Philosophy: Who Needs It
Bobbs-Merrill | |
Publication date | 1982 |
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Media type | Print (Hardcover and Paperback) |
Pages |
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OCLC | 8346296 |
Philosophy: Who Needs It is a collection of essays by the philosopher Ayn Rand, published posthumously in 1982. It was the last book on which Rand worked during her lifetime.
Summary
The title essay is an address given to the graduating class of the United States Military Academy on March 6, 1974, in which Rand argues that philosophy plays a central role in all human activities, that every action or thought has certain assumptions, and that humans need to examine those assumptions to live a full, meaningful life. Another speech included is "Faith and Force: The Destroyers of the Modern World", which was delivered at college appearances in 1960.[1]
The remaining chapters are reprints of articles Rand published in the 1970s, primarily in her periodical
Publication history
Rand had begun work on the collection prior to her death, but the final editing was handled by her heir,
Reception
At the time of its release, the book received mostly negative reviews.
Later scholars have also criticized the book, as well as some of its essays. The historian James Baker writes that the volume "lacks the strength to launch any significant project".[8] The philosopher Fred Seddon says that Rand's explanation of the ethical views of Immanuel Kant in the essay "Causality versus Duty" is a straw man.[9] George H. Smith describes "Causality versus Duty" as "an important essay" describing Rand's views on morality, but criticizes her for another essay in which she criticized the views expressed by philosopher John Rawls in his book A Theory of Justice without having read the book.[10]
See also
References
- ^ a b Gladstein 2009, pp. 83–85
- ^ a b Baker 1987, p. 93
- ^ Perinn 1990, pp. 40–41
- ^ Perinn 1990, p. 41; Baker 1987, p. 92
- ^ Berliner, Michael S. (2000). "Ayn Rand in Review" (PDF). Archives Annual: The Newsletter of the Ayn Rand Archives. Vol. 3. p. 23. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 5, 2013.
- ^ Den Uyl, Douglas (May 1983). "Rand's Last Words". Reason. Vol. 15, no. 1. p. 72.
- OCLC 9392804.
- ^ Baker 1987, p. 92
- OCLC 51969016.
- OCLC 22593041.
Works cited
- Baker, James T. (1987). Ayn Rand. Boston, Massachusetts: Twayne Publishers. ISBN 0-8057-7497-1.
- Gladstein, Mimi Reisel (2009). Ayn Rand. Major Conservative and Libertarian Thinkers series. New York: Continuum. ISBN 978-0-8264-4513-1.
- Perinn, Vincent L. (1990). Ayn Rand: First Descriptive Bibliography. Rockville, Maryland: Quill & Brush. ISBN 0-9610494-8-0.