Product Description
By the author of Atlas Shrugged. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

We Are Lemmings Being Led By the Least of Us
I read this book for a graduate class in political philosophy.
Ayn Rand (1905-1982), in this book written in 1937, expertly refutes collectivists schemes; such as, Communism and Fascism and shows the utter peril that collectivism poses to individual freedom.One of my favorite historians, Lord Acton, warned us in the 19th century "that socialism is slavery."

This is a short novel about a man who escapes a society from which all individuality has been squeezed.Written a full decade before Orwell's "1984" Rand expertly shows how collectivism is destroying individuality and is being practiced throughout the world including the "New Deal" programs in the United States.During this time in world, history people are becoming serfs to the state as F. A. Hayek, the noted libertarian economist would put it.Rand's philosophy is really quite simple; planning is a synonym for "collectivism" and "collectivism" is a metaphor for Communism.Rand's literary style is easy to read and understand, I love how she uses the third person plural in the book until the hero finds his "ego" at which time she switches over to first person singular.This is a book that should be read by all who wonder what role the government should have in our lives.

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in political philosophy.
... Read more

Product Description
Ayn Rand's famous 1957 classic, Atlas Shrugged, has become more widely read and influential with each passing year, thanks in part to its brilliant dramatization of Rand's Objectivist philosophy and its celebration of self-reliance, integrity, rationality, and productive effort. Like any great work of literature, however, Atlas Shrugged can be intimidating. Even those who have read and re-read it may feel they have not fully appreciated its vision of life. For the neophyte and the longtime admirer alike, The World of Atlas Shrugged provides essential context, brilliant commentary and authoritative insight into the novel's literary purpose and structure. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Changed my life.
This Woman's insight to the human condition put into words feeling I've had for many years. For example; I've never could understand how otherwise rational people could tell me in all honesty that Bill Clinton was a good man. Ayn Rand says in Atlas Shrugged, " People do not believe in the irrational, but they do believe in the unjust." Even if you can't read the book, try this CD for the next long trip in your car.

Great Addition to book
This was a great addition to the known great works of Ayn Rand! A must have for all Rand fans.

Uncritical companion
I bought this to supplement the novel which I was rereading after 30 years for my book club. This is a good way to tie together what at times is a heavy text--although as I say in my review of the book itself the plot is a real potboiler. I found the tape helpful in understanding Rand's literary technique--in setting up larger than life heroes and impossibly obnoxious villians---a good refresher too if your recollection of the book is hazy. But for a critical analysis of the novel as a work of literature or philosophy, look elsewhere.

Refresher of principles of Atlas Shrugged
Although this CD is not a substitute for the book, it serves as an excellent reminder of Rand's principles - in particular her ethics.

This CD would be useful for the Objectivist that can not reread Rand's book but wants to be able to discuss it in detail again.

Outstanding Supplement to "Atlas Shrugged"
I enjoyed "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Fountainhead", and given their message, wouldn't be so bold as to review either.It had been some years since I first read "Atlas Shrugged" so I purchased this audio disc as a refresher.It couldn't have been a better decision.The two discs walked quickly, but with ample detail, through the plot and major characters, drawing connections I hadn't noticed the first time I read the book, and giving some background as to Ms. Rand's thoughts when originally composing the text.I do not know if I would call it the "Essential" companion, but it is quite good.This Audio Disc makes a great companion to the book, providing just enough to make it worth reading, while not completely reciting the entire text.I would suggest reading the book before listening to the disk as there are some areas of the plot that would be spoiled.However, I do think if you wanted to gauge your interest before tackling the full text, this might not be a bad way to do so.

This is a good audio CD that accomplishes its task very efficiently.It is a great summary of "Atlas Shrugged" with just the right amount of additional detail. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Mildly Interesting
THE AYN RAND COLUMN is a collection of columns that Rand wrote for the LA Times in 1962.It also contains a number of other essays by Rand which, for the most part, haven't been published.Even longtime fans of Rand will find something new here.

No doubt Rand's uncritical admirers will insist that "the material is just as timely now as it was in 1962" but quite a bit of it is dated.Nonetheless, the book has its merits.Rand was a good writer and these columns highlight her ability to write short, punchy pieces that get to the point and occasionally make insightful and important points.There are also no diatribes against religion, "mysticism," religious people who worship death, etc. that tends to mar her more serious philosophical essays.Rand claimed never to compromise, but she certainly knew her audience.

So chalk up a minor success for the Ayn Rand Institute.

A Truly Interesting Perspective
A long time admirer of Rand's work, I found this a refreshing perspective on her. While I'd come to know her characters and read her philosophical works, I really didn't feel I truly understood her until I read this book. I cannot compare it to letters or the like because I have not read them. But, this work is like looking in on practical applications of her philosophy. For example, her discussion of the value of Christmas to atheist such as herself is very enlightening. In addition, her discussion of the monopoly of force still rings in my mind years after I first read it. Being born in the 70's, growing up in the 80's & 90's, her philosophy brings me much joy compared to the pink socialism that I have seen throughout my life and been frustrated by. I think this work should be a supplement to any serious reader of Rand and would highly recommend this.

Rand Analyzes the Issues of Her Day in This Timeless Classic
What many regard as the most influential philosopher of the 20th century, Philosopher and Novelist Ayn Rand was known for crafting novels of Hugoesque proportions that presented the heroic elements of the ideal man, as well as writing epistemological treatises on the art of logic and the process of concept formation that focused on the most abstract and fundamental issues to man. In *The Ayn Rand Column*, Rand shifts to a different gear as she writes short crisp pieces on the current issues of her day.

*The Ayn Rand Column* contains over 35 pieces by Rand ranging from the brief, but concise pieces such as an "Introduction to Objectivism", "The Secular Meaning of Christmas", and "Why I Like Stamp Collecting" to the more lengthy "Textbook on Americanism", "Modern Management", and "The Fascist New Frontier." The collection also features an introduction by the book's editor Peter Schwartz, that helps ties the pieces together.

My favorite piece in the collection is Rand's "War and Peace" where Rand makes the case for why today's peace movements are *not* advocates of peace, but of gang-rule, statism, and thus dictatorship. Quoting Rand,

"Professing love and concern for the survival of mankind, these [peace] movements keep screaming that...that armed force and violence should be abolished as a means of settling disputes among nations, and that war should be outlawed in the name of humanity. Yet these same peace movements do not oppose dictatorships; the political views of their members range through all shades of the statist spectrum, from "welfare statism" to socialism to fascism to communism. This means that they are opposed to the use of coercion by one nation against another, but not by the government of a nation against its own citizens; it means that they are opposed to the use of force against *armed* adversaries but not against the *disarmed*..."

And after some discussion of the concretes events to support her claim, Rand concludes:

"...Let all those who are seriously concerned with peace, those who do love *man* and do care about his survival, realize that war cannot be outlawed by lawless statist thugs and that it is not war but *force* that has to be outlawed."

If I may make a brief philosophical assessment: Wow!

What is most illuminating about this collection is Rand's ability to dissect what, at first glance, appears to be a concrete, trivial issue--say the much-maligned "commercialized" gift-giving during Christmas--and shows how it relates to some timeless philosophical principle of vital importance (Sorry! You'll have to read the book for the principle). To use a popular metaphor, Ayn Rand was a woman who could see the forest (abstractions) for the trees (concretes), and vice-versa.

Though this book uses the issues of the 1960's to reveal the work of philosophy in action, it is of value to the modern reader of today, as the philosophical principles Rand elucidates are timeless.

Not bad at all
If you would like a quick, easy-to-read introduction to Ayn Rand's philosophy...if you would like to see how Ayn Rand applied her philosophy...if you simply would like a glimpse into the objectivist world,then this is the book. This is a compilation of numerous articles onvarious issues that touched America, including the death of Marilyn Monroe.Some of the articles may shock you, but all require a second read-through.Keep in mind, though, that Ayn Rand was a narcissist who had aclosed-minded view of who her followers were and who they weren't; thatprevented her from portraying objectivism for what it is -- a great"philosophy of philosophy," a method of interpreting humanactions and a guideline for having your own ideas.

More current events than philosophy, but still good...
As most of the essays in the book were written as newspaper op-ed pieces, they occasionally suffer from "current-itis"; i.e. they were designed with the assumption that the reader would have familiarity withthe events being discussed. To that end, I would recommend that people whowould like to get the most out of this book brush up a bit on theirearly-'60's history first.

With that caveat, however, I would stronglyencourage anyone with an interest in Ayn Rand's writing to read this book.It is a good example of how to put some of the more abstract parts ofObjectivist philosophy into real-world practice. Rand's book "TheRomantic Manifesto", for example, becomes more clear in the light ofher essay on the television show "The Untouchables".

Also, evenif one is not especially interested in period current events, there aresome essays of broader scope included after the columns. Of particular noteare her essay "The Fascist New Frontier" (an invaluable antidoteto the floods of Kennedy worship pumped out by the mass media), and herexplanation of why atheists can celebrate Christmas. I believe that bothlong-time Objectivists and people who are new to the philosophy can findsomething useful in this book. Furthermore, even if you have no interest inObjectivism, the book is still an enlightening look at a pivotal time inAmerican history. ... Read more

Product Description
Written with all the power and conviction that made THE FOUNTAINHEAD and ATLAS SHRUGGED classics of American letters, Ayn Rand's ANTHEM is a hymn to man's independent spirit and to the highest word in the human language -- the word "Ego." ANTHEM tells the story of a man who rediscovers individualism and his own "I" It is a world of absolute collectivization, a world where sightless, joyless, selfless men exist for the sake of serving the State; where their work, their food, and their mating are prescribed to them by order of the Collective's rulers in the name of society's welfare. It is a world which lost all the achievements of science and civilization when it lost its root, the independent mind, and reverted to primitive savagery a world where language contains no singular pronouns, where the "We" has replaced the "I," and where men are put to death for the crime of discovering and speaking the "unspeakable word." ANTHEM presents not merely a frightening projection of existing trends, but, more importantly, a positive answer to those trends and a weapon against them, a key to the world's moral crisis and to a new morality of individualism -- a morality that, if accepted today, will save us from a future such as the one presented in this story. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

We Are Lemmings Being Led By the Least of Us
I read this book for a graduate class in political philosophy.
Ayn Rand (1905-1982), in this book written in 1937, expertly refutes collectivists schemes; such as, Communism and Fascism and shows the utter peril that collectivism poses to individual freedom.One of my favorite historians, Lord Acton, warned us in the 19th century "that socialism is slavery."

This is a short novel about a man who escapes a society from which all individuality has been squeezed.Written a full decade before Orwell's "1984" Rand expertly shows how collectivism is destroying individuality and is being practiced throughout the world including the "New Deal" programs in the United States.During this time in world, history people are becoming serfs to the state as F. A. Hayek, the noted libertarian economist would put it.Rand's philosophy is really quite simple; planning is a synonym for "collectivism" and "collectivism" is a metaphor for Communism.Rand's literary style is easy to read and understand, I love how she uses the third person plural in the book until the hero finds his "ego" at which time she switches over to first person singular.This is a book that should be read by all who wonder what role the government should have in our lives.

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in political philosophy.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Dated
In 1971, professor of philosophy William O'Neill published the first book-length critique of Ayn Rand's philosophy, known as Objectivism.(Albert Ellis's 1968, IS OBJECTIVISM A RELIGION?, was a discussion of Rand and psychology, from what I recall.)This book isn't bad, but it has been superseded as a critique of Objectivism by Robbins's work (ANSWER TO AYN RAND, which has been updated as WITHOUT A PRAYER) and Scott Ryan's recently released OBJECTIVISM AND THE CORRUPTION OF RATIONALITY.

O'Neill's discussion of Rand's thought is informative and more or less accurate.On the other hand, he doesn't make enough of an effort to integrate Rand's thought into a coherent whole (granted, this isn't easy to do).So I don't think that someone new to Ayn Rand would understand why Rand has influenced so many people.Yet O'Neill does do a good job at bringing to light of some of the contradictions in Rand's work.For example, Rand preached that compromise was evil; yet she supported candidates for president who were anything but Objectivists.However, some of the alleged contradictions Prof. O'Neill finds would disappear if he had used a bit more "charity" in interpreting Rand.

If you want to read a sympathetic integration of Rand's thought, I recommend Chris Sciabarra's AYN RAND: THE RUSSIAN RADICAL.

A balanced, well-researched, well-organized analysis
O'Neill delivered a concise academic and philosophical critique of Objectivism and Ayn Rand's work.

His work was informed by an exhaustive survey of objectivist literature. He left no stone unturned either in giving Rand the benefit of the doubt or in pinning down the definitions Rand herself or other Objectivists gave to the terms they used.

He makes no extreme claims about objectivism. The book is an analysis, not a polemic.

Albert Ellis' book, _Is Objectivism a Religion?_ is a good companion to this book. Both books have ramifications for libertarianism and even for the somewhat reified and theological capitalism that dominates America politically. This is because the same inconsistencies and factual errors that the objectivists are guilty of permeate libertarianism and the debunked but still influential economic theories like supply-side or Austrian economics that have political power long after working economists despaired of finding any practical use for them.

Sigh...
I am beginning to wonder of ANY of these people have read a single Objectivist book. I cannot vouch for Rand as the most sane person (I would think she was most likely a mild schizophreniac), but her philosophy is farfrom mad. Another thing, there is no such thing as selfishness harmingothers--harming people is not good for anyone, even you people know what,and is most certainly not selfish.

Well-meaning, but dull, critique of Rand's philosophistry
Professor O'Neill's book was the first philosophical critique of Rand's doctrines ever published (Ellis' "Is Objectivism a Religion" is not really a philosophical critique). As such, it can be regarded as a sort of pioneering effort. When it was originally published in 1970, the very idea of taking Rand seriously enough to criticize her was something of a novelty. In those days, almost all respectable people regarded Rand as a crazy person. Some even thought she was dangerous. Today, we know better. Rand was not a crazy person; she was simply ignorant and confused. Nor was she dangerous. The utopia her books offered will never appeal to a wide audience. Most human beings need either belief in God or belief in society to get by. By rejecting both these beliefs, Rand divided herself forever from the hearts and minds of the overwhelming majority of the human race.

O'Neill's critique suffers from the usual flaws of a pioneering effort. He is unable to grasp precisely what Rand is all about, and consequently ends up critiquing distortions of her philosophy rather than the actual doctrines Rand propagated. This defect is not helped by Mr. O'Neill's dryasdust style, which makes "Charity Toward None" a very difficult read. Dullness is the number one defect of academic philosophy. If philosophy is to make any difference in the world, it cannot be written as if it were meant to be a soporific.

During Rand's life, her admirers could boast that no one had yet been able to refute the philosophy of their idol. The publication of Professor O'Neill's book did little to change this state of affairs. While he makes a few good points along the way, O'Neill's inability to understand the terms Rand uses to express her ideas renders his critique largely verbal and semantic. Unable, for instance, to fathom what Rand means by the term "objective," our intrepid Professor ends up going off on all kinds of irrelevant tangents, demolishing in systematic effusion a number of arguments which Rand herself would never have been caught dead advocating. Those who wish to refute Rand should avoid trying to get at her through verbal analysis. No one cares whether Rand's use of philosophical terms corresponds to the way academic philosophers use those same terms. What is important is whether Rand's views correspond to empirical reality. It is on the empirical side that Rand is most vulnerable. If you want to demolish Rand's system, simply compare her philosophy to the facts. It will not compare favorably.

Minor corrections
William O'Neill's _With Charity Toward None_ was published in 1971; John Robbins's _Answer To Ayn Rand_ was published in 1974. This fine volume by O'Neill was indeed the first full-blown critique of Objectivism from an academic-philosophical point of view, but it wasn't alone for all _that_"many" years. Nor was it the first "critical and broadreview of Rand's work by someone who disagreed with her ideas to a greatextent." That honor goes to Albert Ellis's _Is Objectivism AReligion?_, published in 1968 -- admittedly not a _philosophical_ critique, but a critical review all the same. ... Read more

Product Description
This edition of It Usually Begins With Ayn Rand contains much of the text that appeared in the original edition—revised and edited to conform to modern style—plus new chapters dealing with events that took place after the book was first published. Some of the new material deals with my campaign for Governor of New York as the Free Libertarian Party candidate, a discussion of events that transpired on the American political scene after that benighted campaign, plus thoughts on my current political and spiritual leanings. The perennial success of It Usually Begins With Ayn Rand has startled no one more than me. Sales started slowly, then began to pick up over the years, until the book became an underground classic that has gained readership over the decades. It should be read as political memoir, a first-hand account of a political movement, mostly fact, but with fictional elements and hyperbole added for effect. A reviewer once said that most memoirs are neither fact nor fiction; they are the truth as the author remembers it.

Customer Reviews (5)

Thomas Pynchon meets the CATO Institute
This is a freewheeling wacky spiel about one man's place in an unwieldy political movement, where each and every person is an island unto his or herself. On the left, there are student anarchists, on the right, a cadre of rock ribbed objectivists, and amid all this crazy ideological cross talk, Jerome Tuccille just wants to settle down and create a home for his people -- the sane, middle-of-the-road anarchist. Over the course of his wanderings, he butts heads with and attempt to extract himself from run-ins with the fathers and mothers of modern Libertarianism.

One particular scene, where a bow-tied Murray Rothbard walks into a ballroom full of startled anti-statist flanked by beaded and bearded hippies, NEEDS to brought to the big scene.

A funny, secretly serious book.

Atlas Guffawed
When I was a young man, I devoured all of Ayn Rand's works, and they helped shape the libertarian perspective I have today. When I got my hands on Tuccille's book in hardback years ago, I read it through in one sitting, lauging all the way. I was surprised and delighted to see the book back in print again; it was like running into an old friend one hasn't seen in a long time.

Who is John Galt?And does he have a sense of humor?
If you care about the history of the libertarian movement - and already know the names Ayn Rand, Nathaniel Branden, Murray Rothbard, and Karl Hess - then you're apt to find Tuccille's book an absolutely hilarious romp, as I did.

Unless, of course, you're an Objectivist fundamentalist of the sort who wears $-sign cufflinks, drinking Kool-Aid at the Fountainhead in Galt's Gulch while chanting the mantra "A is A."In that case, you just might fail to see the humor as Tuccille skewers your sacred cows.

If none of the foregoing means much to you, then chances are good that Tuccille's book won't either.Tuccille spins a fantastically funny yarn for those who already are intimately familiar with American libertarianism.Those who are not, I'm sorry to say, probably will find little of interest in the book.

Eric Alan Isaacson

Dull and cliched.
In my opinion Tuccille tags along behind Rand, mimicking her, but appears to have no original ideas of his own.Sorry is this seems harsh, but I cannot say the book is anything but a collection of ramblings by an average, run-of-the-mill Ayn Rand fan.Let's put it this way; if Ayn Rand was Baron Frankenstein, then Jerome Tuccille would be his faithful servant, Egor.The problem is that Egor is no Doctor Frankenstein, and Jerome is no Rand.

The best insider's look at the libertarian movement
Jerome Tuccille documents his journey from Ayn Rand to Goldwater to Rothbard -- and back, beyond, and in between.This is a hilarious book if one knows the names and ideas being discussed; a newcomer may want tofamiliarize himself with names like Murray Rothbard, Karl Hess, Nathaniel& Barbara Branden, Leonard Liggio, Henry Paolucci, and the like beforereading this book.Tuccille combines fiction and fact -- with muchexaggeration -- to document the young libertarian movement from themid-fifties to 1971.If the sequel is ever finished, I hope it can matchthis great book! ... Read more

Product Description
He lived in the dark ages of the future. In a loveless world he dared to love the woman of his choice. In an age that had lost all trace of science and civilization he had the courage to seek and find knowledge. But these were not the crimes for which he would be hunted. He was marked for death because he had committed the unpardonable sin: he had stood forth from the mindless human herd. He was a man alone. Ayn Rand’s classic tale of a future dark age of the great “We,” in which individuals have no name, no independence, and no values, anticipates her later masterpieces, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A for book, C+ for narration,B+ for addition of a forward
Ayn Rand is an icon - whose work's have continually become more and more prophetic. What more can be said about her then what already has been said?

Anthem is a very good short story that must of course pale next the massive Atlas Shrugs and the Fountainhead. But Anthem obviously has the markings of what would be to come.

Anthem starts like a very dark science fiction. The story takes place in the future society - where the word "I" and all it's meaning no longer exist. This is Rand's vision of the type of world where stifling altruist and collectivist philosophies might take us. - A world where everyone is equal (although some are more equal then others) and everyone must adhere to stifling laws and regulations enforced by powerful, dictatorial, closed minded bureaucrats. It's a society that only Ellsworth Toohey might dream of. This is world not unlike the one at end of Animal Farm or the world of 1984 - but Anthem's world might be even bleaker if that's at all possible.

In fact the futuristic society in Anthem is very similar to Orwell's 1984 only Anthem's final message is not ultimately so depressing and pessimistic. In fact Anthem's message is actually optimistic and hopeful.

As Rand has condemned certain philosophies and beliefs as evil she does not condemn man or mans soul or potential as evil. Those "evil" philosophies are defined and demonstrated clearly in her later novels and it must be assumed that they have come to fruition in the collectivist world of Anthem - but one would only know this by reading her latter works.

Anthem shows man's true nature (at least certain men) - that once free of the shackles of certain philosophies - is not base or evil. Anthem like Atlas Shrugged or the Fountainhead is actually homage to mans greatest strengths. - His mind, soul, independence, romanticism, individualism and love.

Anthem predicts mans best qualities and greatest accomplishments have seen light in the past and will come to see the light again once. Anthem will not leave you bored or depressed but leave you asking questions with a sense of hope of what could be. Anthem is a story that that will most likely stay with you.

This book on tape has no where near as good a narration as on the other addtion of Anthem on CD. But there is a very good forward by Leonard Peikoff on this CD that is not on the other.

Great book - terrible narrator (go with the other Anthem audio)
Having listened to both unabridged audio versions of Anthem, the one read by Paul Meier is far superior.Christopher Lane is MONOTONE.It felt like a chore to listen to!Paul Meier has a bit of passion when he reads, and the characters feel more alive.Lane's version is like listening to a lecture that you know is interesting, but want to fall asleep to because it is poorly presented.

Save your money, and get the Anthem audiobook read by Paul Meier.

We Are Lemmings Being Led By the Least of Us
Ayn Rand (1905-1982), in this book written in 1937, expertly refutes collectivists schemes; such as, Communism and Fascism and shows the utter peril that collectivism poses to individual freedom.One of my favorite historians, Lord Acton, warned us in the 19th century "that socialism is slavery."This is a short novel about a man who escapes a society from which all individuality has been squeezed.Written a full decade before Orwell's "1984" Rand expertly shows how collectivism is destroying individuality and is being practiced throughout the world including the "New Deal" programs in the United States.During this time in world, history people are becoming serfs to the state as F.A. Hayek, the noted libertarian economist would put it.Rand's philosophy is really quite simple; planning is a synonym for "collectivism" and "collectivism" is a metaphor for Communism.Rand's literary style is easy to read and understand, I love how she uses the third person plural in the book until the hero finds his "ego" at which time she switches over to first person singular.This is a book that should be read by all who wonder what role the government should have in our lives.

As a retired Army officer and student of political philosophy, I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in political philosophy.
... Read more

Product Description
In this wide-ranging collection of articles, essays, and speeches, George H Smith analyses atheism and its relevance to society today. The featured essay in this volume provides a full analysis of Ayn Rand's unique contribution to atheism, explaining how her objectivist metaphysics and laissez-faire economic principles rested on a purely godless worldview. Several chapters address the evolution of atheism; arguments in favour of religious toleration; the efforts of early Church fathers to discredit Roman polytheism and how these arguments can be used with equal force against later Christian descriptions of God; and, a survey of the contributions to free-thought made by the deists of the 18th and 19th centuries. With incisive logic and considerable wit, Smith ties atheism to reason and argues that reason itself can be a moral virtue. In one penetrating chapter, Smith salutes three Christian theorists who he believes embody the spirit of reason: Thomas Aquinas, Desiderius Erasmus, and John Locke. This is followed by a philosophical drubbing of his 'least favourite Christians' - St Paul, St Augustine, and John Calvin.In subsequent chapters, Smith examines religion and education; addresses the 20th century fundamentalist revival; offers suggestions on how to debate atheism with religious believers; critiques 'new religions', including pop therapy, EST, and transactional analysis; and, provides a comprehensive bibliographic essay on the literature of free-thought. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

The Precuror of God's Delusions by Atheists Today.
God is not a delusion, but he can and should be a personal God. Today, you find churches set up in storefronts or out in the country in hovels by untrained "preachers" instead of the denominations of days gone by. There were the Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Church of God, Church of Christ, etc. Now, it is non-denominational, which means "anything goes." Thus, this scientist has decided that the world would be better off without religious intervention. The churches do help their members in crisis, but otherwise they are in the business of money.

With the advent of telelevangists, we saw their public downfalls usually because of sex, though others were making a killing by using the money for personal luxuries. When Jeff went to Chicago to attend the U of C, he encountered his first atheist. Coming from a small Tennessee town, growing up Methodist, it was a bad discovery to find that his Physics and Astronomy professors did not believe in God. Everyone knows that the University of Chicago is a radical school. The Big Bang theory was that we were put here randomly and there are other aliens out there somewhere more intelligent than we. No intervention, no creation by God, no Jesus, (apparently he was a false prophet); my long-ago favorite prophet, Jeremiah (the prophet of doom) would have fit in as their advisor as he saw only the bad happening in his surroundings and was not inspired by the premonitions of Isiah and the Old Testament leaders who prophysized the coming of the Son of God. Atheists believe in the devil, so the rest of us can find comfort in God in his many varieties. The Catholics believe in communicating by calling on the Virgin Mary. I'm not an atheist, but no virgin could have a child, even a miracle child. Old women can, but not young virgins, so I believe that the Catholics have false beliefs for some reason all their own.

John Wesley taught us that Protestants of all persuasions can find life easier and we can get along with our neighbors if we have some kind of faith in a higher being. E. T. where are you?

In Pittsburg, PA, there is a large statue of Mary (mother of Jesus) looking down as she hold the babe. I saw a similar statue at a Methodist church in Nashville of Christ; when you kneel and look up (as I did) you look right into his eyes. It was eerie and moving all at the same time. At Sewanee, we had Church Women United sessions with the marvelous peacocks honking at you, but no Jesus statue in existence. That is near Bell Buckle where the original Webb School is located.

Atheists are not simply deluded, but are instruments of the devil.Today I see those young men and women all dressed in black with tatoos and black eye makeup, which are the modern version of cult members who have run amok.They could lose control at any moment, as it is clear that they are on drugs and the bad influence of something or someone not of this earth.They are definitely a danger to today's society.

Lucid, thoughtful, sometimes way off.
Most anthologies of essays are like a loose pile of sand, but thematically, I thought this one hung together fairly well. The style varied from popular to almost bibliographical.

The Ayn Rand essays were informative, though I thought Smith bent over backwards a bit too far to shield Rand herself from the charge of fanaticism.(As is so often done with Marx.) The essays I liked the best were "My Path to Atheism," "Atheism and the Virtue of Reasonableness," (good advice for theists as well), and "Frantz Fanon and John Locke at Stanford," which I read as a stirring defense of free thought against the PC mind control so prevalent in our academic establishments.If everyone (including Smith himself)would follow his rules for debate in that second essay, we might be in for a lot of good, healthy debate!

As a Christian, I was perturbed, but not surprised (having seen it so often), to find someone as apparently well-informed as Smith badly misunderstand what orthodox Christians mean by faith.He repeated the old canard that "Faith conflicts with reason," and a great deal of his discussion was saddled with this profound and oft-repudiated error.Faith, he argued,
"cannot give you knowledge."It is "intellectually
dishonest, and should be rejected by every person of integrity."He backed up his mangled argument with the writings of some obscure theologian.But when understood as orthodox Christians understand it (as I argue in my book Jesus and the Religions of Man), it is truer to say that nothing besides faith can give knowledge."Never, never doubt the efficacy of your mind," Smith advised.Yes, and that is (in the Christian sense) an act of faith.Beyond a reasonable and tested faith in reason, memory, the fives senses, and other people, faith in God is the highest form not of blind faith (an un-Christian concept), but of the clear-headed act of reason by which rational beings perceive what is real in their environment.If you think faith is a wild and uneccessary leap in the dark, you misunderstand the Christian religion, and the nature of knowledge in general.

Suffering from this misunderstanding, Smith blames Augustine for the Dark Ages; which I think is radically unfair.(Especially considering that Augustine, one of the greatest thinkers in world history, died in a city under siege of the invaders who really did usher in the Dark Ages.)

Smith also tries halfheartedly to argue that Jesus fit the "profile" of an abusive cult leader.This is nonsense.In fact, compare the more detailed list of traits common to cult leaders compiled by such skeptical psychologists as Marcia Fabin and Anthony Storr with the Gospels, and it appears that Jesus was at the opposite end of the spectrum from that sort of person.I have been studying world religion, gurus, Messiahs, and "Living Buddhas" for many years, and I have not found any who resembled Jesus.

Despite these criticisms, I enjoyed this book and found a lot of value in it.Smith is extremely well-read, and writes with a style that is usually clear andreasonable.I look forward to reading his general defense of atheism.

Interesting collection of essays
Heresy, Smith defines in his preface, is the rejection of the orthodox, and heresies are considered a threat to the established social order once the dogma of the institution (be it religious or otherwise) has become aligned with the power of the state or political force. The state, holding the reins of power, uses force, instead of persuasion, to enforce the orthodoxy.The Founding Fathers, most practicing Deists, itself a form of heretical thought, understood this and insisted on the separation of church and state, thus preventing the establishment of an official religion, preventing, they hoped, official heresies as well.Orthodoxy itself is not dangerous, only its alliance with political power.The central theme of Smith's book is the "crucial difference between the voluntary orthodoxy of organizations and the politicized orthodoxy of governments. "A free society, complete with orthodoxies and prejudices, is the best of all worlds for the heretic.Liberty permits the heretic to pit his beliefs against those of the orthodox majority."The paradox for the heretic is whether if and when his view becomes the dominant - to politicize the new orthodoxy or to permit liberty, which enabled the heretic to conquer ideologically, to possibly undermine the new orthodoxy?

Smith is unapologetically atheist; belief in God for Smith is simply unreasonable and irrational. Asked to prove the nonexistence of God, Smith's answer is simply that one cannot prove a negative and that the person who asserts the existence of something bears the burden of proof. He asserts that to believe in faith or to rely on faith is to "defy and abandon the judgment of one's mind. Faith conflicts with reason.It cannot give you knowledge; it can only delude you into believing that you know more than you really do.Faith is intellectually dishonest, and it should be rejected by every person of integrity.

The book is a loosely connected series of essays that discuss a variety of Christian and social heresies. He begins with his own philosophic journey to atheism.He is certainly a libertarian, and the essays on public education and the War on Drugs reflect that philosophy. But the reason I began this book was to discover his writing about Ayn Rand. He devotes two substantial chapters to her and the Objectivist philosophy.

Rand evokes fierce passions, both pro and con."Accounts of Objectivism written by Rand's admirers are frequently eulogistic and uncritical, whereas accounts written by her antagonists are often hostile and what is worse, embarrassingly inaccurate." The situation has been made worse by her appointed heir to the throne, Leonard Peikoff, who has declared Objectivism to be a "closed" philosophy, i.e., no critical analysis will be tolerated;one must accept it as he says it is and that's that. Whether Objectivism will survive such narrow-mindedness remains to be seen.It's a classic case of the true believer "unwilling to criticize the deity.Thinking for oneself is hard work so true believers recite catechisms and denounce heretics instead."Typically, this was contrary to Rand's philosophy of individualism and critical, rational thinking where "truth or falsehood must be one's sole concern and the sole criterion ofjudgment -- not anyone's approval or disapproval."

A dissenter's mind
This loosely connected series of essays expands his earlier work,extending beyond Atheismto embrace various Christian and social'heresies'.Beginning with his personal Path toAtheism, he provides theskeptic with methods of argument and several readings.He givesaccountsof those Christian philosophers who wrote against atheists and heretics. Heretics, ofcourse, have been subjected to the severest punishments inthe Christian churches, for a soullost is more serious than anunconverted heathen.

Smith's discussion of Deism is the highlight of thisbook.As a philosophy accepting a godwithout a structured religiousorganization, Deism was a major theme among critics ofChristianity. Abolishment of church hierarchies, with their inevitable moral and monetary corruption, led many thinkers to leave Christianity in favour of apersonal relationship with adeity.Many of the Founding Fathers of theUnited States adhered to this view, a product ofthe EuropeanEnlightenment of the 18th Century.Arising coincidentally with many philosophies of personal freedom, it was almost inevitable that a nationexperimenting withdemocratic ideals would espouse it.Smith's essay onthe writings of Deists is enlightening.

Smith's discussion of Ayn Rand'sideas came as a bit of a shock.It's difficult to find anyone,apart froma few feminists, in this era who knows who she was.Smith's account of herlifeincludes a smattering of choice quotations, but the brevity of theentries demonstrates thepaucity of adherents.There is an Ayn RandInstitute site on the 'Net, but seems hardly worththe bother.

The twoessays on public education and the War on Drugs are heartfelt expressionsof a truelibertarian.Neither will add to Smith's popularity in a nationwhere 'Christian virtues' reignwith such strength, but they're requiredreading for anyone who wishes to understand viewsother than the accepted'norm'.Smith appears to forget that public education in the United States, even given its Puritan foundation, was furthered by a desire tofree education from thethrall of an Established Church.The strugglingeconomy of a growing nation would have ledmore children into hazardousand fatiguing work situations from which they would neverrecovered. Extending the years of compulsory education freed many children and openedjobopportunities.The result put more women into the work force,ultimately leading toimproving their role in society.

Smith confesseshis lack of a formal education, but he's certainly managed a wealth of research to produce this book.Not a deep study of the challenges toestablished thinking, thisbook is a valid starting point for thoseseeking further knowledge of libertarian thinking.

Worthy follow-up to "Atheism: The Case Against God"
This is a loose collection of essays by Smith. They cover a variety of topics, like Smith's personal atheism, heresies over the years, and Objectivism. His critiques of Objectivism are well-written and, IMHO,spot-on.

I wish I could give the book five stars, but there doesn't seemto be much of an underlying theme, as the title suggests. I would've likedto have seen something where the chapters lead to an inevitable conclusion,as in A:TCAG. ... Read more