Rational Voice -- A Collection of Essays on Objectivism

Author: Ayn Rand (USA), translated by Wan Lixin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: In 1961, Ayn Rand delivered her first major speech at the Ford Forum in Boston, and in 1981, she gave her last speech of her life in New Orleans. During this period, her speeches and commentaries covered a wide range of topics, including education, healthcare, the Vietnam issue, and even the death of Marilyn Monroe. The first twenty years of Rand's commentaries and speeches were compiled into the book The Voice of Reason. The book also includes five essays written by Leonard Peikoff, her long-time collaborator and spiritual successor. Peikoff's postscript, Thirty Years with Ayn Rand: An Intellectual Memoir, authentically depicts Ayn Rand's voice and demeanor. Rand's later works, as always, adhere to her philosophical spirit and moral principles, her sharp thinking, and her undeniable passion.
Part (Philosophy) includes all discussions on Objectivism. It begins with an introduction to Objectivism (Chapter 1), its relationship with the philosophy of Aristotle (Chapter 2), and several important new essays on ethics. This primarily addresses the necessity of Objectivism in ethics (Chapters 3 and 4), the essential difference between psychological diagnosis and moral judgment (Chapter 5), and the non-objective nature of altruistic ethics (Chapters 6 and 7). Part (Philosophy) concludes with a critique of religion; Objectivism views religion as the rejection of reason (Chapters 8 and 9).
Part (Culture) begins with a discussion of the bankruptcy of today's intellectuals (Chapter 10), followed by some signs of this bankruptcy: the cultural vacuum of today (Chapter 11) and the rise of global racial movements (Chapter 12). Next, it examines the flaws of three groups: liberal pragmatists (Chapter 13), conservatives (Chapter 14), and business people, whom Rand believed unknowingly supported their destroyers—the universities (Chapter 15). It analyzes two significant cultural phenomena. One is tragic: the death of Marilyn Monroe (Chapter 16); the other is uplifting: the Apollo 11 mission (Chapter 17), which Rand considered one of her proudest works, describing her firsthand experience witnessing the launch of the moon rocket. This essay captures the sensory reality, emotional impact, and philosophical underpinnings of this historic event—a report only possible when a great thinker and a literary figure are one. The purpose of the Apollo program is the subject of Chapter 18.
The last two essays in Part (Culture) discuss the U.S. education system. One records the anti-American sentiment prevalent in our universities (Chapter 19), while the other discusses the anti-conceptual teaching methods destroying our elementary schools (Chapter 20).
Part (Politics) considers political issues from the perspective of a pro-free-market capitalist. This includes critiques of rationing (Chapter 21), public television (Chapter 22), antitrust laws (Chapter 24), foreign aid (Chapter 25), and socialized medicine (Chapters 29 and 30). It also proposes a practical suggestion for breaking the government's monopoly in education (Chapter 23), a discussion on the role of wealth in an industrial economy (Chapter 27), an analysis of the causes of world hunger (Chapter 28), and an explanation of one of Rand's views: that a rational woman would not want to be President of the United States (Chapter 26). The last essay in Part (Politics) is Peter Schwartz's incisive analysis of the political movement of libertarianism. Rand was consistently opposed to libertarianism, viewing it as contradictory to her philosophy. Schwartz's essay explains why.