The Objectivism Book Study is meeting through 2022 to study Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand, by Leonard Peikoff.

This week, the reading was:
Ch. 1 – The metaphysically given as absolute 23-29
Ch. 1 – Idealism and materialism as the rejection of basic axioms 30-36

Listen to the podcast in the player below, or view the video here.

Francis Bacon has a famous saying:

Reading maketh a full man;
Conference, a ready man,
And writing, an exact man.

This quote shows why what we’re doing in this book study is important. Each week we are reading material that is challenging, and that we do not entirely agree with. Some of us are writing notes as we read and working to express what is valuable in what we have read. Now we are conferring together.

As we go along, it can be helpful every once in a while to zoom out and look at how far we have come and where we are in the overall material.

The reading this week is the last part of chapter 1: Reality. We are finishing looking at the main claims Objectivism makes about reality as such.

Leading up to our reading for this week, the earlier sections were:
-Existence, consciousness, and identity as the basic axioms
-Causality as a corollary of identity
-Existence as possessing primacy over consciousness

The last section concluded by saying Rand’s philosophy “is the primacy of existence come to full, systematic expression in Western thought for the first time.”

This week, we finished reading chapter 1, with the final two subsections:

-The metaphysically given as absolute (“No alternative to a fact of reality is possible or imaginable.”)
-Idealism and materialism as the rejection of basic axioms

Here Peikoff contrasts the main alternative views on Metaphysics (Idealism and Materialism) with Rand’s view, which is simply called Objectivism.

Most of the chapters end with a similar coda comparing Rand’s view to its competitors. These sections make it more obvious how her view is different. They offer an introduction to understanding the other views and making a polemic against them.

(The discussion continues in the audio.)

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

List of Dates and Readings

Why Christians Should Reconsider Ayn Rand

About Us (For the New Christian Intellectual)

Ayn Rand and Christianity?

Christianity + Western Civilization

The Plunder of the Egyptians

Americanism Book Study

Become a Patron and Get Full-Length Exclusive Podcasts

As a $1/mo. Podcast Insider, get access to occasional patron-only episodes.

As a $10/mo. Philosophy Club Member, you can attend occasional live podcast recording sessions and submit questions either live or beforehand + get access to our exclusive culture war training.