Ayn Rand: the Good, Bad & Ugly

Ayn Rand is considered by some to be the cornerstone of modern Libertarianism and the bulwark against statism & egalitarianism. Her books are so popular that many corporations have them as required reading for their administration and sales staff. Granted, growing up in the early stages of Soviet Communism in Russia, Rand knew the horrors of a centralized economic, political and social order. What few understand, however, is that she is also the architect of one of the most misleading social doctrines of the 20th century: Objectivism. Indeed, in the introduction to Rand’s novel We the Living, Leonard Peikoff, heir apparent to Rand’s philosophical school of “Objectivism” – made the following startling statement:

The basic cause of totalitarianism is two ideas: men’s rejection of reason in favor of faith, and of self-interest in favor of self-sacrifice.

For Peikoff and other humanists, the idea of “sacrifice” goes against the core of their faith which can be summed up in the adage: “To thine own self be true.” This is the heart of humanism in general, and Ayn Rand’s philosophical school of Objectivism in specific. Rand was vehemently anti-Christian, anti-family, and anti-social responsibility and a personal ethic she proposes would lead society into an extreme form of social Darwinism due to its fixation on Self.

Students will watch a pre-recorded lecture and attend a weekly recitation.

Course Objectives:

The telos of this course is to assist students in understanding that ideas have consequences. Although Ms. Rand is a fabulous writer and can not only write a beautiful novel, but a compelling one also due to her understanding of the danger of the State to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness – she and many of her non-Christian followers miss the whole point as to why man is important and worth being freed from slavery of all types.

Our class will focus on her two main novels – Fountainhead & Atlas Shrugged – and their style, message and potential impact on a person’s psyche thus out in society wherein that person has their influence. Equally, students will be encouraged to become proficient in the conversational approach to learning: close readings, interpretive questions, and Socratic discussions of the texts. Students will develop lateral thinking skills by way of analyzing and synthesizing themes and motifs from various texts and strive to write persuasively about the perennial human questions of human stewardship and flourishing.

Texts:

• Fountainhead
• Atlas Shrugged
• Bible