amicus
Literotica Guru
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Playboy Interview, Ayn Rand (about 1964)
A Candid Conversation with the ‘fountainhead’ of “Objectivism.”
Since the late Ayn Rand’s name is taken in vain quite often of this forum, I thought perhaps some of you might enjoy, appreciate and find informative a little background information and some of her own words.
Playboy Magazine, at the time this interview was conducted and published, occupied a rather important place in literature and new cutting edge ideas and was read all over the world and became a favorite on college campuses for more than the centerfold.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ayn Rand, an intense`, angry young woman of 58, is among the most outspoken -- and important -- intellectual voices in America today. She is the author of what is perhaps the most fiercely damned and admired best seller of the decade: “Atlas Shrugged,” which has sold 1,200,000 copies since its publication six years ago, and has become one of the most talked about novels in the country. Ayn Rand discussion clubs dot college campuses. Professors debate her ideas in their classrooms. More than 2500 people in 30 cities from New York to Los Angeles attend courses given by the Nathaniel Branden Institute, in which they listen to live speakers and taped lectures expounding the principles set forth in the book. Thousands more subscribe to “The Objectivist Newsletter”, a monthly publication in which Miss Rand and her associates comment on everything from economics to aesthetics. And sales of her previous best seller, “The Fountainhead,” have climbed to almost the 2,000,000 mark.
That any novel should set off such a chain reaction is unusual; that “Atlas Shrugged,” has done so is astonishing. For the book, a panoramic novel about what happens when the “men of the mind” go on strike, is 1168 pages long. It is filled with lengthy, sometimes complex philosophical passages; and it is brimming with as many explosively unpopular ideas as Ayn Rand herself. Despite this success, the literary establishment considers her an outsider. Almost to a man, critics have either ignored or denounced the book. She is an exile among philosophers, too, although “Atlas” is as much a work of philosophy as it is a novel. Liberals glower at the very mention of her name; but conservatives, too, swallow hard when she begins to speak. For Ayn Rand, whether anyone likes it or not, is sui generis: indubitably, irrevocably, intransigently individual.
She detests the drift of modern American society: She doesn’t like its politics, its economics, its attitudes towards sex, women, business, art or religion. In short, she declares, with unblinking immodesty, “I am challenging the cultural tradition of two and a half thousand years.” She means it.
A dark-haired woman with penetrating brown eyes and a computer quick mind, Ayn (rhymes with mine) Rand was born to the family of a small businessman in St. Petersburg, Russia, where she lived through the Soviet Revolution. She attended the University of Leningrad, loathing communism and its philosophy. In 1926 she managed to leave to leave the U.S.S.R., stayed for a few months with distant relatives in Chicago, then moved on to Hollywood. She had always wanted to be a writer. Since her command of English was somewhat less than adequate for writing fiction she found a job preparing outlines for silent movies as she went about mastering her new language. Between bouts of unemployment, she worked as a movie extra, waitress and studio wardrobe department clerk.
Then, in 1936, she completed her first novel, “We The Living” -- an attack on totalitarianism, set it Soviet Russia -- which drew little notice. Two years later she finished “Anthem,” a short novel about a society in which the word “I” has been extirpated in favor of the collectivist ‘we.” It was not until five years and twelve publishers’ rejections later that her first commercially successful book, “The Fountainhead.” appeared; the story of an architect’s battle for his own individuality, it became a national best seller, and was later made into a movie.
For nearly a decade after that, Miss Rand struggled to write “Atlas Shrugged,” which she views not merely as a novel, but as the crystallization of a philosophy aimed at nothing less than reversing the entire direction of change in America -- turning society toward a state of pure laissez-faire capitalism, even purer than that which existed in the 19th Century. But her philosophy -- which she calls “Objectivism” -- encompasses more than economics or politics: Primarily it sets forth a new kind of ethics which she defines as a morality of rational self interest.
Today, Ayn Rand lives in a modest apartment in the East Thirties of Manhattan with her artist husband, Frank O’Connor. She is planning another novel and working on a long range non fiction project -- a book on epistemology. Though her progress on both projects is interrupted by a demanding schedule of speaking engagements around the country, most of her working hours, and her considerable energies, are spent in the small blue-green study where she does most of her writing -- entirely in longhand.
In a series of intellectually electric conversations with Playboy’s interviewer, Alvin Toffler, Miss Rand spoke clearly and urgently about her work and her views. Answering question after question with a clipped, even delivery, her deep voice edged with a Russian accent, she paused only long enough between words to puff on cigarettes held in a blue-and-silver holder (a gift from admirers) engraved with her initials, the names of the three heroes of “Atlas Shrugged,” and a number of diminutive dollar signs. The dollar sign, in “Atlas Shrugged,” is the symbol of “free trade and, therefore, of a free mind.”
PLAYBOY: Miss Rand, your novels and essays, especially your controversial best seller, Atlas Shrugged, present a carefully engineered, internally consistent world view. They are, in effect, an expression of an all-encompassing philosophical system. What do you seek to accomplish with this new philosophy?
RAND: I seek to provide men -- or those who care to think -- with an integrated, consistent and rational view of life.
PLAYBOY: What are the basic premises of Objectivism? Where does it begin?
RAND: It begins with the axiom that existence exists, which means that an objective reality exists independent of any perceiver or of the perceiver’s emotions, feelings, wishes, hopes or fears. Objectivism holds that reason is man’s only means of perceiving reality and his only guide to action. By reason, I mean the faculty which identifies and integrates the material provided by man’s senses.
PLAYBOY: In Atlas Shrugged your hero, John Galt, declares, “I swear -- by my life and my love of it -- that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.” How is this related to your basic principles?
RAND: Galt’s statement is a dramatized summation of the Objectivist ethics. Any system of ethics is based on and derived, implicitly or explicitly, from a metaphysics. The ethic derived from the Metaphysical base of Objectivism holds that, since reason is man’s basic tool of survival, rationality is his highest virtue. To use his mind, to perceive reality and act accordingly, is man’s moral imperative. The standard of value of the Objectivist ethics is: man’s life -- man’s survival qua man -- or that which the nature of a rational being requires for his proper survival. The Objectivist ethics, in essence, hold that man exists for his own sake, that the pursuit of his own happiness is his highest moral purpose, that he must not sacrifice himself to others, nor sacrifice others to himself. It is this last that Galt’s statement summarizes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The interview goes on for several more pages, but I am retyping from very small print in a pamplet and decided I will continue later.
However...I feel compelled to add; the philosophy of Ayn Rand, Objectivism, is unique in a very special and important way: it is meant to be understood. There is no necessity to invent or 'create' new words or phrases, just the opposite. As an indication, I have provided a standard dictionary definition for several words used by Miss Rand to demonstrate that words have a defined and precise meaning that can be comprehended by anyone if you try. So in her words: "...RAND: I seek to provide men -- or those who care to think -- with an integrated, consistent and rational view of life."
If you truly want to embrace a philosophy that will answer the most difficult questions of ethics and morality in your own life and give you an understanding of the world in general, past and present and give you a foundation to understand current and future events and grasp the continuity of human history, these are the tools that will enable you to do so.
Integrated
Consistent
Rational
Axiom
Existence
Objective
Reality
Consistent: “…
con·sis·tent
adj.
1. In agreement; compatible: The testimony was consistent with the known facts.
2. Being in agreement with itself; coherent and uniform: a consistent pattern of behavior.
3. Reliable; steady: demonstrated a consistent ability to impress the critics.
4. Mathematics Having at least one common solution, as of two or more equations or inequalities.
5. Holding true as a group; not contradictory: a consistent set of statements.
[Latin cnsistns, cnsistent-, present participle of cnsistere, to stand still; see consist.]
con·sistent·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Integrated: “…
in·te·grate v. inte·grat·ed, inte·grat·ing, inte·grates
v.tr.
1. To make into a whole by bringing all parts together; unify.
2.
a. To join with something else; unite.
b. To make part of a larger unit: integrated the new procedures into the work routine.
3.
a. To open to people of all races or ethnic groups without restriction; desegregate.
b. To admit (a racial or ethnic group) to equal membership in an institution or society.
4. Mathematics
a. To calculate the integral of.
b. To perform integration on.
5. Psychology To bring about the integration of (personality traits).
v.intr.
To become integrated or undergo integration.
[From Middle English, intact, from Latin integrtus, past participle of integrre, to make whole, from integer, complete; see tag- in Indo-European roots.]
inte·grative adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Rational: “…Adj. 1. rational - consistent with or based on or using reason; "rational behavior"; "a process of rational inference"; "rational thought"
logical - capable of or reflecting the capability for correct and valid reasoning; "a logical mind"
reasonable, sensible - showing reason or sound judgment; "a sensible choice"; "a sensible person"
sane - mentally healthy; free from mental disorder; "appears to be completely sane"
irrational - not consistent with or using reason; "irrational fears"; "irrational animals" 2. rational - of or associated with or requiring the use of the mind; "intellectual problems"; "the triumph of the rational over the animal side of man"
Axiom: “…ax·i·om n.
1. A self-evident or universally recognized truth; a maxim: "It is an economic axiom as old as the hills that goods and services can be paid for only with goods and services" Albert Jay Nock.
2. An established rule, principle, or law.
3. A self-evident principle or one that is accepted as true without proof as the basis for argument; a postulate.
[Middle English, from Old French axiome, from Latin mat-, from Greek, from axios, worthy; see ag- in Indo-European roots.]
Existence: “…ex·is·tence n.
1. The fact or state of existing; being.
2. The fact or state of continued being; life: our brief existence on Earth.
3.
a. All that exists: sang the beauty of all existence.
b. A thing that exists; an entity.
4. A mode or manner of existing: scratched out a meager existence.
5. Specific presence; occurrence: The Geiger counter indicated the existence of radioactivity.
Synonyms: existence, actuality, being
These nouns denote the fact or state of existing: laws in existence for centuries; an idea progressing from possibility to actuality; a point of view gradually coming into being.
Antonym: nonexistence
Objective: “…ob·jec·tive adj.
1. Of or having to do with a material object.
2. Having actual existence or reality.
3.
a. Uninfluenced by emotions or personal prejudices: an objective critic. See Synonyms at fair1.
b. Based on observable phenomena; presented factually: an objective appraisal.
4. Medicine Indicating a symptom or condition perceived as a sign of disease by someone other than the person affected.
5. Grammar
a. Of, relating to, or being the case of a noun or pronoun that serves as the object of a verb.
b. Of or relating to a noun or pronoun used in this case.
n.
1. Something that actually exists.
2. Something worked toward or striven for; a goal. See Synonyms at intention.
3. Grammar
a. The objective case.
b. A noun or pronoun in the objective case.
4. The lens or lens system in a microscope or other optical instrument that first receives light rays from the object and forms the image. Also called object glass, objective lens, object lens.
ob·jective·ly adv.
ob·jective·ness n.
Reality: “…re·al·i·ty n. pl. re·al·i·ties
1. The quality or state of being actual or true.
2. One, such as a person, an entity, or an event, that is actual: "the weight of history and political realities" Benno C. Schmidt, Jr.
3. The totality of all things possessing actuality, existence, or essence.
4. That which exists objectively and in fact: Your observations do not seem to be about reality.Idiom:
in reality
In fact; actually.
~~~~~~~~~~~
To the lasting memory of Ayn Rand who was a beacon of light in a world of darkness for millions and millions.
amicus...
A Candid Conversation with the ‘fountainhead’ of “Objectivism.”
Since the late Ayn Rand’s name is taken in vain quite often of this forum, I thought perhaps some of you might enjoy, appreciate and find informative a little background information and some of her own words.
Playboy Magazine, at the time this interview was conducted and published, occupied a rather important place in literature and new cutting edge ideas and was read all over the world and became a favorite on college campuses for more than the centerfold.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ayn Rand, an intense`, angry young woman of 58, is among the most outspoken -- and important -- intellectual voices in America today. She is the author of what is perhaps the most fiercely damned and admired best seller of the decade: “Atlas Shrugged,” which has sold 1,200,000 copies since its publication six years ago, and has become one of the most talked about novels in the country. Ayn Rand discussion clubs dot college campuses. Professors debate her ideas in their classrooms. More than 2500 people in 30 cities from New York to Los Angeles attend courses given by the Nathaniel Branden Institute, in which they listen to live speakers and taped lectures expounding the principles set forth in the book. Thousands more subscribe to “The Objectivist Newsletter”, a monthly publication in which Miss Rand and her associates comment on everything from economics to aesthetics. And sales of her previous best seller, “The Fountainhead,” have climbed to almost the 2,000,000 mark.
That any novel should set off such a chain reaction is unusual; that “Atlas Shrugged,” has done so is astonishing. For the book, a panoramic novel about what happens when the “men of the mind” go on strike, is 1168 pages long. It is filled with lengthy, sometimes complex philosophical passages; and it is brimming with as many explosively unpopular ideas as Ayn Rand herself. Despite this success, the literary establishment considers her an outsider. Almost to a man, critics have either ignored or denounced the book. She is an exile among philosophers, too, although “Atlas” is as much a work of philosophy as it is a novel. Liberals glower at the very mention of her name; but conservatives, too, swallow hard when she begins to speak. For Ayn Rand, whether anyone likes it or not, is sui generis: indubitably, irrevocably, intransigently individual.
She detests the drift of modern American society: She doesn’t like its politics, its economics, its attitudes towards sex, women, business, art or religion. In short, she declares, with unblinking immodesty, “I am challenging the cultural tradition of two and a half thousand years.” She means it.
A dark-haired woman with penetrating brown eyes and a computer quick mind, Ayn (rhymes with mine) Rand was born to the family of a small businessman in St. Petersburg, Russia, where she lived through the Soviet Revolution. She attended the University of Leningrad, loathing communism and its philosophy. In 1926 she managed to leave to leave the U.S.S.R., stayed for a few months with distant relatives in Chicago, then moved on to Hollywood. She had always wanted to be a writer. Since her command of English was somewhat less than adequate for writing fiction she found a job preparing outlines for silent movies as she went about mastering her new language. Between bouts of unemployment, she worked as a movie extra, waitress and studio wardrobe department clerk.
Then, in 1936, she completed her first novel, “We The Living” -- an attack on totalitarianism, set it Soviet Russia -- which drew little notice. Two years later she finished “Anthem,” a short novel about a society in which the word “I” has been extirpated in favor of the collectivist ‘we.” It was not until five years and twelve publishers’ rejections later that her first commercially successful book, “The Fountainhead.” appeared; the story of an architect’s battle for his own individuality, it became a national best seller, and was later made into a movie.
For nearly a decade after that, Miss Rand struggled to write “Atlas Shrugged,” which she views not merely as a novel, but as the crystallization of a philosophy aimed at nothing less than reversing the entire direction of change in America -- turning society toward a state of pure laissez-faire capitalism, even purer than that which existed in the 19th Century. But her philosophy -- which she calls “Objectivism” -- encompasses more than economics or politics: Primarily it sets forth a new kind of ethics which she defines as a morality of rational self interest.
Today, Ayn Rand lives in a modest apartment in the East Thirties of Manhattan with her artist husband, Frank O’Connor. She is planning another novel and working on a long range non fiction project -- a book on epistemology. Though her progress on both projects is interrupted by a demanding schedule of speaking engagements around the country, most of her working hours, and her considerable energies, are spent in the small blue-green study where she does most of her writing -- entirely in longhand.
In a series of intellectually electric conversations with Playboy’s interviewer, Alvin Toffler, Miss Rand spoke clearly and urgently about her work and her views. Answering question after question with a clipped, even delivery, her deep voice edged with a Russian accent, she paused only long enough between words to puff on cigarettes held in a blue-and-silver holder (a gift from admirers) engraved with her initials, the names of the three heroes of “Atlas Shrugged,” and a number of diminutive dollar signs. The dollar sign, in “Atlas Shrugged,” is the symbol of “free trade and, therefore, of a free mind.”
PLAYBOY: Miss Rand, your novels and essays, especially your controversial best seller, Atlas Shrugged, present a carefully engineered, internally consistent world view. They are, in effect, an expression of an all-encompassing philosophical system. What do you seek to accomplish with this new philosophy?
RAND: I seek to provide men -- or those who care to think -- with an integrated, consistent and rational view of life.
PLAYBOY: What are the basic premises of Objectivism? Where does it begin?
RAND: It begins with the axiom that existence exists, which means that an objective reality exists independent of any perceiver or of the perceiver’s emotions, feelings, wishes, hopes or fears. Objectivism holds that reason is man’s only means of perceiving reality and his only guide to action. By reason, I mean the faculty which identifies and integrates the material provided by man’s senses.
PLAYBOY: In Atlas Shrugged your hero, John Galt, declares, “I swear -- by my life and my love of it -- that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.” How is this related to your basic principles?
RAND: Galt’s statement is a dramatized summation of the Objectivist ethics. Any system of ethics is based on and derived, implicitly or explicitly, from a metaphysics. The ethic derived from the Metaphysical base of Objectivism holds that, since reason is man’s basic tool of survival, rationality is his highest virtue. To use his mind, to perceive reality and act accordingly, is man’s moral imperative. The standard of value of the Objectivist ethics is: man’s life -- man’s survival qua man -- or that which the nature of a rational being requires for his proper survival. The Objectivist ethics, in essence, hold that man exists for his own sake, that the pursuit of his own happiness is his highest moral purpose, that he must not sacrifice himself to others, nor sacrifice others to himself. It is this last that Galt’s statement summarizes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The interview goes on for several more pages, but I am retyping from very small print in a pamplet and decided I will continue later.
However...I feel compelled to add; the philosophy of Ayn Rand, Objectivism, is unique in a very special and important way: it is meant to be understood. There is no necessity to invent or 'create' new words or phrases, just the opposite. As an indication, I have provided a standard dictionary definition for several words used by Miss Rand to demonstrate that words have a defined and precise meaning that can be comprehended by anyone if you try. So in her words: "...RAND: I seek to provide men -- or those who care to think -- with an integrated, consistent and rational view of life."
If you truly want to embrace a philosophy that will answer the most difficult questions of ethics and morality in your own life and give you an understanding of the world in general, past and present and give you a foundation to understand current and future events and grasp the continuity of human history, these are the tools that will enable you to do so.
Integrated
Consistent
Rational
Axiom
Existence
Objective
Reality
Consistent: “…
con·sis·tent
adj.
1. In agreement; compatible: The testimony was consistent with the known facts.
2. Being in agreement with itself; coherent and uniform: a consistent pattern of behavior.
3. Reliable; steady: demonstrated a consistent ability to impress the critics.
4. Mathematics Having at least one common solution, as of two or more equations or inequalities.
5. Holding true as a group; not contradictory: a consistent set of statements.
[Latin cnsistns, cnsistent-, present participle of cnsistere, to stand still; see consist.]
con·sistent·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Integrated: “…
in·te·grate v. inte·grat·ed, inte·grat·ing, inte·grates
v.tr.
1. To make into a whole by bringing all parts together; unify.
2.
a. To join with something else; unite.
b. To make part of a larger unit: integrated the new procedures into the work routine.
3.
a. To open to people of all races or ethnic groups without restriction; desegregate.
b. To admit (a racial or ethnic group) to equal membership in an institution or society.
4. Mathematics
a. To calculate the integral of.
b. To perform integration on.
5. Psychology To bring about the integration of (personality traits).
v.intr.
To become integrated or undergo integration.
[From Middle English, intact, from Latin integrtus, past participle of integrre, to make whole, from integer, complete; see tag- in Indo-European roots.]
inte·grative adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Rational: “…Adj. 1. rational - consistent with or based on or using reason; "rational behavior"; "a process of rational inference"; "rational thought"
logical - capable of or reflecting the capability for correct and valid reasoning; "a logical mind"
reasonable, sensible - showing reason or sound judgment; "a sensible choice"; "a sensible person"
sane - mentally healthy; free from mental disorder; "appears to be completely sane"
irrational - not consistent with or using reason; "irrational fears"; "irrational animals" 2. rational - of or associated with or requiring the use of the mind; "intellectual problems"; "the triumph of the rational over the animal side of man"
Axiom: “…ax·i·om n.
1. A self-evident or universally recognized truth; a maxim: "It is an economic axiom as old as the hills that goods and services can be paid for only with goods and services" Albert Jay Nock.
2. An established rule, principle, or law.
3. A self-evident principle or one that is accepted as true without proof as the basis for argument; a postulate.
[Middle English, from Old French axiome, from Latin mat-, from Greek, from axios, worthy; see ag- in Indo-European roots.]
Existence: “…ex·is·tence n.
1. The fact or state of existing; being.
2. The fact or state of continued being; life: our brief existence on Earth.
3.
a. All that exists: sang the beauty of all existence.
b. A thing that exists; an entity.
4. A mode or manner of existing: scratched out a meager existence.
5. Specific presence; occurrence: The Geiger counter indicated the existence of radioactivity.
Synonyms: existence, actuality, being
These nouns denote the fact or state of existing: laws in existence for centuries; an idea progressing from possibility to actuality; a point of view gradually coming into being.
Antonym: nonexistence
Objective: “…ob·jec·tive adj.
1. Of or having to do with a material object.
2. Having actual existence or reality.
3.
a. Uninfluenced by emotions or personal prejudices: an objective critic. See Synonyms at fair1.
b. Based on observable phenomena; presented factually: an objective appraisal.
4. Medicine Indicating a symptom or condition perceived as a sign of disease by someone other than the person affected.
5. Grammar
a. Of, relating to, or being the case of a noun or pronoun that serves as the object of a verb.
b. Of or relating to a noun or pronoun used in this case.
n.
1. Something that actually exists.
2. Something worked toward or striven for; a goal. See Synonyms at intention.
3. Grammar
a. The objective case.
b. A noun or pronoun in the objective case.
4. The lens or lens system in a microscope or other optical instrument that first receives light rays from the object and forms the image. Also called object glass, objective lens, object lens.
ob·jective·ly adv.
ob·jective·ness n.
Reality: “…re·al·i·ty n. pl. re·al·i·ties
1. The quality or state of being actual or true.
2. One, such as a person, an entity, or an event, that is actual: "the weight of history and political realities" Benno C. Schmidt, Jr.
3. The totality of all things possessing actuality, existence, or essence.
4. That which exists objectively and in fact: Your observations do not seem to be about reality.Idiom:
in reality
In fact; actually.
~~~~~~~~~~~
To the lasting memory of Ayn Rand who was a beacon of light in a world of darkness for millions and millions.
amicus...
Last edited:
The enormous, never-ending-please-god-make-it-stop dramatizations of objectivism in “Atlas” and “Fountainhead” are easily summed up, for me anyway, as an Oscar the Grouch philosophy. Ego and accomplishment are swell in their place, but considering “all religion folly and any form of charity or altruism as counterproductive to society,” is just … I dunno, not worthy of comment, mebbe? 
