The Ayn Rand Column: Written for the Los Angeles Times [Paperback]

Ayn Rand (Author), Peter Schwartz (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 134 pages
• Publisher: Second Renaissance Pr; 2nd edition (October 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561142921
• ISBN-13: 978-1561142927
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,435,203 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ayn Rand's first novel, We the Living, was published in 1936. With the publication of The Fountainhead in 1943, she achieved spectacular and enduring success. Through her novels and nonfiction writings, which express her unique philosophy, Objectivism, Rand maintains a lasting influence on popular thought.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rand Analyzes the Issues of Her Day in This Timeless Classic, January 1, 2001

By 

"bahamamark" (Freeport, Bahamas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ayn Rand Column: Written for the Los Angeles Times (Paperback)

What many regard as the most influential philosopher of the 20th century, Philosopher and Novelist Ayn Rand was known for crafting novels of Hugoesque proportions that presented the heroic elements of the ideal man, as well as writing epistemological treatises on the art of logic and the process of concept formation that focused on the most abstract and fundamental issues to man. In *The Ayn Rand Column*, Rand shifts to a different gear as she writes short crisp pieces on the current issues of her day.

*The Ayn Rand Column* contains over 35 pieces by Rand ranging from the brief, but concise pieces such as an "Introduction to Objectivism", "The Secular Meaning of Christmas", and "Why I Like Stamp Collecting" to the more lengthy "Textbook on Americanism", "Modern Management", and "The Fascist New Frontier." The collection also features an introduction by the book's editor Peter Schwartz, that helps ties the pieces together.

My favorite piece in the collection is Rand's "War and Peace" where Rand makes the case for why today's peace movements are *not* advocates of peace, but of gang-rule, statism, and thus dictatorship. Quoting Rand,

"Professing love and concern for the survival of mankind, these [peace] movements keep screaming that...that armed force and violence should be abolished as a means of settling disputes among nations, and that war should be outlawed in the name of humanity. Yet these same peace movements do not oppose dictatorships; the political views of their members range through all shades of the statist spectrum, from "welfare statism" to socialism to fascism to communism. This means that they are opposed to the use of coercion by one nation against another, but not by the government of a nation against its own citizens; it means that they are opposed to the use of force against *armed* adversaries but not against the *disarmed*..."

And after some discussion of the concretes events to support her claim, Rand concludes:

"...Let all those who are seriously concerned with peace, those who do love *man* and do care about his survival, realize that war cannot be outlawed by lawless statist thugs and that it is not war but *force* that has to be outlawed."

If I may make a brief philosophical assessment: Wow!

What is most illuminating about this collection is Rand's ability to dissect what, at first glance, appears to be a concrete, trivial issue--say the much-maligned "commercialized" gift-giving during Christmas--and shows how it relates to some timeless philosophical principle of vital importance (Sorry! You'll have to read the book for the principle). To use a popular metaphor, Ayn Rand was a woman who could see the forest (abstractions) for the trees (concretes), and vice-versa.

Though this book uses the issues of the 1960's to reveal the work of philosophy in action, it is of value to the modern reader of today, as the philosophical principles Rand elucidates are timeless.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More current events than philosophy, but still good..., December 1, 1999

By 

Tcaalaw "Tcaalaw" (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ayn Rand Column: Written for the Los Angeles Times (Paperback)

As most of the essays in the book were written as newspaper op-ed pieces, they occasionally suffer from "current-itis"; i.e. they were designed with the assumption that the reader would have familiarity with the events being discussed. To that end, I would recommend that people who would like to get the most out of this book brush up a bit on their early-'60's history first.

With that caveat, however, I would strongly encourage anyone with an interest in Ayn Rand's writing to read this book. It is a good example of how to put some of the more abstract parts of Objectivist philosophy into real-world practice. Rand's book "The Romantic Manifesto", for example, becomes more clear in the light of her essay on the television show "The Untouchables".

Also, even if one is not especially interested in period current events, there are some essays of broader scope included after the columns. Of particular note are her essay "The Fascist New Frontier" (an invaluable antidote to the floods of Kennedy worship pumped out by the mass media), and her explanation of why atheists can celebrate Christmas. I believe that both long-time Objectivists and people who are new to the philosophy can find something useful in this book. Furthermore, even if you have no interest in Objectivism, the book is still an enlightening look at a pivotal time in American history.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Truly Interesting Perspective, July 10, 2001

By 

KC Reviews (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ayn Rand Column: Written for the Los Angeles Times (Paperback)

A long time admirer of Rand's work, I found this a refreshing perspective on her. While I'd come to know her characters and read her philosophical works, I really didn't feel I truly understood her until I read this book. I cannot compare it to letters or the like because I have not read them. But, this work is like looking in on practical applications of her philosophy. For example, her discussion of the value of Christmas to atheist such as herself is very enlightening. In addition, her discussion of the monopoly of force still rings in my mind years after I first read it. Being born in the 70's, growing up in the 80's & 90's, her philosophy brings me much joy compared to the pink socialism that I have seen throughout my life and been frustrated by. I think this work should be a supplement to any serious reader of Rand and would highly recommend this.