Category: Books

Amateur philosophical background: the ethics

Post author By jon
Post date July 22, 2014

In this second philosophical preamble to actually starting talking about The Fountainhead, I’m going to give an overview of the more relevant part of Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism, the ethics.

Unlike the epistemology, which has a very ad-hoc vibe to it, it’s hard to dispute that Rand’s system of values was present (in increasing degrees) in her earlier novels, until it came to dominate her magnum opus Atlas Shrugged. The length of the novels, and the volume of speechifying, correlates with this. Rand published a distillation of her position in The Virtue of Selfishness in 1961 (predating the epistemology), and it’s this we’ll draw on.

Books Epistemology Ethics/Metaethics Philosophy Rand

Being “reasonable”: what’s worth salvaging from Rand’s epistemology?

Post author By jon
Post date July 22, 2014

Given the critical tone of my last posts, the main motive for my overview of the Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology would seem to be scorn. On the negative side, as well as a the expected deep inconsistencies I was genuinely surprised to find how many straight-up contradictions I found when I started to tabulate Rand’s claims against other types of philosophical system: a particularly perplexing one is her attitude to measurement, which she simultaneously suggests is unnecessary and the only way essential characteristics can be compared.

But I maintain that we need to give credit when it’s due, and try to find the sensible equivalents of Rand’s positions – she is after all mimicking the greats.

Epistemology Ethics/Metaethics Philosophy Rand

Amateur philosophical background: the “epistemology”

Post author By jon
Post date July 22, 2014

“Mathematics is the science of measurement” – Ayn Rand, An Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology

Before I jump (or sink) into The Fountainhead, I thought I’d put together an (amateurish) primer on Ayn Rand’s philosophy in two parts. The first will deal with what she calls her “epistemology” – something that is usually understood as a means of knowing. The second will deal with the ethics. In each case, I’ve taken most of Rand’s material from her own words – if you want to follow along here, this is all taken from her book, An Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology. I’m also indebted to the wonderful Partially Examined Life podcast’s episode on Rand – I’d highly recommend this for a professional touch – and the rest of their episodes too, for that matter.

Books Lit Crit Rand Rand & Nabokov

Ayn Rand: managing expectations

Post author By jon
Post date July 22, 2014

It is no secret that I come to The Fountainhead with rather low expectations. Everything I’ve heard, even sometimes from otherwise admirers, suggests that Rand’s prose will:

Exist purely for the service of an extremely rigid political idea. There will be no variety, no fun to be had, except to hammer home the message of objectivism, individualism and capitalism at every point.
Be mostly dialogue, and contain extremely long and didactic soliloquies. There will be a lot of telling and not showing.
Be extremely literal and earnest; irony, ambiguity, and humour will be absent
Be indifferent to realistic descriptions of psychology; the surrounding world; the practice of professions; and personal relationships.
Contain some very dubious sexual politics

I list these to make my initial biases explicit. My aim in reading The Fountainhead is to give credit where it’s due – I want to acknowledge where Rand’s text is good (or even just ok), and particularly where it bucks these trends.

Hey, sometimes low expectations can be a good thing.

Books Rand Rand & Nabokov The Fountainhead

The Fountainhead? Good Lord, why?

Post author By jon
Post date July 21, 2014

As an exercise in mind-broadening, or possibly masochism. Full disclosure: I have never been an enthusiast of Ayn Rand, and I think Objectivism is a half-baked philosophy, or approaching a cult, depending on how seriously you take it.

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