Always a Man, Always a Lighthouse

 

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What this series is.

This series is something that’s been bouncing around in my mind for a while now. I’ve known for a long time that Bioshock is a response to Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, and is a criticism of its message. However, I’ve never read Atlas Shrugged. I’ve watched a few deep dives for the comparisons, but that was years ago and honestly, I just want to compare them for myself. That being said there are something you should know about this series before we move forward.

1. Why this, why now

I’m finally starting to settle some in my career and this summer I have free. So I want to use it to pursue something the fulfills me intellectually. This series is the first sort of in-depth analysis of a text / media I’ve done since college.

2. What kind of community are you looking to build here

I’m hoping that you will all enjoy this ride with me. The only thing you need is an interest in Bioshock and Philosophy.

3. Timing

There is no set timing for this series, we work through it as we can. I will post when I can and there may be periods when I don’t post much. I am starting this series before posting it as there is a lengthy pre-reading that I would like to do (but won’t be required for you to enjoy this series). We will all be sort of learning as we go. I don’t have a any major background in philosophy and honestly didn’t know about Ayn Rand until I found her through Bioshock. My interpretations of anything are completely up for discussion and debate. However, because I’m going through this, not knowing where it’s going to take me, I also don’t know how long it’s going to take me. I don’t know how long this series will be.

4. Disclosure

I am using ChatGPT to help me with outlining this series. I have already used it for some suggestions about what I should read as part of my pre-reading before I jump into Atlas Shrugged. I’m also using it to discuss how best to structure this series (read book first then move or both in tandem?). I also use it to help me determine structures of my posts. Something I DO NOT use chatgpt for is my own personal analysis. I might discuss my thoughts with it before hand, but will not be using it to do my analysis for me, nor will it be writing these posts. That would defeat the purpose of this series. This is going to be a very human project with AI helping me take care of format so I can focus more an the actual thinking part.

If this is still a green light for you, I hope you will join me in this adventure.

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