Donovan A.

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

September 26, 2011

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

September 26, 2011

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

June 25, 2011

On June 25th 2011, I recorded this telephone interview with Mr. Raymond Newman. Mr. Newman was a radio/television journalist who interviewed Ayn Rand and many other Objectivist thinkers in the 1980's. He is the author of two books, Sovereign: The True Nature of Man and Awakening The Real You: The Key to Happiness.

Mr. Newman discusses his interview with Ayn Rand, his two books, and his radio show with Dr. David Kelley.

I hope that you find this complementary material enjoyable and enlightening,

Donovan Albanesi

The Culture of Reason Center

June 24, 2011

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

May 24, 2011

We the Living (Noi Vivi & Addio Kira): MP4 Video Download (Includes Movie Extras)

Our Price: $14.95

Ayn Rand’s We the Living is now available for download in mp4 format. Ayn Rand’s We the Living is now available for download in mp4 format. This download includes the movie and the extra content which is available on the DVD.

History:

We the Living was published in Italian and later made into a two-part film: Noi Vivi in 1937 and Addio Kira in 1942. Directed by Goffredo Alessandrini for Scalera Films of Rome, Alida Valli starred as Kira, Fosco Giachetti as Andrei, and Rossano Brazzi as Leo.

The films were almost censored by Mussolini’s government, but were permitted because the story was set in the Soviet Union and was directly critical of that regime. Although the films were a success, people understood that the message was as much a denunciation of fascism as of communism, so the films were pulled from theaters when the German Nazis and the Italian Fascists concluded that the movies were indeed anti-fascist and anti-communist.

The films were rediscovered in the 1960’s through the efforts of Rand’s lawyers, Erika Holzer and Henry Mark Holzer, and were re-edited into a new version with English subtitles composed by Erika Holzer and co-producer Duncan Scott. It was approved by Rand and her estate and re-released as We the Living in 1986.

Permission to provide this product has been granted from Duncan Scott Productions.

May 22, 2011

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

May 19, 2011

The Principles of Efficient Thinking

by Barbara Branden

(Lectures 1-10) Complete Series MP3 Download

Lecture 01: An Introduction to Thinking

Lecture 02: Focusing and Problem Solving

Lecture 03: Automatic Mind Functions

Lecture 04: Conceptual Level of Consciousness Part 1

Lecture 05: Conseptual Level of Consciousness Part 2

Lecture 06: Emotions as Tools of Cognition

Lecture 07: Language and Definitions

Lecture 08: Common Aberrations in Thinking

Lecture 09: The Fallacy of The Stolen Concept (Nathaniel Branden)

Lecture 10: Causes of Inefficient Thinking

Approx. 15.7 Hours

Our Price: $40.00

Companion Product: The Basic Principles of Objectivism by Nathaniel Branden

Companion Product: The Vision of Ayn Rand Paperback (The Basic Principles of Objectivism Transcribed)

The ability to reason is man’s most important faculty – the attribute which lifts him above all other species. Yet, the science of using his rational faculty effectively has been almost entirely neglected.

Most people fail to realize that thinking is not an automatic process, known to everyone “instinctively.” It is, indeed, an acquired skill and – like every human skill – it involves certain principles which have to be identified and learned.

Principles of Efficient Thinking was developed by Barbara Branden to help meet this need. Her course deals with thinking in both its theoretical and practical aspects. The theoretical aspect covers in detail the principles that make possible the most efficient use of one’s mind; the practical aspect covers specific techniques by which one avoids thinking errors and maximizes the productiveness of one’s mental effort.

As part of the curriculum of the Nathaniel Branden Institute (NBI), the course was attended by tens of thousands of students in cities throughout the United States and Canada. With the exception of lecture nine, which is a guest lecture by Nathaniel Branden, the course is given by Barbara Branden. Many of the lectures were re-recorded to improve sound quality, to slightly revise errors, to update references, and to make the contents readily understandable to those with no previous philosophical training. This course is substantially the same as that offered by NBI and it proved to be one of the most popular series offered by the Institute.

The ten lectures in this course discusses the following issues:

- Why a science of thinking is necessary.

- The relation between efficient thinking and intelligence.

- The philosophical base of efficient thinking.

- The nature of intellectual focusing.

- The various levels of focusing.

- The problem of concentration.

- The nature of the subconscious.

- The subconscious as a “Univac” (computer).

- The proper use of the subconscious.

- The psychology of “inspiration.”

- The effect of repression on thinking.

- The nature of the conceptual level of consciousness.

- The nature of intelligence.

- The destroyers of intelligence.

- Thinking in essentials.

- The destructiveness of treating emotions as tools of cognition.

- The manner in which wishes and fears can distort the thinking process.

- “Emotional-perceptual” thinking.

- The importance of knowing the source and validation of one’s concepts.

- The role of integration in thinking.

- Forms of the failure of integration.

- Evasion as the sabotaging of consciousness.

- Common aberrations in thinking and consequent mental habits.

- The inability to think in principles.

- The misuse of abstractions.

- The “socialized consciousness” and the destruction of language.

- Failures of discrimination in thinking.

- The error of intellectual “package-dealing.”

- The danger of false axioms.

- Psychological causes of inefficient thinking: the surrender of the will to efficacy; failure of self-esteem; the “malevolent universe” premise; “social metaphysics.” The source and conditions of intellectual certainty.

Permission to offer this product has been given from Barbara Branden who holds the copyright.

May 19, 2011

(Download Available for Customers Worldwide)

Atlas Shrugged (Unabridged)

by Ayn Rand

read by Christopher Hurt

Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks; MP3 edition (January 2002) 61. hrs (est.)

Language: English

Product Description

In a scrap heap within an abandoned factory, the greatest invention in history lies dormant and unused. By what fatal error of judgment has its value gone unrecognized, its brilliant inventor punished rather than rewarded for his efforts? In defense of those greatest of human qualities that have made civilization possible, one man sets out to show what would happen to the world if all the heroes of innovation and industry went on strike. Is he a destroyer or a liberator? And why does he fight his hardest battle not against his enemies, but against the woman he loves?

Tremendous in scope, breathtaking in its suspense, Atlas Shrugged is Ayn Rand's magnum opus, a premier moral apologia for capitalism–a defense that had an electrifying effect on millions of readers (and now listeners) who have never heard capitalism defended in other than technical terms.

AYN RAND (1905–1982) was born in Russia, graduated from the University of Leningrad, and in 1926 came to the United States where she was naturalized. Her first novel, We the Living, was published in 1936. With the publication of The Fountainhead in 1943, she achieved a spectacular and enduring success and her unique philosophy, objectivism, gained a worldwide following.

Also Available: Atlas Shrugged (Read by Scott Brick) MP3 Audiobook

Retail Price: $49.95 Our Price: $29.98

May 10, 2011

In 1989, Michael Berliner, Ph.D., was invited to give the keynote address entitled "Montessori: A philosophical Perspective" at The Montessori Renaissance Conference hosted by Julie Anne & Franco Albanesi of The Albanesi Educational Center in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Berliner was the Executive Director of the Ayn Rand Institute from its founding in 1985 to January 2000. This speech is now available as an MP4 Video Download. 60 min (est). © 2011 The Albanesi Educational Center

CRC Price: $8.00

February 2, 2011

What would buying music there sanction (if there is an alternative source): Christianity.
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

February 2, 2011

I've recently encountered an interesting perspective/method regarding how to judge what is sanction. I'm not certain that I agree with the perspective/method. I am unfamiliar with the approach being advocated or taught by any major exponent or scholar of Objectivism. I've certainly never seen anything like it espoused by Rand (for whatever that's worth). Due to the nature of the material, I cannot disclose the author or directly quote from the document, but I would like to express the method, so that it can be discussed here.

I'm paraphrasing the perspective as follows using my own words and example:

To judge the issue of sanction requires thinking in principles. To think in principles means to think in essentials. A great method for thinking in principles is the use of definitions so that one can identify the relevant essentials, such that one identifies the genus and differentia in relation to some particular issue.

Example:

Christian Music Store

Genus - Retail Store

Differentia - Music seller - Particularly promoting Christian music/art/values.

What would buying music there sanction (if there is an alternative source): Christianity.

Has anyone seen or heard of this method of judging sanction issues before; if so, where? What do you think of the method? Do you agree or disagree and why.

Best regards,

Randall

February 2, 2011

What Constitutes a Sanction?

"In a dictionary definition it has two meanings: one is approval, support, sponsorship. The other one sometimes used in international politics is almost the opposite: like to invoke sanctions against a country means: a blockade or a breach of diplomatic relationship or of trade. But the way I use the word sanction in a moral context is always in the sense of approval or sponsorship."

Ayn Rand - A Nation's Unity, Q&A, Track 1 at 2:40

- Thank you Selene. You saved me hours of time.

February 2, 2011

Thank you Selene! I loaded the Q&A and I'm listening now. I'll post the reference for others, if I find it.

February 2, 2011

Hi Philip,

It's not for school and I'm not a student. The reference would be very helpful if anyone knows where it is.

Thanks so much,

Randall.

February 2, 2011

Hello everyone,

I'm working on a very important paper. A section of the paper will be dealing with the issue of sanction. In The Contested Legacy of Ayn Rand Dr. Kelley defines sanction as follows: "The term [sanction] refers to the action of endorsing or approving something. To sanction is to express a conscious judgment that something is good, right, honorable, legitimate, etc." - CLAR p.34

I recall that Ayn Rand also defined sanction in this way. If my memory is correct, it was during a Ford Hall Forum Question and Answer session. Does anyone know in which Q&A she defined sanction? I remember her stating something like the following (by memory): "What I mean by sanction is moral approval."

Your help is greatly appreciated!

Best regards,

Randall

P.S. I have already checked Ayn Rand Answers, the ARI glossary of Objectivist Definitions, the Ayn Rand Lexicon and the Ayn Rand CDROM; none provide an actual definition.

December 15, 2010

http://www.peikoff.com/2010/12/13/is-it-proper-for-a-doctor-to-perform-a-sex-change-operation-for-a-patient/

November 16, 2010

I was able to find the complete statement by Peter Schwartz and I consider this part very interesting:

"Ultimately, what real difference is there if any of the factual allegations made by Barbara Branden—or anyone else of her ilk—happen to have actually taken place? Ayn Rand’s glorious achievement is her philosophy and her literature. They stand as her testaments, as the only testaments her life requires. If Miss Rand were alive today, she would certainly not deign to reply to Mrs. Branden’s attacks. She would simply point—as Howard Roark did in the Stoddard Temple trial—to the evidence of her work. Her books are what she should be judged by. Read them—or reread them—and then decide for yourself whether or not a philosophy that holds reason as an absolute and that views man as a heroic being is worth living by."

- Peter Schwartz, TIA (August 20, 1986)

November 16, 2010

I'm rather new to studying this very old conflict, but I thought that one area of contention was whether or not Barbara Branden ever met with Ayn Rand at her apartment circa 1981. About a year or two ago, I remember hearing or reading an interview that I thought was done by Valliant which seemed to deny that Barbara met with Ayn Rand again. In 100 Voices, Cynthia Peikoff confirmed that Rand met with Barbara. I also remember reading something by Peter Schwartz that seemed to imply that Barbara meeting Rand again was untrue or unsubstantiated.

Partial reposting from MSK:

Posted 19 August 2006 - 09:10 PM
Robert,
Here is the full paragraph on "arbitrary" from the review by Peter Schwartz of The Passion of Ayn Rand by Barbara Branden, which was an Untitled Letter included as a separate insert in The Intellectual Activist of August 20, 1986:
Schwartz said:
It is only in this context that the question can be raised of whether to believe any of the concrete factual allegations Mrs. Branden makes about Ayn Rand's behavior. When the truth of such allegations rests entirely upon the testimony of the author (and of unnamed “friends” she regularly cites), one must ask why she is to be believed when she has thoroughly destroyed her claim to credibility. It is very easy to accuse the dead of almost anything. I could readily assert that Ayn Rand met with me at dawn on the first Thursday of every month to join me in secret prayer at a Buddhist temple—and who could disprove it if I maintained that no one else knew about it? Epistemologically, conclusions reached by a categorically non-objective method have the status of the arbitrary. They are not true and not false, but are, rather, entirely outside the cognitive realm—because they are not genuine attempts at cognition. Admirers of Ayn Rand need not—and should not—feel compelled to try to rebut each and every concrete charge made by Barbara Branden (and others who are sure to follow). Let the authors of any such charges first establish their credentials as honest, objective reporters intent on presenting the truth, not on trying to salvage their own sadly wasted lives.

Does anyone have this original statement by Schwartz? Would they be willing to fax me a copy?

- Randall

October 12, 2010

Hello all,

I'm trying to find an original Nathaniel Branden Seminar #12 LP for sale. If anyone is willing to part with their copy, please contact me.

Thank you,

Randall: cultureofreasoncenter@gmail.com

October 12, 2010

Hello everyone,

I'm trying to find a copy of The Passion of Ayn Rand on audio cassette. Does anyone have a copy they are willing to sell?

Best regards,

Randall.

Please email me if you are interested in making a deal: cultureofreasoncenter@gmail.com

September 7, 2010

If you go back through the Randian corpus, you can find statements that indicate that Objectivism is closed and statements that indicate that it is open. She was inconsistent on that score.

This is absolutely true! I've been keeping my eyes and ears open on the issue for the past two years of studying Rand and the open/closed debate. In some places Rand presents Objectivism as a science, in other places she argues that it is her philosophy which can be claimed as property.

September 6, 2010

Subject: Abuse of Power
Now that I've calmed down from (my virtual screaming fit of) post #12, I want to methodically dismantle Peikoff's horrifying statements piece by piece. It's important that *no shred of what he is advocating or claiming be allowed to stand*:
1. "In essence [McCaskey's] behavior amounts to: Peikoff is misguided, Harriman is misguided, M knows Objectivism better than either. Or else: Objectivism on these issues is inadequate..."
But Leonard Peikoff has pointed out - repeatedly, emphatically, and with great heat - that Objectivism is Ayn Rand's contributions not his, that it is the name for her philosophy. Not his. And thus his writings after her death and those of Mr. Harriman are not part of Objectivism.
They are an application or extension. And on top of that, hardly obvious or cut and dried, because they are in a very technical, detailed, and difficult specialized field.
So how can any disagreement by anyone with a book on the history of science and on induction be contrary to Objectivism? And if he's not rejecting Objectivism, why would Peikoff consider this serious enough to demand his expulsion?
2. "M attacks Dave's book and thus....my course on induction."
He didn't apparently. The claim he "attacks" the book is a very great exaggeration. Unless M was saying things he didn't believe on Amazon in the reader comments, he thinks the induction work is a major contribution and has some disagreements with some smaller issues regarding the history - regarding what Galileo and Newton did. Really trivial stuff!! So does someone have to agree with *every word on every topic* touched on in this book, otherwise he should be expelled?
3. "When a great book sponsored by the Institute and championed by me is denounced by a member of the Board of the Institute...."
That's not accurate. He didn't "denounce" the book. That means to condemn or censure in a very wholesale way. It's also an exaggeration to say selling an important book in your bookstore or the same thing as "sponsoring" it.
3-Continued. "...someone has to go."
So basically, it's him or you and if he's not expelled, you will bail out of your promise to Ayn Rand to support and contribute to advancing her philosophy through the main organ that exists to spread the ideas? And -why- would you do that exactly?
Even if someone were to completely disagree with Peikoff about the DIM Hypothesis, and his theory of induction, and his view that Classical Greece is the best historical civilization, and his views about whether to vote for Democrats or Republicans this year, or whether to bomb the NYC mosque, NOT ONE OF THOSE VIEWS is part of Objectivism.
If everyone has to agree with you one every application, else you just might expel them, not only do you have to be infallible, but everyone else has to have your level of knowledge.
And all you are left with is sycophants who will -pretend- to agree with everything you say one every subject. Hardly practitioners of a philosophy of reason or the inhabitants of Atlantis.
,,,,
PS, I would like to add that one should not hold people to informal communications as in email - and P's comments are from an email. No one would want to be held to every email he every wrote or informal discussion or 'rant'. So in such cases it is always possible someone was imprecise or posted rashly and in the heat of anger. And with a cooler and wiser head, will retract and amend his statements.

Philip, I agree with the majority of what you said except in reference to email accountability. Considering Peikoff's stature (Phd in philosophy and proclaimed intellectual heir of Ayn Rand, "greatest living philosopher," etc. etc.), he should be held at a higher standard than most people. Isn't there an old saying about a gentleman - he never insults someone unintentionally.

September 6, 2010

Robert Campbell’s thread has drifted/devolved to such a point I think it’s time to start a fresh one to share this news. An ARI board member, John McCaskey, has posted an Amazon review of the Harriman book, and resigned from ARI within the last 24 hours.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R33YO57MMEDAJ7/ref=cm_cr_pr_cmt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=0451230051&nodeID=#wasThisHelpful
http://www.johnmccaskey.com/resignation.html
Watch out for flying fur.

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