The Voice of Reason

The Voice of Reason PDF Author: Ayn Rand
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101137266
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 368

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Book Description
Between 1961, when she gave her first talk at the Ford Hall Forum in Boston, and 1981, when she gave the last talk of her life in New Orleans, Ayn Rand spoke and wrote about topics as varied as education, medicine, Vietnam, and the death of Marilyn Monroe. In The Voice of Reason, these pieces, written in the last decades of Rand's life, are gathered in book form for the first time. With them are five essays by Leonard Peikoff, Rand's longtime associate and literary executor. The work concludes with Peikoff's epilogue, "My Thirty Years With Ayn Rand: An Intellectual Memoir," which answers the question "What was Ayn Rand really like?" Important reading for all thinking individuals, Rand's later writings reflect a life lived on principle, a probing mind, and a passionate intensity. This collection communicates not only Rand's singular worldview, but also the penetrating cultural and political analysis to which it gives rise.

The Voice of Reason

The Voice of Reason PDF Author: Ayn Rand
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101137266
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 368

Get Book

Book Description
Between 1961, when she gave her first talk at the Ford Hall Forum in Boston, and 1981, when she gave the last talk of her life in New Orleans, Ayn Rand spoke and wrote about topics as varied as education, medicine, Vietnam, and the death of Marilyn Monroe. In The Voice of Reason, these pieces, written in the last decades of Rand's life, are gathered in book form for the first time. With them are five essays by Leonard Peikoff, Rand's longtime associate and literary executor. The work concludes with Peikoff's epilogue, "My Thirty Years With Ayn Rand: An Intellectual Memoir," which answers the question "What was Ayn Rand really like?" Important reading for all thinking individuals, Rand's later writings reflect a life lived on principle, a probing mind, and a passionate intensity. This collection communicates not only Rand's singular worldview, but also the penetrating cultural and political analysis to which it gives rise.

The Ayn Rand Lexicon

The Ayn Rand Lexicon PDF Author: Ayn Rand
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 110113724X
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
A prolific writer, bestselling novelist, and world-renowned philosopher, Ayn Rand defined a full system of thought--from epistemology to aesthetics. Her writing is so extensive and the range of issues she covers so enormous that those interested in finding her discussions of a given topic may have to search through many sources to locate the relevant passage. The Ayn Rand Lexicon brings together all the key ideas of her philosophy of Objectivism. Begun under Rand's supervision, this unique volume is an invaluable guide to her philosophy or reason, self-interest and laissez-faire capitalism--the philosophy so brilliantly dramatized in her novels The Fountainhead, We the Living, and Anthem.

What's Wrong with Ayn Rand's Objectivist Ethics

What's Wrong with Ayn Rand's Objectivist Ethics PDF Author: Ari Armstrong
Publisher: Eversol Press
ISBN: 9780981803036
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 220

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Book Description
"An engaging discussion and critique of Rand's metaethics and ethics. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in Rand." -Jason Brennan (When All Else Fails, Against Democracy) Ayn Rand bases her morality of selfish egoism on a flawed conception of value, argues Ari Armstrong in What's Wrong with Ayn Rand's Objectivist Ethics. Values are not, as Rand has it, inherently oriented to an organism's survival, either for people or for living things broadly. Rather, people experience certain things as ends in themselves and value some things (such as having and raising children) for reasons other than to advance their survival. Although Rand and her advocates seek to make sense of the biology of values, the nature of human life, ends in themselves, happiness, and moral virtues, ultimately their efforts do not rescue Rand's theory. Further, Rand's theory cannot adequately explain why a person should consistently respect others' rights, avoid free riding, and engage civically. Armstrong, long an Objectivist before concluding that Rand's moral theory has intractable problems, proposes an alternate way to conceive of a person's ultimate value, one that recognizes many of Rand's insights while making more room for the interests of others. The book offers insights and challenges for those who are new to Rand's ideas as well as to those who have long studied Rand's philosophy. The work dives deeply into the literature on Rand's moral theory, for those interested, with detailed notes and an extensive appendix exploring major works on the topic. The book includes the following chapters: 1. Ayn Rand's Selfishness 2. Reviewing the Objectivist Ethics 3. The Essential Fallacies of Rand's Ethics 4. The Error in Rand's Biology 5. Values, Life, and Death 6. Robots, Man Qua Man, and the Choice to Live 7. Egoism and Rights 8. Egoists, Free Riders, and Charity 9. Rethinking the Ultimate Value Appendix: The Literature on Rand's Moral Theory Ari Armstrong is the author of Reclaiming Liberalism and Values of Harry Potter, and he publishes the Colorado Freedom Report. He has written for such publications as the Colorado Sun and the Objective Standard and appeared on television and radio programs including CNN, Denver's 9News, and Devil's Advocate. Ari was the recipient of the Modern Day Sam Adams award and the Independence Institute's Vern Bickel Award for Grassroots Leadership, and he was a finalist for the Hoiles Prize for regional journalism. Please follow Ari's work by joining his email list and social media feeds via AriArmstrong.com.

I Am John Galt

I Am John Galt PDF Author: Donald Luskin
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118100980
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 277

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Book Description
Inspired by Ayn Rand's characters in Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead, penetrating profiles of both the innovators who move our world forward and those who seek to destroy the achievement of others John Galt, the fictional character from Ayn Rand's bestselling novel, Atlas Shrugged, has come to embody the individualist capitalist who acts in his own enlightened self interest, and in doing so lifts the world around him. Some of today's most successful CEOs, journalists, sports figures, actors, and thinkers have led their lives according to Galt's (i.e., Rand's) philosophy. Now, in I Am John Galt, these inspiring stories are gathered with the keen insight and analysis of well-known market commentator Donald Luskin and business writer Andrew Greta. Filled with exclusive interviews, profiles, and analyses of leading financial, business, and artistic stars who have based their lives, and careers, on the philosophy of the perennially popular Ayn Rand, this book both inspires and enlightens. On the other side are Rand's arch villains?the power-seekers, parasites, and lunatics who would destroy that which the creators and builders make. Who are today's anti-heroes, fighting the creativity of the innovators? Contains insightful interviews, profiles, and analyses of the individuals who have lived by a Randian code to achieve greatness for themselves and others Offers a probing analysis of those who seek to destroy or undo the achievements of others?from academics, pundits, and government bureaucrats to fraudsters who have wreaked havoc on our world Engaging and entertaining, I Am John Galt examines how the inspiration that is Galt thrives more than 50 years after publication of Atlas Shrugged. It will spark the interest of Ayn Rand fans everywhere, as well as those seeking a way to succeed in today's turbulent and confusing times.

Answer to Ayn Rand

Answer to Ayn Rand PDF Author: John William Robbins
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Objectivism (Philosophy)
Languages : en
Pages : 170

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Book Description
In Who Is Ayn Rand? Nathaniel Branden boasted : "No one has dared publicly to name the essential ideas of Atlas Shrugged and to attempt to refute them." With the publication of this book, that statement no longer stands.

Objectivism

Objectivism PDF Author: Leonard Peikoff
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
ISBN:
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 518

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Book Description


What Art Is

What Art Is PDF Author: Michelle Kamhi
Publisher: Open Court
ISBN: 0812699599
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 450

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Book Description
What is art? The arts establishment has a simple answer: anything is art if a reputed artist or expert says it is. Though many people are skeptical about the alleged new art forms that have proliferated since the early twentieth century, today's critics claim that all such work, however incomprehensible, is art. A groundbreaking alternative to this view is provided by philosopher-novelist Ayn Rand (1901–1982). Best known as the author of The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, Rand also created an original and illuminating theory of art, which confirms the widespread view that much of today's purported art is not really art at all. In What Art Is, Torres and Kamhi present a lucid introduction to Rand's esthetic theory, contrasting her ideas with those of other thinkers. They conclude that, in its basic principles, her account is compelling, and is corroborated by evidence from anthropology, neurology, cognitive science, and psychology. The authors apply Rand's theory to a debunking of the work of prominent modernists and postmodernists—from Mondrian, Jackson Pollock, and Samuel Beckett to John Cage, Merce Cunningham, and other highly regarded postmodernist figures. Finally, they explore the implications of Rand's ideas for the issues of government and corporate support of the arts, art law, and art education. "This is one of the most interesting, provocative, and well-written books on aesthetics that I know. While fully accessible to the general reader, What Art Is should be of great interest to specialists as well. Ayn Rand's largely unknown writings on art—especially as interpreted, released from dogma, and smoothed out by Torres and Kamhi—are remarkably refined. Moreover, her ideas are positively therapeutic after a century of artistic floundering and aesthetic quibbling. Anyone interested in aesthetics, in the purpose of art, or in the troubling issues posed by modernism and post modernism should read this book." —Randall R. Dipert Author of Artifacts, Art Works, and Agency "Torres and Kamhi effectively situate Rand's long-neglected esthetic theory in the wider history of ideas. They not only illuminate her significant contribution to an understanding of the nature of art; they also apply her ideas to a trenchant critique of the twentieth century's 'advanced art.' Their exposure of the invalidity of abstract art is itself worth the price of admission." —Chris Matthew Sciabarra Author of Ayn Rand: The Russian Radical "Rand's aesthetic theory merits careful study and thoughtful criticism, which Torres and Kamhi provide. Their scholarship is sound, their presentation is clear, and their judgment is refreshingly free from the biases that Rand's supporters and detractors alike tend to bring to considerations of her work." —Stephen Cox University of California, San Diego

Objectivism and the Corruption of Rationality

Objectivism and the Corruption of Rationality PDF Author: Scott Ryan
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 0595267335
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 434

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Book Description
Ayn Rand presented Objectivism as a philosophy of reason. But is it? That is the question Scott Ryan seeks to answer in this careful examination of the Objectivist epistemology and its alleged sufficiency as the philosophical foundation of a free and prosperous commonwealth. Sorting painstakingly through Rand's writings on the subject, Mr. Ryan concludes that the epistemology of Objectivism is incoherent and debases both the concept and the practice of rationality.

How Bad Writing Destroyed the World

How Bad Writing Destroyed the World PDF Author: Adam Weiner
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1501313118
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 265

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Book Description
Literary history meets economic policy in this entertaining polemic on the ethical and potentially destructive power of terrible literature.

The Contested Legacy of Ayn Rand

The Contested Legacy of Ayn Rand PDF Author: David Kelley
Publisher: Transaction Publishers
ISBN: 9781412836333
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 132

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Book Description
Ayn Rand's philosophical novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged made her the most controversial author of her age. Her works have drawn millions of readers and continue to sell at a breathtaking pace. Their impact on American culture runs from libertarian politics to the self-esteem movement in psychology to the rugged individualism of Silicon Valley and the Internet. Rand also launched a movement of intellectuals committed to her philosophy of Objectivism. While it has grown dramatically since Rand's death in 1982, however, the Objectivist movement has also fractured into rival camps whose differences over doctrine and strategy are compounded by competition for leadership and bitter accusations of heresy. In Truth and Toleration, philosopher David Kelley analyzes the conflicts that led him to break ranks with orthodox Objectivists and create an independent branch of the movement. Originally published in 1990 as a manifesto, this work has been revised as an analysis of the principles of intellectual collaboration-the terms on which intellectuals and activists can work together in a common cause. Going beyond the immediate issues, Kelley discusses the nature of individual responsibility for the spread of ideas and for their historical consequences. He offers a new argument for toleration based on a non-relativistic theory of truth. He describes the nature of tribalism among intellectuals, showing how the troubled legacy of Ayn Rand has followed a pattern similar to the not-so-civil wars among followers of other original and charismatic thinkers such as Marx and Freud. In a postscript for the second edition, Kelley reviews the growth in Objectivist scholarship and the influence of Rand's ideas over the past decade. Truth and Toleration is an engaging introduction to the Objectivist movement, its core ideas, and its central fissures. At the same time, it offers a case study in the sociology of intellectual movements and a frank discussion of the issues that arise whenever thinkers leave their studies to promote their idea in the public realm. David Kelley is the executive director of the Objectivist Center. Educated at Princeton University, earlier in his career he taught philosophy at Brandeis University and Vassar College. He has written widely on the subject of libertarianism including The Evidence of the Senses; The Art of Reasoning; and is co-author of The Logical Structure of Objectivism.