a Simple Man Soul

Why does Atlas make no assertions?

“‘We never make assertions, Miss Taggart,’ said Hugh Akston. ‘That is the moral crime peculiar to our enemies. We do not tell – we show. We do not claim – we prove.’”

The statement is full of irony. How in the world does one take a statement such as this, when in just a few paragraphs, Mr. John Galt, as the “preemptive” striker, makes some gratuitous assertions in his explanation for the strike of the world’s minds.

“The despoiling of reason has been the motive of every anti-reason creed on earth. The despoiling of ability has been the motive of every creed that preached self-sacrifice…”

Obviously, this is an assertion. It is presented without rational support. Is Ayn Rand, via the character of John Galt, indicting, Jesus Christ …., since , Jesus did preach & practice self-sacrifice?

If Rand is accurate in her “assertion”, then how is Jesus’ motive, of “despoiling of ability”, going to be achieved through Christ’s teachings and example?

I know Rand’s anti-theist views. But, the non-assertions that she makes through the characters of her novel are somewhat transparent, i.e. they are, indeed, assertions.