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| Ayn Rand Explained : From Tyranny to Tea Party
ISBN: 9780812698015
Platform/Publisher: Ebook Central / Open Court
Digital rights: Users: Unlimited; Printing: Limited; Download: 7 Days at a Time
Subjects: Philosophy;
Enright, a psychotherapist and board member of the Atlas Society who is revising and updating Merrill's 1991 The Ideas of Ayn Rand, examines Rand's life, writings, and thought, as well as the often harsh critical reaction to her philosophy. From her traumatic experiences of growing up during the Russian Revolution, Rand discovered a "passionate love for independent, creative Man, and a hatred for all forms of collectivism." Out of this, she developed Objectivism, best expressed in her novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. In her fiction, highly independent men struggle against a totalitarian world to produce great, creative work and achieve success. Taking reason as the ultimate guide, Rand concludes that "the only meaningful or justifiable values a man can choose are those which serve to sustain his life." Viewed through this lens, capitalism becomes the best system for providing people with opportunities to develop their talents. This emphasis on individual excellence also means Rand rejected such values as altruism, decried religious ideologies, and called for a "pure" laissez-faire market economy. Enright shows how Rand's ideas emerge from previous philosophers, explaining her view of selfishness as Aristotle's concept of the "Great-Souled man," "pursuing excellence and achievement" with nobility and vision. An exhaustive exploration of a controversial, much misunderstood writer and thinker. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Ronald E. Merrill: The late Ronald E. Merrill was a graduate of MIT and the University of Oregon. He was a scientist-entrepeneur who ran his own business in the Los Angeles area. He is the author of The Ideas of Ayn Rand (1991), Raising Money (1990, with Gaylord E. Nichols), and The New Venture Handbook (1987, with Henry D. Sidgwick).
Marsha Familaro Enright: Marsha Familaro Enright is President of the Reason, Individualism, Freedom Institute and a psychotherapist in private practice in Chicago. She is founder and chairman of the Council Oak Montessori School, has written for the New Individualist , and has been a featured speaker at events hosted by the Objectivist Center.
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