Greg Salmieri and Ben Bayer discuss the following questions for Part III, Chapter 2, of Atlas Shrugged: “The Utopia of Greed.”
- Question 1: What kind of people do the residents of the valley consider normal and what kind of life do they consider natural? How is their view distinctive?
- Question 2: What choices concerning Dagny does Galt make in this chapter? Which of these choices surprise or confuse Dagny or other characters? Are any of the choices difficult for him?
- Question 3: Why do Galt and Akston think that there need not be any conflict between people or among a person’s desires? How does this view apply to the actual and potential conflicts in the chapter?
- Question 4: Why does Dagny return from the valley? Why is the decision so difficult for her? How is the strikers’ perspective on this different from hers?
- Question 5: What does Dagny mean at the end of the chapter when she says that she will be the greediest of the three of them (she, Galt, and Francisco)? Why does she seem to think this?
- Question 6: What other questions or observations do you have about Part III, Chapter 2?
For additional information on the course, explore the Resources page.
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