Deconstructing the Christian Anarcho-Fascism of Atlas Shrugged

Abstract

Abstract:Academic criticism of Atlas Shrugged has focused on Rand's philosophy of Objectivism and issues of gender; these studies have not yet accounted for the novel's appeal to seemingly antithetical audiences—Christians, anarchists, and arguably fascistic members of the alt-right. Redefinitions of Christianity in the work of Derrida and Nancy can account for this heterogeneity by emphasizing its suspended referent, in and beyond apocalypse and revelation. A hyper-Augustinian detachment from the Christian "world" that precedes their advent permits maximum solipsism and xenophobia, an orientation made possible by the acknowledgement of only one, messianic other. Taggart's "consubstantial" union with Galt legitimizes both predatory capitalism and the leadership principle. For Nancy, especially, such a potential was always inherent in Christianity.