Judgment Day

Rating:
Summary: CONSIDER THE SOURCE ...
Review: Ayn Rand, author of "The Fountainhead" and "Atlas Shrugged," discovered more important philosophic truths than any other thinker of the 20th century. She held that morality is derived from the facts of reality. "Good" doesn't mean following the orders of an incomprehensible God or the whims of society. "Good" means "good for life." And since men can only survive by thinking and discovering what is needed for survival, she named rationality as the primary virtue. Recognizing that you can only prosper by thinking for yourself, constitutes the virtue of independence. Recognizing that you have to work for a living constitutes the virtue of productiveness. Being true to facts as a matter of principle, is the virtue of honesty. Being true to yourself is the virtue of integrity. Being rational in judging other men is the virtue of justice. And recognizing that you're able to live as a rational being and worthy to live, constitutes the virtue of pride.

During the 1960s Nathaniel Branden, who at that time was a brilliant thinker, formed a lecture organization to help spread Ayn Rand's ideas. I was one of the students who attended his courses on philosophy and psychology. No one suspected it at the time, and there was no independent confirmation of it until years after Miss Rand's death in 1982, but she and Nathaniel Branden had an affair. All relationship between them came to an end in 1968, when Miss Rand discovered that Branden was not practicing what he preached.

This is Nathaniel Branden's version of their relationship-or rather, one of his versions, for he's changed his story several times. Branden has never heard the adage "a gentleman never tells." Or perhaps he doesn't mind not being considered a gentleman.

This is a long book; but the reader should not lose sight of an essential fact. Branden confesses, on page after page, that he lied to Miss Rand and to others-not once, but repeatedly, for a number of years. His excuse-"she made me do it"-rings hollow, coming from a man who lectured on the virtues of honesty, integrity, and independence.

After confessing his prevarications and being so "candid," Branden expects us to believe what he's saying now. Instead, I suggest we ask the question: "How do we know you aren't still lying, given that you've had so much practice?"

Rating:
Summary: CONSIDER THE SOURCE ...
Review: Ayn Rand, author of "The Fountainhead" and "Atlas Shrugged," discovered more important philosophic truths than any other thinker of the 20th century. She held that morality is derived from the facts of reality. "Good" doesn't mean following the orders of an incomprehensible God or the whims of society. "Good" means "good for life." And since men can only survive by thinking and discovering what is needed for survival, she named rationality as the primary virtue. Recognizing that you can only prosper by thinking for yourself, constitutes the virtue of independence. Recognizing that you have to work for a living constitutes the virtue of productiveness. Being true to facts as a matter of principle, is the virtue of honesty. Being true to yourself is the virtue of integrity. Being rational in judging other men is the virtue of justice. And recognizing that you're able to live as a rational being and worthy to live, constitutes the virtue of pride.

During the 1960s Nathaniel Branden, who at that time was a brilliant thinker, formed a lecture organization to help spread Ayn Rand's ideas. I was one of the students who attended his courses on philosophy and psychology. No one suspected it at the time, and there was no independent confirmation of it until years after Miss Rand's death in 1982, but she and Nathaniel Branden had an affair. All relationship between them came to an end in 1968, when Miss Rand discovered that Branden was not practicing what he preached.

This is Nathaniel Branden's version of their relationship-or rather, one of his versions, for he's changed his story several times. Branden has never heard the adage "a gentleman never tells." Or perhaps he doesn't mind not being considered a gentleman.

This is a long book; but the reader should not lose sight of an essential fact. Branden confesses, on page after page, that he lied to Miss Rand and to others-not once, but repeatedly, for a number of years. His excuse-"she made me do it"-rings hollow, coming from a man who lectured on the virtues of honesty, integrity, and independence.

After confessing his prevarications and being so "candid," Branden expects us to believe what he's saying now. Instead, I suggest we ask the question: "How do we know you aren't still lying, given that you've had so much practice?"

Rating:
Summary: who annoys a philosopher annoys a lion
Review: The charming Dr. Branden explains in this sympathetic and heart-wrenching memoir how he was going to bed with three fantastic women simultaneously--his teacher, his wife, and his girlfriend--and, despite the complaisance of the husband of the teacher, and his own wife, and making an exciting living for everyone, and his own notable psychological acumen, simply blew it, and but good.Anyone who wishes to make like the Latin Lover should read this instruction manual of taking a simple matter to FUBAR--and beyond--with care.

Still, would those who laugh at Branden and Rand's romantic difficulties been cheered if it had all worked out? No, they would have been denouncing Rand and her menage a cinq as a threat to dull marriages everywhere, that's for sure.

What went wrong? I am reminded of the Spanish saying--repeated in the Dorsai series--that who annoys a philosopher annoys the lion in the den. The lioness got annoyed, particularly given her regimen of medicine that made her quite irritable.

Branden tells the tale better than expected of people who handled living a fantasy or perhaps a dream better than most. And anyone who has been torn by divided loves, and yet tried to make things work, will be with him. The rest was rotten luck and tuesday night quarterbacking.

Rating:
Summary: Provides good insight into two remarkable individuals
Review: This book gives keen insight into the minds of two people who have influenced many through their writings, philosophical and otherwise. As the author reveals in extreme detail, their relationship was an extremely intense one, and this is not surprising given the capacity and power of their intellects. Their eventual separation was bitter, and even before this book came out, in fact long before, those who are familiar with their early writings could sense that something very bad had happened between them. Their break however did not affect their productivity and in spite of the pain they no doubt felt after it, both of them still exhibited a brilliance that is still being felt today through their writings.

Some who read the book may say that it is the age difference between Rand and Branden that exacerbated their problems. This no doubt played a factor, and the author acknowledges this also, but as the book reveals, there were other things that aggravated such a relationship between two intellectual powerhouses as these are (were). Rand would like to say that it is the rational intellect that serves as the glue for a lasting and true relationship. Her limited definition of rationality though results in a narrow bandwidth that limits any alternative notions of love and friendship from getting through to her. The aesthetic quality of two people can play a large role in their attraction, and this should cause no surprise if one thinks of it in the context of human evolution. In addition, two people can be quite at odds philosophically and still have a satisfying relationship, a notion though that Rand would not be able to entertain.

One can only imagine the pain that the spouses of these two individuals felt during their affair, which, interestingly, was known and revealed to them beforehand. The 'rational' decision that all four of them agreed to, namely that such an affair was 'meaningful' given the context, and to be shouldered lightly by their spouses. But such adventures, no matter how sophisticated the morality that brings them about, can be a heavy burden to those that decide to engage in them. Rand herself spoke of the proper identification of the facts of reality in order to live a successful life, but she had no prior experience in the affair she decided to participate in. Its consequences, and the feelings brought about therein, were not, and perhaps could not, be predicted by the moral system that all parties believed in at the time. It is easy to engage in the thinking about such systems; it is quite another to give them empirical content, and to show that they indeed are the ultimate guide to human conduct.

In the beginning of the book, the author, in spite of their break, still expresses deep feelings for Rand, and deep regret at the announcement of her death. One can only wonder if Rand herself, after their break, ever, in the privacy of her thoughts, missed the author and the times they spent together. Anger takes much concentration to sustain itself, and is contrary to the natural human state of optimism, the latter both Rand and the author arguing well for. But these two individuals, through their personal interactions with each other, and via their writings, have had an enormous influence on many individuals, both positive and negative, but mostly positive...indeed overwhelmingly positive. In spite of the pain brought to others and themselves because of their affair, this influence is something both of them should be proud of.