tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post8878762998407245441..comments2024-03-27T05:47:21.295-07:00Comments on Ayn Rand Contra Human Nature: A Reading List For Open Minded ObjectivistsDaniel Barneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06359277853862225286noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post-38816684148371825842011-07-05T15:16:25.241-07:002011-07-05T15:16:25.241-07:00Jeffrey and Steven, you are both right, due to the...Jeffrey and Steven, you are both right, due to the love/hate factor. Reactions to Atlas Shrugged are visceral - to the wee minority it is transformative and in the short term, I guess, makes them happy with a life system which can be learned! On tapes, and not cheaply, but..learned!<br />For more of us, even softened up by the pounding clarity and certainty of Rand's nonfiction beforehand, the book is repellent and depressing.<br /><br />caroljanestuarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05084026545492206558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post-55020206766725781942011-07-05T13:10:38.791-07:002011-07-05T13:10:38.791-07:00But on a 'back-of-the-envelope' figure her...But on a 'back-of-the-envelope' figure here concluded that less than 0.5% of those that read Atlas Shrugged go on to become objectivists. That is roughly 1 in ever 200 readers of the book 'get into' Rand, the other 199 leave well alone. <br /><br />Steven Johnston<br />UKAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post-19459924211139598792011-07-05T10:40:36.842-07:002011-07-05T10:40:36.842-07:00Surely you just need to read Atlas Shrugged to fin...<i> Surely you just need to read Atlas Shrugged to fine out what is 'wrong' with Rand? </i><br /><br />Unfortunately, reading Atlas is probably one of the best ways to get hooked on the philosophy in the first place, as Murray Rothbard observed. That's how I got into it all in the first place: it's an emotionally intense novel that proclaims to have all the answers to "society's" ills, and if you're new to philosophy, you very well might believe it.Jeffreyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13974315997961202562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post-295005057998100392011-07-05T10:08:41.930-07:002011-07-05T10:08:41.930-07:00Surely you just need to read Atlas Shrugged to fin...Surely you just need to read Atlas Shrugged to fine out what is 'wrong' with Rand? Works for the great unwashed.<br /><br />Steven Johnston<br />UKAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post-18564193909235497452011-07-04T19:54:51.257-07:002011-07-04T19:54:51.257-07:00Unfortunately, I can't seem to find volume 2.
...<i>Unfortunately, I can't seem to find volume 2.</i><br /><br />Well, at least volume 2, which largely covers Pareto's taxonomy of residues, is the weakest part of the work. Having the 3 best volumes available on the web is a helpful start.gregnyquisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13653516868316854941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post-18358160527194371512011-07-04T18:02:33.627-07:002011-07-04T18:02:33.627-07:00Actually, you can now find at least some of "...Actually, you can now find at least some of "The Mind and Society" at the Internet Archive. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.archive.org/details/mindsocietytratt01pare" rel="nofollow">Volume 1</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.archive.org/details/mindandsocietyvo029378mbp" rel="nofollow">Volume 3</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.archive.org/details/mindsocietytratt04pare" rel="nofollow">Volume 4</a><br /><br />Unfortunately, I can't seem to find volume 2.Andrew Priesthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07135687168192809452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post-32427113151721630162011-07-04T15:50:06.497-07:002011-07-04T15:50:06.497-07:00Interesting recommendations. Thanks to Xtra Laj...Interesting recommendations. Thanks to Xtra Laj's enthusiastic comments I ordered <i>The Revolt against Dualism</i>. Pareto's work was more problematic. I found on the Internet a used copy for sale for some $300. Hmmm... It's true that you get 2033 pages for that price, but still... Looking further, I found a German translation, apparently from the same work (Trattato di sociologia generale) for only EUR 14 (new). On the other hand, that version has "only" 290 pages, so perhaps I'm missing something with that version. But for that amount it was an offer I couldn't refuse, so I've ordered the book, I suppose it can still be interesting!Dragonflynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post-85775877589917575602011-07-04T13:38:42.928-07:002011-07-04T13:38:42.928-07:00I think all the bases have been pretty much covere...I think all the bases have been pretty much covered. On Greg's list, I of course think very highly of <i>The Blank Slate</i>, a book which changed my perspective on life, but I find <i>The Revolt Against Dualism</i> to be probably the best book I have ever read that was written by a philosopher - the language is difficult and a bit bombastic, but the quality of analysis shows how difficult philosophy is and I think anyone who reads it will be disabused of the notion that Rand was a serious philosopher. Lovejoy would cite the person he was criticizing, explain the person's view in his own words, and dismantle the position so skillfully even a Rubik's Cube would have stood no chance against his acumen.<br /><br />I also think David Sloan Wilson has written some good criticisms of Rand/Objectivism and how it is a kind of religion from the evolutionary psychology perspective. He dedicates a chapter to her in his book, <i>Evolution for Everyone</i>. A broader book on religion from an evolutionary psychology perspective is <i>Religion Explained</i> by Pascal Boyer, which analyzes religion as natural human behavior.<br /><br />For Objectivists who take up Objectivism because they are seeking happiness, I would recommend to them books on happiness by Martin Seligman: <i>Learned Optimism</i> and <i>Authentic Happiness</i>, which are studies of the conditions under which most people in the West have achieved happiness/well-being as well as some recommendations on steps to take to do so if happiness/well-being is the primary goal (as opposed to wealth/status etc.)Xtra Lajhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17166565583455141813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post-42257920437565370182011-07-04T11:28:06.853-07:002011-07-04T11:28:06.853-07:00Another interesting book is Gerd Gigerenzer, Gut F...Another interesting book is Gerd Gigerenzer, <i>Gut Feelings, The Intelligence of the Unconscious</i>, in which he not only shows how decisions based on "gut feelings" are in many cases more successful dan on logical reasoning, but also gives an explanation why this is so and why more information doesn't always result in better decisions.Dragonflynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post-23024803815981235132011-07-04T10:32:14.407-07:002011-07-04T10:32:14.407-07:00I agree with all the recommendations previously gi...I agree with all the recommendations previously given, particularly Jeffrey's recommendation of the Branden essay. <br /><br />There are a number of books which, although they don't address Rand specifically, nevertheless lay the groundwork for understanding what is wrong with Rand's philosophy. Of these, Pareto's <i>Mind and Society</i> had the biggest impact on me. Others of note would be: <br /><br /><i>Personal Knowledge</i> Michael Polanyi<br /><i>Realism and the Aim of Science</i>, K Popper<br /><i>Scepticism and Animal Faith</i>, by Santayana<br /><i>The Revolt Against Dualism</i>, A Lovejoy<br /><i>Medievel Cities</i>, H Pirenne<br />"Social Causes of Decline of Ancient Civilization," M Weber<br /><i>Blank Slate</i>, S Pinker<br /><i>Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind</i>, Guy Clayton<br /><i>Strangers to Ourselves</i>, Timothy Wilson<br /><i>Descartes' Error</i>, A Damasio<br /><i>Incognito</i>, David Eagleman<br /><i>Out of Character</i>, Destano & Valdesolo<br /><i>The Moral Sense</i>, James Q Wilson<br /><i>The Machiavellians</i>, James Burnham<br /><i>Reflections on Violence</i>, Georges Sorel<br /><i>Individualism and Economic Order</i>, F Hayek<br /><i>The Constitution of Liberty</i>, F Hayek<br /><i>The Fatal Conceit</i>, F Hayek<br /><i>Capitalism, Socialism, & Democracy</i> J Schumpeter<br /><i>A Conflict of Visions</i>, T Sowell<br /><i>Classic, Romantic, & Modern</i>, J Barzungregnyquisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13653516868316854941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post-13556659477893962572011-07-03T12:00:17.785-07:002011-07-03T12:00:17.785-07:00For hardened Objectivists, Branden's "The...For hardened Objectivists, Branden's "The benefits and hazards of the philosophy of ayn Rand" may help at least soften the dogma. Helped for me anyways.<br /><br />http://nathanielbranden.com/catalog/articles_essays/benefits_and_hazards.htmlJeffreyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13974315997961202562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post-41417377421236514572011-07-03T08:45:10.372-07:002011-07-03T08:45:10.372-07:00Three other books I'd recommend are: (1) Anne ...Three other books I'd recommend are: (1) Anne Heller's biography (Ayn Rand and the World She Made); (2) Ron Merril's book on Rand (The Ideas of Ayn Rand); and (3) Chris Sciabarra's book Ayn Rand the Russian Radical.<br /><br />Because of the state of the Archives there probably won't be a completely satisfactory account of Rand's life and intellectual development for some time to come.Neil Parillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11074901258306769278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post-17484184909265393302011-07-03T08:36:40.593-07:002011-07-03T08:36:40.593-07:00I'm taking David Gordon's Mises Institute ...I'm taking David Gordon's Mises Institute course on Rand and Objectivism.<br /><br />The required readings are:<br /><br />1. The Kelley and Thomas book, The Logical Structure of Objectivism -<br /><br />http://www.atlassociety.org/logical-structure-objectivism<br /><br />- which unfortunately is still in "Beta version." I think it's better than anything Peikoff produced.<br /><br />and<br /><br />2. Michael Huemer's Critique of Objectivism:<br /><br />http://home.sprynet.com/~owl1/rand.htm<br /><br />-Neil ParilleNeil Parillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11074901258306769278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post-2497182576408009252011-07-03T02:56:16.386-07:002011-07-03T02:56:16.386-07:00I'd agree with that A, 2nd only to the great r...I'd agree with that A, 2nd only to the great review "Big Sister is Watching You". <br /><br />Steven Johnston<br />UKAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29196034.post-41978693421630399392011-07-02T16:06:43.434-07:002011-07-02T16:06:43.434-07:00...and to find out why you shouldn't be an obj......and to find out why you shouldn't be an objectivist in the first place, read Michael Prescott's "Shrugging Off Ayn Rand".<br /><br />I think it's one of the best, and most honest, anti-rand articles out there.A.noreply@blogger.com