Ayn Rand and the World She Made


Brant Gaede

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I have just read Stephan's Cox's Liberty article/review of Anne Heller's forthcoming biography of Ayn Rand.

Of this I have only three things to say at this time.

1) The author of PARC will need to write another book about how Heller's book is no good because of the evil influence of the Brandens. The only problem is Heller wasn't once married to Nathaniel Branden or his mistress so she can't be condemned because Nathaniel Branden wrote Judgment Day making her his natural collaborator in attacking Ayn Rand. And there is the problem that AR never kicked Heller out of her life apropos the grievous harm she supposedly did ending nearly two decades of personal, intellectual and business relationships.

2) ARI can't complain about the content as it denied Heller access to the archives and the Rand estate blocked her in other ways.

3) Barbara Branden's biography is going to be remembered as biased toward Ayn Rand, but still extremely valuable.

--Brant

burn PARC burn

Edited by Brant Gaede
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Ayn Rand and the World She Madee received a prepublication review from Kirkus, back on August 1.

Whoever this Kirkus reviewer was (they're all anonymous) he or she doesn't like Rand much.

This will give the flavor:

Heller's admiration is most evident in her diction—throughout, she employs terms like "breathtaking" and "farsighted and brave"—but because she is not purely partisan, she was denied access to the Ayn Rand archives. Still, the author's research is formidable—her endnotes cover more than 100 pages—and she ably highlights the hues of Rand's dark side(s). The founder of the philosophy of Objectivism and author of perennial bestsellers The Fountainhead (1943) and Atlas Shrugged (1957) could be petty, vindictive, disingenuous, deceptive and profoundly needy. She frequently quoted her characters as if they were real, and she maintained a secret sexual relationship with the much younger Nathaniel Branden...

Robert Campbell

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Here's a detailed review of the Heller book, by British philosopher A. C. Grayling:

http://bnreview.barnesandnoble.com/t5/The-Thinking-Read/Ayn-Rand-and-the-World-She-Made/ba-p/1607

With regard to World She Made and Goddess of the Market, I haven't gotten too concerned about the tone or attitude of most of the reviewers. People often review books for reasons tangential to the books themselves. And some reviewers are in way too big a hurry, or are just plain incompetent.

Grayling, however, is a professional philosopher, he writes prolifically, and he put enough time into the review to go back and reread The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged (hardly a trivial side excursion). So there's no excuse for him to write as though he has never cracked the cover of the Nicomachean Ethics, and as though economics is not a social science.

Robert Campbell

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Here's a detailed review of the Heller book, by British philosopher A. C. Grayling:

http://bnreview.barnesandnoble.com/t5/The-Thinking-Read/Ayn-Rand-and-the-World-She-Made/ba-p/1607

With regard to World She Made and Goddess of the Market, I haven't gotten too concerned about the tone or attitude of most of the reviewers. People often review books for reasons tangential to the books themselves. And some reviewers are in way too big a hurry, or are just plain incompetent.

Grayling, however, is a professional philosopher, he writes prolifically, and he put enough time into the review to go back and reread The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged (hardly a trivial side excursion). So there's no excuse for him to write as though he has never cracked the cover of the Nicomachean Ethics, and as though economics is not a social science.

Robert Campbell

I'd given an even simpler failure--he seems unable to understand that Rand attacked the very same corruption of Wall Street and the government which he attacks in this column, both in Atlas Shrugged and other places.

Jeff S.

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For those in the DC area Jennifer Burns will also be at Cato on Oct 28th at 5PM. No annoucement for Ann Heller yet. The announcement is not at Cato's web site. It was on Burn's Amazon page.

I wanted to note that Ann Heller will also be at Cato on October 28th. I have the feeling the event will have a large attendance.

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I am delighted to report that my Amazon account says the Heller book has been shipped and should get here the 28th. This is good news because I was afraid I would have to buy a second copy at Cato to get the book signed. :)

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Got my copy this afternoon. The book has extensive endnotes giving details of Heller's sources. It's also highly readable, but I've got lots more chapters to go...

I'm hoping we can get a first-hand report from the Cato event today.

Robert Campbell

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Got my copy this afternoon. The book has extensive endnotes giving details of Heller's sources. It's also highly readable, but I've got lots more chapters to go...

I'm hoping we can get a first-hand report from the Cato event today.

Robert Campbell

I attended the Cato event which had both Professor Burns and Ms. Heller presenting to a full capacity audience.

The luminaries from The Atlas Society (David Kelley, Ed Hudgins, and Will Thomas) were in the audience, and probably many other VIPs from the Libertarian side, but I am not familiar with them to identify who they were. David Boaz, of Cato, introduced both authors after discussing his own interest in Rand, and her great contribution to libertarian thought (despite her protestations that she was not a libertarian).

Professor Burns gave a very good presentation on the role of Ayn Rand in the development of both the libertarian and the conservative movements - and the reaction of conservatives to her ideas. She commented that the Buckley-National Review crowd felt her atheism was a direct threat to their religionist foundation for conservatism and tried to reduce or limit her influence. She directly attributes the traditionalist-libertarian confrontation at the 1969 YAF convention to the influence of Rand, and views that incident as a major catalyst to the creation of a libertarian movement, independent of conservatism. Parenthetically, she pointed-out that although Buckley had a major influence on the creation of YAF ("The Sharon Statement" was drafted at his Connecticut estate), the first chairman of YAF was an explicit Objectivist. That must have really annoyed Buckley!

On another issue, she stated that Murray Rothbard exaggerated his role in the formation of the libertarian movement by calling himself "Mr. Libertarian," adding, "I think that was all hype or wishful thinking on his part."

By the way, Dr. Burns told me, before the presentation, that when she was at the Rand Archives, she saw the postcards that Buckley occasionally sent Rand after the Whittaker Chambers review of Atlas Shrugged. I asked, "What was his purpose?" She replied that they appear to be needling jabs to antagonize her further. (Heller also mentions the postcards in her book).

In leafing through Anne Heller's book, which I just picked up at this event, I noticed that she provides much more information on Rand's activities in the New York City conservative circles, up to the publication of Atlas Shrugged. It appears that she had a lot more involvement with Buckley and similar conservatives than has been discussed previously!

Although Dr. Burns has said elsewhere that she is not an Objectivist, one would not have known that by her presentation. In fact, both authors seemed to be positive toward Ayn Rand, at least in acknowledging and documenting her importance as a thinker and as a novelist, and do not appear to be sympathetic at all toward the detractors of Ayn Rand.

By the way, the Cato Institute was taping and televising the event on theier website. If you did not see it "live," you may be able to catch repeats on the Cato website! TAKE A LOOK!

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Jerry B,

Thank you for the eyewitness report.

There's no video of the event on the Cato site now, nor is there an audio podcast. Let's hope Cato puts up at least the audio over the next week or so.

Robert C

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Jerry:

Thank you so much. Solid objective report.

Now, what does it mean. today, to be an "Objectivist"? I still believe I am an objectivist. Do I think Ayn was wrong on some ideas that she developed? Yes.

So what.

Adam

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Got my copy this afternoon. The book has extensive endnotes giving details of Heller's sources. It's also highly readable, but I've got lots more chapters to go...

I'm hoping we can get a first-hand report from the Cato event today.

Robert Campbell

I attended the Cato event which had both Professor Burns and Ms. Heller presenting to a full capacity audience.

The luminaries from The Atlas Society (David Kelley, Ed Hudgins, and Will Thomas) were in the audience, and probably many other VIPs from the Libertarian side, but I am not familiar with them to identify who they were. David Boaz, of Cato, introduced both authors after discussing his own interest in Rand, and her great contribution to libertarian thought (despite her protestations that she was not a libertarian).

Professor Burns gave a very good presentation on the role of Ayn Rand in the development of both the libertarian and the conservative movements - and the reaction of conservatives to her ideas. She commented that the Buckley-National Review crowd felt her atheism was a direct threat to their religionist foundation for conservatism and tried to reduce or limit her influence. She directly attributes the traditionalist-libertarian confrontation at the 1969 YAF convention to the influence of Rand, and views that incident as a major catalyst to the creation of a libertarian movement, independent of conservatism. Parenthetically, she pointed-out that although Buckley had a major influence on the creation of YAF ("The Sharon Statement" was drafted at his Connecticut estate), the first chairman of YAF was an explicit Objectivist. That must have really annoyed Buckley!

On another issue, she stated that Murray Rothbard exaggerated his role in the formation of the libertarian movement by calling himself "Mr. Libertarian," adding, "I think that was all hype or wishful thinking on his part."

By the way, Dr. Burns told me, before the presentation, that when she was at the Rand Archives, she saw the postcards that Buckley occasionally sent Rand after the Whittaker Chambers review of Atlas Shrugged. I asked, "What was his purpose?" She replied that they appear to be needling jabs to antagonize her further. (Heller also mentions the postcards in her book).

In leafing through Anne Heller's book, which I just picked up at this event, I noticed that she provides much more information on Rand's activities in the New York City conservative circles, up to the publication of Atlas Shrugged. It appears that she had a lot more involvement with Buckley and similar conservatives than has been discussed previously!

Although Dr. Burns has said elsewhere that she is not an Objectivist, one would not have known that by her presentation. In fact, both authors seemed to be positive toward Ayn Rand, at least in acknowledging and documenting her importance as a thinker and as a novelist, and do not appear to be sympathetic at all toward the detractors of Ayn Rand.

By the way, the Cato Institute was taping and televising the event on theier website. If you did not see it "live," you may be able to catch repeats on the Cato website! TAKE A LOOK!

I also was the Cato and I can report that several of the luminaries of ARI were also there. I recognized Thomas Bowden, Jack Crawford, and Lin Zinser who is in charge of their DC office. I detected no hostility from them. I was seated in the row in front of them.

To my knowledge this is the first time they have been at Cato.

Anne Stone asked a question about Rand. Anne has active in GOP circles.

The number of people who signed up was huge. I think almost every seat in the Cato auditorium was taken and many people were sitting in the lobby. I saw many people who are regulars at Cato

A friend of mine watched over the inter net and as told me the sound was not working for the first few minutes. I hope this problem is fixed because C Span was not there so the event will not be on Book TV.

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After posting here, last night, about the Cato event with Anne Heller and Professor Burns, I remembered some other comments (I should have taken notes, but I thought that the event was being televised on the Cato site).

Perhaps Chris, or others who attended the event, could fill-in on comments I may have left out. As Chris Greib has mentioned, the auditorium was filled to capacity and had the lower lobby set up for overflow with a TV screen hookup.

When the moderator, David Boaz (who, as I related previously, was very complementary about the influence of Ayn Rand on the development of libertarianism, and also asked a number of very good questions of both Anne Heller and Dr. Burns) decided to end the Q & A session, there were still many in the audience with hands raised.

One questioner asked Anne Heller whether there were key figures from "The Inner Circle," that she was unable to get an interview. She answered that there were two, Alan Greenspan and Leonard Peikoff (Professor Burns also was unable to get an interview with Peikoff). She then noted that Alan Greenspan repudiated some of his views of his positive statements about the integrity of businessmen, made in his early article in The Objectivist Newsletter on "Antitrust," in his testimony in a congressional hearing after the recent collapse of some major financial institutions. She added that he appeared to have used almost the identical wording from his earlier article in his congressional testimony, although changed to register his shock and dismay at the behavior of these businessmen.

Peikoff, by the way, does not come off as a very admirable figure in Anne Heller's book. For example, in her "Afterword," she relates the questionable ethical conduct of Leonard Peikoff in his dealings with the Library of Congress in his donation of some of Rand's papers, followed by attempts to withhold some of the documents that he had promised. Read this section for yourself for the details, pages 412-413.

Heller also makes this comment on the ongoing behavior of some of the "zealous Randians" (read "ARIans") toward the Brandens (p. 412):

"At eighty and seventy-nine, respectively, Barbara and Nathaniel remain the objects of fitful but intense vituperation by a second and third generous of zealous Randians. These younger men and women, most of whom did not know Rand, have adopted her famous injunction to 'judge, and be prepared to be judged.' Hard as it is to believe, twenty-five years after her death they, too, seem to be vying for her approval."

I think it is safe to say that neither Heller's nor Burns' books will soon be featured as "recommended reading" by the ARIans (although Heller commented that she thought that ARI might view the publication of these two books as being beneficial in furthering subsequent sales of Rand's books, and, of course, sales of ARI literature). And, given the negative portrayal of Bill Buckley that appears in both books, I will be very surprised if National Review has a favorable review of either book (Heller mentions in her book that only two national publications chose to 'carp' about Rand in their obituary: The New York Times and National Review).

Finally, I can't resist adding a comment about their personal appearance: Jennifer Burns looked even younger and even more attractive, than she did on her recent appearance on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." And Anne Heller appears to have been rejuvenated by the publication of her book. She looked even better than her picture (which is very good) which appears on the inside back cover of her book.

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Jerry:

More thanks.

Well I agree with Alan on that issue.

"She then noted that Alan Greenspan repudiated some of his views of his positive statements about the integrity of businessmen, made in his early article in The Objectivist Newsletter on 'Antitrust,' in his testimony in a congressional hearing after the recent collapse of some major financial institutions. She added that he appeared to have used almost the identical wording from his earlier article in his congressional testimony, although changed to register his shock and dismay at the behavior of these businessmen."

I have close to a zero tolerance policy after a certain point with some of these folks. The do no honor to Ayn by their behavior. More sadly, they dishonor their "newly discovered self" and the one they are not facing, but will.

"At eighty and seventy-nine, respectively, Barbara and Nathaniel remain the objects of fitful but intense vituperation by a second and third generous of zealous Randians. These younger men and women, most of whom did not know Rand, have adopted her famous injunction to 'judge, and be prepared to be judged.' Hard as it is to believe, twenty-five years after her death they, too, seem to be vying for her approval."

Adam

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Adam; I'm a bit confused. It seemed to me that the point Greenspan made in article "Antitrust" is still a good one. On the legal front a great many legal scholars would agree many of Rand's and Greenspan's criticism of these laws. One who comes to mind is Robert Bork.

I wonder if Anne Heller may have confused Greenspan's essay "The Assault on Integrity" which is a defense of businessmen. The article is worth rereading.

Jerry; I do not know how long the event at Cato lasted but since both authors would be signing books for period and might have had other events to go to. I don't think he was peremptory when David Boaz cut it off. It is worth noting that when the question period started no one had one and Boaz had to pose the first question.

Edited by Chris Grieb
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Adam; I'm a bit confused. It seemed to me that the point Greenspan made in article "Antitrust" is still a good one. On the legal front a great many legal scholars would agree many of Rand's and Greenspan's criticism of these laws. One who comes to mind is Robert Bork.

I wonder if Anne Heller may have confused Greenspan's essay "The Assault on Integrity" which is a defense of businessmen. The article is worth rereading.

Jerry; I do not know how long the event at Cato lasted but since both authors would be signing books for period and might have had other events to go to. I don't think he was peremptory when David Boaz cut it off. It is worth noting that when the question period started no one had one and Boaz had to pose the first question.

Chris: When David Boaz started the Q&A period, he immediately announced that, as the moderator, he was taking that prerogative to ask the first question. Thus, there was no opportunity offered for questions from the audience until Dr. Burns and Ms. Heller answered his question.

Sitting farther back in the audience than you were, I can assure you that many hands shot-up for the next opportunity. And there were still audience members with raised hands when Mr. Boaz ended the session.

I would add that David Boaz used his role as moderator to interject several more questions. However, I do not think that his exercise of those opportunities detracted at all from the Q&A session, since he was very articulate and all the questions that he posed were well-formulated and interesting, as were the responses from Jennifer Burns and Anne Heller.

Another observation about the authors: Dr. Burns started off by prefacing her remarks with the comment that she had expected that those attending an event at The Cato Institute would possess a higher degree of familiarity and knowledge of Rand, and therefore had taken that into account in developing her presentation. She displayed an impressive command of her subject (not just Rand, but the full ideological spectrum of the intellectual "Right" in America) and was very energetic and eloquent in her remarks.

Anne Heller was more soft-spoken and delivered a shorter presentation, adding that she preferred to answer questions from the audience. Her subsequent answers to questions were no less candid than those of Dr. Burns.

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When David Boaz was at Free Minds 09, I asked him about the Burns and Heller books.

He said he had read both books in galleys, and sent comments to the authors.

So he had definitely studied up.

Robert Campbell

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Adam; I'm a bit confused. It seemed to me that the point Greenspan made in article "Antitrust" is still a good one. On the legal front a great many legal scholars would agree many of Rand's and Greenspan's criticism of these laws. One who comes to mind is Robert Bork.

I wonder if Anne Heller may have confused Greenspan's essay "The Assault on Integrity" which is a defense of businessmen. The article is worth rereading.

Jerry; I do not know how long the event at Cato lasted but since both authors would be signing books for period and might have had other events to go to. I don't think he was peremptory when David Boaz cut it off. It is worth noting that when the question period started no one had one and Boaz had to pose the first question.

Chris:

I do not think we are disagreeing.

"I have close to a zero tolerance policy after a certain point with some of these folks." I was addressing the second and third generation of "believers in Rand" that was being addressed.

As to Greenspan, I agree with the authoress that he did change his global opinion of the concept "businessman" as it existed in the 1961 Anti Trust essay: http://politicalinquirer.com/2007/12/12/interrupting-the-election-coverage-alan-greenspan-on-antitrust-circa-1961/

Adam

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