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THE AYN RAND INSTITOTE THE CENTERFOR THE ADVANCEMENTOF OBJECTIVISM vol. 7, NO.1 ITIARCH1992 BostonBanquet Salutes "Objectivism:The Philosophy of Ayn Rand" "Atlas Shrugged" Since its publication by Dutton (a in newspapers and magazines.In the "Celebrating Atlas Shruggeil" is the division of Penguin Books)on Decem- Detroit Free Ptess,reviewer Suzanne theme of the Ayn Rand Institute's ber 9,1991, LeonardPeikoff's Objec- Parker concludes:'?eikoff is an extra- specialdinner in Bostonon April 25. tiaism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand ordinary communicator....thosewho In honor of the 35th anniversaryof has been making its presencefelt in decide to examine Objectivism-with the publication of Atlas Shrugged,Pen- the culture at large, in academia,and this book as a guide-are in for an guin Bookshas releaseda new edition, among admirersof Ayn Rand. awesomeintellectual experience." for which LeonardPeikoff has written a Whereas Penguin's publicity for special introduction featuring excerpts Obiectiaism:The Philosophy of Ayn Ranil from Ayn Rand'sjournals. targets the general public, ARI is fo- Guestsat the dinner will have the cusing its efforts toward the academic opportunity to hear about the writing comniunity-both faculty and students. and publication of AtlasShrugged from Our mark6tingcampaigri includes mail- threepeople who knew Ayn Rand well: ings to 11,000professional philosophers, Dr. Peikoffi Mary Ann Sures,and Harry complimentary copies of the book to Binswanger. Mrs. Sures (who worked hundreds of u'niveisity professors,full- at Miss Rand's apartment as her as- pageads in eighteenacademic journals, sistant and typed the final manuscript anii promotional flyers for distribution of AtlasShrugged) and Dr. Peikoff will by campusObjectivist clubs. Numerous sharereminiscences about Miss Rand campus clubs are devoting an entire during the time she was writing her semester'sworth of discussions to a great novel. Dr. Binswanger,who was chapter-by-chapterstudy of the book, 'Objectivisn: The Pillo€,qhy d Ayn Rand" and are reporting intellectually a close friend of Ayn Rand's during m displalatamalnLosAngebe lpp,l<s/iote Pro- the last few years of her life, will de- ductive and highly rewarding results. vote his remarks to her own notes and The arrival of Dr. Peikoff's long- In Objectiaism:The Philosophyof recollections about Atlas Shrugged.A awaited book has generatedimportant Ayn Rand,Dr. Peikoff not only pro- generalquestion period will follow. publicity for Objectivism, including: vides both intellectual and emotional advertisementsin the New York Tizes inspiration for Objectivists,but sets BookReaiew, Commentary, and the Nezr forth a comprehensiveand definitive YorkRniat of Books;radio appearances statement of Objectivism-creating a bv Dr. Peikoff on maior talks shows in worthy adjunct to Ayn Rand'smonu- L6s Angeles and Bodton;and reviews mentai achievementiir philosophy. I lnstitute Moves to New Offices At the beginningof Februaryl992- and Ayn Rand's desk, designed bY exactly seven years after opening its Frank O'Connor, at which she wrote doors-the Avn Rand Institute moved The Fountainhead,Atlas Shrugged,and A RandomHouse adveftisement to new offices. Locatedin a high-rise most of her non-fiction. Fittingly, the lrcm the Atlas' memorabilia office building (seephoto at right) on Institute's move and anniversaryco- Concluding the festivitieswill be Los Angeles'Westside, the larger office incide with Ayn Rand'sbirthday. I the drawing of two guests'names to re- spacereflects the growth and success ceive items selectedfrom a display of of the Institute and provides for impor- Atlas Shruggedmemorabilia belonging tant expansionin the future. to Miss Rand. For further information, Featuresof the specially-designed readers who have not yet received an suite of offices include: on-site storage invitation may call the Institute at (310) facilities and a larger mail room to 306-9232.On the evening following handle the thousandsof printed mate- the ARI event, Dr. Peikoff will deliver rials distributed annually by ARI; a his Ford Hall Forum addressat nearby conferenceroom housing a small col- Northeastern University; for details, ell lection of paintings, books, and mem- the Forum at (617)437-5ffi0. t orabilia from the Estateof Ayn Rand; InstituteInterview: LeonardPeikoff Part I by Kathy Kroeger sentenc€sorparagraphs,and thenitjust notes, and by sheer accident I found would have been buried historically. that twenty-five years earlier I had wdt- Also, of course, many of her ideas she ten and shown her almost the same never did write down-but I would write paragraph, and she had written "NO!" a lecture on them, and then she would beside it in the margin. As I tried to critique my writing in great detail. think why, suddenly it occurred to me Qt Why was she naner motiaatedto teach, what the error was. On another occa- nen though sheenjoyeil the process? sion, I had a passage on free will that A: She didn't regard it as teaching. She was confusing and suggestive of what's saw teaching as essentially motirnted by called "indeterminism." In conversa- the need to communicate to an audience, tion with Harry Binswanger-again, and she didn't want to communicate as a more or less by accident-he quoted primary career. But as a ccmplement to something she had said to him that her woik, she did enjoy disanssionswith directly contradicted what I had just intelligent, honest people-those were written. Ultimately, I used every con- the two traits she looked for. Since she ceivable source-every note, every con- LmnardPekoff is Ayn Rand'sintellectual could find no intelle.ctualequals, she versation, everything she.ever wrote, and legalheir"and the foremost interyeter wanted someoneintelligent who could every stray fragment-to.\tsP TyseU of herihitosophv. 'fh9!9g_ent"2ubl!9a@aoJ benefit from what she knew. _.- on track and write h91 philosoihy j4 oi were aliie toidiiy,wEat woidi-tFatTe would-ip-provg i* uoit oujtctvism: TheEiloiophl SffAtnRin-d 9T.-- . Ayn Rand maku aaailable'foithe iiteliectial questjlf2w-ould yo-u-ask hy.? Q: your aiewson phi\.osophiglfr^i7; tbpenl - -Did time a systerwtictreatment of'Objec- A: Thereare all kinds oJ philosophical a.rchychange during the-writingof OPAR?. 'tiaismfiist in oie aolume.ln this tiree-itart questions I didn't ggt !9-ag! hel-as A: It's not so much that they changed interuiau, Dr. Peikoff discussesa aaiety of f_rovedly tlre sJrrrggles_Ihadin writing as that I didn't haoefirm views on hier- topicsand reminiscdsabout hb thirty-year bpan. But the factthat lfinally resolved archy in regard to a great many ideas rdlationshipwith Ayn Ranil. those struggles-shows that I asked her until the last-ten Y!{s or so. In order to all the essiitial questions. I'd love for reachsuch views, I first had to have the Q: First, congratuhtionson the completion her to read OPARand tell me what she goa-lof presentingthe systemas a whole, andpublication o/ OPAR/ most liked and what shedidn't like. She and in earlier yearsI was still tryin-g-to A: ihank you very much. had a system of marking when she read understand the various elementsof the Q: In theyeface,yiu statethat your discus- my wriiing. One verticaltne in the mar- sysbem.It wasn't until I cnmplgtedwriq shnswith' Ayn Nnd "werenot- a collabora- Fril next to a paragraph meant she liked ing The Ominous Parallelsin 1980that I rieaniit'was excellengthree reilly understood main-points.And tion: I askd"quations;she ansaured them," iU t"o lines -the Howaner,in Harry Binsutanger'srniew of lines or more (rare)-"This is brilliant." it was then that I begantg hgve a gre.at OPAR(The InteilectualA&ivist, Noaeni- No mark meantit was okay,but a wavy interest in seminars and classesde- ber,1.991), he uedits you with askingthe line in the margin meant there was signed to figure out the PloPer, logical ight questions,and coitinuing to askihem. somethingwrong or confused.If it was qrdel of the system'sdevelopment. .. I{e euenspeculates that Misi Randmight wrong irr its essentialintention, she'd Q: Cal yourye af unmpleof a-connection nner haai writtm downsome of her ideas put an exclamationpoint or draw a line thatfell intoplace t'or you at tlat-htr point?- I could tell right away A: The first time I wrote on the virtue of 'in'lourt'orpublication had you notbem s6 persistmt ihrough it. So quationing.Would you agru? what she thought of every paragraph.I independence,as I explainedat The fef- A: Yes. I was very pleasedby Dr. Bins- would really be eager to know what fersonSchool a few yearsago, it cameout wanger's review-it's the bbst review formulations, if any, she objectedto in as just common-senseAmericanism- I've everhad. I think it's true simply be- my book, and why, becausethat would self-reliance,self-support, and so on. I - €auseMiss*an*eftendidrcesiairvh5 -#the rnsst itsiruetive thing'irrttte -fraetffikaridm oFt|re-cortnectionbe- the orrcial things she identified werb world. But I'm sure that her overall tween independence and the meta- not immediately obvious to others-in opinion would be extremelypositive- physicsof Objectivism;it wasa long time regard to the seirses,for example,or ob- "[wo lines,' at the very least. before I saw that my discussion had no jeitivitn volition, the arbitra;y, and so Q: Whatrole did your memoia of hr play place in a hierarchicalstructure. { y9" bn. Ori many issues,her firsf reaction whenyou werewiting the book? could have ethics like this, completely was tremendous pres- out of context, who needs metaphysics to some queition-or or comment could be A: Her mind a surprise indignation. Much of the ence. I often had the feeling she was and epistemology?Initially', thele wasn'! contersationthen consistedof her com- watching over me-not in a mystical one of the virtues that I understood her thinking was down to its deepestroots.
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