Searching for Ayn Rand quote

[Mark]

Somewhere in Ayn Rand's work there's a sentence containing the word "frown" in a positive way.

Something along the lines of: in the evolution of human behavior the first frown was the touch of God. I don't think she used the word God but the idea was similar. She didn't use the word behavior either, or evolution -- her exact wording escapes me, but I'm sure of "frown" and the notion that it was an advance.

Any idea where this is?

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Here ya' go, Mark.

From The Fountainhead. Toohey talking to Keating.

Do you know the fate of deep-sea creatures brought out to sunlight? So much for future Roarks. The rest of you will smile and obey. Have you noticed that the imbecile always smiles? Man's first frown is the first touch of God on his forehead. The touch of thought. But we'll have neither God nor thought. Only voting by Smiles. Automatic levers—all saying yes...

Michael

[syrakusos]

Actually, this has some physical support. Slow Down and Think by Daniel Kahneman (psychologist, but Nobel laureate in economics; and my review here), is about the many ways we fool ourselves by confusing intuitive and deliberative thinking. Kahneman says that we are more likely to rationally analyze a statement when we frown. (Just for the main thesis: We intuitively know what someone is feeling by reading their face; yet, when it comes to statistical inferences, even professional statisticians such as economists blunder with wild guesses via "intuitive" thinking about statistics.)

[Mark]

Michael (honorable administrator),

Thanks, I thought it was in an essay. It's odd how even her seemingly off hand sentences stick to ones mental ribs.

Michael (mere member),

Hmm ... Faces, especially female ones, are very expressive. I don't know about frowning probably indicating rational thought. Certainly one can think deeply without frowning, and indeed generally one should avoid frowning. I take Ayn Rand’s poetic statement as a metaphor for the unnaturalness of man, his difference from the lower animals, which don’t frown or get bent out of shape.

[william.scherk]

Actually, this has some physical support. Slow Down and Think by Daniel Kahneman (psychologist, but Nobel laureate in economics; and my review here), is about the many ways we fool ourselves by confusing intuitive and deliberative thinking. Kahneman says that we are more likely to rationally analyze a statement when we frown.

Thanks for the note on Kahneman. I found his book "Thinking Fast and Slow" in a full-text version here (PDF).

[caroljane]

Here ya' go, Mark.

From The Fountainhead. Toohey talking to Keating.

Do you know the fate of deep-sea creatures brought out to sunlight? So much for future Roarks. The rest of you will smile and obey. Have you noticed that the imbecile always smiles? Man's first frown is the first touch of God on his forehead. The touch of thought. But we'll have neither God nor thought. Only voting by Smiles. Automatic levers—all saying yes...

Michael

If she meant imbecile in the sense of a mentally retarded person as understood in her day, even so she was wrong.

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Thanks for the note on Kahneman. I found his book "Thinking Fast and Slow" in a full-text version here (PDF).

William,

Damn you!

I went there to see what site had the balls to do that openly. Then I looked at the main page (by chopping down the URL).

That is one hell of a collection of videos this person gathered. I had to stop looking at page 5 and I had already bookmarked about 10 for viewing later--each video around 50 minutes or longer.

Jeez, I have a life.

You can't see the videos on the site, though, without cutting off half the visible area during playback. The person screwed up on the theme (and navigation seems to be as troublesome as possible on purpose). But you can copy the YouTube URL (right click), open a new tab, paste it in and watch it directly on YouTube.

Thanks for pointing me to that site. I am going to try to go through my video selection before the powers that be make the site go away because of the books.

Michael

[william.scherk]

Thanks for the note on Kahneman. I found his book "Thinking Fast and Slow" in a full-text version here (PDF).

William,

Damn you!

I come pre-damned, dang it.

Thanks for pointing me to that site. I am going to try to go through my video selection before the powers that be make the site go away because of the books.

I doubt the videos will be expunged (if they are derived from open-access Youtube videos), but it seems clear the other full-text PDFs will be -- and most certainly if any ARI folks watch these threads closely. Without giving the game away (and bringing on a straightforward suit for copyright violation), check out the full book list here.

Edited November 1, 2012 by william.scherk

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

I doubt the videos will be expunged...

William,

No... They're OK.

The site might get expunged. though.

It depends on actions and reactions, and more actions and more reactions, if you know what I mean...

Michael