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Objectivism: Books for beginners


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On OO.net. we often get folks who have read FH or AS, perhaps checked out the Wikipedia and the ARI site, but still have some serious misconceptions about the basics of Objectivism. I always refer such people to Virtue of Selfishness or Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal. Over the last decade, a few introductory books on Objectivism have been published. Still, I continue to recommend Rand because that's where I first got the ideas, and I thought she was very clear. The second reason is that I have not read any of the newer books.

This topic is to ask about those new books. The ones that I know of are:

Loving Life - by Craig Biddle

Objectivism in One Lesson - by Andrew Bernstein

Ayn Rand for Beginners - by Andrew Bernstein

My first question is: are there any other similar books that are 100% sympathetic to Rand's philosophy, and do not attempt any extraneous criticism nor additions, but merely try to explain it in a concrete and simple way. [Please, nobody mention OPAR. I'm looking for books that are under 200 pages long, aimed at a real beginner.]

Second question: If anyone has read these books, what is the difference in the focus of each of them? Would one be suited to one type of person where another is suited to another, etc.?

Any information on these books, even the briefest of reviews, would be welcome.

Edited by softwareNerd
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Loving Life - by Craig Biddle

Objectivism in One Lesson - by Andrew Bernstein

Ayn Rand for Beginners - by Andrew Bernstein

My first question is: are there any other similar books that are 100% sympathetic to Rand's philosophy, and do not attempt any extraneous criticism nor additions, but merely try to explain it in a concrete and simple way.

One more, just released: Capitalism Unbound - by Andrew Bernstein.

Second question: If anyone has read these books, what is the difference in the focus of each of them? Would one be suited to one type of person where another is suited to another, etc.?

Biddle's book focuses on ethical issues. It starts with an explanation of why religious and subjectivist ethical systems do not and cannot lead to personal happiness and success, moves to an essentialized explanation of Rand's case for an objective ethics, works through the various virtues that follow from that, and finishes up with a brief discussion of why freedom is a requirement for practicing such an ethic fully.

Bernstein's One Lesson book is a full overview, touching on all the major elements in the philosophy apart from esthetics. It tries to tie all of the key principles of Objectivism back to a single integrating observation (the 'lesson'), viz. that everything good in life flows from the exercise of man's rationality.

Bernstein's Capitalism Unbound, which I've only briefly skimmed so far, looks to focus on politics and the moral basis of economics. I haven't even done that much with his Ayn Rand for Beginners.

I would give the One Lesson book to someone who had expressed an interest in the philosophy overall. I'd give Loving Life to someone who was looking for an alternative to the religion/subjectivism dichotomy in morality, i.e. someone looking for a way out of the "God is dead so everything is permitted" problem. And I'd give Capitalism Unbound to someone who is already sympathetic to political freedom but doesn't understand the ethical foundation required to properly defend it.

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As a newbie I prefer to stick to books by Ayn Rand herself. Especially after reading horrific terms like Kelleyites. And I think Ayn Rand explains thing the best and I like her style. My faviourate books right now are 'Philosophy who needs it' and 'For the New Intellectual'.

Edited by Superman123
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