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Ayn Rand? Ayn Rand Ayn
Who Is Ayn Rand? Ayn Rand Few 20th century intellectuals have been as influential—and controversial— as the novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand. Her thinking still has a profound impact, particularly on those who come to it through her novels, Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead—with their core messages of individualism, self-worth, and the right to live without the impositions of others. Although ignored or scorned by some academics, traditionalists, pro- gressives, and public intellectuals, her thought remains a major influence on Ayn Rand many of the world’s leading legislators, policy advisers, economists, entre- preneurs, and investors. INTRODUCTION AN Why does Rand’s work remain so influential? Ayn Rand: An Introduction illuminates Rand’s importance, detailing her understanding of reality and human nature, and explores the ongoing fascination with and debates about her conclusions on knowledge, morality, politics, economics, government, AN INTRODUCTION public issues, aesthetics and literature. The book also places these in the context of her life and times, showing how revolutionary they were, and how they have influenced and continue to impact public policy debates. EAMONN BUTLER is director of the Adam Smith Institute, a leading think tank in the UK. He holds degrees in economics and psychology, a PhD in philosophy, and an honorary DLitt. A former winner of the Freedom Medal of Freedom’s Foundation at Valley Forge and the UK National Free Enterprise Award, Eamonn is currently secretary of the Mont Pelerin Society. Butler is the author of many books, including introductions on the pioneering economists Eamonn Butler Adam Smith, Milton Friedman, F. -
GENERAL SESSIONS the METAPHYSICS of CONSCIOUSNESS: the What and the How of Cognition (3 Lectures) Harry Binswanger
- ' SECOND I RENAISSANCE CONFERENCES H PRESENTS I ~IDEAS FOR THE RATIONAL MIND Ill" I A PHILOSOPHICAL CONFERENCE I JUNE 28 TO JULY 11, 1998 THE NASHUA MARRIOTT NASHUA, NEW HAMPSHIRE Dear Reader: there is no charge for parking. SECOND RENAISSANCE CONFERENCES is New Hampshire is noted for its tax-free shopping, proud to announce a philosophical conference featur and there are several large shopping malls within a ing new and exciting lectures on epistemology by Dr. ten-minute drive of the hotel. The proximity to his Harry Binswanger. Detailed descriptions of these and toric Boston will allow conferees to attend the city's other lectures, courses, and faculty follow, so let me renowned Independence Day celebrations (with the tell you something about the conference venue. Boston Pops concert and traditional fireworks) and The Nashua Marriott is a first-class hotel situated enjoy the city's many historic, cultural, and culinary in the rolling hills of southern New Hampshire, about attractions. 44 miles northwest of Boston. The scenic White Moun I'm sure you will appreciate the intellectual content tains and New Hampshire's Atlantic coast are both of the conference and enjoy the accommodations of about an hour's drive away. the hotel. Come and experience the joy of meeting The hotel offers numerous amenities, including an people who share your values. I hope you will attend, indoor pool, outdoor sundeck, fitness center, wooded and I look forward to seeing you. jogging trail, and volleyball and basketball courts. In room amenities include hair dryer, iron/ironing board, ~s~ voice-mail, PC dataport, and on-command movies (for a small charge). -
2019 Atlas Shrugged Winning Essay
2019 ATLAS SHRUGGED WINNING ESSAY FIRST PLACE Sam Weaver, Sarasota, FL — St. John’s College, Annapolis, Maryland Atlas Shrugged is a story that portrays a dramatic conflict of characters and their values. What is the most significant conflict in the story? Is it the conflict between the creators and the looters? Is it the conflict the creators experience in their own souls? Is it something else? Explain your answer. THE POWER THEY PROVIDE IT: THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND THE CENTRAL CONFLICT OF ATLAS SHRUGGED First-time readers of Ayn Rand’s novel Atlas Shrugged are likely to notice early on the conflict between two main types of characters: the creators, who work to achieve and produce values, and the looters, who do not produce and instead seek to take values from others. There is a sense in which the clash between these two groups is the essential conflict in the novel: They represent two fundamentally opposing approaches to life. However, the plot structure of Atlas Shrugged is designed to turn most crucially on another conflict: the conflict within souls of the creators, who are faced with the dilemma of deciding how to act in a world heavily populated by looters. By placing this dilemma as the central conflict in the novel, Rand illustrates in dramatic concrete events the implications of her crucial moral principle that evil has only the power the good provides it. The plot structure of Atlas Shrugged is complex, but a single action functions as the prime mover of all the rest: John Galt’s strike of the creators. -
New Atlas Shrugged Web Site More Facets Of
® Volume 14, Number 3, March 2008 ARI on the Web New Atlas Shrugged Web Site s we continue to expand our Web offerings, A Impact would like to inform you of our current ater this month is a free audio menu of sites. LARI will launch course, “A Study of atlasshrugged.com, a Galt’s Speech,” by Ayn Rand Institute Web site devoted to ARI senior fellow, www.aynrand.org Ayn Rand’s master- Dr. Onkar Ghate, The Ayn Rand Institute’s homepage piece. The site will available for the Ayn Rand Bookstore contain information first time on the www.aynrandbookstore.com about the history, Web. Also included The widest selection of books and recordings by, on message and author will be substantial and about Ayn Rand of Atlas Shrugged. new information “This Web about the novel and Objectivist Conferences (OCON) site will not only its history, based www.objectivistconferences.com commemorate the on Ayn Rand’s Conferences for the Rational Mind fiftieth anniversary biographical inter- Objectivist Academic Center (OAC) of Atlas Shrugged,” views conducted in www.objectivistacademiccenter.org said Yaron Brook, 1960 and 1961. ARI’s educational program for the study of Objectivism ARI’s executive The site’s con- director, “it will Home page screen capture of the new Atlas Shrugged Web site tent will be aimed Ayn Rand Novels also help those inspired by Ayn Rand’s heroes at a broad audience and ARI will add fresh www.aynrandnovels.com to learn more about the revolutionary philoso- content to the site, including testimonials from ARI’s Web site for high school and college students phy they embody.” CEOs and other readers, relevant news articles Ayn Rand Education The Web site will contain information and more. -
2020 the Fountainhead Winning Essay
2020 THE FOUNTAINHEAD WINNING ESSAY FIRST PLACE Cora Usurelu, Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada – Thornhill Secondary School, Thornhill, Ontario, Canada Why does Toohey support Keating’s career early on? What is Toohey’s purpose in promoting the careers of people like Keating, Gordon Prescott, Lois Cook, Ike the Genius, and Gus Webb? In what way does his purpose relate to his campaign against Roark? How does this issue relate to the wider themes in the novel? Parasitism of the Collectivist Man: The Philosophy of Ellsworth Toohey in Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead “There are no men but only the great WE, One, indivisible and forever.” (19) This is the chilling government mantra Equality 7-2521 must abide by in the world of Anthem. But while Anthem examines the more obviously visible danger of having a government impose collectivist doctrines such as this, The Fountainhead explores a much more potent evil, the infiltration of collectivism, not into politics, but into the very essence of man’s soul. The paragon of this evil is a feeble, weak journalist named Ellsworth Toohey who inherently opposes, through his fundamental character, the spiritual greatness of Howard Roark. Ellsworth Toohey is a useless mediocrity. The only manner in which Toohey can become a great man is by destroying the very concept of greatness, which is his main objective throughout the novel. Toohey has dedicated himself to the destruction of independence, individualism, and integrity by asserting control over others who are spiritually weak. Toohey preaches an abhorrent collectivist doctrine to the masses, disguised as moral virtue; he encourages altruism, self-sacrifice, and the renunciation of one’s ego for the greater good; he releases didactic novels and carefully crafted articles that conceal mendacious propaganda. -
Analytics on the Mind an Objectivist Survey of Analytic Philosophy of Mind Diana Mertz Hsieh ([email protected]) 1 June 2003
Analytics on the Mind An Objectivist Survey of Analytic Philosophy of Mind Diana Mertz Hsieh ([email protected]) 1 June 2003 Abstract: Although debates over the nature of the mind have raged in analytic philosophy of mind in recent decades, Objectivism largely lacks not only a theory of mind, but also an active discussion of the subject. The common strategy of adopting views from analytic philosophy of mind is perilous, given the significant differences between the principles and methods of Objectivism and those of analytic philosophy. Nonetheless, Objectivists can and ought to learn from the failures and successes of analytic theories of mind. This paper examines the commonalities and conflicts between analytic philosophy and Objectivism in order to sketch a plausible philosophy of mind consistent with Objectivism. Mind and Body In recent decades, debates have raged in analytic philosophy over the nature of the mind and its relationship to the body. In a quest for a viable account of the metaphysics of the mind— for an understanding of the existence, specific character, and causal efficacy of consciousness in a physical world—theories have cycled in and out of fashion with remarkable rapidity. In contrast, a philosophy of mind well-integrated with Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism has yet to be developed. A survey of the Objectivist literature reveals only scattered critiques of common analytic positions and some (occasionally conflicting) elements of a positive theory (Hsieh 2003). As such, the debate is only just beginning for Objectivism. The absence of a well-defined Objectivist ontology of mind is surprising not only in light of the vigorous debates in analytic philosophy, but also given the central role of mind-body integration in Rand’s philosophical system. -
Ayn Rand Film to Premiere in Hollyrwood Prestigious Telluride Film Festival in Colorado
lmrract -f October'1996, Volume 2, Number'lO Tickets for the benefit are priced at two levels: $75 per person for the film and post-film reception, and $250 for those events plus a private reception with Michael Per-xtonand Leonard Peikoff prior to the screening, preferred seating at the screening, an autographed movie poster, and, if it can be arranged, a brief tour to special "Ap Rand sites" on the lot. Although this is his first feature film, Michael Pa"rton brought considerable experience to the project. He received hls M.F.R. in {ihn production from New York University's prestigious Graduate Institute of Fihn & Television and has worked as a r,vriterfor Disney's Feature Anirnation Dept. alld as an assistantdirector at Turner Entertainment on features such as The Pagemaster.He also directed the world premieres of ldeal (i9Sg) and Anthem (1991) for the stage,in Hollpvood. He began the documentary on A;m Rand in the summer of 1994, setting up the production company, writing the script, and filming archival rnaterial. He also shot interviews with people who knerv Ayn Rand, including Mike Wallace, Leor.rard Photo by Sorenson James Peikoff, and Harry Binswanger. Ayn Rand: A Senseof Lift was recently screened at the Ayn Rand Film to Premiere in Hollyrwood prestigious Telluride Film Festival in Colorado. Paxton'sfiln-r Earlier Screening at Telluride Draws Acclaim was one of only 27 films selected from more than 700 appli- cants worldwide for the 23rd annual event. Less than an hour "How does one reduce the achievements of a lifetirne of from Ouray, Colorado (the "setting" for Galt's Gulch), the filnr genius into 110 rninutes?" asks filmmaker Michael Paxton (pic- was shown on opening night, August 30. -
Ayn Rand and Youth During the 1960S
UC Berkeley The Charles H. Percy Undergraduate Grant for Public Affairs Research Papers Title Radicals for Capitalism: Ayn Rand and Youth during the 1960s Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4tb298wq Author Tran, Andrina Publication Date 2011-05-31 Undergraduate eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California ““RRAADDIICCAALLSS FFOORR CCAAPPIITTAALLIISSMM”” Ayn Rand and Youth During the 1960s ANDRINA TRAN DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY There is a fundamental conviction which some people never acquire, some hold only in their youth, and a few hold to the end of their days – the conviction that ideas matter. In one’s youth that conviction is experienced as a self-evident absolute, and one is unable fully to believe that there are people who do not share it. That ideas matter means that knowledge matters, that truth matters, that one’s mind matters. And the radiance of that certainty, in the process of growing up, is the best aspect of youth. –Ayn Rand CONTENTS Acknowledgements 2 INTRODUCTION 2 I THE QUIETEST REVOLUTION IN HISTORY 11 II MARKETING OBJECTIVISM 24 III THE THRILL OF TREASON 32 IV LIFE, LIBERTY, PROPERTY: Persuasion and the Draft 38 V LIBERTARIANS RISING 46 EPILOGUE: MEMORY & HISTORY 52 Bibliography 55 Appendix 61 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Even a paper pertaining to egoism could not have come into existence without the generous support of so many others. I would like to thank the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program, the Center for the Study of Representation at the Institute of Governmental Studies, and the Center for the Comparative Study of Right-Wing Movements for funding the various stages of my research. -
University Micixjrilms International
INFORMATION TO USERS This was produced from a copy of a document sent to us for microfilming. While the most advanced technological means to photograph and reproduce this document have been used, the quality is heavily dependent upon the quality of th e material submitted. The following explanation of techniques is provided to help you understand markings or notations which may appear on this reproduction. 1. The sign or “ target” for pages apparently lacking from the document photographed is “Missing Page(s)”. If it was possible to obtain the missing page(s) or section, they are spliced into the film along with adjacent pages. This may have necessitated cutting through an image and duplicating adjacent pages to assure you of complete continuity. 2. When an image on the film is obliterated with a round black m ark it is an indication that the film inspector noticed either blurred copy because of movement during exposure, or duplicate copy. Unless we meant to delete copyrighted materials that should not have been filmed, you will find a good image of the page in the adjacent frame. 3. When a map, drawing or chart, etc., is part o f the material being photo graphed the photographer has followed a definite method in “sectioning” the material. It is customary to begin filming at the upper left h an d comer of a large sheet and to continue from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. If necessary, sectioning is continued again—beginning below the first row and continuing on until complete. 4. For any illustrations that cannot be reproduced satisfactorily by xerography, photographic prints can be purchased at additional cost and tipped into your xerographic copy. -
Rand, Hayek, and the Ethics of the Micro- and Macro-Cosmos Steven Horwitz
Centenary Symposium, Part II Ayn Rand Among the Austrians Two Worlds at Once: Rand, Hayek, and the Ethics of the Micro- and Macro-cosmos Steven Horwitz Moreover, the structures of the extended order are made up not only of individuals but also of many, often overlapping, sub-orders within which old instinctual responses, such as solidarity and altruism, continue to retain some importance by assisting voluntary collaboration, even though they are incapable, by themselves, of creating a basis for the more extended order. Part of our present difficulty is that we must constantly adjust our lives, our thoughts and our emotions, in order to live simultaneously within different kinds of orders according to different rules. So we must learn to live in two sorts of worlds at once. — F. A. Hayek (1989, 18; emphasis added) Introduction A title that contains Rand, Hayek, and the ethics of anything might well raise a few eyebrows among the cognoscenti. After all, Ayn Rand was a champion of an objective ethics and railed against anyone who suggested that a meaningful ethics could be anything but objective in her sense. F. A. Hayek (1989, 10), by contrast, argued explicitly that “Ethics is the last fortress in which human pride must now bow in recognition of its origins. Such an evolutionary theory of morality is . neither instinctual nor a creation of reason.” Thus we are faced with two thinkers who have strongly opposed explanations for the source of ethical rules. However, despite those differences, both Rand and Hayek do wind up with some similar conclusions. For one, both argued that there was a strong link between ethics, political philosophy, and the role of the state. -
Ayn Rand's Philosophy “Objectivism” and Her Idea of “The Ideal Man”
Ayn Rand’s philosophy “Objectivism” and her idea of “the ideal man” in comparison to modern approaches Diplomarbeit Zur Erlangung des Magistergrades An der Kultur- und Gesellschaftswissenschaftlichen Fakultät Der Universität Salzburg Fachbereich: Anglistik und Amerikanistik Gutachter: Dr. Ralph Poole Eingereicht von: Simone Koch Salzburg: 2018 1 Inhalt Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 4 1. Objectivism ........................................................................................................................... 6 1.1. Ayn Rand’s novels ........................................................................................................ 7 1.1.1 The Fountainhead (1943) ............................................................................................. 7 1.1.2. Atlas Shrugged (1957) .............................................................................................. 10 1.2. Reality ......................................................................................................................... 12 1.2.1. Reason ....................................................................................................................... 13 1.3. Capitalism – the economic system ............................................................................. -
Re-Reading Atlas Shrugged
Literature Re-Reading Atlas Shrugged J. H. Huebert Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged: A Philosophical and Literary Companion Edited by Edward W. Younkins Aldershot, England: Ashgate, 2007 428 pp., index As Jerome Tuccille’s book title famously observed, a young person’s introduction to the world of libertarian thought often begins with the work of Ayn Rand. Her masterpiece, Atlas Shrugged, gives the reader an emotionally compelling but rational framework for understanding the world and assures the frustrated adolescent that he, the non-conforming much-resented achiever destined for greatness, is not alone in the world. That wasn’t the case with me, though. I discovered radical individualism through Harry Browne’s rather more laid-back book, How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World, and learned more about the freedom philosophy and free-market economics through Leonard Read and The Freeman magazine. I got around to Rand soon enough, and found The Virtue of Selfishness and some of Rand’s other non- fiction useful, but I soon moved on to other thinkers, especially Ludwig von Mises and Murray Rothbard. When I finally read Atlas Shrugged years later, I did so out of a sense of obligation. Because I was already familiar with (and shared) most of its ideas, the book was not the revelation for me that it had been for so many others. As the years passed after I read Atlas, it diminished further in my mind, and I found myself agreeing with those who dismissed it (whether or not they had read it) as propaganda primarily suited for adolescents, with minimal literary merit.