The Virtue of Selfishness Introduction
1. The Objectivist Ethics, Ayn Rand (1961)
2. Mental Health versus Mysticism and Self-Sacrifice, Nathaniel
Branden (1963)
3. The Ethics of Emergencies, Ayn Rand (1963)
4. The "Conflicts" of Men's Interests, Ayn Rand (1962)
5. Isn't Everyone Selfish?, Nathaniel Branden (1962)
6. The Psychology of Pleasure, Nathaniel Branden (1964)
7. Doesn't Life Require Compromise?, Ayn Rand (1962)
8. How Does One Lead a Rational Life in an Irrational Society?, Ayn
Rand (1962)
9. The Cult of Moral Grayness, Ayn Rand (1964)
10. Collectivized Ethics, Ayn Rand (1963)
11. The Monument Builders, Ayn Rand (1962)
12. Man's Rights, Ayn Rand (1963)
13. Collectivized "Rights", Ayn Rand (1963)
14. The Nature of Government, Ayn Rand (1963)
15. Government Financing in a Free Society, Ayn Rand (1964)
16. The Divine Right of Stagnation, Nathaniel Branden (1963)
17. Racism, Ayn Rand (1963)
18. Counterfeit Individualism, Nathaniel Branden (1962)
19. The Argument from Intimidation, Ayn Rand (1964)
Index
Born February 2, 1905, Ayn Rand published her first novel, We the Living, in 1936. Anthem followed in 1938. It was with the publication of The Fountainhead (1943) and Atlas Shrugged (1957) that she achieved her spectacular success. Rand's unique philosophy, Objectivism, has gained a worldwide audience. The fundamentals of her philosophy are put forth in three nonfiction books, Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, The Virtues of Selfishness, and Capitalism- The Unknown Ideal. They are all available in Signet editions, as is the magnificent statement of her artistic credo, The Romantic Manifesto.
The problem with Rand is easily detectable by careful listeners of this production: a good essayist with a flair for the dramatic turn of phrase, she wasted her obvious writing skills in an effort to support outlandish personal opinions cloaked in the guise of logic. An absolutist thinker, she devotes one whole essay to an effort to persuade us that we really should see things as black and white, with no shades of gray. Born in Soviet Russia, Rand so despised socialism and collectivist thinking that she leapt to the furthest extreme possible to become the champion of unbridled capitalism, the rights of the individual at the expense of the community, and the diminution of all regulation by the state, with the exception of a judicial system and the control of crime. Among the sadly dated ideas she conveys are the attitude that homosexuals are mutant symptoms of a sick society and the belief that anyone with an interest in internationalism is a "one world" proponent. To use one of her own favored words, Rand's political and social philosophy is critically "muddled." C.M. Herbert's voice is efficient and cold, making it a perfect choice for the narration of this author's work. Recommended only as documentation of an anomaly in the history of ideas. Mark Pumphrey, Polk Cty. P.L., Columbus, NC Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
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