THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION—The definitive statement of Ayn Rand’s philosophy as interpreted by her best student and chosen heir. This brilliantly conceived and organized book is Dr. Leonard Peikoff’s classic text on the abstract principles and practical applications of Objectivism, based on his lecture series “The Philosophy of Objectivism.” Ayn Rand said of these lectures: “Until or unless I write a comprehensive treatise on my philosophy, Dr. Peikoff’s course is the onlyauthorizedpresentation of the entire theoretical structure of Objectivism—that is, the only one that I know of my knowledge to be fully accurate.”
InObjectivism, Peikoff covers every philosophic topic that Rand regarded as important—from certainty to money, from logic to art, from measurement to sex. Drawn from Rand’s published works as well as in-depth conversations between her and Peikoff, these chapters illuminate Objectivism—and its creator—with startling clarity. WithObjectivism,the millions of readers who have been transformed byAtlas ShruggedandThe Fountainheadwill discover the full philosophical system underlying Ayn Rand’s work.Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand - Leonard Peikoff Acknowledgements Preface Chapter 1: Reality Existence, Consciousness, and Identity as the Basic Axioms Causality as a Corollary of Identity Existence as Possessing Primacy over Consciousness The Metaphysically Given as Absolute Idealism and Materialism as the Rejection of Basic Axioms Chapter 2: Sense Perception and Volition The Senses as Necessarily Valid Sensory Qualities as Real Consciousness as Possessing Identity The Perceptual Level as the Given The Primary Choice as the Choice to Focus or Not Human Actions, Mental and Physical, as Both Caused and Free Volition as Axiomatic Clˆ