This is an interim review.

I find that portions of this book are absoutely profound and very profetic. Until I began reading Rand's book I thought I had a good grasp on my volcabulary but her book has proven me wrong. I have paused my reading and will do it on my computer as it will enable me to immediatley research some of the words she used that frankly I had never heard of before let alone understand their meaning. As such the book does NOT flow for me and I therefore find it at times difficult to read.

If you can get an idea across in 10 words, why use 100 to do so. I also believe that having a great volcabulary is excellent but what good is it if the reader is not at the same level? I can understand what she is saying but again, continually stopping to look up specific words is not my cup of tea!

Still, should others read it? Absolutely!

brilliant

DNF. Whatever.

Айн Ранд създава интелектуално бойно поле във “Философията: кому е нужна”
http://www.knigolandia.info/2011/02/b...

Айн Ранд не може да не бъде полемична, не може да не бъде противоречива, не може да не бъде провокативна. Но във “Философията: кому е нужна” тя е нещо повече – тя е агресивна, настъпателна и гръмогласна. Убедена в собствената си философия, сигурна в моралното превъзходство на идеите си, опряна удобно на величествените романи “Изворът” и “Атлас изправи рамене”… И от този пиадестал тя сипе огън и жупел връз всеки, който според нея застава на пътя на капитализма и цивилизацията, едно тъждество и тържество на разума над духа.

He oído que este libro es el mejor de Ayn Rand pero en mi caso no ha sido así. De momento solo he leído dos libros la virtud del Egoísmo y Realidad razón y egoísmo y este. Este libro no está malo pero no lo recomendaría para empezar a leer Ayn Rand.

The book is a series of essays and speeches by Ayn Rand, the mother of objectivism, which like existentialism teaches that existence precedes essence; that reality would exist even if the consciousness of man and beasts did not. It also shares with existentialism the fundamental conviction that subject to certain limits prescribed by genetics and one’s environment, each of us is a conscious agent free to make choices and who bears the responsibility for them. Both depend upon free will of some substantial scope being true, and that strict determinism is not true. Rationality-man’s capacity to deduce truth about the world through the application of deductive logic— is the only way he can maximize his happiness.

According to Rand, to gain knowledge of reality and put it to use to maximize his happiness, the only political/ economic solution suited to that endeavor is democratic laissez faire capitalism such as pertained from the late 19th and into the 20th C in the United States. It forms the basis for the libertarian movement today. And to Rand any departure from such a system will lead inexorably to totalitarianism. I agree more with Hayek: capitalism needs tempering with regulation to be viable, and that that smartly done does not lead to authoritarianism,

It's true that I am a huge fan of Rand's therefore, I am a bit prejudiced in her favor. This is more a conglomeration of essays addressing a variety of topics than it is a single philosophical work. Each essay is interesting in it's own way and each shares the underlying theme of individual rights (naturally, it's Ayn Rand) I particularly enjoyed the essays entitled "The Metaphysical versus the Man-made" and "Egalitarianism and Inflation"

I am convinced that everyone should read at least one piece of Rand's philosophical works at some point in their lives, weather they agree or disagree with her philosophy if only to better understand what they oppose. And everyone should read her fictitious works, as they are classics and weather you love or hate her (there's usually no in-betweens with Rand) she is a fantastic writer with excellent command of language.

All that being said, this just isn't her best work. I recommend starting somewhere else, perhaps with THE VIRTUE OF SELFISHNESS or one of her novels. Only when you've read all of her larger works should you come to this one. And just be aware that this was written in her old age, it gets a bit bitter sometimes, especially with her STRONG hatred of Immanuel Kant.

Any Rand’s first two essays are worth the price of admission. Her central thesis is that philosophy underpins everything we do, say, or think whether we acknowledge this or not. It is therefore, in one’s own interest that they examine their core philosophical beliefs so that they may form their life in accordance to their own values, not the values that rub off from others. It’s witty and compelling.

Her essays

Philosophy: who needs it?
And
Philosophical Detection

Should be considered necessary reading for anyone who cares about the meaning of their life.

The majority of her remaining essays are a rage against the machine of what she deems is the growing philosophical trend of the culture: collectivism. I find in her a helpful ally on this front. I tend to ignore her teachings on objectivism because I find the philosophy as a whole completely unfulfilling. Yet, I applaud and recommend her work on the importance of philosophy and the logical weakness of collectivism.

Nope. just not going to happen.
The only people I can see this book appealing to are one's with the same psychopathic tendencies and Rand herself.
This book would resonate with people looking for a way to make selfishness justifiable in every aspect of life, for those who have a complete lack of empathy and think compassion an unnecessary weakness... or those who have no idea what either of those actually are.
This was just too depressing to finish, especially when I realised there is a whole mess of people who follow this way of life like a religion.
maybe one day, for purely academic purposes, I'll return to it... but I hope that day never comes.

Readers who have read Leonard Peikoff's Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand will naturally find the gist of most of her essays here familiar, for they precede and obviously inform Peikoff's distillation. This collection of Rand's essays present her characteristic precision in zeroing in for epistemological defeat the fundamental essence of the anti-life "morality" in play in the field. It also finally addresses a pet peeve of mine -- the marginalization of philosophy as a "handmaiden" of religion.

If there's one downside to this work, it's that, 40 years later, its critique of the state of rationality in human society, the continued primacy of altruism and its derivations, is not any less relevant, but rather alarmingly more. Anyone poisoned or about to be willingfully poisoned by a dive to ideological daydreams such as "utopian" socialism might do their minds (and finite lives) much good by waking up, reading Rand, and breathing the real.

This is a powerful book and there are few books that question our own faith and also give us an alternative way of thinking, this is one such book. A collection of essays by Ayn Rand edited by Leonard Peikoff, this books has all it takes for a must read book.

I was introduced to Ayn Rand with her novel "The Fountainhead" and in my exploration of Ayn Rand and her thought process, I supposed that this book "Philosophy: Who Needs It" would help me know more about Ayn Rand and her philosophy and also try and see if I can drive few principles that I can implement in my own life. That was 2006 when I first read this book. Even today, that is 11 years later it stands tall and has almost got a divine place in my mind. There is too much to say and how much ever I review I cannot complete the substance enough.

Ayn Rand seems to be a mix of many contemporary and also the oldest philosophers. For me, she is a mix of Nietzsche, Schopenhauer and one of the one earliest philosophers, Aristotle. Also, she rants against altruism. Rand made altruism the root of all evil in the existing world and that was a radical approach and the thoughts are put so very objectively that I could not help but heed to her words in the book.

The book begins with the chapter "Philosophy: Who Needs It" and in this, she strongly puts the need of Philosophy and also giving examples that everyone indeed has a certain philosophy of living that makes his/her own way of life. In "Philosophical Detection", she conveys that every man ought to have the eye for discrimination to understand the difference between the "fundamentals" and "derivatives". It is the fundamentals that form the core philosophy for a human.

Then, she moves onto differentiating the metaphysics and the artificiality of humans in "Metaphysical Versus The Man-Made". In the "Missing Link" she gives examples to help us understand the method by which mind habitually deals with the content in the mind. Also, I encountered a beautiful term "Psycho epistemology" which I cannot explain in a blog but is worth reading about in the book.

Then, my favorite and perhaps a powerful chapter "Selfishness without a self" arrives and here, she talks about the herd (collective mankind following faith and beliefs with irrationality). This herd has a basis for what they do and they believe what they do is right. "I did this based on an existing and well-accepted principle, so it is right" is what herd (referred to as a pack of wolves) says in the real world. Personally, this stands as my favorite in the book.

In the chapter, "An Open Letter to Boris Spassky", she writes a letter to the Russian chess champion explaining her views on Capitalism and why real world rules in soviet union are unbearable if it had to be chess game

In, "Faith and force: the destroyers of the modern world", she attacks Mysticism, Collectivism, and Altruism brutally and also reasons out how Immanuel Kant wanted to save altruism through mysticism. "From the horse's mouth", gives examples of modern philosophers who disagreed with Kant and also debates with the existing "Kantians". Again, in the next chapter "Kant versus Sullivan", she debates on how many people in the current world need the help of "Annie Sullivan" (Annie Sullivan is the teacher of Helen Keller). This chapter takes reference from the play "The Miracle Worker"

In perhaps, the most talked and rather the most controversial chapter "Causality Versus Duty", Rand kills the conventional concept of duty and says "Duty cannot be for self-interest or virtue; driven by parents, church, and government". She goes on saying that life or death is the fundamental alternative. The only obligation that matters is a personal promise as per Rand.

"An untitled letter" conveys how the ability is the biggest challenge of man. To understand whether one is "able to do" or "not" is the biggest challenge for a human being. She gives a good number of examples to put the point. Although I could not relate to many of the examples, I could understand what she was trying to convey. In "Egalitarianism and Inflation" Rand talks how these two words are tough to understand and are more often than not misconstrued and misinterpreted.

In "The Stimulus and the Response" she talks about how power/muscle without consciousness leads to destruction. In "The Establishing an Establishment" she talks about how funding through government bring an enforcement and how only a few exceptional men can withstand and break through censorship. In the chapter "Censorship: Local and Express", she gives lot more details on these points.

"Fairness Doctrine for Education" conveys that fairness cannot be applied justly. Fair in itself is a perspective and what doctrine means a set of beliefs by an Orthodox organization. This is not justifiable as per Rand. There should be fairness in teaching all ideologies as against set principles and ideologies.

In "What can one do" Rand conveys action items of which I am listing a few which I believe in doing
Develop own convictions
Speak on any scale you can
Express views on issues
In "Don't let it go", Rand tells to have conviction, fight for reason and to have a sense of existence and also be responsible for what we do.

To sum it up, this is a powerful book. Ayn Rand has been of great influence on me. She made me question the existence of GOD. She made me believe that above all "What we do" matters. How selfishness is the root of all good things that we do.

This book helped me shape my character and I owe some part of me to the books by Ayn Rand. A 4/5 for this. A must read for all those who believe in reason, selfishness, and objectivism.

Gave up on it, didn't grab me