Philosophy:
Who Needs It
by Ayn Rand
This book contains a great rebuttal of B.F.
Skinner's book Beyond Freedom and Dignity
and another on the government's sad support
of behavioral psychology. These two essays alone are worth the price of
the book!
Customer Comments
hahaha@thebends.com from
Albion, MI, August 26, 1999
Rand's best non-fiction
Though I enjoy Rand's fiction considerably
more than her excessively hyperbolic non-fiction, this is undeniably good
stuff. Once you separate the precise reasoning from the loony exaggerations,
you have a terrific introduction to objectivism and philosophy in general.
Contrary to previous tirades, some of which have been cut and pasted onto
all of her book review areas, this book is full of original ideas (I'd
really like to know who else preaches individualism like this, otherwise);
it punctures many of today's warped worldviews and is quite readable. Buy
this book - everybody owes it to themselves to glean wisdom from this flawed
but brilliant mind
Peircy@aol.com from Cape
Cod, Massachusetts July 31, 1999
excellent, inspiring essays
The title essay was originally a speech
given at West Point, and one of Miss Rand's own favorite pieces. In it,
she eloquently demonstrates the importance of philosophy in man's life...
in EVERY man's life. "...the choice we make is not whether to have a philosophy,
but which one to have: rational, conscious, and therefore practical; or
contradictory, unidentified, and therefore lethal." This book is for those
interested in philosophy, as well as for those who aren't.
As Leonard Peikoff states in the Introduction,
"Ayn Rand was not only a novelist and a philosopher; she was also a salesman
of philosophy - the greatest salesman philosophy has ever had." Philosophy's
purpose is not to impress people at cocktail parties or to "trick" people
in debates with ready-to-wear paradoxes. Philosophy is essential to life
- read this book to discover why.
A reader, April 17, 1999
Rand's 1974 speech to West Point cadets
is magnificent.
Ayn Rand considered the invitation to address
the West Point cadets as the greatest honor of her life. She titled her
speech "Philosophy who needs it", and those at West Point liked the speech
so much that they asked and received permission to use it as chapter one
in the West Point Philosophy text book.
It was later, in the early 90s, that I voiced
an opinion that studying philosophy was a waste of time, so my army officer
brother gave me a copy of this book.
So I read the speech (it's chapter one in
this book, too), and it changed my life - impressively so, for the better.
Read the speech, and see for yourself.
A reader from Freeport,
Bahamas, April 3, 1999
Judge for yourself
After reading some of the negative comments
below by some reviewers, one must question whether they have even read
the book.
Rand used the term altruism, in its original
meaning (as used by philosopher August Comte who coined the term): self-sacrifice.
To Rand, to sacrifice a greater value (say
your beloved child), for the sake of a lessor value (some strangers you
did not know) was wrong. (I agree).
To save your beloved wife from drowning would
be selfish - because you loved her; to let her die to save some other stranger
- when you loved your wife - would be unselfish.
Selfish, as Rand uses the term, means to
act in ones own LONG-TERM rational self-interest.
It does not mean that one cannot have friends
- only that "friends" who stab you in the back are not really your friends.
In fact, if you think about it: love is selfish.
To paraphrase Rand, before one can say 'I love you', one must first learn
to say the word 'I'.
Of course, if one actually READ the book,
one would know this. If one reads the book, and still holds these distorted
views of Rand's work, then one is either stupid, or dishonest.
This does not mean one may still not disagree
- there are some things I disagree with Rand on; but, one should not stoop
to dishonest smears, name-calling, and outright lies about her work.
npsipe@earthlink.net from
Las Vegas, Nevada, March 23, 1999
Philosophy's place in Man's Life Clearly
Defined
If you think philosophy is only for the
intellectuals and has no bearing on your life, then I strongly you read
Ayn Rand's Philosophy Who Needs It. Also I suggest reading the following
if you disagree with her idea's because if we continue on the course we
are on this is where we are headed. (1984
- George Orwell) (We
the Living - Ayn Rand) (Anthem
- Ayn Rand) (Animal
Farm - George Orwell) If you find that her philosopy makes sense
to you read all of her other works. Last thing - man can only survive through
reason.
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