Ayn Rand: The Leading American Philosopher of Modern Period Essay

Introduction

The woman philosopher whose works are being discussed is Ayn Rand, (1905-1982) who is considered to be one of the leading American philosophers of modern times. The philosophy of objectivism, advocated by Ayn Rand, is a widely regarded belief “that is useful in helping us to understand the world. “ (Chapter 1: Ayn Rand and Objectivism- Philosophy and Science).

History of the philosopher

Ayn Rand was born in St. Petersburg, Russia on February 2, 1905. During her childhood, she witnessed Soviet atrocities committed during Kerensky Revolution and later, the Bolshevik uprisal during 1917, which later inspired her to write her first major novel,’ We, the Living’. To avoid the war, her family fled Russia and relocated to Crimea where she completed her schooling. After their return to Russia, following the post war period, she completed her degree course in 1924. (A Brief Bibliography of Ayn Rand).

Rand left for Hollywood in 1926, to seek a career in screenplay writing, and after making scripts for several films, she published her first major novel, in 1936.

‘The living’ is an account of harrowing life in Russia. Her second novel, ‘the Fountainhead’ was published in 1943, and by far was a moderate literary achievement of her life, winning her a wide range of literary admirers in the United States and abroad.

However, her greatest triumph in philosophical writing came with the publication of her magnum opus, ‘Atlas Shrugged’, during 1957, which won critical acclaim.

“In this novel she dramatized her unique philosophy in an intellectual mystery story that integrated ethics, metaphysics, epistemology, politics, economics and sex. ” (A Brief Bibliography of Ayn Rand).

By this time Rand had gained excellent skills for rendering philosophical thoughts and ideas through her writings in the genre of fiction, non-fiction and essay writings and has also attained a reasonable degree of financial sustenance.

Area of philosophical works

Her works mainly centre on objectivism that may be regarded as the guiding principles of living in this world. Her philosophies maintain that the reality of the world exists, independent of man’s actions, or his emotions, and humans can do little to influence the realities of human existence. (Introducing Objectivism).

Therefore, Rand seeks to rationalize that man’s ability of critical reasoning should stand him in good stead not only as a fountainhead of knowledge but also to guide and inspire him, during both good and troubled times. According to her philosophies, humans need to lead lives for achieving their ambitions and not for others. According to her, “The pursuit of his own rational self interest “ (Introducing Objectivism) is the guiding spirit and moral purpose for life on earth.

Her philosophies rejected much of the altruist values of modern societal living and much of her writings eulogizes the need for humans to pursue their own goals for happiness on earth, without however causing harm, or hindrances to others.

She died in New York on March 6, 1982 at the age of 77.

Major Titles or books she has written

During her eventful career, she had written both fiction and non –fiction books. Among her critically acclaimed books are ‘Atlas Shrugged’ (1957), ‘The Fountainhead’ (1942), ‘We, the living’ (1936) and ‘Anthem’ (1938)

Some of her major non-fiction books are – ‘For the new intellectual’ (1961), ‘The virtue of selfishness’ (1964), ‘Capitalism, the unknown ideal’ (1966), ‘The Communist Manifesto’ (1969) and also the 1982 writing entitled ‘Philosophy, who needs it’ (Ayn Rand’s Nonfiction).

Conclusion

Perhaps one of the most fascinating parts of Ayn Rand’s personality was that she wished to distinguish her own self from the ideals expressed in her writings. This was one of the reasons why she had willed that her name should not be used for literary purposes after her death, and that her books need to be read on their own merits only and not because they were authored by her. Many of her critics had commented on her scant respect for philosophical ideals outside objectivism, but this could be seen in her strong and abiding faith in her own ideals and the value basis they provided to her readers.

Works Cited

1. A Brief Bibliography of Ayn Rand. ARI: Ayn Rand Institute. 2009.
2. Ayn Rand’s Nonfiction. ARI: Ayn Rand Institute. 2009.
3. Chapter 1: Ayn Rand and Objectivism- Philosophy and Science. Yahoo Geocities. 2009.
4. Introducing Objectivism. ARI: Ayn Rand Institute. 2009.
5. Introducing Objectivism: My Philosophy, Objectivism, Holds that. ARI: Ayn Rand Institute. 2009.