Roger Bissell

Who was the most famous female scat singer that was never without a parasol? Umbrella Fitzgerald

Hey, Glenn -- how much older than Dagny and Galt do you think Rearden was, anyway?! My impression is that he was only about 8 years older than Dagny. Is that enough to push him into the "older man" category?? More importantly, he wasn't "old." He was in his 40s, and Dagny was in her 30s. More like older brother/younger sister than father/daughter! And thanks, Dragonfly. We are on the same wavelength! :-) REB

Kat, your position about the bashing on other lists is very life-affirming and reflective of good mental health and self-esteem. You're keeping your eye on the ball, despite no small attempts at provocation by those whose stock in trade is negativity. Let them wallow in it, while we bask in the sunshine. :-) Now, can you help me a bit? I clicked on this thread, wondering, "Hey, when did I write that piece," only to find it was not by me, but by Kevin. Can you go into the innards of this website and tweak the post so that it reflects the true author? Thanks! REB

Thanks, Michael. Everything you say makes sense. The book was really all about Dagny's -- i.e., Rand's -- quest. Once she had said it, what was left in the fictional realm? I think it's clear that she had peaked, and needed to find a new area on which to exercise her great thinking and writing talents. Luckily for all of us, she turned to non-fiction and gave us the Objectivist philosophy. reb

I enjoy a good satire (at least) as much as the next person, and being a Boomer just two years behind our two most recent Presidents, I will probably read Christopher Buckley's novel, "Boomsday," now that your writer, Howard Fineman, has brought it to my attention. But my gosh, didn't Buckley go just a bit over the top in labeling as an "Ayn Rand type," a young person urging the elderly to commit suicide so as to avoid national bankruptcy? I challenge anyone on this planet to show how Buckley's little literary dido is anything other than a smear attack on Ayn Rand, who was an arch- champion of people's right to life, and an arch-enemy of any and all attempts to get people to engage in self-sacrifice, let alone suicide. Now, if Buckley had used a "twenty- something" Teddy Kennedy type to advocate drafting the elderly to cure our budget deficits, that is a plan I could heartily support and a book I could heartily recommend! (Disclaimer: the previous sentence was intended as satire.) Roger Bissell Orange, CA

The current issue of NewsWEAK has a rather interesting article on the Baby Boom Generation approaching retirement. Here is the URL for the online version of the article at MSNBC.com: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10855757/site/newsweek/ However, its author Howard Fineman just couldn't resist getting in a dig at Ayn Rand. He referred to Boomsday -- the new satirical novel by Christopher Buckley (William F's son) -- in which "a twenty-something 'Ayn Rand type' reacts to looming federal bankruptcy by mounting a political campaign to demand that all boomers do the patriotic thing: commit suicide at 70." Arrrrrgh. I am going to send in a brief comment, after I cool down a bit. Right now I'm just really steamed about the inter-generational pissing on Rand's grave by the Buckley family. As Michael would say, "Dayaaam." REB

For what it's worth, I still think that Dagny was unjustified in throwing aside Hank Rearden for John Galt. Ultimate-schmultimate. Dagny and Hank were friends, comrades, and lovers -- and they had a thoroughly fulfilling relationship. Plus, there was no rift of deception between them like there was between Dagny and Francisco, to ultimately doom their relationship. What was lacking? I don't get it. Also, I think Rearden took losing her to Galt just a little too magnimously, don't you think? I mean, if he had had a lapse and taken a government contract or had a quickie with Lillian while Dagny was missing, he could well understand and accept Dagny's ditching him. With well-deserved chagrin, even. But what's he supposed to make of her hopping from bed to bed in search of her "ideal man"? Is the good the enemy of the better? I also wonder if the whole scenario would have played out as well to readers if it had been Hank who cast aside Dagny in search of his "ideal woman." Atlas Shrugged resonates so well with women, in part because of the consciousness-raising of the Feminist movement, championing literary heroines being the ones in charge of the romantic destinies of all concerned, women being the ones who get to upgrade their love lives, while their erstwhile male partners are left holding the bag when they prove to have been "good, even damned good, but still not good enough." Can you imagine how disenfranchised women readers would have felt in reading a male-dominated novel, in which the heroine was treated like a used Kleenex? We have few enough women attendees at Objectivist events as it is. Want to wager how those numbers would differ if Dagny had been the one left in the dust by Hanky-poo? End of rant. I think that for literary license, Rand can do what she does, but in terms of realistic psychology, casting aside a perfectly good love relationship makes no sense. But I am willing to listen to reason on this. Anyone? REB

Barbara, thanks for the correction in re Murray Rothbard. It never did ring true that he would have been that deeply into Rand's good graces, given their respective personalities. But you're right -- like so many, I swallowed the notion that he was "excommunicated," as though he were an accepted member of Rand's close associates. Michael, I did recall one more detail (though there are probably more lurking in my patchy memory). I think it was Barbara who made the point that Rand really did love Frank, not as the "John Galt" type she made him out to be at times, but as the sweet, gentle, supportive gentleman everyone knew him to be. And that her referring to him as being Galt-like was really a dis-service to him, and that he must have suffered a lack of visibility in that respect (not being seen or appreciated for the good and unique person that he really was). I have recently heard more than I want to about Nathaniel's supposedly having a mind-body split back in the 60s, in regard to his torn romantic loyalties between Rand and Patrecia, etc. Now, I am wondering if Rand herself didn't have a similar split going on. On one level, the more explicitly philosophic level, she was driving by the image of her ideal man as the rational, productive crusader -- while on the sense of life level, her soul mate and life-long companion was anything but the dashing hero type, but instead the quiet, rock-steady pillar on which she leaned when things weren't going well. I don't know if that's mind-body or reason-emotion, or what, but it sure looks like some kind of split, wouldn't you all agree? I hasten to add that, unlike some here at objectivistliving.com, I never knew Rand or Frank, so my comments are all to be taken as heavily filtered and sifted over 40 years of hearsay. <sigh> reb

A sign in a naval base parking lot: "Amphibious vehicle parking only. Unauthorized frogs will be toad." Sal A. Mander (reb)

I don't know why it didn't occur to me sooner, but I haven't noticed anyone mention here on objectivistliving.com the sad news about Chris Sciabarra's little dog, Blondie, who passed away last weekend, from complications of a tumor. You might want to go to the Links folder and check out his Notablog entry on Blondie and/or send him condolences, if you haven't already. And my apologies for being remiss in not mentioning it before this. Best 2 all, REB

As promised, here is a report on the Los Angeles Objectivist Network get-together at Bob Barraga's home in Sherman Oaks... Becky and I motored up from Orange County, using a longer, but quicker route with all car-pool lanes that ended up getting us there right at the starting time for the event, instead of half an hour late as in November. And it was worth it, because we got to enjoy in relaxed fashion the entrance of the guests of honor: Nathaniel Branden (and his new fiancee, Lee), Barbara Branden, John Hospers, and John Roger Lee, along with the presenter for the evening, Duncan Scott. Duncan is director of the Objectivist History Project, and before I do anything else, I want to plug this project, so here is the pertinent information: The Objectivist History Project, 17010 Sunset Boulevard, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272 www.objectivisthistory.org tel. 310-454-9460. If you send them a check for $100 or more to The Objectivist Center and earmark it "OHP" (or perhaps just make out the check to Objectivist History Project), you will get a free copy of Objectivism - A Look Back, a special 45-minute DVD featuring the best of their Nathaniel and Barbara Branden, Joan Kennedy Taylor, Ed Snider, and Robert Hessen interviews, which is available only to project donors. If you give $500 or more, you get a 25% discount on each DVD from their "Members Collection." OK, sales pitch over -- and full disclosure: I don't get any kickbacks or freebies out of this. It's just for your info and convenience, if you're interested. Now, the evening -- about 38 people attended, and there were lots of tasty refreshments, including the must-have for these extended gatherings, my favorite: black coffee. :-) We had ample time to socialize, and Duncan's presentation of clips from the project was very enjoyable, but the real treat was the question period. Nathaniel and Barbara, still the intellectual partners after over 55 years, played off one another's reflections, adding clarifications, corrections, additional reminiscences and insights that were fascinating. One thing that was helpful was hearing their observation that Rand's generosity of spirit gradually eroded as she become more bitter through the 50s and 60s. The aftermath of the publication of Atlas Shrugged really brought her down, and it was only the persistent efforts of Nathaniel in counseling her and the obvious success of the Nathaniel Branden Institute in spreading her ideas that brought her back to active, enthusiastic writing and speaking. Barbara and Nathaniel also concurred in thinking that Rand was a "depressive personality," and that this was not fully clear to most people, because she had so many "resources" to draw on. (Lots of black coffee, maybe? :-) In addition to not being championed by any major American philosophers, Rand also found herself at loose ends, having finished her life work of portraying her "ideal man" in John Galt. What next? Her subsequent projected novel, primarily an action story, never materialized. Instead, she spent the remaining 25 years of her life writing all those marvelous essays and lectures that we now call "Objectivism." And that's no small thing, balanced against the effective end of her career as a novelist. (I can't imagine no longer being a musician and spending another 25 years of my life doing...what? It would have to be philosophy.) Nathaniel and Barbara also discussed how they built up NBI when everyone was saying it couldn't be done, and how they ran it from their kitchen table. They were clueless as to what lectures should cost, so they based the $6 original fee for a single lecture on what Albert Ellis (Rational-Emotive Therapy founder; he and Branden debated in the mid-60s) charged for his lectures! Amazing. Barbara also described how she developed her course on efficient thinking. She did an informal survey of her acquaintances to find out what they did when they were thinking, and what they were actually doing when they said they were thinking but obviously weren't. (I asked Duncan Scott if there were any plans by the Objectivist History Project to get her and Nathaniel's unpublished lectures into printed form, and he said no, they were focusing on the oral history angle. So, I guess someone else will have to pursue this possibility, hmmm? :-k John Hospers told us of his delight in the early stages of his short-lived relationship (1960-62) with Rand, with whom he first discussed his enormous appreciation of Atlas Shrugged. She just ate up his appreciation of how she ended each chapter with a cliff-hanger, often bigger than the previous one. When they got into other philosophical ideas, the going was tougher. Rand was suspicious of his focus on linguistic clarity (wanting to specify what definition is being used and to not confuse people by straying too far from common usage), and he had some problems with her non-standard use of concepts. He tried to get her to see that there was a real difference in perception and acceptance of "enlightened self-interest" or "long-range self-interest" vs. "selfishness," and that the latter was viewed by most people as pernicious, while simply doing what is right for yourself, like going to the doctor when sick, is in your "self-interest," but hardly "selfish" in any everyday sense of the word. Rand countered that she wanted "selfish" to be extended to all instances of self-interest. Hospers just shook his head. He also pointed out apparent conflicts in her views on sense-perception and value. He challenged her tendency to regard value, on the one hand, as relative to the individual, but, on the other hand, as certain things being the best, regardless of your individual context -- like Rachmaninoff vs. Beethoven, not just for herself but for others. (I didn't bring it up at the meeting, but I speculate here that his questioning her on this led to her later expanding the notion of "objective" so that in addition to the market phenomenon of everyone's relative values ("socially objective"), there was also the standpoint of what was good to the most rational person in a given social context ("philosophically objective"). This appeared only several years later in Rand's 1965 essay "What is Capitalism?" in The Objectivist Newsletter, later reprinted in Capitalism: the Unknown Ideal.) Hospers also suggested that attributes and values really are out there in reality in a sense and not just relative to the viewer or valuer. This may have motivated Rand's development of the trichotomy, with the intrinsic (out there) vs. the objective (out there as perceived in here) being used to sort out that kind of question. The sad note in Hospers' comments came when he told of how his relationship with Rand abruptly ended. He got her an invitation to speak at an aesthetics conference in 1962, and she spoke on "sense of life." He commented afterward, and all observers said they thought he was much gentler and respectful than the typical commentary at such meetings. Nonetheless, she took offense at something he said, and she never spoke to him again. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face! Having 6 hour conversations with published philosophers who admire one's novels is such a time-consuming hassle, anyway. Off with his head! [-( Another clarification came when Branden explained about the term "libertarianism," and how Rand very early on rejected it strictly on linguistic grounds that it was a "real mouthful" and a "made-up word." Still, she was quite sympathetic for a while, until the much-loathed anarcho-capitalist, Murray Rothbard, whom she and Nathaniel had drummed out of the Inner Circle in the late 50s, became a leading light in the Libertarian Movement. Then libertarians became hippies, anarchists, and plagiarists. It probably didn't help that another excommunicated philosopher, John Hospers, wrote the Preamble to the Libertarian Party's Platform and became its first Presidential candidate in 1972! Someone asked if Rand had ever changed her mind as the result of their efforts. Branden cited Rand's definition of "reason." In Atlas Shrugged, she defined it as the faculty that perceives, identifies, and integrates man's sense data, but after they received a question from an NBI student about the definition, Branden suggested that the definition was wrong, because we don't perceive the our sense data, we perceive reality by means of our sense data. So in "The Objectivist Ethics" and subsequently, Rand defined reason as the faculty that identifies and integrates man's sense data. However, when Branden suggested that she have the publishers of Atlas Shrugged change the definition in future printings, she refused. She simply didn't want to publicly admit that she had made an intellectual error. (What emoticon do I use for tsk-tsk? [-X ) (I note here that this tendency persisted. She defined art as re-creation of reality, yet she stated in "Art and Cognition" that one of the arts, architecture, did not re-create reality, and that another one of the arts, music, re-created reality in a way that she was unable to objectively specify. When Binswanger was putting together The Ayn Rand Lexicon, he asked her about this inconsistency when showing her the entries for the letter "A," and her request was that he not include an entry for architecture in the Lexicon. Yow! To compound the travesty, Binswanger retained an entry for "visual arts," which explicitly included architecture. Double-yow!! #-o ) I'm about out of recollections of the evening, but one more tidbit I will throw in: Branden told me that he has just finished writing a novel and a screenplay. Whether they are about the same story, he didn't say. But that is great news! I hope he gets a publisher and producer soon, and that it is the first of however many more he wants to write. =P~ I guess it goes without saying that the evening was an incredible tankful of emotional fuel for me and Becky -- and everyone there. Makes you want to go out and take on dragons or something. REB P.S. -- One more thing: Barbara said that Rand had an expanded form of the principle she espoused: "Check your premises -- and examine your implications." In other words, CYA in both directions! O:) P.P.S. -- Support the Objectivist History Project!

I lift my coffee cup to you, Kat, and everyone here who appreciates a zone of sanity and civility and synergy away from the vitriol and nastiness that drags down so many Objectivist and Libertarian discussion forums. (I know, I know: fora. But yuk, that's a funny-looking word.) And you know what? The best is yet to come! So, onward and upward!! (Lifting coffee cup again.) And hugs to all them what wants one! :-) REB

My copy of The New Individualist just showed up yesterday, and it was eye-popping =P~ , mind-engaging :-k -- and very heartening //;-)) . I think TOC has turned the corner and is on a roll, headed for better times. It must have been difficult, weathering the fall-off in contributions several years ago. Now that the economy is on the upswing, I'm sure they're breathing easier in their new HQ in DC. Maybe even celebrating. :D/ I especially liked the article on the "standards" -- the Great American Songs written primarily in the 20s through the 50s (with scattered, worthy exceptions since then). I was particularly interested since I have started a new project which may swamp everything else I have been working on. I'm going to be databasing and analyzing the standards and hits of the past 100 or so years, as well as the "best loved" classical melodies from Haydn and Mozart through Rachmaninoff (early 20th century). It is an outgrowth of my talk in San Francisco in March 2004 on "Serious Schmaltz and Passionate Pop: are there objective indicators of emotion in music?" (Of course, there are! Duh! :roll: ) But back to the article in TNI: he named so many good artists and their recordings of standards, but he left out a good number, too, so I'm going to write in and add to the list -- sort of a friendly addendum to the article, no biggie. Looking over the new format and its fine content and style, though, I think it's clear that ARI is going to have to work very hard to equal or surpass this magazine. I'm sure we all feel their pain right now. :-({|= Anyway, I think it is a real coup for TOC. REB

Guys, I appreciate the kind words. Jody, I do try to be provocative and interesting -- and clear in how I say it. Barbara told me that, even when she disagreed with me, she appreciated the clear manner in which I said it. Style is important to me, and sometimes I even experience an essay or a passage I have written as going beyond just an argument and approaching art. That is a really good, exciting feeling. But in general, I'm happy when I can stimulate people to think outside the box that others would be content to keep us in. (No names :-) Oh, and I owe you all a report on that fantastic LAON meeting the other night with Duncan Scott, Nathaniel and Barbara Branden, and John Hospers. Stay tuned! Best, REB

Michael, I agree with you, and I'm sad that these lectures have been in existence for over FORTY years and have yet to make it into printed form. I will definitely be asking Barbara about this when Becky and I have dinner with her and James and Sergio (friends of Barbara's) this Saturday night. My own hunch is that Barbara is working on something for publication in this area, possibly even an updated and expanded version of the lectures -- or, more likely, a book on the subject, updating and expanding on the ideas. If so, then she is unlikely to want to publish the earlier version. But that remains to be seen. Isn't it curious and unfortunate that, of all the useful lectures in this area (including logic), NONE of them have made it out of the audio realm? David Kelley's logic book may seem to be an exception -- but it did not start out as a lecture series! Peikoff's Understanding Objectivism sounds like a series that would have been especially valuable to have in book form (though Becky and I haven't listened to our set yet). Binswanger's wife, Jean Moroney (sp?), has a set of lectures that sound similar to Barbara's, though I don't think they are even currently being marketed. Thinking well is what Objectivism is all about! It is our methodology for using our tool of survival -- and yet, we don't have a single handbook for it! (Again, Kelley's logic book is the closest think we have, but it's narrower and more traditionally focused than the efficient or effective thinking approach.) So, I have hopes to be able to persuade Barbara to put these lectures out in book form -- or at least to find out something encouraging as to what she may be planning along these lines. REB

You're welcome, Michael! When Nathaniel and I have our lunch engagement on Jan. 25, it will be "on the table" (pardon the expression). I will be running a number of proposals by him, and I'll let you know the outcome of our discussion. It's too bad you don't live out here in SoCal -- then you could be there with me to help me pitch the proposals! REB

Duncan Scott, who will be showing the Objectivist History video clips tonight, is bringing along several special guests, including Nathaniel Branden and Barbara Branden, as well as philosophers John Hospers and John Roger Lee, both associated with Objectivist publications and activities in the past. I wish you all could be there. This is going to be an evening to remember! REB

We are so fortunate that these lectures have not disappeared down the memory hole, but are being distributed in CD format by The Objectivist Center. Still, it would be wonderful to have a transcribed version of the lectures, to go along with the recordings. Far too much of our Objectivist heritage is locked up in relatively inconvenient aural form, and this needs to change! Here is the copy for the brochure Academic Associates used in marketing Nathaniel's lectures in the early 1970s...enjoy! REB ================================================================== For ten years--from 1958 to 1968--Mr. Branden's lectures on "Basic Principles of Objectivism" were given at Nathaniel Branden Institute in New York City and, via tape transcription, to groups in over eighty cities throughout the United States and abroad. More than 35,000 students have attended these lectures. Until now, this course has never been available in any other form. "Basic Principles of Objectivism" is a detailed, systematic exposition of the philosophy defined by Ayn Rand and introduced in her novels, Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead. The lectures are devoted to a presentation of Miss Rand's philosophy--and to Mr. Branden's application of Objectivism to his own field, psychology. Special emphasis is given to the concepts of human nature, mental health and personal development. In 1968, Mr. Branden closed NBI to devote his full time to the further development of his psychological system: Biocentric Psychology. He is now living in Los Angeles where, in addition to teaching and research activities, he is engaged in the practice of personal and vocational counseling. Academic Associates, an educational service corporation, was fortunate in being able to arrange with Mr. Branden for the release of his lectures in recorded form--so that this monumental work may continue to be available for study. The recorded lectures are particularly suitable for playing to clubs, schools, and private gatherings of present and potential students of Objectivism. With the exception of Lecture Six, which is given by Barbara Branden (lecturer, writer and formerly Administrative Director of NBI), all of these lectures are delivered by Nathaniel Branden. Some have been revised and re-recorded, but the course is the same as the lectures originally presented by NBI. 1. The Role of Philosophy. What is philosophy?--The historical role of reason--The bankruptcy of today's culture--Objectivism--Objectivism vs. subjectivism. 2. What is Reason? The process of abstraction and concept-formation--The subconscious--Reason and emotions. 3. Logic and Mysticism. Identity and causality--The validity of the senses--Reason vs. mysticism. 4. The Concept of God. Is the concept meaningful?--Are the arguments for the existence of God logically defensible?--The destructiveness of the concept of God. 5. Free Will. The meaning and nature of volition--The fallacy of psychological determinism--Free will as the choice to think or not to think. 6. Efficient Thinking. The nature of clear thinking--Pseudo-thinking--The nature of definitions--Common thinking errors. Guest lecture by Barbara Branden 7. Self-Esteem. Why self-esteem is man's deepest psychological need--The consequences of the failure to achieve self-esteem. 8. The Psychology of Dependence. The independent mind vs. the "socialized mind"--Social Metaphysics--The revolt against the responsibility of a volitional consciousness. 9. The Objectivist Ethics. Foundation of the Objectivist ethics--Man's life as the standard of value--Rationality as the foremost virtue--Happiness as the moral goal of life. 10. Reason and Virtue. Independence, honesty, integrity, productiveness--Their relation to survival and mental health. 11. Justice vs. Mercy. The nature of justice--The importance of passing moral judgments--The virtue of pride. 12. The Evil of Self-Sacrifice. The ethics of altruism--Altruism as anti-man and anti-life. 13. Government and the Individual. The principles of a proper political system--Individual rights--Freedom vs. compulsion. 14. The Economics of a Free Society. Basic principles of exchange--Division of labor--The mechanism of a free market--Profits and wealth--"The pyramid of ability." 15. Common Fallacies About Capitalism. Monopolies--depressions--labor unions--inherited wealth. 16. The Psychology of Sex. A person's sexual choices as the expression of his deepest values--Sex and self-esteem. 17. Romanticism, Naturalism and the Novels of Ayn Rand, Part I. Naturalism and fatalism--Romanticism and free will--The literary method of Ayn Rand. 18. Romanticism, Naturalism and the Novels of Ayn Rand, Part II. 19. The Nature of Evil. Why evil is impotent--What makes the "victory" of evil possible--"The sanction of the victim." 20. The Benevolent Sense of Life. Why many human beings repress and drive underground, not the worst within them, but the best--A benevolent vs. malevolent sense of life.

IMO, these lectures should be transcribed and sold as a book!! Perhaps updated, expanded, or whatever -- but definitely offered in written form. They're part of our Objectivist heritage! I know, they're available (still, I hope, aren't they?) from Laissez-Faire Books as tapes or CDs. If they're not, then maybe we could approach The Objectivist Center (who sell Nathaniel's Basic Principles lectures on CD), perhaps as a combined recorded/printed version. Thoughts on this? In the meantime, here is the copy from the brochure Academic Associates sent out in the early 1970s. Enjoy! REB ======================================================= 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 Nathaniel Branden Institute, the course was attended by tens of thousands of students in cities throughout the United States and Canada. With the closing of NBI (of which Barbara Branden was Administrative Director), and with Miss Branden now devoting her full time to writing a novel, these lectures have not been availab.e Academic Associates, an educational service corporation, was fortunate in being able to arrange for the release of these lectures in permanent form. The entire course has been recorded on twenty long-play records; each lecture is complete on two records in a beautiful, deluxe album. 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 have been re-recorded, to improve sound quality, to slightly revise, to update references and to make the contents readily understandable to those with no previous philosophical raining. The course is substantially the same as that offered by NBI, which proved to be one of the Institute's most popular courses. 1. Introduction to Thinking. Why a science of thinking is necessary--Consequences of faulty thinking methods--The relation between efficient thinking and intelligence--the philosophical presuppositions of efficient thinking. 2. Focusing and Problem-Solving. Levels of mental focus--The state of full mental clarity--The motives and the consequences of the failure to focus mentally--The role of purpose, specificity and question-asking in problem-solving. 3. The Automatic Functions of the Mind. The nature of the subconscious--The proper use of the subconscious--Subconscious integrations and the emotions--Creative thinking and the subconscious--The psychology of "inspiration." 4. The Conceptual Level of Consciousness (Part 1). Concepts as the "microfilm" of the mind--The destroyers of intelligence--Thinking in principles--Thinking in essentials--"Concrete-bound thinking"--"Counterfeit" thinking. 5. The Conceptual Level of Consciousness (Part 2). The "socialized consciousness" and the destruction of language--The importance of knowing the source and validation of one's concepts--The role of integration in thinking--Evasion as the sabotaging of consciousness--Context-holding. 6. Emotions as Tools of Cognition. The manner in which wishes and fears can distort the thinking processes--"Emotional-perceptual" thinking; its nature, causes, mechanism and consequences. 7. Language and Definitions. Language as the tool of thought--The substitution of images and emotions for language--Non-verbal and sub-verbal "thought"--Basic principles of definitions. 8. Common Aberrations in Thinking. The fallacy of equating an abstraction with a concrete--The danger of false axioms--Failures of discrimination in thinking--Intellectual "package-dealing"--"Thinking in a square"--Psycho-epistemological "Platonism." 9. The Fallacy of the "Stolen Concept" (Guest lecture by Nathaniel Branden). The meaning of the "stolen concept"--Common examples of the fallacy: "All property is theft"; "I think, therefore I am"; "Who created the universe?"; "The rights of the public supercede individual rights"; "The acceptance of reason is an act of faith." 10. Psychological Causes of Inefficient Thinking. The surrender of the will to efficacy--Failure of self-esteem--The "malevolent universe" premise--Social metaphysics--Emotional repression--The source and conditions of intellectual certainty.

Barbara Branden, who is the former Executive Vice-President of Nathaniel Branden Institute and the author of The Passion of Ayn Rand, is also a talented essayist and reviewer. In this folder, we are presenting, with Barbara's permission, a number of reviews of books and movies that were published in The Objectivist Newsletter, The Objectivist, Academic Associates’ Book News, and Libertarian Review, between 1962 and 1975. In separate folders, we also have posted, with Barbara's permission, her 1959 essay "The Moral Antagonism of Capitalism and Socialism" and a 1962 essay "Capitalism and Religion." As you can see, Barbara did some really classy essays and reviews back in the good old days! Here are the essay and review titles, with links to those posted to date...reb ============================================== Barbara Branden Reviews… Compiled and edited by Roger E. Bissell Table of Contents "The Moral Antagonism of Capitalism and Socialism" (1959, Nathaniel Branden Institute) [text added in separate folder on 9/05/06] "Capitalism and Religion" (March 1962, The Objectivist Newsletter) [text added in separate folder on 9/05/06] Planned Chaos by Ludwig von Mises (January 1962, Objectivist Newsletter) [text added below on 9/05/06] The Roosevelt Myth by John T. Flynn (December 1962, Objectivist Newsletter) [text added below on 9/12/06] Our Man Flint (movie) in “Cultural Barometer” (February 1966, The Objectivist) [text added below on 10/01/06] In Cold Blood by Truman Capote in “Cultural Barometer” (February 1966, The Objectivist) [text added below on 10/01/06] The Oscar, Dear John, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and Born Free (movies) in “Cultural Barometer” (September 1966, The Objectivist) [text added below on 10/15/06] Capable of Honor by Allen Drury in “Cultural Barometer” (October 1966, The Objectivist) [text added below on 10/15/06] War and Peace (stage adaptation) in “Cultural Barometer” (April 1967, The Objectivist) Tony Rome, Reflections in a Golden Eye, A Man for All Seasons, and In the Heat of the Night in “Cultural Barometer” (January 1968, The Objectivist) The True Believer by Eric Hoffer (Summer 1969, Academic Associates Book News #1) [text added below on 6/12/06] The Art of Making Sense by Lionel Ruby (Fall 1969, AABN #2) [text added below on 6/21/06] The Greek Experience by C. M. Bowra (Holiday 1969, AABN #3) [text added below on 8/3/06] Thinking as a Science by Henry Hazlitt (Holiday 1969, AABN #3) [text added below on 8/14/06] Academic Freedom and Academic Anarchy by Sidney Hook (June 1970, AABN #4) How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler (reviewed with John Nesbitt Myers, June 1970, AABN #4) The Lotus and the Robot by Arthur Koestler (reviewed with Robert Berole, June 1970, AABN #4) The Face of the Third Reich by Joachim C. Fest (October 1970, AABN #5) The Body Has a Head by Gustav Eckstein (October 1970, AABN #5) Understanding Human Sexual Inadequacy (October 1970, AABN #5) Fallacy, the Counterfeit of an Argument by W. W. Fearnside & W. B. Holther (Spring 1971, AABN #6) The Baby Trap by Ellen Peck (Spring 1971, AABN #6) The News Twisters by Edith Efron (Fall 1971, AABN #7) The Enormous Leap of Alphonse Frog by Michael Hallward (April 1972, AABN #8 ) The Road to Serfdom by Friedrich A. Hayek (April 1972, AABN #8 ) Nine Lies About America by Arnold Beichman (1972, AABN Mid-Season Bulletin) How CBS Tried to Kill a Book by Edith Efron (Fall 1972, AABN #9) Ninotchka, North by Northwest, and Adam’s Rib (The MGM Library of Film Scripts) (Fall 1972, AABN #9) The Politics of Liberty (2-record LP album) by John Hospers (February 1973, AABN #10) [text added below on 10/15/06] The Odessa File by Frederick Forsyth (February 1973, AABN #10) Chinatown & Deathwish in “Cinema in Review” (October 1974, Libertarian Review) [text added below on 9/12/06] Obedience to Authority by Stanley Milgram (October 1975, Libertarian Review) [text added below on 8/29/06]

Becky and I have been fortunate enough to be able to attend three ARI lectures, free to the public, in Irvine, CA this past year, including one by Peter Schwartz on Rand's ethics, one by Yaron Brook on Neo-Conservativism, and one by Keith Lockitch (sp?) on Intelligent Design. (I managed to sneak into the question period of the latter two events. :-$ ) We just got a postcard announcing lectures for the first half of 2006, beginning with Peter Schwartz, who is going to talk on Wed., Jan. 25 on "America's Foreign Policy": Self-Interest vs. Self-Sacrifice." That should be quite interesting. I wonder if any Libertarians of the non-interventionist variety will show up and get in some licks during the question period. :| Here is the pitch for Schwartz's talk: The other lectures announced so far include:

Phil, you are right that a more balanced treatment of the Objectivist philosophy would be good for all concerned. TOC was going to publish a nifty monograph on my "Art as Microcosm" essay, which would have included critiques by Michelle Kamhi and John Hospers, plus my rejoinder essay, but because of funding cutbacks, they pulled the plug on it. Both TOC and ARI have published very nice books on Rand's fiction writing in the past several years. Will Thomas's edited volume, The Literary Art of Ayn Rand, is the most recent, but ARI put out books on We the Living and Anthem which are both quite good. And each of those books contains numerous essays. It's a real feast for the literary oriented. For this July's TOC Summer Seminar, I tried to interest Will Thomas in my talk on emotion in music. Here is what I pitched to him: He rejected this (and two other proposals). However, he did accept my proposal for an hour of Romantic and Jazz music by me (on trombone and vocals) and my pianist. Here is the title and description of what we will be doing the evening of July 4 in Orange, CA, along with our bios: So, there is hope, after all. [-o< But it has been my long experience that aesthetics has been treated as the poor step-child of the Objectivist movement. [-X And this goes back to the late 1960s in my recollection. Ethics and especially politics just have more "octane" in driving interest in Objectivism, and they probably always will. REB

Becky and I will be going to the Los Angeles Objectivist Network meeting this Saturday night (Jan. 12). The information on it is below. We went to the meeting in November, which discussed how Objectivist had influenced our lives. Tibor Machan spoke at the December meeting (which we couldn't attend because we were out of town). Best to all, REB ================================================================ If you haven't received the e-vite for the December salon, go to http://www.evite.com/scottsch@alum.mit.edu/LAON_Jan06 and add yourself. (You only ever have to do this once. This will allow you to receive updates, RSVP for yourself, and get future e-vites.) I'm happy to invite you to the first LAON Salon of 2006. By popular request, Duncan Scott will show interviews from his Objectivist History Project. One interviewee, John Hospers, is a well-respected figure in academic philosophy. His discussions with Rand were some of Objectivism's earliest encounters with academic philosophy. Other interviewees will include Barbara Branden (a recent interview), and, depending on interest, Robert Hessen, Nathaniel Branden, Joan Kennedy Taylor, and Ed Snyder. Duncan's Objectivist History Project is "a series of video tape interviews to capture and preserve eyewitness accounts of the birth of Objectivism." He has been taping interviews since 2003.

Announcing: the Philosophy of Superjective Extrinsicism created by Roger E. Bissell Subjectivism is bad, so SUPERJECTIVISM must be GOOD! Intrinsicism is bad, so EXTRINSICISM must be GOOD! Voila, the name for my new anti-intrinsicist philosophy! And it's mine, all mine, moo-wa-ha-ha-ha-haaaaaa! >:-D You guys can use it, too, if you want. :-) Examples: Paying one’s rent is action in accordance with the Extrinsicist Ethics. Paying it after the late date and thereby avoiding eviction is Superjective Extrinsicism. Refraining from evading reality is a key tenet of the Extrinsicist Psychology. Squinting a little and merging reality into a blur is Superjective Extrinsicism. By the Extrinsicist theory of Friendship, a good Internet Buddy is like a second CyberSelf. (Also see my new theory of the Magnanimous Webmeister.) Roger E. (Extrinsicist) Bissell P.S.--The first insight of this theory was actually made back about 1971, when I was thinking about physics (both the meta- and the non-meta- varieties :-), and I pondered what the heck physicists mean by "inertia," which they usually define as the power or tendency of a thing to resist a change in its current state (of motion or rest). Like "Old Man River," it just keeps rollin' along! :-) Well, I got inspired and thought that, in relation to any thing and its inertia, there had to be a corresponding attribute of every other thing, namely, the power or tendency of a thing to overcome another thing's resistance to a change in its current state. Something that has the power to create change in other things or people, we could say then, has exertia.* Or, as the little guys on "South Park" say: "It kicks ass, dude!" "Exertia—it's not just another pretty word." "Exertia—don't try to fight it, just lie there and enjoy it." "Exertia—resistance is futile." (Slogans from my forthcoming ad campaign.) * I'm actually serious about the concept of "exertia." I just can't get physicists and engineers interested in it. :-( BTW, I'm proud to tell you of one of my most exciting inventions, a logical extension (?) of thong underwear. I call it: "the pant-less crotchie." (Use your imagination.) They are adhesive cover-ups with no straps or bands of any kind. I have sort of a corner on the market, because I went around to the dumpsters behind all the lingerie factories that made the crotchless panties and....well, you know the rest. :-)

Nathaniel Branden Reviews… Compiled and edited by Roger E. Bissell Folks, I think that this is a book "whose time has come." Like others, I have been profoundly influenced by the book reviews in The Objectivist Newsletter, The Objectivist, Academic Associates' Book News, Books for Libertarian, Libertarian Review, Reason, etc. I especially appreciate the works of Arthur Koestler, Mortimer Adler, and Henry B. Veatch having been brought to my attention. I can't imagine my outlook being the same without their ideas having been folded into my general Objectivist framework. In addition to the reviews themselves, I envision this book as having a foreward by myself, as well as a capstone essay by Nathaniel on the reviews, including second thoughts, additional comments, and perhaps some broader remarks about book reading for pleasure, education, and research. I'm sure Nathaniel has written more book reviews than these, but I have not perused any of the back issues of Reason, Libertarian Review, etc. to locate them. I'd appreciate help in rounding up additional reviews. When I see Nathaniel later this month, I'm going to present this idea to him, along with the idea for the "lexicon" and the "quotes" books. I'll let you know his reaction to the idea -- or he is welcome to chime in here on the list, of course!...REB Table of Contents “An analysis of the novels of Ayn Rand” (in Who is Ayn Rand? 1962) [Most of this material would probably not be included in the compilation.] Part I: "The Moral Revolution in Atlas Shrugged" (republished as a monograph by The Objectivist Center) Part II: "Objectivism and Psychology" [this might be included, unless Nathaniel strenuously objects Part III: "The Literary Method of Ayn Rand" (republished in The Literary Art of Ayn Rand, edited by Will Thomas, 2005, The Objectivist Center) Planning for Freedom by Ludwig von Mises (September 1962, Objectivist Newsletter) [text added below on 9/05/06] Reason and Analysis by Brand Blanshard (February 1963, ON) [text added below on 8/29/06] Human Action by Ludwig von Mises (September 1963, ON) [text added below on 9/05/06] “Alienation,” with extended comments on Man for Himself, The Art of Loving, The Sane Society, Escape from Freedom by Erich Fromm (July-September 1965, ON, republished in Capitalism: the Unknown Ideal). [This essay would probably not be included in the compilation.] The Act of Creation by Arthur Koestler (Summer 1969, Academic Associates' Book News #1) [text added below on 6/12/06] The World of the Formerly Married by Morton M. Hunt (Fall 1969, AABN #2) [text added below on 10/01/06] The Action Approach by George Weinberg (Fall 1969, AABN #2) [text added below on 10/01/06] The Ghost in the Machine by Arthur Koestler (Fall 1969, AABN #2) [text added below on 6/21/06] Man and Aggression by M. F. Ashley Montagu (Holiday 1969, AABN #3) [text added below on 10/01/06] The Great Psychologists: from Aristotle to Freud by Robert I. Watson (Holiday 1969, AABN #3) [text added below on 10/01/06] The Difference of Man and the Difference It Makes by Mortimer J. Adler (Holiday 1969, AABN #3) [text added below on 8/03/06] Man vs. the Welfare State by Henry Hazlitt (June 1970, AABN #4) [text added below on 10/01/06] Human Sexual Inadequacy by William H. Masters and Virginia E. Johnson (June 1970, AABN #4) The Sex Researchers by Edward M. Brecher (June 1970, AABN #4) The Godfather by Mario Puzo (June 1970, AABN #4) Omnipotent Government, Bureaucracy, Theory and History by Ludwig von Mises (June 1970, AABN #4) [text added below on 9/05/06] The Love Fraud by Edith de Rham (October 1970, AABN #5) Excerpt from foreword to Explorations in Hypnosis by Dave Elman (October 1970, AABN #5) [text added below on 9/12/06] The Natural History of Love by Morton M. Hunt (October 1970, AABN #5) Libertarianism by John Hospers (Spring 1971, AABN #6) How You Can Profit from the Coming Devaluation by Harry Browne, Jr. (Spring 1971, AABN #6) The Way Things Work: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Technology by Simon and Schuster (Spring 1971, AABN #6) The University under Siege edited by Jacquelyn Estrada (Spring 1971, AABN #6) Sex in History by G. Rattray Taylor (Fall 1971, AABN #7) Four Minutes to Life by Ann Cutler (Fall 1971, AABN #7) The Complete Guide to Hypnosis by Leslie M. LeCron (Fall 1971, AABN #7) [text added below on 9/12/06] The New Racism by Lionel Lokos (Fall 1971, AABN #7) Open Marriage by Nena O’Neill and George O’Neill (1971-72, AABN Mid-Season Bulletin) The Way Things Work—Volume Two by Simon and Schuster (1971-72, AABN Mid-Season Bulletin) Sexual Myths and Fallacies by James Leslie McCary (1971-72, AABN Mid-Season Bulletin) Awareness: Exploring, Experimenting, Experiencing by John Stevens (1971-72, AABN Mid-Season Bulletin) Teacher and Child: A Book for Parents and Teachers by Haim Ginott (April 1972, AABN #8 ) Envy by Helmut Schoeck (April 1972, AABN #8 ) Parent Effectiveness Training by Thomas Gordon (April 1972, AABN #8 ) Psychosomatics by Howard R. and Martha E. Lewis (1972, AABN Mid-Season Bulletin) Hypnosis: Is It for You? by Lewis R. Wolberg, M.D. (1972, AABN Mid-Season Bulletin) [text added below on 9/12/06] On Becoming a Person by Carl R. Rogers (1972, AABN Mid-Season Bulletin) The Right to Be Different by Nicholas N. Kittrie (Fall 1972, AABN #9) The Mind of Adolph Hitler by Walter C. Langer (Fall 1972, AABN #9) Atheism: The Case against God by George H. Smith (February 1973, AABN #10) [text added below on 8/24/06] Prisoners of Psychiatry by Bruce Ennis (February 1973, AABN #10) Sex Talk by Myron Brenton (February 1973, AABN #10) The Creative Experience edited by Stanley Rosner and Lawrence E. Abt (May 1973, AABN #11) The Female Orgasm by Seymour Fisher (May 1973, AABN #11) Therapist by Ellen Plasil (Summer, 1987, Free Inquiry)