Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand (The Ayn Rand Library, Volume 6)

Rating:
Summary: The only good book on Ayn Rand's philosophy
Review: While other books on Objectivism are ignorant of its content and openly contemptuous of Miss Rand, OBJECTIVISM: THE PHILOSOPHY OF AYN RAND avoids the errors of other commentators. If you ever want an idea of the structure of Ayn Rand's philosophy, this is the ONLY book available for doing it. It starts at the starting premises of Rand's philosophic system and moves step by step through the entire structure. Dr. Peikoff (whom I have seen explain Objectivism to large audiences) is by far the best authority on the subject. He studied under Ayn Rand for 30 years, so he knows her philosophy well, and is, of course, very fair in his presentation of it. When I started reading the book, by annotations were about technical philosophical issues, but my reading experience became more and more personal as I progressed through the book; I stopped saying things like "This philosophical error that Peikoff is explaining sounds like Descartes" and started saying things like "My friend John Smith needs to read this part." This book is, of course, nothing near the reading experience of Ayn Rand's own writings, but it is a must-read for those interested in her philosophy, especially since some aspects of Objectivism were never committed to paper by Rand herself. And, if your interest is not in Objectivism but in philosophy in general, I think you will be pleased to have this book in your collection. It is excellent in selling the importance of philosophy in general (and, of course, the best at explaining Objectivism in particular). No other book on Objectivism comes close to Peikoff's scholarship and honesty, so it is no surprise to me that this book helped me become a better, more integrated person (the other commentary books on Objectivism are no match for Peikoff -- even their titles are cheesy!). Anyway, I wholeheartedly recommend OBJECTIVISM: THE PHILOSOPHY OF AYN RAND by Leonard Peikoff. It is nothing short of excellent.