My name’s Julian. I’m a junior in high school.
It’s only been a year since I first read The Fountainhead, but I feel as if I’ve known Rand for years.
Since none of my friends are Objectivists, I figured I’d give this place a shot.
Welcome aboard Julian.
Welcome to the forum.
Hi Julian!
I reccommend that you check out the Fountainhead high school essay contest on the ARI official website if you haven’t already 
Welcome to the forum. How were you introduced to Objectivism?
Welcome to the forum. How were you introduced to Objectivism?
Funny story actually. I came across a criticism of Objectivism years ago, and without reading any of her books I blindly hated her for quite some time.
Sophomore year I noticed that there was a copy of The Fountainhead on the shelf in my English classroom. I picked it up and never put it down. In fact, I’m almost done reading it for the second time.
Welcome! I hope we can help you foster your zeal for Objectivism, without any of the bad stuff.
Welcome! I hope we can help you foster your zeal for Objectivism, without any of the bad stuff.
Wait! What’s the “bad stuff?”
Funny story actually. I came across a criticism of Objectivism years ago, and without reading any of her books I blindly hated her for quite some time.
Sophomore year I noticed that there was a copy of The Fountainhead on the shelf in my English classroom. I picked it up and never put it down. In fact, I’m almost done reading it for the second time.
Welcome to the forum.
Do you remember which criticism? I like to keep a record of the sorry attempts at criticism of Objectivism that surface every few months. Y’know, for funzies (watch Scrubs if you don’t know this term).
For some advice, I would say stay away from criticisms for now, and instead try to learn what Objectivism is. Of course, you should be determining whether Objectivism makes sense to you, and whether you agree with its principles or not. The point is that criticisms often imply that the reader already has some level of familiarity with the subject being criticized, and until you know the philosophy, it would be impossible for you to separate the trash from worthy criticisms (though I honestly have not seen one of the latter).
And if you want something clarified, or a criticism looked over, I’m sure the members here would be more than happy to help out.
Hello and welcome Julian! Have you read Atlas Shrugged yet?
Welcome aboard!
Wait! What’s the “bad stuff?”
Nathaniel Branden’s essay should be called something more like ‘Hazardous Mistakes Some People Make In Understanding Objectivism’, but regardless, the points made are valid, especially the stuff about moralising and repression.
It’s not the ‘bad stuff’ of Objectivism I want our friend to avoid (n.b. I don’t know if that’s possible), but instead the choices some young Objectivists take, in going in a kind of rationalist direction, where they put even the ideas of Objectivism before reality - that is, holding the ideas true without integrating them against reality, so they become things that ‘should’ be true or ‘must’ be followed, without understanding what it is that makes those things true.
Consider it like our recent discussion about diet: many people follow a diet because they believe they must, without having a deep yearning to eat that delicious healthy food or to exercise.