Like many, I had an Objectivist “epiphany” after reading The Fountainhead about 8 years ago. I followed it up by reading every book in print by Rand and Peikoff. In the years since my reading spree, I have not been an Objectivist in the strictest sense. I believe this was mostly due to a lack of clarity in my philosophical understanding. I am most decidedly an Objectivist now.
I just finished my second reading of Dr. Peikoff’s Objectivism: the Philosophy of Ayn Rand. (Is OPAR the conventional abbreviation?) This time I made my best effort to really digest all of the arguments, and try to understand them. Regarding most Objectivist principles: I believe them, but I do not have the skills/knowledge to prove them, or to make fully defensible arguments of them. I don’t want to be an avowed, but non-practicing Objectivist. One of my favorite aspects of Objectivism is that it demands understanding, not mindless adherence. I would like to be able to derive Objectivist ethics explicitly. I would also like to have a better mental arsenal for critically analyzing non-Objectivist arguments. Of course: If I wish to have these skills, I must work to build them.
So, I’m posting to ask:
-
On which writings of Rand, Peikoff, or others should I concentrate?
-
Should I include a study of logic. If so, are there any particularly good books? (I’m currently reading Logic by Wilfrid Hodges, 2001)
-
If I am unable to have frequent conversations with an Objectivist scholar, is this goal unrealistic? (I’m in So. CA now, but shortly will be headed to Japan for 3 years.)
My background:
-
B.S. Aerospace Engineering, including a year-long course of Honors Analysis (proving the square root of 2 is irrational, etc.)
-
2+ decades of choosing to think :glare: (I’d like to put “chooses to think” on a résumé…)
Thanks,
-Jake