Customer Reviews

Objectivism in One Lesson: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Ayn Rand

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This short book is written for those who have read and enjoyed Ayn Rand's novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, and who want to take the next step in learning about her philosophy. Bernstein gives many concrete and down-to-earth examples that make clear the connection between philosophy and everyday life, and show how Ayn Rand's ideas are incredibly valuable for those wanting to get the most our of their lives. In 12 short chapters, the book gives an overview of the main ideas of Objectivism, omitting only the Objectivist esthetics (theory of art) and the more technical issues. For these, readers should get Leonard Peikoff's Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand, and of course the nonfiction writings of Rand herself.

I very much enjoyed reading this book which explains a common-sense philosophy based on the laws of nature.

Mr. Bernstein made this philosophy very understandable by his explanations of the Philosophy of Objectivism in simple, understandable terms.

I would recommend this book as required reading for anyone who would like to understand the morals one obtains from using one's own mind based on the laws of nature.

Hannelore

Be aware that this is a dense, intellectual read.

It is a concise, condensed lesson on the fundamentals of Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism. It does a great job of making clear, informative points in a way that is understandable to any inquiring reader that is willing to think critically and actively. This book is not necessarily an easy read; one must focus throughout it to understand the hierarchical points presented; however, it presents the philosophy in an intelligible manner.

In short, the difficult aspects of this book are comprehending and integrating the philosophical points - not sifting through incomprehensible jargon and attempting to interpret or unravel illogical arguments, as many philosophical texts require.

Each chapter builds on the previous ones, and the author revisits points made in previous chapters to clarify the positions provided. He offers summaries of chapters and ends the book with a succinct summary of the essentials of Objectivism. He has certainly done his best to ensure that the reader understands the arguments provided and offers numerous concrete examples to clarify abstract positions.

For anyone who wants a brief, but thorough, summary of Objectivism, this is the book to read. It serves as a satisfying, accessible introductory text for those who are curious or are seeking to refine their knowledge about the principles of Objectivism.

If you are interested in Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism and wish to study it from the Orthodox perspective, there are two introductions. The first is Leonard Peikoff's OBJECTIVISM: THE PHILOSOPHY OF AYN RAND and the second is Allan Gotthelf's ON AYN RAND. Peikoff's work is detailed and quite long. Gotthelf's work is shorter, but is technical and somewhat off-putting (and Peikoff didn't like it, for some reason).

Andrew Bernstein's new introduction fills a gap. Unlike Gotthelf, he is successful at showing why hundreds of thousands of people have been excited by Rand's ideas. Organizing his book around the claim that human rationality is the center of Objectivist thought, he purports to show that reason is man's exclusive means of knowledge and his only way to happiness. He illustrates his point using examples from life and also Rand's works of fiction.

Unfortunately, Bernstein skates over some of the more technical areas of Rand's philosophy. For example, there is no discussion of Rand's theory of concepts, which her followers consider her greatest achievement. Of course, like most Orthodox Objectivists, he constantly refers to Rand as "Ayn Rand." He also mistakenly calls Peikoff Rand's "intellectual heir."

I'd recommend that people interested in Objectivism also read Chris Sciabarra's AYN RAND: THE RUSSIAN RADICAL and Ron Merrill's THE IDEAS OF AYN RAND.

For those who wish to see how the various parts of Objectivism "fit together" on a more advanced level, I'd recommend the David Kelley and Will Thomas book THE LOGICAL STRUCTURE OF OBJECTIVISM, which is available on the web. (This book is still in "beta" version and it doesn't look like it will get done soon, which is too bad.)

Slogging through this book is like studying for an exam in college on a subject you hate because you have to have it to graduate.

This book is very poorly written; but I recommend every mature, intelligent individual who is interested in preserving our way of life to read it. The attitude present in this book is bubbling up through our population and the stench is frightening.

The book is written as if intended for middle school or junior high, and maybe it is. Cults such as objectivism usually try to capture people's interest at an early age. Bernstein spends a lot of time giving examples of how you should determine your own values, whether they be business, family, or art; and then he goes on to condemn one of the people I have admired most in my lifetime, Mother Theresa. He talks of Saddam Hussein, and those like him, who only take and produce nothing. In the next sentence he says, "But the Mother Theresas of the world equally produce nothing; at best, they seek to convince the productive to take care of the non-productive."

He also makes disparaging remarks about Jesus. I am not a church member. Sometimes I think there is a God and sometimes I think there is not, but never would I ridicule someone who had faith. What are we to become? -- A society who dumps those less fortunate in the sewer. This book seems to advocate that. I, personally, do not wish to live in that kind of a world.