Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand (Ayn Rand Library)

It is said that Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism appeals mostly to younger people. As someone who is still in their first century of life but well beyond the early phases I would disagree. In my opinion her book is the standard for logical thinking and integrating your experiences and beliefs into a definable and defensible philosophy. This would be true even if your philosophy was not in line with Objectivism. I highly recommend this book although be prepared -- it is not a book you will read quickly nor without a great deal of thought, study, or introspection. The result will be well worth the effort. You will have a greater appreciation of the significance of ideas and the requirement for these ideas and principles to be bound by a integrated philosophy. The practical effect of having such a philosophy is living a better, more grounded life. As well as being able to better articulate your ideas and help educate others. Finally, as a grandfather, it means helping your grandchildren by giving them a solid foundation for thinking and personal conduct in a world where such concepts are hard to come by. -- GHH

This book contains by far the most didatic, systematic, integrated and complete explanation of Objectivism, covering all the essential topics and leaving you with the tools to understand what would be the Objectivist point of view in other, non-essential, questions and cases. If you come to agree with Objectivism this book will serve you as a life-long companion and simplified statement of your essential convictions. You will understand very clearly how your convictions in metaphysics affect your epistemology, ethics, political views, esthetical views and so on.... It is not just a repetition of thoughts already written in other Objectivist books, for when it gathered all their material in an organized fashion some new conclusions become evident for the reader/student. In some sense it adds a lot of original value to the gathered material and surpasses the need for reading the many Ayn Rand non-fiction books. If I were to study Objectivism this would be the first book I would buy, and I would read it together with Atlas Shrugged.

Great concept original ideas clear intelligence.

The author, Dr. Peikoff, was Ayn Rand's understudy since he was a teenager. Ultimately, he became her intellectual heir. This book reflects not only her fiction and non-fiction works, but also the hundreds of hours of one on one discussion between the two. Rand's philosophy of Objectivism (reality, reason, rational self-interest, purpose, self-esteem, rational thought, Capitalism) is life-changing and will make the reader look their life and that of today's political, economic, and social issues differently. My regret is that I did not read Peikoff's book when it was released 30 years ago.

This book is an incredible must-read. An excellent presentation of Objectivism. Unfortunately, like with many Kindle editions of books, it is full of typos. Usually, this isn't a major issue but I have found instances where the typos can completely change the original meaning of the sentence. Peikoff and Rand both wrote with extreme precision, so typos in their works are much more detrimental than they typically would be.

Thorough explanation of the philosophy Objectivism (Aristotelian realism updated). Circular reasoning regarding belief in God versus Atheism. Avoids Materialist determinism of Atheism (almost entirely). Excellent presentation of Epistemology (the way we know something is true.) Reveals flaws of current philosophy that truth is subjective.

Peikoff provides a clear and complete introduction to Rand's philosophy. The book is presented as a complete philosophical system, with each branch building on previous conclusions derived from direct reference to sense experience of Reality supported by axiomatic concepts. This, of course, means that if one of the foundational axioms is disproven, then the entire system crumbles. In light of this fact, Peikoff offers answers to the major historical challenges to these axioms as well as makes the links clear at each stage of the system. The book also leaves room for further development, and by no means claims to be an exhaustive exploration of Objectivism. For someone who has read almost all of Rand's work prior to reading Peikoff's treatise, the most exciting aspect is grasping how much philosophical work there is still to be done.

It is a carefully and clearly written treatise on the most important treatment of Philosophy. I have always thought, seeing how succesful Mankind is in the growth of the so called exact sciences, as opposed to the catastrophe we have in Ethics and Politics, that these two extremely important subjects should be given to the engineers and scientists responsible for landing Man on the Moon, for their study and development. That is exactly what Ayn Rand has given us. For the first time Philosophy is an exact science. It is simply a Science, if science is knowlege, pure and unadulterated. Thus, Objectivism is all you need if you want consistent and true answers to the basic questions we all have in Ethics and Politics. We can dispense with all the nonsense we were taught. Kant et al can and should be put to rest. They are a ripe subject for Archeologists

Ayn Rand es una genio. Durante gran parte de mi vida sostuve estandares objetivos y la importancia de la razon, sin embargo no tuve la capacidad de integrar todo en una vision no contradictoria, ella lo hizo.

This is an amazing book. Currently I can't think of a more important, empowering and valuable read. I've read it 4 times now and I'm amazed each time by how liberating it is. The comparison of other philosophies with objectivism makes gives the reader a solid context of philosophy in general. It may not be a perfect philosophy but I haven't found any holes in it yet.

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Man this guy is good to read on the page. He is a teacher. This is an important distinction to offer. To me Ayn Rand works as more of a statement broadcaster and staunch intellectual fighter and I find her own presentation of her ideas quite opaque even as they are deliciously crystal clear linguistically. Her vision was so much a part of her own knowledge and all her conclusions and statements emerged from so well ordered a bedrock of context in her mind that whilst her offerings may be very intriguing, I have never found much of it conclusive at first reading. Hence the need for a teacher, which is a skill and ability in it's own right. Leonard Peikoff looks after people like me by exploring and unveiling very clearly this vast bedrock of context with elegant accessibility and an exciting rate of progress through the pages. Also to his credit as a teacher, his presentation is laid out into very manageable and aesthetically well presented chapters subheadings and digestible paragraphs so reflecting on the path of your progress is much easier than when mining through the solid, black, densely packed, tiny font of the usual paperback publications of Rand's work. Another advantage of this book is that whatever striking character Dr Peikoff's speaking voice contains - audible in any online video or recording - is here not so much of a charming distraction. Same applies to Ms Rand. I have encountered senior Objectivists whose voices are relatively unnoticeable by virtue of their 'normality' (for want of a better word) and so can vouch for the fact that apparently to be a leading Objectivist it is not essential you have a strikingly characteristic voice like Ayn Rand or Leonard Peikoff!! Luckily in this book only the well printed words and then the light of these ideas hits your senses and mind which makes for much easier processing. And this is not a comment presented here for laughs. I find most rejection of Ayn Rands ideas are in their roots a rejection of her as a certain kind of person. Rejection of: her "obnoxious style", her thick accent, her readiness to lay out a provocative position with provocative wording etc . . . all making it very much easier for the average passing layman to get away with escaping a vast philosophy with a few convenient 'she's simply all for an awful dog eat dog kill yr enemy cruel world' 'she's clearly just a product of her Russian background' 'Her politics is economically antiquated' ...etc ALL of which are W I L D L Y inaccurate, almost the complete reverse in each instance of what is true, and betray a thorough ignorance or at best misunderstanding of the Objectivist philosophy. This book is the best publication i think there is for capturing effectively and elucidating brightly the highly worthwhile ridiculously interesting and potentially extremely valuable ideas of Ayn Rand to anyone willing to open the first page. Thumbs up, and I hope this helps

Objectivism in one word:Rationality. Reason(mind) is man's means of survival. This book teaches the reality, reason, how to live happily and the best ideal society for individuals. I am very happy that I read Ayn Rand's Objectivisms,these principles are life savers to me. Extremely comprehensive, Thank's to LEONARD PEIKOFF, for his intelligence to make the OBJECTIVISM easily to read for every one. I owe so much to Ayn Rand, Leonard Peikoff and ARI channel in Youtube.