The Ayn Rand Column

by Ayn Rand

Book Overview

This book is a collection of essays / opinions submitted to a column in the L.A Times by Ayn Rand . These writings are as relevant today , as they were when they were created . This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1561142921
• ISBN13: 9781561142927
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Second Renaissance Books
• Length: 136 Pages
• Weight: 0.73 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

A Truly Interesting Perspective

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.

Rand Analyzes the Issues of Her Day in This Timeless Classic

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.

More current events than philosophy, but still good...

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.

Ayn Rand writes for the L.A. Times!

If you liked her novels you will really enjoy this collection of her articles. Some of them are dated in that they deal with current events (elections, Cuban missile crisis, Nazis marching in Skokie, Illinois), but any serious or not-so-serious student of history will enjoy them. One article I found particularly illuminating was the one in which she descibed a 'Party X' that would stand on principle as opposed to the current Republican Party platform in relation to John Kennedy and his Democratic Party. Toss in an essay on the death of Marilyn Monroe, stamp collecting and Medicare and you have quite interesting (and quick) reading. These articles do contain a certain timelessness when you transpose them to the current events of today. To the mother of libertarianism, I say, "Thanks Mom. Even though you don't approve of me sometimes, I still love you." Good stuff.

An excellent book to add to anyone's collection

The previous reader, I think, has either never really finished reading a single Ayn Rand book, or totally doesn't understand the philosopy of Ayn Rand. She is one of the greatest thinkers of all time and once you really understand her philosophy and appreciate it to the fullest it's impossible not to agree with it for any person who calls him or herself "rational" or "thinking". This book offers many real-life applications to Ayn Rand's philosophy and really is a wonderful and thought-provoking book.