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The Objectivist: 1966-1971

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Contains two Kant Versus Sullivan by Ayn Rand Who Programs the Programmers by Susan Ludel Also includes original letter sent with the pamphlet from the Foundation for the New Intellectual

1104 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1990

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About the author

Ayn Rand

590 books10.4k followers
Polemical novels, such as The Fountainhead (1943), of primarily known Russian-American writer Ayn Rand, originally Alisa Rosenbaum, espouse the doctrines of objectivism and political libertarianism.

Fiction of this better author and philosopher developed a system that she named. Educated, she moved to the United States in 1926. After two early initially duds and two Broadway plays, Rand achieved fame. In 1957, she published Atlas Shrugged , her best-selling work.

Rand advocated reason and rejected faith and religion. She supported rational and ethical egoism as opposed to altruism. She condemned the immoral initiation of force and supported laissez-faire capitalism, which she defined as the system, based on recognizing individual rights, including private property. Often associated with the modern movement in the United States, Rand opposed and viewed anarchism. In art, she promoted romantic realism. She sharply criticized most philosophers and their traditions with few exceptions.

Books of Rand sold more than 37 million copies. From literary critics, her fiction received mixed reviews with more negative reviews for her later work. Afterward, she turned to nonfiction to promote her philosophy, published her own periodicals, and released several collections of essays until her death in 1982.

After her death, her ideas interested academics, but philosophers generally ignored or rejected her and argued that her approach and work lack methodological rigor. She influenced some right conservatives. The movement circulates her ideas to the public and in academic settings.

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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Profile Image for Gerardo Herrera.
131 reviews3 followers
January 18, 2022
I can never read too much about Objectivism or Ayn Rand. Love this collection.
26 reviews5 followers
November 20, 2009
"The Objectivist" was a publication discussing the philosophy of Objectivism, headed by the novelist and creator of the philosophy, Ayn Rand (author of "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Fountainhead").

For those unacquainted with Objectivism, Rand described it as follows: "My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute."

Many of Rand's essays in this volume are reprinted elsewhere. However, several sections of the newsletter are only available in this collection, such as articles by writers other than Rand on the culture of the ‘60s, answers to reader questions in the "Intellectual Ammunition" section, regular book reviews, some essays on psychology by Nathaniel Branden when he still had Rand’s sanction, and a “Horror File” section of the almost laughable lowest indications of the culture in decline.

I recommend this volume if only for those sections listed above, (by Rand but mostly by others whom she condoned at the time) as the questions and answers are equally as important today, and some of the books reviewed are fascinating glimpses of American culture and history. Branden’s essays are also quite insightful on the topic of psychology. But be aware that there isn't much "new" material by Ayn Rand here for you if you've already read the rest of Rand's work, but there is more here than in “The Objectivist Newsletter” that preceded it.

If, however, you don't already own all of Rand's non-fiction, or are a collector of Rand's work, then I highly recommend this and the two companions, "The Objectivist Newsletter" and "The Ayn Rand Letter". In the former case, you can save money by buying these instead of all the individual books!
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