On Ayn Rand

Rating:
Summary: BEST SHORT BOOK ON AYN RAND
Review: A plus. It doesn't get any better than this. In 100 pages, Dr. Gotthelf draws on everything known about Ayn Rand, from her novels, books, articles, journals, even spoken lectures and interviews, and gives the correct essentials. The emphasis is on her underlying philosophy, Objectivism, 'the philosophy for living on earth.' The politics of capitalism are only briefly sketched in. He clearly explains Ayn Rand's most complex innovation, her theory of concepts. Under ethics, he covers the 6 most important virtues. He opens and closes with Ayn Rand's benevolent universe premise and heroic view of mankind. He concludes with a passage from John Galt's speech in Atlas Shrugged. 'Fight for the value of your person. Fight for the virtue of your pride.... Fight with the radiant certainty and absolute of knowing that yours is the Morality of Life and that yours is the battle for any achievement, any value, any grandeur, any goodness, any joy that has ever existed on this earth.'

Rating:
Summary: A good short summary of Rand's errors
Review: Allan Gotthelf has written a decent little book here. Aside from a couple of annoying verbal habits (e.g. always writing out Ayn Rand's full name every time he refers to her) and a couple of unpleasantnesses (e.g. some nasty remarks about the Brandens and the existing secondary literature on Objectivism), this is actually a pretty well-written and well-organized brief overview of Rand's thought. (Of course -- heh heh! -- you shouldn't expect to understand it all _right away_. It takes _many, many years of serious study_ to learn that Rand was absolutely correct in every single particular.)

The presentation is orderly, if occasionally skimpy. Gotthelf devotes a couple of short, fawning chapters (well, all the chapters are short -- and fawning, too, come to think of it) to Rand's sinless life and then proceeds to take the reader on a guided tour through the main features of her thought in metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. Political theory gets short shrift, but that's okay; while it was undoubtedly the strongest (or at any rate the least vulnerable) portion of Rand's philosophy, it was also by far the least original (which, actually, is _why_ it was the least vulnerable). Aesthetics doesn't get much attention either, which is sort of too bad, but maybe Gotthelf doesn't want to give away too many of Rand's propaganda techniques.

I especially enjoyed the tour; it's always a pleasure to encounter a book that one has completely refuted before it was even published. The reviewer from Austin is right: Rand _wasn't_ really a very good philosopher. And Gotthelf's accurate-but-uncritical summary of Rand has been a tremendous help to me in rewriting, for publication, my critique of Rand's epistemology (still available in an earlier draft form on my website); he confirms and recommits every error I pick on her for, and may even introduce one or two new ones of his own. (For example, at one point he seems to imply that the "primacy of existence" premise commits him to materialism.)

You may well imagine that critics of Objectivism (of whom I am obviously one) receive lots of silly e-mails telling them they've gotten this or that point entirely wrong (usually from people who don't seem to be able to read all that well themselves). So I'm happy to say that at numerous points I have been able to use Gotthelf's handy little text to confirm (yet again) that I was reading Rand correctly after all, and that she was just as wrong as I said she was. Now that I've taken account of his work in rewriting my own, the result is a much clearer critique. (Which just goes to show, I suppose, that Objectivists and libertarians _can_ cooperate in a good cause.)

And I'm not kidding about the quality of Gotthelf's work; this _is_ a fairly well-executed introduction, although it will probably be a bit hard to read for anyone completely unfamiliar with Rand's work. For the most part (but not entirely!) this little book reads like a precis of Leonard Peikoff's _Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand_ (which is, by the way, one of the few items of "secondary Objectivist literature" about which Gotthelf has anything good to say). As such it will make a helpful companion to that volume, whether Peikoff likes it or not. (And as I hinted, if you read carefully you'll find a few points at which Gotthelf disagrees with Peikoff and the ARI mainstream. For example, did Rand think her ethic was founded on an "axiom"? Compare Gotthelf's remarks with David Harriman's in the _Journals of Ayn Rand_.)

It will also be helpful to anyone -- Randie or otherwise -- who wants a quick and dirty summary of what Objectivism is all about. Love it or hate it, here it is.

Rating:
Summary: Mediocre Introduction to Rand
Review: Allan Gotthelf is a philosopher and a follower of the ideas of philosopher/novelist Ayn Rand. He is associated with the Ayn Rand Institute, which advocates the "Official Objectivism" of Leonard Peikoff.

Generally speaking, ON AYN RAND is reliable introduction to Rand's thought. On the other hand, it's of the strangest books I've read in terms of its "construction." The endnotes take up an unusually large percentage of the book. For example, chapter 4 is 5 pages long and the endnotes almost 3 full pages. In addition, much valuable information that is contained in the endnotes belongs in the text. The discussion of her first novel, WE THE LIVING, takes up one paragraph in the text, but there are three paragraph length endnotes that tell you much more about the novel. This is highly unusual for any book, particularly an introduction. It's almost as if the book was put together from two separate sources. And, although the book is 97 pages long, the section on Rand's politics is one page long! Simply put, this is not a book that will grab the attention of those new to Rand or those who know her mostly through her novels and politics.

What is most troubling about the book is its partisan tone, which at times approaches agitprop. There is not a single word of criticism of Rand, and Gotthelf's praise is overboard. We read about the "poignant and beautiful lines" of one of her books, how her theories are "remarkable" and "original," and how her theory of concept formation would change the world if only we would let it into our heart. There is also a deliberate attempt to downplay the influence of Nietzsche (or any other thinker) on her thought. But what I found most irritating is that 100% of the time she is referred to as "Ayn Rand." A huge flaw is the failure to mention any books on Ayn Rand not written by Official Objectivists. Indeed, when he mentions in a footnote that Barbara Branden wrote a memoir/biography of Rand, he doesn't even name the book (although he insists that it's riddled with errors). He claims that there is no evidence that Rand's philosophy professors in Russia influenced her - an obvious reference to Chris Sciabarra's book AYN RAND: THE RUSSIAN RADICAL - but he doesn't mention Sciabarra or the book's title. The bibliography mentions only books by Rand, with the exception of Peikoff's OBJECTIVISM: THE PHILOSOPHY OF AYN RAND.

Although Rand has been the subject of considerable interest of late, there is still no completely satisfactory introduction to her thought. The best introduction remains Tibor Machan's AYN RAND.


Rating:
Summary: Reliable, But Not Inspiring
Review: Allan Gotthelf is a philosopher and a follower of the ideas of philosopher/novelist Ayn Rand. He is associated with the Ayn Rand Institute, which advocates the "Official Objectivism" of Leonard Peikoff.

Generally speaking, ON AYN RAND is reliable introduction to Rand's thought. On the other hand, it's of the strangest books I've read in terms of its "construction." The endnotes take up an unusually large percentage of the book. For example, chapter 4 is 5 pages long and the endnotes almost 3 full pages. In addition, much valuable information that is contained in the endnotes belongs in the text. The discussion of her first novel, WE THE LIVING, takes up one paragraph in the text, but there are three paragraph length endnotes that tell you much more about the novel. This is highly unusual for any book, particularly an introduction. It's almost as if the book was put together from two separate sources. And, although the book is 97 pages long, the section on Rand's politics is one page long! Simply put, this is not a book that will grab the attention of those new to Rand or those who know her mostly through her novels and politics.

What is most troubling about the book is its partisan tone, which at times approaches agitprop. There is not a single word of criticism of Rand, and Gotthelf's praise is overboard. We read about the "poignant and beautiful lines" of one of her books, how her theories are "remarkable" and "original," and how her theory of concept formation would change the world if only we would let it into our heart. There is also a deliberate attempt to downplay the influence of Nietzsche (or any other thinker) on her thought. But what I found most irritating is that 100% of the time she is referred to as "Ayn Rand."

One major flaw is the failure to mention any books on Ayn Rand not written by Official Objectivists. Indeed, when he mentions in a footnote that Barbara Branden wrote a memoir/biography of Rand, he doesn't even name the book (although he insists that it's riddled with errors). He claims that there is no evidence that Rand's philosophy professors in Russia influenced her - an obvious reference to Chris Sciabarra's book AYN RAND: THE RUSSIAN RADICAL - but he doesn't mention Sciabarra or the book's title. The bibliography mentions only books by Rand, with the exception of Peikoff's OBJECTIVISM: THE PHILOSOPHY OF AYN RAND.

Although Rand has been the subject of considerable interest of late, there is still no completely satisfactory introduction to her thought. The best introduction remains Tibor Machan's AYN RAND.

Rating:
Summary: A clearly written introduction to Objectivism and Ayn Rand
Review: Allan Gotthelf succeeds at condensing Ayn Rand's entire integrated philosophy of Objectivism into a short (97 pp.), easy to read introductory book. Most of the book is devoted to presenting the core of the philosophical system -- metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics -- but there is a glance at politics and esthetics, and two chapters are devoted to a biography of Ayn Rand.

Gotthelf argues that philosophy is not an esoteric game, but a practical tool none of us can do without. He shows how one's ability to make decisions and one's ethical and political views stem from the metaphysical and epistemological premises one accepts. Ultimately philosophy moves the world. *On Ayn Rand* argues that Objectivism is practical: a guide to living one's life, which, when correctly understood and acted upon, will enable its practitioner to achieve happiness.

*On Ayn Rand* introduces all the main ideas of Objectivism in a clear manner, easy for the beginner to grasp. For example, Gotthelf explains that three metaphysical axioms, which are perceptually self-evident, underlie all our thinking and are properly the starting point of philosophy: that something exists, that the act of grasping this implies that one is conscious, and that everything that exists has an identity. Using simple examples he shows how even if one tries to deny these axioms one affirms them.

*On Ayn Rand* is not written in a detached manner, so common to textbooks. Its author had been a student of Ayn Rand and knows his subject. His presentation is both factual and passionate. Convinced of the practicality of ideas and of their power to change the world, Allan Gotthelf has written a clear and enjoyable introduction to a revolutionary philosophy.

Rating:
Summary: Short is Sweet
Review: Allan Gotthelf's short book allows you to hold Ayn Rand's philosophy and sense of life in one breath which makes her philosophy very real to any reader. He starts with what attracts people to Ayn Rand-her benevolent universe premise and her heroic view of man-and establishes that hers is not a universally held view, and even the cause of hostility towards Ayn Rand. He then asks which is true? Is life inherently tragic or can we understand ourselves and the world, establish values, and ultimately succeed? That is what Ayn Rand's philosophy establishes: the supreme power of reason, the supreme power of the individual, the supreme power of capitalism, the supreme power of man to achieve values and happiness-if he fights for reason, individualism, and freedom.

The view that life is inherently miserable and tragic has no philosophic basis. Expressing Ayn Rand's view, he says "the greatest amount of suffering in mankind's history has not been due to anything about the nature of the universe. It has been due to the philosophies men have accepted." That is a powerful message for anyone who wants to improve their life or change the world. That accounts for Ayn Rand's appeal. Ideas matter. Good ideas are vital to human happiness.

His last chapter is like a work of art, in that, you see on one page that each core Objectivist principle is necessary for man to have confidence in himself and the world.

Given the limitations inherent in any introduction, Gotthelf briefly indicates Ayn Rand's revolutionary understanding of the senses. A major epistemological point of Ayn Rand's is that the form of perception (color, flavor, tones, texture) does not negate the fact of perception (sight, taste & smell, hearing, touch.) Form is the *direct* experience of the interaction of our sense organs with the external world-which establishes the fact of touch, taste, sight, smell, and hearing. This truth may seem obvious to most people, but most philosophers have fought against this view (if they know of it at all) which in the end undermines all knowledge, values, moral certainty, and happiness.

This book weaves together the core themes of Ayn Rand's philosophy and is an excellent introduction, worth including in every introductory philosophy course.

Rating:
Summary: Too one-sided
Review: Although this book does an OK job of explaining the basics ofObjectivism, it presents little criticism of Rand's philosophy andwriting. For example, there is no mention of the fact that Rand had a poor grasp of the history of philosophy and her attacks on other philosophers were generally ill-informed. In addition, the only books cited are those that are favorable to her and written by Orthodox Objectivists like Peikoff.

Rating:
Summary: Second hand Ayn Rand: A laudable goal, poor execution
Review: As Greg Johnson puts it at The Daily Objectivist website: "For someone who is relatively ignorant of and new to Rand's thought Gotthelf's book gets a grade of C+. Although his Introduction begins promisingly with an explication of a passage from Atlas Shrugged, his exposition of Rand's philosophy begins with two chapters on metaphysics, followed by two chapters on epistemology. Only then does he deal with Rand's moral philosophy, which receives barely eleven pages. Rand's political philosophy receives one page, and her aesthetics receives one and a half. But the relative weights he gives to the different branches of philosophy results in an extremely abstract, unaccommodating, and off-putting introduction to Rand's thought. All evidence indicates that this book was written and published with great haste and little attention to detail." A better introduction to Rand would be her own "For the New Intellectual".

Rating:
Summary: All of Rand's Sins, None of Her Virtues
Review: Gotthelf's book is probably the worst introduction to Rand yet written.

The book is clear to a reader only if that reader is already highly familiar with the idiosyncratic semi-technical vocabulary of Objectivism. Indeed, not only does Gotthelf express Rand's thoughts in Rand's rather obscure way of speaking, he typically lets her speak for herself - literally. Most of the main ideas are introduced by way of quoting Rand, at length. This might be okay were Gotthelf to then elucidate Rand's strange formulations, but he takes it for granted that the quotations are clear.But, when cut from context, the quotations lose most of their original flavor. This means that Gotthelf has managed to replicate all of the problems with Rand's unclear and inconsistent language without replicating any of her energy and lively style.

Gotthelf has a skewed approach to the question of how much of the book to use on a given subject. He devotes quite a bit of it to deeply a adoring account of Rand's biography, without citing the unauthorized memoir and biography by Rand's closest companions or even the authorized biography written by Barbara Branden in the early 1960's. He does cite Leonard Peikoff's biographical essay on Rand. It is appropriate that Gotthelf, who fails to display much concern with the truth about Rand's life, should cite Peikoff: Peikoff concludes that essay by explaining that our wishes determine what kind of a person Rand was.

One could tolerate hagiography if it at least included some relevant information about the development of Rand's philosophy. But this one does not. The well-articulated and strongly defended theory that Rand's philosophical development was much influenced by her immersion, in the Russia of her youth and education, in the dialectical methodology characteristic to the approach of virtually all academics in virtually all subjects on virtually all sides of virtually all questions. That is, Gotthelf manages to spend about a third of the book celebrating Rand, without mentioning the one and only fact about her personal history that is at all interesting from a philosophical point of view: that she may have taken elements of her philosophical methodology from the educational system in which she studied.

Gotthelf's skewed sense for what is worth including is displayed elsewhere, in his decision to spend about 40% of the book on Rand's metaphysics; primarily her theory of concepts. This leads him to shortchange Rand's politics, dealing with Rand's most well-known theory on a single page.

But, since Gotthelf spends so much of the book on Rand's metaphysics, and uses quotations from Rand to do most of his explaining, we must ask whether this book is a more efficient introduction to Rand's metaphysics than just reading Rand. Rand's work on metaphysics is about 100 pages long; more if you count the appendices, which help to elucidate but add little that's really essential. So now we're wading through 35 pages of hagiography and 40 pages of metaphysics to get not just the same old explanations but quotations that one could have found in Rand in a book that's only about 25 pages longer.

The discussion of ethics is similarly problematic. Rand's meta-ethical argument is deeply obscure. One cannot, by reading her essay on the subject, discover what are its premises, what are its conclusions, and how one infers the conclusions from the premises. All of the various interpretations of this argument that have been offered have been subjected to serious criticism. Gotthelf neither explains the argument (more quotations) nor even tries to show how it can deal with the criticisms that have been offered.

Rand was not a really very good philosopher; her programmatic, mostly methodological, insights require a total reworking from the bottom up. One wonders whether she'll ever acquire a scholarly following capable of doing this, or if the poor woman will be forever cursed with unconstructive, admiring sycophants on the scale of Gotthelf.

Rating:
Summary: Very Hard to Read
Review: I found it extremely difficult to get through each page. This is a very poorly written book.