Ayn Rand’s novels–We the Living, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged–are self-consciously philosophical novels, containing abstract themes, characters driven by opposing moral principles, and conflicts rooted in clashing worldviews. And more than that, Rand’s fictional heroes discover and embody new philosophical ideas, original to Rand. To understand Rand’s distinctive worldview and to learn her new philosophy, Objectivism, there is no better place to start than with careful consideration of the content and meaning of her novels, which contain the richest treatment of a number of central principles of Objectivism available. The course provides a powerful corrective to a tendency among students of Objectivism to neglect Rand’s fiction in their study of Objectivist philosophy.
There are two iterations of this course in the ARU 2025 school year, in Q1-Q2 and Q3-Q4.
Prerequisites or Corequisites: None. 100-level courses have “Objectivism through Ayn Rand’s Fiction” or the “Intensive Seminar on Objectivism” as a corequisite.
Course Start Date: October 24, 2024
Instructors: Onkar Ghate, Ben Bayer, Aaron Smith, Mike Mazza
TAs: Ziemowit Gowin, Nicolas Krusek, Reinier Schuur, Ricardo Pinto, Jennifer Minjarez, Marek Michulka, Nikos Sotirakopoulos, Robertas Bakula, Agustina Vergara Cid
Syllabus: Syllabus
Course Outline and Schedule: Course Outline and Schedule
Assignment to be Completed Before First Discussion Session:
- Group A and B students have a written assignment to be completed before the first live session.
- Group A students, Assignment Set 1 will be posted in the Q1 Week 1 module below on Tuesday, October 15, at 12 pm PT. The deadline for this assignment is Sunday, October 20, by 12 pm PT.
- Group B students, Assignment Set 2 will be posted in the Q1 Week 1 module below on Sunday, October 20, at 12 pm PT. The deadline for this assignment is Tuesday, October 22, by 12 pm PT.
Assignment Groups: Assignment Groups
Assignment Schedule: Assignment Schedule
Course Content
Course Includes
- 9 Lessons
- 16 Topics
- 28 Writing Assignments
Course Faculty
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.
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.
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.Course Announcements
Course Instructor
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