Introductory Semester Schedule

Overview of Objectivism

Suggested campus talks

Andrew Bernstein: "Introduction to Objectivism"
Harry Binswanger: "Objectivism: Ayn Rand's Philosophical Revolution"
Elan Journo: "Ayn Rand's Ideas: An Introduction"

Video Lectures

Leonard Peikoff: "Introduction to Objectivism"
Harry Binswanger: "Objectivism: Ayn Rand's Philosophical Revolution"
John Ridpath: "Rights, Reason, Reality: Ayn Rand's Answer to the Intellectual Crisis of Our Time"
Leonard Peikoff: "My 30 Years With Ayn Rand"
Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life

Audio Lectures

Leonard Peikoff: "Understanding Objectivism" (Available in Lending Library)
Leonard Peikoff: "Moral Virtue" (Available in Lending Library)

Suggested reading list

Leonard Peikoff: "The Philosophy of Objectivism: A Brief Summary" (pamphlet available from ARI)
Ayn Rand: "Philosophy: Who Needs It?" Philosophy: Who Needs It
Ayn Rand: "The Metaphysical Versus the Man-Made" Philosophy: Who Needs It
Ayn Rand: "Introduction" The Virtue of Selfishness
Ayn Rand: "The Objectivist Ethics" The Virtue of Selfishness
Ayn Rand: "Who Is the Final Authority in Ethics?" The Voice of Reason
Ayn Rand: "The Ethics of Emergencies" The Virtue of Selfishness
Ayn Rand: "Doesn't Life Require Compromise?" The Virtue of Selfishness
Ayn Rand: "The Anatomy of Compromise" Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal
Ayn Rand: "Man's Rights" The Virtue of Selfishness / Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal
Ayn Rand: "The Nature of Government" The Virtue of Selfishness / Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal
Ayn Rand: "What Is Capitalism?" Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal

Discussion Questions

  1.  What is meant by “selfishness,” according to Objectivism? What is “sacrifice,” and is it moral? How is Objectivism’s approach to good and evil justified?

  2.  Reason, says Ayn Rand, is man’s only means of knowledge. What is her definition of “reason”? Why does she reject people who claim that they can reach the truth by means of intuition, revelation, instinct, or extrasensory perception?

  3.  Happiness, holds AR, is the normal condition of man. What does she mean by “happiness”? What is required to be happy? Compare Roark and Keating from The Fountainhead: Which one was happy? Why?

  4.  Emotions, according to Objectivism, are consequences of the ideas and values one holds. Use Objectivism’s theory of emotions to explain the romantic-sexual feelings of James Taggart, of Francisco d’Anconia, and then of yourself.

  5.  Individual rights for Objectivism—as for the Founding Fathers—are the basic principles that should guide government. How does AR define xa-”right”? Why does she reject the idea of a right to health-care? Why does she reject both socialism and anarchy?

  6.  Capitalism, argues Objectivism, is the only moral social system. Explain this by reference to Objectivism’s standard of right and wrong. Can you think of arguments against AR’s reasoning on this issue? How do you think she might reply to your arguments?

  7.  Why does Ayn Rand think that art is crucial? What is her favorite school of art? Why?

Note: Another option is to work through Leonard Peikoff's Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand and read a section or chapter as homework before each meeting.