I’ve already bought the Voice of Reason…I think I’ll read that one first but, after that, I’ll try and get ITOE. I had actually ordered the Lexicon, but Amazon.com cancelled the order for some reason.
I will argue to a point but when when its clear to me that there is impassible dishonesty, that’s where I draw the line. I do not draw the line at the first hint of dishonesty, without any attempt to resolve it.
“Impassible” means being incapable of suffering pain. (The “passion of Christ,” for example, was his suffering, according to Christian legends.) What is the connection between impassibility and dishonesty?
Dishonesty means evading reality. How can you “resolve” dishonesty if the person you are talking to is evading reality – including your own words?
Or do you mean that sometimes you see some evidence (a “hint,” as you said) suggesting the possibility of dishonesty but you, rightly, choose to gather more evidence, one way or the other?
Did a post I made in here get deleted, or did it just not get posted for some reason?
It didn’t get posted.
Probably everybody thinks that the order they read Rand is the best order, myself not excluded.
With nonfiction, I started with Virtue of Selfishness. It was a good start. Not too technical. I would not have survived ITOE at that stage; it would have been too dry, too abstract.
I continued with CUI. Very much the same value as VOS, only with the economic/political emphasis.
Of course, the very best order to read them is the order that interests you most. Motivation is crucial to integration. I got through IOE once very early, but got very little out of it. I hit it again much later; it was like reading a brand new book. I absorbed the information at a whole new level.
OPAR is excellent too, but, having read it already knowing Objectivism very well, I am unable to say how appropriate it is for the layman.
One lesson I’ve learned with books: if you’re having trouble getting through one, just put it away, get back to it some time in the future (the exception being books you’re about to be tested on!). Enjoy.
Probably everybody thinks that the order they read Rand is the best order, myself not excluded.
Not me 
I wish I had read The Fountainhead years ago. That is my recommendation for you.
The Ayn Rand Book Store seems to have the best prices on everything related to Objectivism. I’d recommend buying the Objectivism Research CD and the Ayn Rand Lexicon.
As someone who is himself just starting out (I read Atlas Shrugged in December, and that was when I started looking into philosophy, let alone Objectivism), I have to agree that Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology was absolutely riveting. It’s unlike anything else; you can put into practice what is being said in the book while you’re reading it, becoming conscious of exactly how the methods of concept-formation and definition are working in your own mind at the same time they’re being described on the page.
Let me tell you – it’s a trip
Dishonesty means evading reality. How can you “resolve” dishonesty if the person you are talking to is evading reality – including your own words?
Evasion is not a permanent condition. Thanks to volition, one can always choose to stop evading and grasp the truth instead.
What I’m talking about is someone who has given up on trying to grasp the truth, because they do not see a need for the effort.
Often, someone will appear to give up, or give up explicitly, when implicitly they are still interested in the problem. I’ve seen it, and I’ve seen people change their minds even after emphatically stating they would not.
People who are not yet Objectivists cannot always be taken at face value for their words. That has to come later, after they’ve accepted Objectivism and have begun to integrate it into their daily lives. Until then, you have to analyze what they are saying and figure out what they really mean.
I have pretty much every book - not Ominous Parallels or ITOE yet. I’ve read We the Living, Atlas, Fountainhead, and Anthem. Starting nonfiction, just not sure where to start.
The Virtue of Selfishness is a good one to start out with, either that or Philosophy: Who Needs It.
If you want more Ayn Rand fiction, then check out THE EARLY AYN RAND. I particularly suggest THINK TWICE, RED PAWN, and IDEAL in the aformentioned book. The first two I just finished reading after 8 years of loving Ayn Rand and her fiction. I was very pleased. I am shocked that I didn’t take the time before to read them.
Americo.
NB, is there a specific thing that interests you more? Ethics, politics, art? The books are nicely setup to suit particular interests. There’s also the non-AR O’ist non-fiction. I 100% suggest Loving Life by Craig Biddle for an expansion on the Objectivist Ethics.
I am currently re-reading and am almost done with The Fountainhead-I read Atlas Shrugged years ago.
I would very much like to further study Objectivism-which would make the most logical sense that I read next, Atlas Shrugged or something else? Also recommendations after my next book or even a reading list are welcome.
Thank you.
D
There are plenty of other threads that address this same topic. Please spend a little time searching around before you start a new thread to ask a question.
Dawn, if re-reading Atlas Shrugged sounds like it would be fun, I’d recommend that. Otherwise, if you want non-fiction, I’d advise reading “Virtue of Selfishness”. That should give you enough to think about, before moving on to anything else.
As a broad rule, I would recommend reading Ayn Rand’s own work before that of other Objectivists.
If you’d like to get a set of books and read particular essays, then you can use this sequence of essays (link) suggested by the “Ayn Rand Institute”.
Dawn, if re-reading Atlas Shrugged sounds like it would be fun, I’d recommend that. Otherwise, if you want non-fiction, I’d advise reading “Virtue of Selfishness”. That should give you enough to think about, before moving on to anything else.
As a broad rule, I would recommend reading Ayn Rand’s own work before that of other Objectivists.
If you’d like to get a set of books and read particular essays, then you can use this sequence of essays (link) suggested by the “Ayn Rand Institute”.
thank you I will read Atlas Shrugged again-just to refresh my memory and after that I’ll check out “Virtue of Selfishness”
also will do a search on similar threads as mentioned.
D
I would very much like to further study Objectivism-which would make the most logical sense that I read next, Atlas Shrugged or something else? Also recommendations after my next book or even a reading list are welcome.
What you should read next depends on your purpose. If you have a long-range goal of understanding more of Ayn Rand’s philosophy, Objectivism, then I recommend as indispensable, The Ayn Rand Lexicon. The editor, Harry Binswanger, has selected excerpts from Ayn Rand’s many writings. The topics are arranged alphabetically – for example, beginning with “Abortion” and going to such topics as “Errors of Knowledge vs. Breaches of Morality” and ending with “Zero, Reification of.”
After each excerpt, Dr. Binswanger states the exact source for the excerpt, so that you can go to that source and read the complete work if you want to follow-up. You can order all of Ayn Rand’s writings online, at The Ayn Rand Bookstore.
At the moment, I’m reading Anthem, I’ve read 3 Ayn Rand books/compilations (I’m still very much a rookie) and a bunch of individual essays. I find that sometimes I wish that I had read a certain book or essay first. If you were to introduce someone to Objectivism (Christmas season has me thinking), in what order would you recommend they read her books/compilations/essays? I don’t want it to seem like a pyramid scheme, but I think I’ve found that, for instance, Philosophy: Who Needs It is more fundamental than The Romantic Manifesto. I’d prefer to hear from those who’ve read nearly everything.
So the question is: If someone decided they wanted to learn about Objectivism and were set on reading every work of Rand, in what order would you recommend they read her works? You may introduce Leonard Peikoff at some point as well (if you like).
Hmmm…
Anthem
The Fountainhead
Atlas Shrugged
The Virtue of Selfishness
And I’ll let others finish that up.
So the question is: If someone decided they wanted to learn about Objectivism and were set on reading every work of Rand, in what order would you recommend they read her works? You may introduce Leonard Peikoff at some point as well (if you like).
Wow, great question. I in fact just came back from Barnes & Noble, where I bought 3 copies of Atlas Shrugged for Christmas presents!
I also am interested to hear what the other more experienced students of Objectivism will have to say. My personal opinion is that the Ayn Rand’s art of fiction is the best way to introduce someone to Objectivism.
It really depends on the person. I would not recommend VOS immediately for a person who is a hard-core socialist. Better to start with Atlas Shrugged, although it is much longer. The case for l-f capitalism and a defense of individual rights are gradually made. In the shorter non-fiction, she addresses these points succinctly and expertly, but immediate concrete statements are not made, and this is presumably why she used fiction to persuade folks. The case is gradually built for capitalism and individual rights, a case no rational person can deny.
Just my two cents.