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Understanding Objectivism: A Guide to Learning Ayn Rand's Philosophy
Based on a series of lectures given in 1983 by Dr. Leonard Peikoff, Understanding Objectivism offers a deeper and more profound study of Ayn Rand's philosophy, and outlines a methodology of how to approach the study of Objectivism and apply its principles to one's life. For the legions of readers who treasure Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead , and who savor cogent analysis and provocative discussion of Ayn Rand's thoughts and beliefs, Understanding Objectivism takes the stimulating study of Rand's philosophy to the next level.
- GenresPhilosophyNonfiction
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
46 people are currently reading
428 people want to read
About the author
Leonard Peikoff
87 books387 followersLeonard S. Peikoff (born October 15, 1933) is a Canadian-American philosopher. He is an author, a leading advocate of Objectivism and the founder of the Ayn Rand Institute. A former professor of philosophy, he was designated by the novelist Ayn Rand as heir to her estate. For several years, he hosted a radio talk show.
http://www.peikoff.com/bio.html
http://www.peikoff.com/bio.html
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 11, 2012
This one was a struggle for me. This is a fairly exact transcription of a course given on Objectivism. The course is the single biggest step forward I ever took in understanding philosophy and it was early enough to be have been one of the more influential experiences on my outlook. I took the (audio tape) course in 1991 and was really looking forward to the revisit decades later.
Unfortunately, though Peikoff is both an excellent writer and lecturer, I found it extremely hard to read his spoken form transcribed. I'm really lucky to have taken the course and I can't recommend it highly enough to people who have grasped some Objectivist philosophy, but are newer to it. That said, I think the book isn't a substitute.
Unfortunately, though Peikoff is both an excellent writer and lecturer, I found it extremely hard to read his spoken form transcribed. I'm really lucky to have taken the course and I can't recommend it highly enough to people who have grasped some Objectivist philosophy, but are newer to it. That said, I think the book isn't a substitute.
March 15, 2013
For me, this was one of the biggest stepping stones in learning Objectivism. I'm extremely thankful that the original course is now available so cheaply and that I'll get to revisit it 20 years later! Going through the course again, I was surprised by how much I remembered and how much of this material is integrated in how I absorb information and learn new things. Also, I was amazed at how much the material is useful now. Revisiting after 20 years I focus on different things in how and why we argue, thinking about emotions and judgement and other aspects.
Unless perhaps you've been through the course recently, I imagine this would be useful for any Objectivist and even anyone basically familiar with Objectivism and interested.
One sad point is the removal of Lecture 11 by Edith Packer. That lecture provided my understanding of core evaluations and is the basis of much of what I know about how our emotional mechanism functions. I remember it clearly and talk about that content today. It was a real shame to be unable to revisit it.
Unless perhaps you've been through the course recently, I imagine this would be useful for any Objectivist and even anyone basically familiar with Objectivism and interested.
One sad point is the removal of Lecture 11 by Edith Packer. That lecture provided my understanding of core evaluations and is the basis of much of what I know about how our emotional mechanism functions. I remember it clearly and talk about that content today. It was a real shame to be unable to revisit it.
April 7, 2012
I really like this book. It's all about "chewing" ideas, i.e. breaking them down into digestible form. It's full of explicit examples of how to think about ideas and shows common mistakes in a tolerant manner. Peikoff is also candid about his own problems with thinking, which gives the book a frank, down-to-earth tone. I'm looking forward to reading more.
May 14, 2019
I had read this book before and I decided to read it again. I got more out of it the second time I read it. It clarifies many aspects of Objectivism that have confused me. I will probably read it a third time.
January 19, 2015
Let's be clear, this is not a beginner treatise on objectivism. If you have not studied philosophy before and done so a decent amount nor have specifically dealt with Ayn Rand then this book of speeches/essays will largely be frustrating and misunderstood. Even with a good background there are moments of having to work through some ideas beyond skimming. Peikoff doesn't pull back or dumb down, whether out of arrogance or just a lack of desire to take the time to do so (the answer of which is likely more contingent on a person's personal feelings towards the man rather than objective analysis), expecting students and readers to do the work to come to his standard, not the other way around. Frankly I found this challenge refreshing and Peikoff's rigorous demands are placed as much on himself.
Whether you ultimately agree with Peikoff is not the point here, but struggling through what is a fine attempt at an overarching philosophy is certainly worth the time. The hero-worship of Rand is amusing (though not without some legitimacy), the dismissal of Kant and other thinkers indicates how abject belief in one ideology makes it impossible to accurately understand certain other paradigms, but Peikoff also doesn't pull any punches concerning his own philosophy and those who seek to adhere to it. Throughout are concerns leveled and criticisms starkly stated about those parading around under the "objectivist" banner.
If you want a hard-hitting, contrary to popular belief, philosophical essay to mull over, there's a lot worse out there than this and not much that are better.
Whether you ultimately agree with Peikoff is not the point here, but struggling through what is a fine attempt at an overarching philosophy is certainly worth the time. The hero-worship of Rand is amusing (though not without some legitimacy), the dismissal of Kant and other thinkers indicates how abject belief in one ideology makes it impossible to accurately understand certain other paradigms, but Peikoff also doesn't pull any punches concerning his own philosophy and those who seek to adhere to it. Throughout are concerns leveled and criticisms starkly stated about those parading around under the "objectivist" banner.
If you want a hard-hitting, contrary to popular belief, philosophical essay to mull over, there's a lot worse out there than this and not much that are better.
February 24, 2015
You should have basic knowledge about the philosophy of Objectivism before starting on this book. But no matter how educated you might feel about this topic, this book is a must-read. Its main theme (as far as I uncovered) was how to avoid rationalism in your thinking, and what habits you should grow for learning and grasping new material. As you will see, this is really two sides of the same coin. The theme is applied on Objectivism as a philosophy, but on a very few selected topics.
This is not a systematic introduction, but rather a deeper investigation into some topics (such as honesty as a virtue, life as the standard of value, etc). (You should really read and be comfortable with books such as Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand and Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology before starting with this one). What the book gives you is a habit of thought which is very productive when you want to invest time in learning new material. How to "digest" new knowledge and make certain that you actually understand the topic at hand.
This is not a systematic introduction, but rather a deeper investigation into some topics (such as honesty as a virtue, life as the standard of value, etc). (You should really read and be comfortable with books such as Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand and Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology before starting with this one). What the book gives you is a habit of thought which is very productive when you want to invest time in learning new material. How to "digest" new knowledge and make certain that you actually understand the topic at hand.
August 6, 2012
This is an excellent book that, despite my having read it slowly and carefully, will require re-reading at some point in the future. It is chock-full of practical guidance in thinking: what to do and what to avoid. It is fascinating to watch Leonard Peikoff's mind at work here--fascinating in at least three respects: (1) for his intellectual honesty, (2) for his extraordinary command of the material, and (3) for the early integration of ideas that will lead to his DIM hypothesis (a publication due to be published in late 2012).
By the way, do not take the title to imply that this is a beginner's guide to Objectivism; a solid foundation in Objectivist principles is a prerequisite to getting anything out of the book. If you are new to Ayn Rand's ideas, the way to start is to read Ayn Rand's novels Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead.
By the way, do not take the title to imply that this is a beginner's guide to Objectivism; a solid foundation in Objectivist principles is a prerequisite to getting anything out of the book. If you are new to Ayn Rand's ideas, the way to start is to read Ayn Rand's novels Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead.
April 14, 2014
This is a seminar given by Peikoff in the 1980s, turned into a book. The style is, being a lecture, very informal. But Peikoff has an exceptionally clear way of thinking and explaining, and his conversational style works very well here.
This is much more than a book about Objectivism. The strategies laid out in the first half apply equally well to any topic whatsoever. It's more of a course on understanding how to understand. The second half then applies these strategies to Ayn Rand's philosophic system, but not before applying them to other philosophic systems against which Objectivism is then contrasted.
This is a wonderful book, highly recommended to anyone at all interested in philosophy.
This is much more than a book about Objectivism. The strategies laid out in the first half apply equally well to any topic whatsoever. It's more of a course on understanding how to understand. The second half then applies these strategies to Ayn Rand's philosophic system, but not before applying them to other philosophic systems against which Objectivism is then contrasted.
This is a wonderful book, highly recommended to anyone at all interested in philosophy.
July 26, 2021
I bought this book 8 or 9 years ago and read 80 to 90% of it at the time. I put it down and lost track of it until yesterday. I scanned my annotations and underlining and then read the last chapter.
This book is a transcription of Leonard Piekoff’s lectures on objectivism from the 80s or 90s by Michael Berliner. It seems to have been created after his rationalist and Hegelian period.
It is actually quite good. He explains his notion of chewing on an idea, which is just his version of mulling over an idea.
He focuses mostly on an analysis and comparison of rationalism and empiricism and objectivism. After all, objectivism is focused on epistemology not metaphysics.
I do give it low marks because it does not come with an index.
This book is a transcription of Leonard Piekoff’s lectures on objectivism from the 80s or 90s by Michael Berliner. It seems to have been created after his rationalist and Hegelian period.
It is actually quite good. He explains his notion of chewing on an idea, which is just his version of mulling over an idea.
He focuses mostly on an analysis and comparison of rationalism and empiricism and objectivism. After all, objectivism is focused on epistemology not metaphysics.
I do give it low marks because it does not come with an index.
January 19, 2014
This book is an invaluable guide, for those familiar with Objectivism (and philosophy in general), in understanding Objectivism (and philosophy in general). Some of the context of this 1983-1984 lecture is a bit dated (particularly Dr. Peikoff's assessment of the state of today's world, which is significantly worse now), and there is at least one glaring editorial error, but the book, overall, is a crystalline exposition of the valid method of concretizing and reifying complex abstractions; combating common and mistaken methods (viz., rationalism and empiricism); and helping the reader understand (and appreciate) life and its potential in an often flummoxing, demoralizing culture.
January 6, 2015
This excellent supplement to Ayn Rand's fiction, adapted from a lecture series by Peikoff, clarifies her philosophical views and distinguishes it from similar but untenable modes of thinking (notably rationalism, which Peikoff asserts is much more easily corrupted than Rand's philosophy of Objectivism). It's useful for anyone looking to gain clarity on the philosophical ideas underpinning Rand's fiction, and it's much less dry and technical than Peikoff's Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand.
May 13, 2012
Very helpful, full of thought provoking insight into how to properly relate philosophical ideas to concretes. The book immediately started out strong, then I admit I felt myself faltering just a bit during the remainder of approximately the first third (probably my fault for being a bit tired/distracted), and then, all of a sudden, it absolutely took off for me and at that point I literally couldn't put it down until finished!
November 15, 2013
Dr. Leonard Peikoff's oral lectures in written form. With approachable examples and Dr. Peikoff's occasionally amusing comments and observations, this guide describes the right (and wrong) methods by which people try to understand, apply, and validate philosophies, Objectivism included. Note: this book is not intended to be an introduction to Objectivism.
February 12, 2015
This is an amazing eye-opener for those interested in Objectivism but tend to be rationalists in their thinking. Peikoff does a great job not only clarifying common misconceptions, but also showing the process of assimilating and learning a new philosophy, which is something Ayn Rand's works couldn't do by definition, since she created the philosophy.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews