Interview With Jaidev Deshpande

Liberty Institute interviewed Jaidev Deshpande, a Semi finalist in “Atlas Shrugged” essay contest.

1) How did you come across the works of Ayn Rand?

My Father had a copy of The Fountainhead, although I did not discover it until I read an interview of Hrithik Roshan, where he said his favourite book was The Fountainhead. When I asked my Father how it was, he just said it was a 'very beautiful' novel.

2) What impact did she have on your intellectual development?

She impacted my development in that I now know there exists a school of thought which holds achievement as the highest morality in men, which advocates reality to be absolute and so on. As an engineering student, I had only read about theories that say our work should be robust and sustainable, but had never been taught to practice this. This is specifically where the Fountainhead helped me. I found the courage to question every single step I was being asked to take.

3) What is your favorite book by Ayn Rand? Who is your favorite fictional character in Ayn Rand’s novels?

My favourite book is Atlas Shrugged and my favourite character is Francisco d'Anconia. He's perhaps the most romantically portrayed of all characters and appears as the primary advocate of Galt's strike. It's through him that readers get a glimpse of Objectivism.

4) Many have pointed out that altruism is the main cause of the present economic crisis. How relevant do you think AR's ideas are in today's world?

Although I have no certain knowledge of the economic crisis, I think AR's ideas are still relevant, because they advocate laissez-faire capitalism, which is perhaps the most sustainable political and economic state of affairs.

5) Have you read other libertarian thinkers? What do you think of Capitalism as a politico-economic system?

I have not read other libertarian thinkers, in fact I have only just discovered the whole free-market philosophy. I intend to take a course in descriptive economics.

6) You said that there exists a causal link between sex and self-esteem. Ayn Rand shows in Atlas Shrugged how wrong epistemology leads to sexual impotence. How true do you think it is?

Unfortunately, I was able to understand only as much as Ayn Rand has said in Atlas Shrugged. I haven't given this epistemology much of a thought since. I have my doubts about it. For instance, it is easy even for a very self-esteemed person to feel sexually attracted towards another person who they know to be of a lower intellectual stature. I do not know if this is an anomaly or if I need to study that idea further.

7) How do you wish to carry Ayn Rand's philosophy forward?

It is my ambition to establish a research firm, and also an educational institute. I wish to make these endeavors examples of capitalistic practices. I guess practice is a better way to spread a philosophy, than political propaganda.

8) What career do you want to pursue?

I want to be, like I mentioned, an entrepreneur in the field of signal processing and computational research.