Objectivism in One Lesson: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Ayn Rand

A nice book if you are a beginner trying to understand Ayn Rand's philosophy. Andrew Bernstein has done a wonderful job of simplifying the concepts of Ayn Rand. I have been trying to get grip on Objectivism after reading The Fountain Head and Atlas Shrugged and recently started some academic endeavor on Rand's philosophy. I have been going in circles but finally has come across this book on Amazon. Mr. Bernstein has wonderfully presented the concepts in a simple manner so that an ordinary reader who has little background on Philosophy-which is really confusing to a beginner-can get grip on Rand's philosophy. Whether I completely agree with Ayn Rand's philosophy is a different thing but Mr. Bernstein should be appreciated for making it simple. I recommend this book to all who wants to get a grip on Objectivist Philosophy.

This short book is written for those who have read and enjoyed Ayn Rand's novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, and who want to take the next step in learning about her philosophy. Bernstein gives many concrete and down-to-earth examples that make clear the connection between philosophy and everyday life, and show how Ayn Rand's ideas are incredibly valuable for those wanting to get the most our of their lives. In 12 short chapters, the book gives an overview of the main ideas of Objectivism, omitting only the Objectivist esthetics (theory of art) and the more technical issues. For these, readers should get Leonard Peikoff's Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand, and of course the nonfiction writings of Rand herself.

I thought it was short clear and to the point. I just want to mention the six virtues of Objectivism (mentioned in Chapter 9) which I thought were very useful and gives direction to the ethics of Objectivism: Independence, Integrity, Honesty, Justice, Productiveness and Pride. Each one is explained in detail and how they differ from each other. All other virtues are considered secondary.

Can a book be both well-written and difficult to read? I think this one is. While the sentences, paragraphs, and chapters are coherent and well thought out, the sentence structure and vocabulary seem unnecessarily complicated. Very complicated. Because of the difficult text, I got less out of the book than I otherwise might have. However, I still got a lot out of this valuable book. I read the book more as an overview of Objectivism than as an introduction to it. It did clarify and re-enforce my understanding, but did not add to it as much as I had hoped. Of course, I may not be the target audience.If you want a summary of what Ayn Rand proposed and why she proposed it, this is a good book. If you want to really understand what she said and why she said it, I highly recommend Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand (The Ayn Rand Library, Volume 6), even as an introduction to Objectivism -- you can always come back to the 'overview' later... You might also check out the much lighter, but still convicing Loving Life: The Morality of Self-Interest and the Facts that Support It.

I very much enjoyed reading this book which explains a common-sense philosophy based on the laws of nature.Mr. Bernstein made this philosophy very understandable by his explanations of the Philosophy of Objectivism in simple, understandable terms.I would recommend this book as required reading for anyone who would like to understand the morals one obtains from using one's own mind based on the laws of nature.Hannelore

Objectivism in One Lesson is precisely that: a distillation of the principles of Objectivism. Mr. Bernstein leads the reader step-by-step through the thought process, from the foundations to its inevitable conclusion.

Slogging through this book is like studying for an exam in college on a subject you hate because you have to have it to graduate.This book is very poorly written; but I recommend every mature, intelligent individual who is interested in preserving our way of life to read it. The attitude present in this book is bubbling up through our population and the stench is frightening.The book is written as if intended for middle school or junior high, and maybe it is. Cults such as objectivism usually try to capture people's interest at an early age. Bernstein spends a lot of time giving examples of how you should determine your own values, whether they be business, family, or art; and then he goes on to condemn one of the people I have admired most in my lifetime, Mother Theresa. He talks of Saddam Hussein, and those like him, who only take and produce nothing. In the next sentence he says, "But the Mother Theresas of the world equally produce nothing; at best, they seek to convince the productive to take care of the non-productive."He also makes disparaging remarks about Jesus. I am not a church member. Sometimes I think there is a God and sometimes I think there is not, but never would I ridicule someone who had faith. What are we to become? -- A society who dumps those less fortunate in the sewer. This book seems to advocate that. I, personally, do not wish to live in that kind of a world.

As a brief summary of Ayn Rand’s philosophy, Objectivism in One Lesson is superb. Andrew Bernstein’s writing is not only clear, concise, and understandable; it is inspiring. His explanation of the primacy of existence principal the best I have ever read. You will want to highlight passages and make notes for future reference. Bernstein illuminates the characters in The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged so vividly that I read both novels again. As an example, you will see that you don’t have to be a Howard Roark or John Gault to be happy. Even an honest average-man like Mike Donnigan or Eddie Willers can achieve their values.

Dieses Buch richtet sich an Leser, die Bücher von Ayn Rand gelesen haben und mehr über deren Philosophie ("Objektivismus") erfahren möchten. Statt einer kompletten Darstellung soll es jedoch nur eine leicht lesbare Einführung sein.Nach einer kurzen Diskussion über die Notwendigkeit von Philosophie wird die Lektion des Objektivismus genannt:*** Nur wenn der Mensch alles rational angeht und seinen Verstand benutzt, kann er Erfolg haben. ***Die weiteren Kapitel zeigen dann, dass dies z. B. für Werte, Ethik, Politik und Wirtschaft gilt. Alles folgt dabei logisch aus den Erläuterungen der vorherigen Kapitel. Man kann das Ganze deshalb wie folgt darstellen:Natur des Menschen -> Egoismus / Rationalität / Arbeit / Ehrlichkeit / Gerechtigkeit usw. -> Menschenrechte (Leben, Freiheit, Eigentum) -> Minimalstaat (Inneres, Justiz, Verteidigung) -> KapitalismusDamit ist bewiesen, dass (nur) der Kapitalismus zur Natur des Menschen passt. Er erlaubt es nämlich, dass jeder seinen Verstand benutzen und den Ertrag seiner Arbeit behalten darf.Mir hat das Buch gut gefallen. Die Beispiele sind teils aktuell und teils aus Rands Romanen entnommen. Es werden auch immer Ansichten anderer Philosophen (z. B. Immanuel Kant) genannt und widerlegt. Wer mehr Informationen zum Objektivismus benötigt, wird vom Autor auf Peikoff: "Objectivism: The Phillosophy of Ayn Rand" verwiesen, welches systematischer und ausführlicher ist.