Should more scholars be analyzing the work of Ayn Rand? What does it say about academe that so few scholars have done so until recently -- despite the controversial philosopher's popularity with readers?
The most recent responses appear first
"The study of Ayn Rand's ideas on art and esthetics should be studied in academe as well as her ideas on epistomology, existence, capitalism, ..."
"It was (and is) Rand's intention to find the men (and women) of intellect, wherever they might be. She never specified that institutions of higher learning..."
"Three years ago I began teaching The Fountainhead to college freshman who varied in age -- some were 12th grade AP students, some 50-year-old housewives..."
"Interesting comment regarding introduction to Ms. Rand. I too read all her non-fiction..."
"The great difficulty in the academic community in acknowledging Ayn Rand as a legitimate scholar is that..."
"I first read The Fountainhead at sixteen--my mother thought I might like it. At the time, I had never heard of Ayn Rand or objectivism or her principles..."
"There is no reason why the self-absorbed heretic should be examined any further than she already has been..."
"The problem most institutional philosophers have with Ayn Rand is that, under Objectivism, there are no contradictions, and therefore no mysteries in philosophy..."
"I am very glad to see Rand finally getting the respect she deserves as a philosopher..."
"An interesting aspect of Ayn Rand that is often overlooked is her ethics with respect to 'selling out.'..."
"I dropped out of the Ayn Rand movement in about 1970, after having spent five years in reading, re-reading, and discussing all of her available works,..."
"The works of Ayn Rand will in all likelihood find a small but secure place within the academic curriculum..."
"Ayn Rand's work as a novelist was first introduced to this writer by a professor of English..."
"In Response to C. Smith. Your paradox arises from an unacknowledged, and false, assumption..."
"For years now, Ms. Rand wrote of:..."
"This is a query. I read Ayn Rand many years ago and was at once fascinated, absorbed and repelled..."
"I disagree with Michael Hardy..."
"Interesting that Philip Coates omits from his recommended reading list the book that made Ayn Rand famous,..."
"Short Way To Learn about Rand:..."
"This announcement may be of some interest to this colloquy; considering that the original Chronicle article highlighted my work,..."
"Mr. Kendall - Contact the Institute for Objectivist Studies..."
"I have long been an admirer of Ayn Rand and her novels,..."
"Chris Cathcart asks:..."
"Michael Hardy misquotes me regarding 'existence exists.' I did not say that those who use it would be laughed out of respectable discussion..."
"Chris Cathcart writes that 'The point is that ['existence exists'] itself is a tautology, not deserving of the status of some fundamental metaphysical truth. All it tells us is that what exists, exists'..."
"There is a lot in Philip Coates's note to respond to,..."
"Mr. Khawaja's thoughtful defense of academic philosophy makes many interesting points..."
"Mr. Quine, You appear to accept as fact that a=a..."
"Bobby Quine's point regarding 'existence exists' still goes unanswered..."
"The lies, distortions, attacks and smears that I have encountered while perusing this forum as well as others are too preposterous to even consider commenting on..."
"A response to Philip Coates:..."
"To Mike Huben, the previous poster: Mr. Huben, what on earth are you talking about?..."
"Objectivism is based on little more than a fine Russian/European tradition..."
"The premise of my post has yet to be addressed..."
"Mr. Parrott is confusing Randroids with serious admirers:..."
"Mr. Parrott writes, 'It is quite a trifle to snatch victory against Objectivists,'..."
"'M.R.M. Parrott is right to say that most of the issues he raises should be dealt with in other forums'..."
"M.R.M. Parrott is right to say that most of the issues he raises should be dealt with in other forums..."
"The question of Rand's popularity and seriousness, in the sense of tenacity, cannot be dismissed..."
"I think Bobby Quine's error is that he thinks 'self-evident' is the same as 'tautological'..."
"What's more self-evident than existence,..."
"Objectivists still face a steep uphill battle in gaining a hearing..."
"Bobby Quine says that existence is hardly self-evident..."
"I have recently looked over a copy of Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand,..."
"No one has yet given a brief summary of Ayn Rand's philosophy. This would help crystallize what..."
"Viewed properly, Philosophy is a method, a process, and not this or that cookbook ideology. Ideally, we think..."
"Philip Coates says that I haven't addressed David Elmore's 'criticisms'..."
"Is academia involved in the pursuit of truth or does it disdain the efficacy of the human mind?..."
"A serious study of Ayn Rand's philosophy by Academia is long over due..."
"I'm sure David Elmore thinks he's doing Objectivism a great favor by trashing the history of philosophy and the academy..."
"I'd like to take this opportunity to try once again to explain why I think that Rand is an a-priorist..."
"Tym Parsons mischaracterizes my approach to Ayn Rand..."
"Chip Poirot wrote: 'I define Rand as an a priorist because Rand (and other libertarians) start from the premise'..."
"Chip Poirot persists in mischaracterizing Rand on several crucial counts..."
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