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The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained Russell McNeil, PhD Editor, Malaspina Great Books In 1862 the English literary critic and poet Matthew Arnold described Marcus Aurelius as "the most beautiful figure in history." The Stoicism of Aurelius is grounded in rationality and rests solidly on an ethical approach rooted in nature. Stoicism promises real happiness and joy in this life and a serenity that can never be soured by personal misfortune. This philosophy has universal appeal with practical implications on problems ranging from climate change and terrorism to the personal management of sickness, aging, depression and addiction. I truly believe that the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius has much to offer us now...(Click on book cover for more)

Category:	Modern Literature
Name:	Ayn Rand
Birth Year:	1905
Death Year:	1982
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Biography, Lectures, and Research Links:	Biography Blog Ayn Rand SEARCH NOW: by title by author Ayn Rand (February 2, 1905 - March 6, 1982) was a popular and controversial American philosopher and novelist, most famous for her philosophy of Objectivism. She was born Alyssa (or Alice) Rosenbaum in St. Petersburg, Russia. She studied philosophy and history at the University of Petrograd. In 1925, she was permitted by the Soviet government to leave the USSR briefly to visit her relatives in America. Although she was only allowed a brief visit, she was resolute never to return to Russia. When she arrived in America, at the age of 21, she stayed with relatives in Chicago for 6 months before moving to Hollywood to become a screenwriter. She changed her name to Ayn Rand, suspecting that, if her anti-socialist views became famous in America, her family back in Russia might be persecuted by the Soviet government. She met an actor, Frank O'Connor, by tripping him on purpose, and they married in 1929. Initially, Rand struggled in Hollywood, and was forced to take odd jobs to pay her rent. Her first success came with the sale of her screenplay Red Pawn in 1932 to Universal Studios. Rand released The Night of January 16th, a play, in 1934, and published two commercially unsuccessful novels, We The Living (1936), and Anthem (1938). Rand's first major success came with the best-selling novel, The Fountainhead (1943), which was taken from publisher to publisher, collecting rejection slips as it went before it was picked up by the Bobbs-Merrill Company publishing house. The royalties and movie rights from this book made Rand famous and financially secure. In 1947, as a "friendly witness" in the House Committee on Un-American Activities, Rand testified against the activities of communist propagandists in Hollywood. Rand's testimony involved analysis of the 1943 film Song to Russia, which grossly misrepresented the socioeconomic conditions in the Soviet Union. The film presented Russia as an amazing paradise of comfort, beauty and plenty for everybody, when in reality the conditions of the average Russian peasant farmer were appalling. Apparently this 1943 film was intentional wartime propaganda, to keep the US public happy in their allegiance with Russia. When asked later about her feelings on the HUAC hearings, she described the hearings as "futile". In 1951 Rand met the young psychology student Nathaniel Branden, who had read her book The Fountainhead at the age of 14. Branden, now 18, enjoyed discussing Rand's emerging Objectivist philosophy with her. Branden's relationship with Rand eventually took on romantic aspects, though they were both married at the time. Rand published her "magnum opus", Atlas Shrugged in 1957. This also became a best seller. According to a joint survey conducted in 1991 by the Library of Congress and the Book of the Month Club, Atlas Shrugged is recognised as the "second most influential book for Americans today", after The Bible by numerous authors. The same survey also listed Atlas Shrugged as the second of "25 books that have most shaped readers lives", after The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain. Along with Branden, Rand launched the Objectivist movement to promote her philosophy, which she termed Objectivism. Throughout the 60's and 70's, Rand developed and promoted her Objectivist philosophy through non-fiction works, including: For the New Intellectual (1961); The Virtue of Selfishness (1964) - essays by Branden and Rand; Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal (1966) - essays by Branden, Alan Greenspan, Robert Hessen, and Rand; The Romantic Manifesto (1969); The New Left: The Anti-Industrial Revolution (1971); Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology (1979). Rand broke with Branden in 1968. Ayn Rand died on March 6th, 1982. Leonard Piekoff was named by Ayn Rand as her "intellectual heir" - to be the face of Objectivism. Her choice of heir is a matter of some controversy. Objectivism Objectivism (capitalized) is the name chosen by Ayn Rand for her philosophy. Some of the main Objectivist tenets are: I. Objective reality Reality is what it is, independent of our beliefs or desires. No two facts of reality can contradict each other- this is an important test of truth. Everything that exists has a specific identity and a specific nature that determines how it acts. Nature is to be explained in terms of nature, without reference to the supernatural. Everything that occurs has a material cause, and everything that exists has a material basis. II. Reason The mind apprehends reality through a process of reasoning. Reasoning is the art of building from perceptions to concepts and propositions. In this way, beliefs are built up from the evidence. Reasoning, or logic, follows certain, non-arbitrary rules which must be adhered to if we wish to reach valid conclusions. These rules include non-contradictory identification and grouping by essentials. By applying the rules of logic consistently, we can hope to achieve objectively valid knowledge about reality. III. Morality If we wish to survive we must act in certain ways. Moral behavior is that which tends to promote our survival. Immoral behavior is that which tends to promote our destruction. Where survival is not at issue, moral behavior will tend to promote security and happiness, immoral behavior insecurity and unhappiness. There are different levels of value. The higher values are those which make the lesser values possible. At the higher levels of value there is a community of interests among all rational, civilized human beings. The question of self versus others is irrelevant, in that one's self-interest and the interests of others are in fundamental harmony. The rational pursuit of one's interests promotes the interests of others, while the good of others promotes one's own good. As a practical matter, the good of all is best served when individuals pursue their own legitimate interests as they each see fit. IV. Politics If self versus others is an irrelevant issue, so too is the question of the individual versus society. The individual good and the social good are in harmony. A society is healthy to the extent that individuals are free to pursue their goals. This freedom is the fundamental social value. It requires that human relationships of all forms be voluntary. Mutual consent is the defining characteristic of a free society. People are unfree to the extent that they are forced to do what they would not choose for themselves. As all governmental action is based on using force to this end, it is necessary to limit the scope of government action as much as possible, leaving the scope of individual freedom as broad as possible. Politically, people can exercise their rights however they please, so long as they do not encroach upon the rights of others. Socially, people can choose to what extent they will abide by cultural norms. Economically, people are free to produce and exchange as they see fit, in the spirit of capitalism. [This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License and uses material adapted in whole or in part from the Wikipedia article on Ayn Rand.] The Great Books: Ayn Rand This web page is part of a biographical database on Great Ideas. These are living ideas that have shaped, defined and directed world culture for over 2,500 years. By definition the Great Ideas are radical. As such they are sometimes misread, or distorted by popular simplifications. Understanding a Great Idea demands personal engagement. Our selection of Great Ideas is drawn from literature and philosophy, science, art, music, theatre, and cinema. We also include biographies of pivotal historical and religious figures, as well as contributions from women and other historically under-represented minorities. The result is an integrated multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary database built upon the framework of a Great Books Core List developed by Mortimer Adler (1902-2001). Please browse our Amazon list of titles about Ayn Rand. For rare and hard to find works we recommend our Alibris list of titles about Ayn Rand. Post Comments, Questions or Suggestions! This database is maintained by Malaspina Great Books.
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This web page is part of a biographical database on Great Ideas. These are living ideas that have shaped, defined and directed world culture for over 2,500 years. By definition the Great Ideas are radical. As such they are sometimes misread, or distorted by popular simplifications. Understanding a Great Idea demands personal engagement. Our selection of Great Ideas is drawn from literature and philosophy, science, art, music, theatre, and cinema. We also include biographies of pivotal historical and religious figures, as well as contributions from women and other historically under-represented minorities. The result is an integrated multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary database built upon the framework of the always controversial Great Books Core List published in 1940 by the late Great Books Pioneer Mortimer Adler (1902-2001). Most of the works on that list are available in the 60 volume Great Books of the Western World.