defenders to protect them through the marketplace. Anarcho-capitalists say that the government is a thief because it takes taxes away from people against their will, and keeps them from making unfettered agreements between themselves. (link) This is completely consistent with Rand/Galt's beliefs.

By accepting an axiomatic definition of private property and property rights, anarcho-capitalists deny the legitimacy of a state on principle:
"... the ethics of private property is also incompatible with the existence of a state defined as an agency that possesses a compulsory territorial monopoly of ultimate decision-making (jurisdiction) and/or the right to tax."

Murray Rothbard was a preeminent 20th-century anarcho-capitalist. "I define anarchist society as one where there is no legal possibility for coercive aggression against the person or property of any individual. Anarchists oppose the State because it has its very being in such aggression, namely, the expropriation of private property through taxation, the coercive exclusion of other providers of defense service, and all of the other depredations and coercions that are built upon these two invasions of individual rights."

What do Anarcho-Capitalists say about Ayn Rand?

In the late 1950s, Anarchist Murray Rothbard was briefly involved with Ayn Rand. Rothbard admired Rand’s book Atlas Shrugged and even wrote to her saying so. After a few brief encounters the two had a falling out and to this day their followers continue the rivalry. Why they fell out is unknown, but rumor was that Rand gave the agnostic Rothbard an ultimatum to divorce his Presbyterian wife within six months. Rothbard did not and it is said that Rand’s group (the “collective”) held a trial in his absence and removed him from the group... Rothbard regarded Rand as psychotically running a cult and wrote The Sociology of the Ayn Rand Cult about that.

Who was John Galt? John Galt was an Anarcho-Capitalist

He seems like a rather unlikely role model for American patriots who attend Tea Parties.

Ayn Rand Series Index

Anarchist Bomber Photos

I have written recently about Anarchist symbols and the various groups within Anarchy. I've received feedback that I should draw clearer distinctions. In general, a big letter A is considered an Anarchist symbol.

Anarchism is a political philosophy which considers the state (as compulsory government) to be unnecessary, harmful, and/or undesirable; Anarchists promote the elimination of the state. According to The Oxford Companion to Philosophy, "there is no single defining position that all anarchists hold, and those considered anarchists at best share a certain family resemblance."

From a nominalist (naming) perspective, 'monarchy' means a king in authority, 'matriarchy' and 'patriarchy' mean mothers/fathers in authority, 'oligarchy' is rule by a small elite group. Plutarchy is rule by the wealthy. Panarchy is an all-encompassing rule, such as world government. Diarchy is rule by two, such as Andorra's two co-princes. Anarchy is nobody in charge.

Anarchism and Libertarianism are used around the world as equivalent terms. In the United States, some people started considering Libertarianism as a distinct philisophy in the 1950s.

These are Anarchist Bombers

This is a contemporary Anarchist poster supporting a New York City bomber:

These are NOT Anarchist Bombers

If you see aircraft with these markings in the local area, it probably means there's an Oldies Hangar Dance at the local airport. The large letter A's are unit markings.

Parsing Anarchist Imagery PG-20RG

Next Week's Anarchist Events

CrimethInc (sic) is an anarchist group that's planning their 2009 convergence in Coraopolis, PA (per Wiki). Another source advertises the Convergence as July 20-26. Here's a Convergence thread. Here's a flyer announcing that the Convergence meets Monday, July 20th, at the Northside Commons, W. North Avenue and Brighton, by the pond, noon to sundown. Here's a syllabus of the seminars and sessions planned.

I am intrigued by (and concerned about) the Anarchist movement and the upcoming G-20 meetings. I think my concern is driven by what I remember reading in school about the beginnings of WW1, sparked by (among other things) an anarchist's assassination of Arch-Duke Ferdinand. When you read political tracts from the 1895-1915 era, you'll see discussion of Anarchists, and it's amazing to me that 100 years later we're encountering forces that, if not the same, at least fly the same banner.

And so I'd like to examine the banners of Anarchy.

Parsing Anarchist Symbols

Anarchists have their own symbols and images, and I've never really paid attention until the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh was announced. The general anarchist symbols are apparently the Circle-A and the Black Flag. These symbols have as much meaning to Anarchists as Donkeys, Elephants, and Uncle Sam do to mainstream politicians. (Credit: Wiki page on Anarchist Symbolism.)

G-20 Anarchist Imagery

In the slick color poster prepared by ResistG20.org there's a few significant icons, including a string of two-color stars. They've got a black star, a red/black star, a green/black star, a purple/black, and a pink/black star.

Various schools within the anarchist movement have adopted their own flags and stars. These flags are bisected diagonally with the black half for anarchy and the other half in a color representing each school's ideas. These color templates are also extended to five-pointed stars representing the same schools of thought.

The Black Star, and a black flag, are traditional symbols of Anarchism. The red star is a symbol of socialism. Mixing the two symbolizes the co-existence of anarchist and socialist ideals within the anarcho-syndicalism movement, and to symbolize the more socialistic means of the movement leading to a more anarchistic end.


The red-and-black flag is the symbol of the anarcho-syndicalist and anarcho-communist movements. Black is the traditional color of anarchism, and red is the traditional color of socialism.


The black-and-green flag is used by green anarchists and anarcho-primitivists. It is generally taken to symbolize a vision of anarchism that focuses on the self-determination of all forms of life (animals, humans, bioregions) and not just humans, hence the green.


The black-and-purple flag is used in association with anarcha-feminism. Unlike other bisected anarchist flags, it does not necessarily represent another form of anarchism, but is used to focus on opposition to the hierarchical patterns of heterosexism, sexism, transphobia, and patriarchy.


Feminist Anarchy may also use the black-and-pink flag, although the latter is more closely associated with queer anarchists. This is somewhat equivalent to the Log Cabin Republicans.


The symbols in the poster represent Anarchy, Socialist anarchy, Green anarchy, Feminist anarchy, and Queer anarchy.

Groups Who Didn't Make The PG-20RP Poster

Anarcho-Pacifists

The black-and-white flag is used by anarcho-pacifists.

Christian Anarchists

Although Christian anarchists may also use the black-and-white flag, they are more likely to use symbols such as this one.

The Curious George Brigade of Crimethinc

The Curious George Brigade is a Queens, NY anarchist collective.

Anarcho-Capitalists

The black-and-yellow or black-and-gold flag is used by anarcho-capitalists and other market anarchists. The yellow is intended to symbolise gold, a commodity of exchange often used in marketplaces unrestricted by state intervention.

Anarchy's Big Mistake

The biggest mistake that the anarchists have made IMO regarding the G-20 is the failure to include Anarcho-Capitalists. If they had just provided even a token presence for the black-and-gold flag, they'd have Pittsburgh marching with them; it's a well-known phenomenon that Pittsburgh can't resist following anything black-and-gold.

The Uninvited

It does not make me feel warm that the Anarchist sub-groups they've excluded are the Pacifists, Capitalists (Go John Galt!), and the Christians.

Propaganda of the Deed

Propaganda by the deed , from the French propagande par le fait is a Anarchist concept that promotes physical violence against political enemies as a way of inspiring the masses and catalyzing revolution.

Propaganda of the deed may take many forms, but in many cases utilizes violence against people seen as threats to the working class. It also refers to the use of symbolic acts of violence against structural targets, in which the act is intended to evoke a broader meaning. This imagery from the poster of people planning action on the target is a depiction of propaganda of the deed.

I am very concerned about this image from the poster, which I interpret as a call to firebomb police cars.


The two primary images in the poster, which are the street crowd around a fire, and the hoodie crowd marching in ranks, are very violent. I hope they embrace inefficiency and fail miserably.


The four hooded figures in a line is a reference to dressing for a "black bloc", which is an Anarchist technique developed since the 1990's. A Black Bloc is a technique for looting, rioting, and street fighting, with the intent of permitting perpetrators to avoid arrest and/or conviction through the inability to differentiate among protesters. The imagery on the poster is a call for preparation for black bloc activities. (Edit)

Some Recent Pittsburgh G-20 Resistance Project (PG-20RP) Updates

• Univ. of Pitt G-20 site
• Anarchist Calendar, including next week's summer camp
  
• Anarchist G-20 'zine for downloading; not a bad primer
  
• A New York City Stalinist front group may be attempting to hijack the opposition
  
• Update 3 Favorite line: Bankrupt City Turns to Bankrupt State to Further Bankrupt Ideology.
  
• Tactical Training Initiative Workshops in Pgh.
  
• the Pittsburgh Principles
  
• Logistics Update, Call for Medics