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''For the New Intellectual: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand'' is a 1961 work by the philosopher
Ayn Rand Alice O'Connor (born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum;, . Most sources transliterate her given name as either ''Alisa'' or ''Alissa''. , 1905 – March 6, 1982), better known by her pen name Ayn Rand (), was a Russian-born American writer and p ...
. It is her first long non-fiction book. Much of the material consists of excerpts from Rand's novels, supplemented by a long title essay that focuses on the
history of philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
.


History

Starting from the mid-1930s, Russian-American author Ayn Rand had worked as a writer of fiction, including plays, screenplays, and novels. Her fiction, especially her novels, contained expressions of her political and philosophical ideas, often in the form of
monologue In theatre, a monologue (from el, μονόλογος, from μόνος ''mónos'', "alone, solitary" and λόγος ''lógos'', "speech") is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes a ...
s delivered by her characters. Her most successful novels, ''
The Fountainhead ''The Fountainhead'' is a 1943 novel by Russian-American author Ayn Rand, her first major literary success. The novel's protagonist, Howard Roark, is an intransigent young architect, who battles against conventional standards and refuses to com ...
'' (1943) and ''
Atlas Shrugged ''Atlas Shrugged'' is a 1957 novel by Ayn Rand. It was her longest novel, the fourth and final one published during her lifetime, and the one she considered her '' magnum opus'' in the realm of fiction writing. ''Atlas Shrugged'' includes eleme ...
'' (1957), had attracted a group of admirers interested in Rand's ideas. She began delivering lectures at colleges, including one at
Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
in November 1960 titled "For the New Intellectual". A revised version of the Yale speech became the title essay of ''For the New Intellectual'', which was published by
Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...
in 1961. It was the first of several non-fiction volumes collecting Rand's essays and speeches. It was also the last book Rand published with Random House. She left the publisher following a dispute over her next book. In 1963, a paperback edition was published by
New American Library The New American Library (also known as NAL) is an American publisher based in New York, founded in 1948. Its initial focus was affordable paperback reprints of classics and scholarly works as well as popular and pulp fiction, but it now publishe ...
.


Summary

The excerpts from Rand's novels are all speeches on various topics, with the clear majority of the speeches coming from her main novels ''
The Fountainhead ''The Fountainhead'' is a 1943 novel by Russian-American author Ayn Rand, her first major literary success. The novel's protagonist, Howard Roark, is an intransigent young architect, who battles against conventional standards and refuses to com ...
'' and ''
Atlas Shrugged ''Atlas Shrugged'' is a 1957 novel by Ayn Rand. It was her longest novel, the fourth and final one published during her lifetime, and the one she considered her '' magnum opus'' in the realm of fiction writing. ''Atlas Shrugged'' includes eleme ...
''. Her novels ''
Anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...
'' and ''
We the Living ''We the Living'' is the debut novel of the Russian American novelist Ayn Rand. It is a story of life in post-revolutionary Russia and was Rand's first statement against communism. Rand observes in the foreword that ''We the Living'' was the cl ...
'' each contribute one excerpt. The speech from ''We The Living'' is spoken by the main female character Kira Argounova, to the communist Andrei Taganov (one of the two male lead characters). There are three speeches from ''The Fountainhead'': one by the antagonist Ellsworth Toohey, one which is actually more of a conversation between the sympathetic character Gail Wynand and the hero Howard Roark, and one which is Howard Roark's triumphant courtroom speech. The last is a statement of Rand's philosophy as it existed at the time of writing ''The Fountainhead'', and is a testimony to the human spirit expressed in individual invention and achievement. There are six excerpts from ''Atlas Shrugged'', all speeches by various protagonists. The topics covered by the speeches are the philosophical nature of money, the psychology of sexual desire (of a man for a woman), the condemnation encountered by successful industrialists, socialized (i.e. government-regulated) medicine, the motivation of profit versus the public good (from the perspective of an industrialist), and a 60-page statement of Rand's philosophy of
Objectivism Objectivism is a philosophical system developed by Russian Americans, Russian-American writer and philosopher Ayn Rand. She described it as "the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with prod ...
. The title essay discusses the history of philosophy with particular emphasis on what Rand sees as the grievous missteps and errors committed along the way. She uses two terms to illustrate the most notorious individuals who have played a role in the history of philosophy: "
Attila Attila (, ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th century AD. According to European traditio ...
" and "
Witch Doctor A witch doctor (also spelled witch-doctor) was originally a type of Folk healer, healer who treated ailments believed to be caused by witchcraft. The term is now more commonly used to refer to Alternative medicine, healers, particularly in region ...
". She categorizes various participants in human history, who have been a force for evil in her view, as being an "Attila" or "Witch Doctor". An "Attila" is someone in history who used physical ("brute") force to accomplish goals. A "Witch Doctor" is someone (often a philosopher, religious person, or other type of intellectual) who has used the written or spoken word to persuade people to go against their rational minds, often to the advantage of the "Attila" who is currently in power. She concludes the title essay by saying that she hopes a type of "new intellectual" will gain prominence. The new intellectual will promote the use of reason to persuade others, as opposed to reliance on force, or the threat of force, in order to persuade by fear.


Reception

The book received a number of reviews at the time of its release, although significantly fewer than Rand's novels had received. In ''
The New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...
'', the philosopher
Sidney Hook Sidney Hook (December 20, 1902 – July 12, 1989) was an American philosopher of pragmatism known for his contributions to the philosophy of history, the philosophy of education, political theory, and ethics. After embracing communism in his youth ...
called it a "unique combination of tautology and extravagant absurdity." In a negative review for ''
Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...
'',
Gore Vidal Eugene Luther Gore Vidal (; born Eugene Louis Vidal, October 3, 1925 – July 31, 2012) was an American writer and public intellectual known for his epigrammatic wit, erudition, and patrician manner. Vidal was bisexual, and in his novels and ...
said Rand "must be read to be believed" and that "Her 'philosophy' is nearly perfect in its immorality". In ''
The New Republic ''The New Republic'' is an American magazine of commentary on politics, contemporary culture, and the arts. Founded in 1914 by several leaders of the progressive movement, it attempted to find a balance between "a liberalism centered in hum ...
'', reviewer Joel Rosenbloom described Rand's philosophy as "pretentious nonsense" and predicted "little likelihood of an expanding future for Miss Rand's system or her following." Rand bibliographer
Mimi Reisel Gladstein Mimi Reisel Gladstein (born 1936) is a professor of English and Theatre Arts at the University of Texas at El Paso. Her specialties include authors such as Ayn Rand and John Steinbeck, as well as women's studies, theatre arts and 18th-century ...
called Rand's title essay the "major attraction for those who have already read the novels". The historian James T. Baker said the essay "represents Rand's first step from fiction to public philosophy," and called the view of history it presents "intriguing and creative if a bit fantastic". Biographer Anne Heller described it as "a mixture of historical parable and madcap fairy tale", and said it began Rand's "almost fanatical crusade" against German philosopher
Immanuel Kant Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and ...
, who Rand describes as a highly negative influence on modern philosophy.


See also

*
Bibliography of Ayn Rand and Objectivism This is a bibliography for Ayn Rand and Objectivism. Objectivism is a philosophical system initially developed in the 20th century by Rand. Works by Rand The lists below provide information on Rand's major works and collections. Where there are ...


References


Works cited

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:For The New Intellectual 1961 non-fiction books American non-fiction books Books about atheism Books by Ayn Rand English-language books Objectivist books Random House books