Objectivism:
The Philosophy of Ayn Rand
by Leonard Peikoff
Ayn's philosophy recognizes and places the
thinking mind of Man - reason, consciousness, logic - in the topmost position
of importance in the life of every person. She discusses what thought is,
how it relates to the things of the world around us, and establishes a
clear system enabling one to create their own values and meaning. The only
flaw in Ayn's approach is her assumption that thinking people will only
consider their "selves" as the most important factor - and her resultant
over-emphasis on "selfishness" and what critics incorrectly call "ego-gratification".
This is a minor flaw though compared to the usefulness of the rest of her
philosophy. Anyone desiring to "learn how to think" should get this book.
Values are important. In fact they are necessary to a successful
life. Without values one travels through the course of life without a guide,
without direction, and without meaning. Ayn clearly shows how every person
makes their own meaning. If you read this book and applied it you
would be a different and better person.
While critics' accusations that her philosophy
is actually not "objective" are quite true, they misunderstand why she
called it "Objectivism". What she clearly means, and this is obvious to
anyone who takes the time to read this book, is that concepts, knowledge
and meaning MUST derive from the "objective" world of physical reality
- actual existing people, events and conditions. She demands that any knowledge
and philosophy directly refer to the world of actual and observable physical
things and events - this is opposed to many philosophical systems which
ignore the "real" world in favor of the mystical, other-worldly, religious
or realm of "pure ideas".
She also over-generalizes "religion" and
takes an almost chronic anti-religious position. She confuses all religions
together into one bag, failing to properly consider the positive and valuable
aspects. What she does correctly disdain is various religious tendencies
to base belief, value and actions on imaginary, and quite unverifiable
realities. But she goes overboard, seeming to imply that there can never
be any validity in religious information and experience.
Her system is useful - and respects and honors
human thought, personal responsibility, creativity, ability and productivity.
The reader must exercise some discretion in separating the valid
from the not so valid, but overall it's about an 80% - 20% balance in Ayn's
favor. That's more than can be said for many other current "philosophies".
By all means get it and read it - you will be glad you did!
Synopsis
The definitive statement of Ayn Rand's philosophy,
written by the preeminent Rand exponent and scholar. Illustrated with excerpts
from her published works, complete with an abundance of new material that
Rand communicated only in private conversation with Peikoff, this book
illuminates Objectivism - and its creator - with brilliant clarity.
From the Publisher
This brilliantly conceived
and organized book is based on a lecture course given by Dr. Leonard Peikoff
in 1976, entitled "The Philosophy of Objectivism." The lectures
were attended by Ayn Rand, who helped prepare them and also joined Peikoff
in answering questions. Ayn Rand said of these lectures: "Until or unless
I write a comprehensive treatise on my philosophy, Dr. Peikoff's course
is the only authorized presentation of the entire theoretical structure
of Objectivism - that is, the only one that I know of my own knowledge
to be fully accurate."
Dr. Peikoff, Rand's designated
heir and foremost interpreter, reveals the abstract fundamentals of Objectivism
and its practical applications in the everyday world. He covers every branch
of philosophy recognized by Rand and every philosophic topic that she regarded
as important - from certainty to money, from logic to art, from measurement
to sex. Illustrated with quotes from her published works, complete with
an abundance of new material that Ayn Rand offered only in private conversations
with Peikoff, these clear, cogent chapters illuminate Objectivism - and
its creator - with startling clarity. Now the millions of readers who have
been transformed by Atlas
Shrugged and The
Fountainhead will discover the full philosophical system underlying
Ayn Rand's stories about life "as it might be and ought to be."
Customer Comments
Mark Da Cunha (mark@capitalism.org),
publisher of Capitalism Magazine, July 21, 1999
The True is The Whole
In terms of essentials, Dr.
Leonard Peikoff systematically covers every aspect of philosophy which
Ayn Rand held as vitally important: reality, sense perception and volition,
concept-formation, objectivity, reason, man, the good, virtue, happiness,
government, capitalism, and art. Whether you agree with him or not, this
book will be one of the most thought provoking and enlightening books that
you will ever read in your life. Dr. Peikoff is the Michaelangelo of the
philosophy profession, and has painted us an intellectual masterpiece.
Or, to quote one reviewer from the Detroit Free Press, 'Peikoff
is an extraordinary communicator... He brings the most difficult intellectual
ideas within the grasp of the general reader...
Also recommended: Atlas
Shrugged, The
Fountainhead
A reader from Canada, August
1, 1999
A masterpiece of a rational, life/man-loving
philosophy
Mr. Peikoff has cogently assembled all the
principles of Objectivism into a hierarchical, systematic, lucid, comprehensive
system of ideas - that system being the philosophy of Ayn Rand: Objectivism.
After reading this book you will know how to think clearly in terms of
principles, axioms, logic, etc., and you will understand Ayn Rand's philosophy
completely, and more so when and if you read her works. The reason why
I love this book and Objectivism as a philosophy is because it is true,
and that it is the only philosophy in existence which basically says, in
a nutshell: that man's life is the standard, or standard of moral value
and that happiness is each man's moral obligation and goal, that life is
precious, and that it is yours to live it. Have you ever heard or read
any other philosophy or religion, such as Christianity or Judaism tell
you this? Think about it. The entire philosophy of Objectivism, every 5
branches of it, from metaphysics to esthetics, is devoted to the elaboration
and explication of these principles. In other words, the purpose of all
philosophy - properly - is to further, sustain, and preserve your life.
What else is it or should it be for? Informally, Ayn Rand called her philosophy,
"A philosophy for living on earth," but formally called it Objectivism.
Anyone who doubts the truth and honesty of this philosophy must either
be dishonest, irrational or a collectivist. After all, how can someone
deny the truth of 1+1=2 and expect to not have conflict in their lives?
Every principle of Objectivism can be proven by logic and reference to
the facts and concrete existents in reality. So never mind the smears,
misrepresentations and outright lies perpetrated by some against Ayn Rand
and Objectivism. The ones that do this have no arguments and in fact present
no arguments against Objectivism, which is why they resort to smears. This
is indicative and telling only of the person(s) perpetrating the attack
(known as ad hominem) rather than the person being attacked in the attack.
If you want to seriously know what Objectivism is then read, and more importantly,
STUDY AND LEARN it for yourselves, rather than from fourth-hand accounts
from people who know little or nothing about it, or from those who are
hell-bent on outright lying. And please, don't take my word for it either,
since I would be guilty of the same crime as those I have mentioned. This
book changed my life because it taught me how to apply abstract principles
to innumerable, everyday concrete situations in all areas of life. This
is what philosophy is and should be for, and this is why I am giving this
book five well-deserved, morally-earned stars. Bravo and cheers to you
Mr. Peikoff for giving the world a systematic presentation of a rational,
life-giving philosophy!
A reader from usa, June
18, 1999
Develop a Winning mind
Detractors from this awesome work will resort
to name calling and slick truisms... emotional manipulation is the tool
of the value destructive individual. Use your own mind... and explore the
rational and beautiful world of objectivism. Unfortunately, few grasp what
real objectivism is about and even so called objectivists have turned the
philosophy into a do-nothing cult of ivory-tower preachers and finger-pointing
time wasters endlessly arguing the finer points to appear scholarly...
achieving an illusion of power over others by bullying the less integrated
person. Objectivism isn't about discussing the finer points of its philosophy
on elitist newsgroups... its about living in the trenches everyday as a
fully integrated and honest individual wielding the power of rational thought
and judgment... This book provides the key for just that. Unfortunately,
due to her mysticisms, Rand never lived to systematically lay her work
down. Peikoff, her intellectual heir, has achieved this systematization
in clear and lucid fashion. Read and grow.
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