The Ideas of Ayn Rand

by Ronald E. Merrill

Ayn Rand (1905-1982) is known to millions for her blockbuster novels, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. In the 1960s her 'Objectivist' ideas, featuring esthetic romanticism, laissez-faire capitalism, atheism, and 'the virtue of selfishness', were promoted in an organized movement, which split apart after Rand's falling-out with her protégé Nathaniel Branden. This debacle threw Rand's growing community of followers into disarray, but she continues to attract readers and to exert a major, if largely subterranean, influence on thinking and policy.

The Ideas of Ayn Rand provides, for the first time, a comprehensive survey of Rand's wide ranging her literary techniques; her espousal and then rejection of a Nietzschean outlook; her contradictory attitude to feminism; her forays into ethics, epistemology, and metaphysics; the development of her political creed; her influence on-and hostility to-both conservatism and libertarianism. Dr. Merrill's standpoint is friendly yet critical. He presents a fresh and original interpretation of Rand's ideas, exposing unexpected facets of the Objectivist vision and arguing that Rand's thought is more complex, more subtle, and more profound than her enemies, or even her friends, have heretofore suspected.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

191 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 1991

Reviews

[Fred · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is written in a non-academic accessible style. It is a clean, logical assessment of her ideas. He answers questions such as why most academic philosophers don't reference her work. He illustrates the influence of Nietzsche in her early works. He discusses her illustrations of repression, but he leaves out the example of Howard Roark's meditations about his pain for not working as an architect (see first 2 pages of the Ellsworth Toohey chapter).

Unfortunately Merrill did not appear to have access to "Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand" (OPAR) because he cites weaknesses in some of Rand's arguments that are not apparent in OPAR. Both books were copywrited in 1991.

I had a lot of fun looking up the names and backgrounds of many of the Objectivists, philosophers, and other intellectuals that Merrill mentions in his book.

[Maria · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the worst books I have ever read in my whole life. The author is very low and despicable. Although you might think he is trustworthy because of the experience he had, on the contrary, it seems to me that he has never understood Rand's ideas at all, that I have an answer to almost every page, based on the knowledge I gained in just two years. He didn't even offered strong counterarguments that could improve one's critical thinking, this book is a complete waste of time. If you want to understand Objectivisim; the best teacher is Leonard Peikoff.

[Lingui5t · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked it. Thought it was very fair. Fastest I've read a book in a while.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very solid introduction to Ayn Rand's ideas. This is quite accessible, however, not academic.