Changes

* "Makes well-poisoning seem like one of the kindlier arts" — anonymous.

* "Makes well-poisoning seem like one of the kindlier arts" — anonymous.

With regard to this last: "To poison the well" is a common proverb used to describe gross violations of trust, breaches of etiquette, gratuitous insults, or other acts of which one might justly say that one who commits acts of that kind could not more thoroughly earn the wrath or enmity of another person if that were his original intent. Thus the anonymous critic who compares ''Atlas Shrugged'' to an act of poisoning a well might simply consider that Miss Rand insulted him, his friends and associates, and/or his particular political philosophy so thoroughly that he could never forgive her for any consideration whatsoever.

With regard to this last: "Poisoning the well" is a [[logical fallacy]], closely related to [[argumentum ad hominem]]. The term applies when one discredits one associated with an idea, by introducing evidence of moral turpitude, or [[mendacity]], that bears no relation to the idea at issue. The anonymous author here suggests that Rand seeks to discredit collectivism by making its proponents act like consummate jerks. It does not occur to this author, perhaps, that this "jerkiness" follows logically from their collectivistic ideals. Or perhaps this author could never admit such a thing.

At least one reviewer compared the novel to [[Adolf Hitler]]'s political screed, ''[[Mein Kampf]]'' ([[Germany|German]], "my struggle"), which he had written while serving a sentence of imprisonment after the failed ''Bierhalle Putsch''.

At least one reviewer compared the novel to [[Adolf Hitler]]'s political screed, ''[[Mein Kampf]]'' ([[Germany|German]], "my struggle"), which he had written while serving a sentence of imprisonment after the failed ''Bierhalle Putsch''.