What They Won’t Tell You About Objectivism: Thoughts on the Objectivist Philosophy in the Post-Randian Era (Philosophy, Logic, Science, Law)

Product Description

Everyone has heard dark whispers about the philosophy of Objectivism. People read Ayn Rand’s novels and fall in love with her ideas, only to collapse into one of two inevitable fates: (1) eventually give up on the ideas as childish and selfish, often complaining that the philosophy is a cult, or (2) develop a religious, zealous fanaticism, obeying the tenets of the philosophy in an obsessive, robotic, mindless manner.
But what is the truth about Objectivism? What is it in Rand’s novels that makes a light turn on in the minds of her readers, and why does that light always flare and then burn out, leaving behind either anger or mindless obedience? This book argues that Objectivism has been turned into a shallow, two-dimensional cartoon caricature of what the philosophy really is, by both Objectivism’s foes and its followers. The philosophy’s enemies fight against, and its followers worship, a misinterpretation, not the ideas that are actually in the novels. Rand’s novels present a vision of reality that is both heroic in its idealism and useful for real people in its practicality, with integrity as its highest moral value, but people forget that vision, and eventually the vision fades into the paper-thin cartoon that people think of when they hear the name Ayn Rand.
This groundbreaking, innovative book looks at Objectivism in a new light, and offers an analysis, rooted in quotes from the texts of Rand’s novels, that presents Objectivism as a deep, serious, thoughtful philosophy, with emotional depth and shades of gray, a philosophy of the mind designed for smart people to heighten their intellectual freedom, not merely a cult of robots or a cartoonish Right-wing extremist defense of rich businessmen.
If you want to know the truth about Objectivism then read this book.

From the Author

This book is part of Russell Hasan’s series of books describing the philosophy of Objectivism, which also include:

The Power of Objectivism: Ayn Rand and John Galt and Atlas Shrugged and The Morality of Life, Intelligence, Greed, Selfishness, Rationality, Individuality, Integrity, Capitalism, Desire, and Freedom

and

A System of Legal Logic: Using Aristotle, Ayn Rand, and Analytical Philosophy to Understand the Law, Interpret Cases, and Win in Litigation (A Scholarly Monograph)

This book contains internal citations to yet another one of Russell Hasan’s philosophy books, his treatise on epistemology:

The Apple of Knowledge: Introducing the Philosophical Scientific Method and Pure Empirical Essential Reasoning

From the Back Cover

This book does not assume that you have a detailed knowledge of Objectivism, but it is most relevant for people who have some interest in learning about the philosophy and what it means. This can come from having read “The Fountainhead” and/or “Atlas Shrugged”, among other things. “What They Won’t Tell You About Objectivism” is a deeply important book for people who consider themselves to be Objectivists, particularly within the “open-system” school of Objectivist thought, although any fan of either of the novels should also read this book to get a fresh point of view on the ideas contained therein.

You are encouraged to take a look at the first chapter, where the main meat of the argument is presented; the rest of the book then applies that point of view to many different details, such as the definition of “Objectivism,” whether personal preferences are subjective or objective, atheism vs. the Right, and other interesting areas.

About the Author

Russell Hasan lives and works in the United States. He is a writer, lawyer, philosopher, novelist, amateur software developer, sports fan, and gamer, among other things.