Donovan A.

Could you list the other questions/answers you regard as questionable and why? I welcome the feedback and discussion.

Michael, What is the name of the Peikoff NBI study guide you are referring to? Is it called An Examination Study-Guide to the Ethics of Objectivism?

When I made this test I didn't think to keep track of all of my sources and references. Some of the questions are directly from (or combined from) Rand, Branden or Peikoff. The majority of the questions come from OPAR. I have worked pretty hard to make sure that the test questions fairly represent the philosophy. I had to invent wrong multiple choice answers and sometimes tweak definitions to make them false instead of true (or vice versa). I developed many of the wrong answers based on my experiences in talking about Objectivism with people. However, if a particular question were to be contested by someone, I'd be happy to review my resources (time permitting). The next test I am developing will include references as to where the question came from and the correct answer. I wanted the questions to reflect degrees of knowledge and familiarity with Objectivism. Additionally, I had to collaborate with my IT adviser in order to find a suitable plugin for my website. While I am fairly happy with the software, it's not as functional as I wish it were. 70 people have taken the test so far. The current average score is 73.71% 6 people have scored 90+. 17 people have scored 80-89. 20 people have scored 70-79. 21 people have scored 60-69. 6 people have scored below 60.

Hi Mike, The Culture of Reason Center has not offered any public study-classes since December 2011. As the organizer, I haven't had the time to offer meetings since then. I am hoping to be able to run some short audio-lecture events this fall, but that hasn't been decided yet. We hosted over 100 study-classes between January 2008 and December 2011. We offered the following materials: Villainy - The Nature of Evil Andrew Bernstein Reason & Emotion Edwin A. Locke Principles of Efficient Thinking Barbara Branden Ayn Rand Ford Hall Ayn Rand The Art of Introspection Edith Packer The Philosophy of Objectivism Vol.1,2,3 Leonard Peikoff Objectivism & The Struggle for Liberty David Kelley The Virtue of Selflessness (Audio book) Ayn Rand / Branden Capitalism The Unknown Ideal (Audio book) Ayn Rand / Branden / etc. Raymond Newman - Interview w Dr. Edith Packer Newman/Packer 1983 Understanding Objectivism (Part 1) Leonard Peikoff Since our last public study group event, I have been studying alone, or in small private groups, and I am currently working on developing additional Objectivist tests. Best regards, Randall

This test has been designed to assess your basic knowledge of the philosophy of Objectivism. It is not intended to be an open book test. The first 50 questions focus on metaphysics and epistemology; 25 questions are on ethics, and 25 are on politics. Some of the questions have been taken directly from Nathaniel Branden’s Basic Principles of Objectivism lectures (also available as The Vision of Ayn Rand), and Leonard Peikoff’s book, entitled: Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand. Only reading Ayn Rand’s fictional work will not be sufficient preparation to excel on this test. This general assessment can help students of Objectivism and study-group organizers determine the ideal study materials and is not intended to evaluate one’s agreement with Objectivism. Test Score Range: 0-60: Minimal understanding (Low) – Basic study needed 61-69: Moderate understanding (Low-Mid) – Basic study needed 70-80: Good understanding (Intermediate) – Basic study review needed 81-90: Competent (High-Mid) – Proceed to more technical studies 91-100: Advanced (High) - Proceed to more technical studies In order to receive your test score, you will be asked to provide your name and email address. Your test score will be emailed to you. Your name and email address will be added to our general contact mailing list. Your name and test scores will not be published. All marketing emails sent from The Culture of Reason Center include the option to unsubscribe. Click here to be taken to the test

Hi Jerry (and others), I've been communicating with Leigh Branden in regard to offering this series on my website. Do you have any flyers (an outline or description) or detailed information relating to the lecture series? It is a 20 lecture course that was given in the 70s, so I assume it is the New Lectures on the Psychology of Self-Esteem series. I am hoping to make the lectures available within the next few weeks, maybe sooner. Any information would be helpful, including pictures from the event. Thanks so much, Randall P.S. I'm also curious if anyone has a cassette tape of Branden speaking on Anarchy. If you do, I'd like to obtain a copy. I can request written permission from Leigh Branden for you to provide me with the material.

Also seeking: Why Ancient Greece Is My Favorite Civilization

Someone contacted me, and I was able to purchase the Philosophy of Education series by LP from them. I'm also seeking to purchase or borrow: Eight Great Plays - As Literature and As Philosophy.

I would like to have a source for where Ayn Rand explicitly rejected the categorization that her ideas could not be separated into "philosophical" and "non-philosophical" categories. I would find that to be extremely interesting.

I'm seeking to borrow or purchase a series entitled: Philosophy of Education by Leonard Peikoff. Contact me at cultureofreasoncenter@gmail.com Thanks so much, Randall

I'm not sure how Dr. Hsieh obtained these tapes, but I will theorize a few possibilities. 1. Some NBI Business Representatives made copies. 2. Some NBI Business Representatives did not return the originals. 3. The Estate of Ayn Rand has given some original copies away to close friends. ​It sounds like someone who had the original tapes, decided to either give or sell them to Dr. Hsieh. Selling or giving away an original is not a violation of copyright, that I am aware of. Currently, The Atlas Society holds the copyright to the AA version of The Basic Principles Lectures, and I am an authorized distributor (in MP3 format). My interest in obtaining a set of the original NBI lectures is: 1. Preservation. 2. Scholarly examination. 3. To work toward the possibility of making them legally available to the public. Additionally, if anyone has any NBI materials they are willing to part with, those materials may be of interest to me. Again, I am seeking such materials for preservation, study, and possible public resurrection if and when legally permissible.

I was reading a post by Diana Hsieh where she states that she recently was able to obtain tape recordings of the original Basic Principles of Objectivism Lectures which were offered at NBI. Because part of the mission of The Culture of Reason Center is to collect and archive historical Objectivist materials, a copy of these lectures would be of interest. If anyone has recordings of the original NBI lectures and is willing to part with them, please contact me at: cultureofreasoncenter@gmail.com

Hi Stephen, When I looked up "animal" on my Apple computer dictionary I was given the following definition: and.. Regarding Rand's comment in the Epistemology Seminar. I think her point was that the concept "animal" is understandable to a generally educated adult based on his context of knowledge. The question I have is, why is "rational animal" an appropriate definition for a person with a generally literate adult context? Even a person with an American high school education has fairly advanced knowledge. What is the principle for determining the proper genus? How would you generally define "man" and why? I'd like to give further thought to your two questions, but I'll attempt a short answer. In order to understand Rand's ethics, one needs to know that all living entities face the alternative of life or death, that each life form must act in accordance with its nature in order to survive and that the concept value is derived from the concept of life. Practical philosophy is typically understandable to 13 year olds, and I don't think those basic biological truths would qualify as specialized scientific knowledge. Regarding the influence of science on philosophical concepts, I think Rand is right. Correctly formulated philosophical concepts are typically very simple and are necessary for science to even get off the ground. I'm talking about concepts such as axiom, certainty, good and evil, volition, justice, etc. It's not the function of sciences like biology, chemistry, geology, physics, etc, to deal with such concepts. Can you give me an example of how you think scientific advancements have given rise for a need to change some correctly formulated philosophical concept? I can see how new developments in technology mean that new applications of already established philosophical concepts will have to be formulated, but I can't think of anything else.

I think the idea that animals are conscious is a general truth. There are certain lifeforms that are transitional. In the case of mammals the platypus is an exception to the general rule. Generally speaking, when I think of animals, I think of conscious lifeforms such as mammals, birds, reptiles, fish. If we define man as the rational primate, we wouldn't be showing the scope of how unique rationality is. Last night Spencer and I talked more about the definitions of animal and rational separately. I defined rationality as follows: Genus: a faculty of consciousness differentia: that integrates sensory data and conceptualizes. I then defined animal as follows: Genus: a life form (ogranism) differentia: processing consciousness

I was talking to my mom about the issue (she was an NBI student and is a long time Objectivist). She made made a point that made me think the following. The essential characteristic of being an animal is consciousness. Mammals, reptiles, fish, birds, etc. are all conscious beings, as opposed to life forms that are non conscious. Out of all the conscious life forms, only man processes the attribute of rationality. That makes sense to me.

Hello everyone, I was recently listening to The Efficient Thinking Lecture from The Basic Principles of Objectivism with my partner (Spencer) and Barbara Branden spent a quite bit of time explaining the process of definitions. Miss Branden defined man as "the rational animal" and Sepncer asked me why isn't man defined as "the rational mammal," since the genus mammal would give more information than the genus animal? He also asked me why couldn't man be defined as the rational entity/being, since he is the only entity that we know of that has the characteristic of rationality? We talked for awhile and I explained that I did not think man could properly be defined as "the rational entity" since the concept entity is too broad and does not provide any essential information about the genus. We took a look at David Kelley's The Art of Reasoning as well, and Kelley explains that both the genus and the differentia have to adhere to the law of fundamentality, but why is the genus animal more fundamental than the more narrow concept mammal, or the broader concept life form? Would anyone like to help us think this through? Thanks so much, Randall

Objectivism and The Struggle for Liberty by David Kelley Ph.D. (Remastered MP3 Download) Our Price: $1.99 Originally recorded on November 10th, 1988 Est. 52 minutes This provocative lecture was given at the Laissez Faire Supper Club in New York City on November 10th, 1988 by David Kelley, the noted Objectivist philosopher, author of The Evidence of the Senses, The Art of Reasoning, former contributor to The Objectivist Forum and frequent editorial writer for Barron's. Kelley defends Objectivism's role in helping to form the intellectual foundations for a free society in a twofold sense: its necessity for what he sees as a rigorous intellectual defense of the free society, and its role in defending and promoting those cultural values that must be widely accepted for a free society to be stable. Kelley demonstrates the indispensable role of individual rights as a defining characteristic of a free society, and then proceeds to launch a devastating attack on any form of ethical subjectivism as a basis for defending individual liberty. He examines three broad principles that he argues are absolutely essential in defending and sustaining individual freedom: the primacy of reason; egoism or the doctrine that every individual is an end in himself; and a rejection of the mind/body dichotomy. Finally, Kelley eloquently summarizes some of Ayn Rand's major contributions in defending these principles. This concise and persuasive talk is followed by a freewheeling question and answer period that is sure to be controversial, as David Kelley fields questions from Libertarians and Objectivists alike, showing once again why his is a mind to be reckoned with and why any thoughts of Objectivism's demise is premature to say the least. Permission to provide this product has been granted by David Kelley and The Atlas Society.

It is available on the TNI website for free, but I'm not sure about viewing it on the Nook. http://www.atlassociety.org/tni

If you would like to support the endeavors of The Culture of Reason Center, you may make a financial donation through PayPal. Donations are not tax-deductible. http://thecultureofreasoncenter.com/make-a-donation/ We will also gladly accept any Objectivist related materials, e.g. books, tapes, CDs, videos, etc. These materials will either become part of our educational archive project* or may be distributed to other students of Objectivism. Please email us if you have materials that you wish to donate. In some cases we may be able to reimburse your shipping expenses. Email: cultureofreasoncenter@gmail.com *The Culture of Reason Center Archive is in the process of cataloging and preserving materials that relate to Ayn Rand and Objectivism. In the future, we hope to make these materials available to independent research scholars.

The Basic Principles of Objectivism by Nathaniel Branden The Basic Principles of Objectivism (Lectures 1-20) Complete Series MP3 Lecture 01: The Role of Philosophy Lecture 02: What is Reason? Lecture 03: Logic and Mysticism Lecture 04: The Concept of God Lecture 05: Free Will Lecture 06: Efficient Thinking Lecture 07: Self-Esteem Lecture 08: The Psychology of Dependence Lecture 09: The Objectivist Ethics Lecture 10: Reason and Virtue Lecture 11: Justice vs. Mercy Lecture 12: The Evil of Self-Sacrifce Lecture 13: Government and The Individual Lecture 14: The Economics of A Free Society Lecture 15: Common Fallacies About Capitalism Lecture 16: The Psychology of Sex Lecture 17: Romanticism, Naturalism and The Novels of Ayn Rand, Part 1 Lecture 18: Romanticism, Naturalism and The Novels of Ayn Rand, Part 2 Lecture 19: The Nature of Evil Lecture 20: The Benevolent Sense of Life Approximately: 24 hours Our Price: $60.00 Companion Product: The Principles of Efficient Thinking by Barbara Branden Companion Product: The Vision of Ayn Rand Paperback (The Basic Principles of Objectivism Transcribed) History: Prepared by Nathaniel Branden in the late fifties and with the endorsement of Ayn Rand, these lectures were developed and devoted to a presentation of Ayn Rand's philosophy, including aspects that had not yet been covered in her written works. Additionally, Mr. Branden's extension of Objectivism into his own field of psychology gives special emphasis to the concepts of human nature, mental health and personal development. The Basic Principles of Objectivism offers a detailed, systematic exposition of the philosophy defined by Ayn Rand and presented in The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged and For the New Intellectual. For the first time ever, you can now download these original Nathaniel Branden Institute (NBI) lectures from The Culture of Reason Center store. Permission to offer this product has been given from The Atlas Society (TAS) which holds the copyright. For further information regarding TAS please visit their website: The Atlas Society

Thanks Reidy! That's what I was looking for.

I remember reading that Ayn Rand once opposed a group that wanted to start a new country (the creation of man made foam islands or something). I've been trying to find where she wrote about the subject, but I cannot find the article. Does anyone know what I am talking about? I'd like to revisit her arguments. I think she argued that the battle is here (in the U.S.). Thanks so much, Randall

Product Description: Ayn Rand is one of the most popular novelists of the past 80 years and her books continue to sell by the hundreds of thousands. A movie of Atlas Shrugged was released in April and a major TV documentary of her life/impact is in production. Her work extols political liberty and free enterprise and she has a huge personal following that buys anything Randian. Admirers of Ayn Rand will love this comic. Bluewater Productions INC worked closely with the Ayn Rand Foundation on this title. Culture of Reason Center Price: $1.00 PDF: 24 pages Publisher: Bluewater Productions (June 28, 2011) Language: English ISBN-10: 1450749240 ISBN-13: 978-1450749244

Dear John Aglialoro, I’m writing you this open letter to uphold my unwavering support of the Atlas Shrugged movie and to encourage you to move full steam ahead in the production of Parts II and III. I met you personally – only briefly – at the New York Atlas Movie Preview (December 2010) when you endorsed a copy of Atlas Shrugged for me. Your dedication to the goal of producing the Atlas Shrugged film is an inspiration to any self-made man. What you have achieved is what most people considered to be impossible, especially in today’s anti-intellectual culture. I know you are being subjected to enormous criticism for your achievement and your efforts, just as Ayn Rand was when she published the novel. I certainly think it’s great to receive moral support, but the goal of artistic achievement cannot only be the accolades of others. These films would be of immeasurable value, even if you or I were the only men alive on this earth. Why? Because by witnessing the heroic characters in Atlas Shrugged, a rational man is motivated to achieve the best within himself, his highest potential. An Ayn Rand hero – as you well know – is a man of reason, of independence, and of high self-esteem. I urge you to draw strength from the vision of Ayn Rand’s heroes, to persevere, and to fight. One third of your battle is won, and you are not alone. I was deeply moved when I watched the movie, and I have seen the impact this film is having on the world. That is why the liberals and the religious in this country are so adamantly opposed to the movie and to Ayn Rand’s works. They fear us, and they know they cannot win by honest means. As for those so-called “Objectivists,” or fans of Ayn Rand, that can offer nothing but cynicism or hostility towards your achievement or the Atlas Society, let me offer you an Ayn Rand quote which often refuels me as I fight for my own values. “Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish, in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desired can be won, it exists, it is real, it is possible, it’s yours. But to win it requires total dedication and a total break with the world of your past, with the doctrine that man is a sacrificial animal who exists for the pleasure of others. Fight for the value of your person. Fight for the virtue of your pride. Fight for the essence, which is man, for his sovereign rational mind. Fight with the radiant certainty and the absolute rectitude of knowing that yours is the morality of life and yours is the battle for any achievement, any value, any grandeur, any goodness, any joy that has ever existed on this earth.” I’ve heard of countless supporters who would be willing to donate or invest in your project. I, too, would be happy to offer my support in order to fund Parts II & III. I remain your ally in the battle for reason, individualism, and freedom, Donovan Albanesi The Culture of Reason Center

Randall, I find that to be a stretch. How are you sanctioning Christian ideas that way? But you actually do sanction something--Christian commerce. You implicitly sanction the right of Christians to sell their products on the open market when you freely choose to buy from them. And you sanction their right to make a profit from you by free trade. Michael Hi Michael, The person who argued the essence of what I posted seems to have three issues regarding sanction: Thinking in principles, support (existential aid), and promoting. Based on my experience, I'm very certain he would argue as follows: 1. In principle one should not support any institution that is (in essentials) against one's values. 2. Judge a business by its essentials using the genus and species method. 3. Existential aid will support a Christian store's ability to "promote" its Christian values. 4. Do not provide existential support to such a business, do not give it moral approval. To provide some context, this example is an analogy. In actuality it's my business, The Culture of Reason Center which is the real target since I sell ("promote") works by David Kelley, in particular Unrugged Individualism. The fact that I agree with David Kelley, in his view, makes me like a Christian and since my store is so small, my selection of books holds more "weight" even though I have two explicit statements on my website which state the following: - IdIdeas expressed in any of the materials, lectures or books sold or presented do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Culture of Reason Center (CRC) or its leadership. - CRC is an independent entity and is not affiliated with nor endorsed by The Ayn Rand Institute, The Atlas Society or any other organizations. Best regards, Randall