| | Peter,
Prager is an altruist, but I'm not sure he really knows what he's doing (might be just an arrogant, deluded soul). Toohey, on the other hand, knew exactly what he was doing:
I play the stock market of the spirit, and I sell short.
-- YouTube video [minute mark = 1:15-1:20]
Locked on the inside of a Protestant work-ethic paradigm, Prager is reacting to the hippies of the 60's and 70's, who have an unhinged sense of entitlement stemming from an unearned self-esteem. Of course, the right idea is to earn your own self-esteem -- and Prager does seem to be evading or denying that aspect of reality. Even still, I'm not sure he knows just how evil his idea is.
Perhaps I'm being too generous. Perhaps knowing exactly what you are doing (ala Toohey) isn't required for being judged evil. Perhaps just being wrong -- in some cases? -- is enough to be judged as evil. It's tricky.
Ed
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