We the Living, Anthem, The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged—these novels are brimming with new ideas and new perspectives on life. If you have been inspired by Ayn Rand and now want to learn more about her ideas, it’s likely because you have first read one of these novels.
To begin to understand Rand’s distinctive worldview and to learn her new philosophy, Objectivism, there is no better place to start than with the study of these works. Her novels are self-consciously philosophical works, containing abstract themes, characters driven by opposing moral principles, and conflicts rooted in clashing worldviews. Spending time analyzing these, to understand the characters’ inner and outer conflicts and the opposition they face from elements within their society, illuminates Rand’s ideas.
This is what we will do in the course. We will examine the heroes and villains in her novels from the perspective of their basic ideas, values, motivations and goals in life. We will consider how Rand’s new ideas in morality—about what is good and evil—shape her stories and convey to you, the reader, how a radically different way of life from the one we’ve been traditionally presented with is both possible and desirable. Rand’s novels convey new ways of looking at an impressively wide range of subjects, from love and sex, to pride and selfishness, to work and joy, to honesty and integrity, to faith and reason. To explore these is to explore Rand’s own worldview.
Rand held that art, particularly literature, was indispensable in depicting a moral ideal, her own new moral ideal emphatically included. Through examining Rand’s fiction we will learn about her new vision of the ideal.
This 8-unit course is the first part of a full 16-unit course. Beginning with an analysis of Rand’s use of fiction to express her philosophy, Part 1 offers an in-depth exploration of her views on topics such as productive work, individualism, and the benevolent universe premise.
Prerequisite Readings: We the Living, The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged and Anthem should be read before beginning this course.
One component of the course is to read (or re-read) sections from Ayn Rand’s books and other Objectivist works. Most readings have been reprinted within this course by permission from the copyright holder, with the exception of sections from Ayn Rand’s fiction which have not been reprinted.
Nonetheless, we recommend you own all of the following books, both the fiction and the nonfiction works. In addition to being used in this course they are essential texts any serious student of Objectivism should read in full and be able to easily refer to.
- Fiction: Atlas Shrugged (AS), The Fountainhead (FH), We the Living (ATL), Anthem (ANT)
- Nonfiction: For the New Intellectual (FNI), Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal (CUI), Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology (ITOE), Philosophy: Who Needs It (PWNI), The Virtue of Selfishness (VOS), The Return of the Primitive (ROP), The Romantic Manifesto (RM), The Voice of Reason (VOR), The Art of Nonfiction (AON), Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand by Leonard Peikoff (OPAR)
There are the two types of assignments that you have to complete in the course.
- For each unit, you are required to answer a question posed by the instructors. The maximum word count for these answers is 400 words. Answers to these assignments are graded on a 0 to 5 scale. See the Grading Scale for Unit Assignments for more information.
- At the end of the course there is a tutorial paper for you to complete, in which you will answer one of the assigned topics. Your paper should be no more than 1,200 words, and you should focus on how clearly you can get your thoughts and arguments stated in writing, and not on rhetorical style. The papers are graded based on how well you can present the position you are advancing. Especially important is whether you offer evidence and arguments for the claims you make. After submitting your tutorial paper, you’ll schedule a live meeting with the course instructor or teaching assistant to discuss it. Tutorial papers are graded on a scale from 0 to 20.
You may find that grading in this course is more demanding than in typical college courses, which often grade on a curve. Do not be discouraged if you receive a lower grade than you are accustomed to. We reject both academic egalitarianism and grade inflation, and instead assign grades that accurately reflect our estimate of your actual level of achievement in a given course. This approach enables students to accurately gauge their progress as they advance through the course.
At the conclusion of this course you’ll receive a final grade, which is weighted as follow:
- Answers to instructor questions: 80%
- Tutorial paper: 20%
If you complete all four courses in the 24-unit track you’ll receive a final grade for the track in which each course is weighted 25%.
Aaron Smith will host a weekly “live” discussion session in which anyone in the course can attend to discuss the course material. This is optional, but all participants in the class are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity. Discussion sessions will be held on Tuesdays from 9:30-10:30 am Pacific Standard Time, attendance is encouraged but optional.
Tuesday Meeting Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83464212405
You will be notified via email if/when scheduling requires the time of a session to be moved.
The primary purposes of ARU assignments are 1) to help you to develop your ability to think about and communicate philosophical issues; and 2) to help instructors to understand where you are in your development of these abilities. To accomplish these aims, your work must be entirely your own and should not have input from others or from outside sources (unless explicitly allowed by the instructor and cited in your assignment).
This means that you should not be collaborating with others or asking others to review your work before submitting it, including spouses and others in close relationships with you. This also includes a prohibition on the use of generative AI tools like Chat GPT when used to produce or revise an answer to an assignment. Assignments that use generative AI or which draw from other sources without citation will receive a zero, and could lead to a student’s removal from the course.
One exception is the use of translation tools by non-native English speakers. You may make use of such tools when drafting your assignments provided you include in the assignment an indication of the tool used. Be aware that such tools often struggle with translating philosophical ideas accurately, and you will have assignments with an oral component that require you to speak in English. Your assignments will be graded on their substance and will not take into account your English language ability.
If you have any questions about the course content or assignments, please email Aaron Smith (asmith@aynrand.org) or Nicolas Krusek (nkrusek@aynrand.org). For administrative or technical issues, please email Reagen Leimbach (rleimbach@aynrand.org).
Aaron SmithDr. Smith is an instructor and fellow at ARI where he teaches and designs educational content for the Institute’s intellectual training and e-learning programs. He also writes, speaks, and gives interviews for the Institute. Dr. Smith received his PhD in philosophy from Johns Hopkins University where his research focused on Aristotle’s theory of knowledge.
Ben BayerDr. Bayer is a fellow and director of content at the Ayn Rand Institute. He teaches at Ayn Rand University and gives talks and interviews for ARI. He writes and edits for ARI’s online publication, New Ideal. Dr. Bayer holds a PhD in philosophy and his writing focuses primarily on the application of philosophy to contemporary cultural and political controversies.
Onkar GhateDr. Ghate is senior fellow, chief philosophy officer, and a board member of the Ayn Rand Institute. He specializes in Rand’s philosophy, Objectivism, and is ARI’s senior instructor and editor. He publishes and lectures on Rand’s philosophy and fiction, including application of Objectivism to cultural issues. He holds a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Calgary.