|
Showing 1 - 6 of
6 matches in All Departments
While the fiction of novelist-philosopher Ayn Rand is extremely
popular and enduring, little has been written on it so far. This
book consists of essays, most of which are new, by top Rand
scholars on Atlas Shrugged, her magnum opus. The essays deal with
historical, literary, and philosophical topics, surpassing related
writings in breadth and depth of analysis. The historical essays
cover the writing of Atlas Shrugged, its publication history, and
its reception. The literary essays cover analysis of the novel's
plot, theme, and characterization; comparisons with other works,
such as the novels of Hugo, Dostoyevsky, and Joyce; and the proper
approach to adapting Atlas Shrugged to film. The philosophical
essays cover a vast range of topics, including the place of Galt's
speech in the novel, the role of the mind in human life, and the
evil of non-objective law. Some of the essays make use of
previously unpublished material from the Ayn Rand Archives.
What is the actual basis of terms such as "goal," "function," and
"for the sake of"? Can these teleological concepts be validly
applied to non-conscious biological processes such as the
heartbeat, plant growth, and cellular metabolism? Does the behavior
of any inanimate objects, natural or man-made, qualify as
goal-directed? To resolve these issues, Harry Binswanger provides a
unique approach combining factual and epistemological
considerations. If human purposeful action is the paradigm case of
goal-directed action, then regarding a non-purposeful process as
goal-directed means taking it to be causally similar to purposeful
action. Accordingly, to determine the proper extent of teleological
concepts, Binswanger provides an analysis of purposeful action and
a point-by-point comparison of the features of purposeful action to
those of vegetative and inanimate processes. He concludes that
natural selection, in adapting actions to ends with survival value,
does make all living action qualify as goal-directed, and that no
inanimate process qualifies. An appendix compares Binswanger's
views with those of Larry Wright and Andrew Woodfield.
|
Essays on Ayn Rand's Anthem (Paperback)
Robert Mayhew; Contributions by Michael S Berliner, Andy Bernstein, Harry Binswanger, Tore Boeckmann, …
|
R1,231
Discovery Miles 12 310
|
Ships in 12 - 17 working days
|
In this first book-length study of Ayn Rand's anti-utopia Anthem,
essays explore the historical, literary, and philosophical themes
presiding in this novella written in opposition to the
totalitarianism of the Soviet Union (and Nazi Germany). Written in
1937, published in 1938 in Britain, and subsequently in a revised
form in the United States in 1946, Anthem investigates the
importance of the ego and freedom, and the individual against the
state. Editor Robert Mayhew has collected a variety of essays
dealing with such topics including: the history behind the
novella's creation, publication, and reception; its connection to
other anti-utopian novels; and, the significance of ego and
freedom, which it portrays and defends. This book is important to
philosophers as well as readers looking to gain a better
understanding of Ayn Rand and Anthem.
While the fiction of novelist-philosopher Ayn Rand is extremely
popular and enduring, little has been written on it so far. This
book consists of essays, most of which are new, by top Rand
scholars on Atlas Shrugged, her magnum opus. The essays deal with
historical, literary, and philosophical topics, surpassing related
writings in breadth and depth of analysis. The historical essays
cover the writing of Atlas Shrugged, its publication history, and
its reception. The literary essays cover analysis of the novel's
plot, theme, and characterization; comparisons with other works,
such as the novels of Hugo, Dostoyevsky, and Joyce; and the proper
approach to adapting Atlas Shrugged to film. The philosophical
essays cover a vast range of topics, including the place of Galt's
speech in the novel, the role of the mind in human life, and the
evil of non-objective law. Some of the essays make use of
previously unpublished material from the Ayn Rand Archives.
Today man's mind is under attack by all the leading schools of philosophy. We are told that we cannot trust our senses, that logic is arbitrary, that concepts have no basis in reality. Ayn Rand opposes that torrent of nihilism, and she provides the alternative in this eloquent presentation of the essential nature--and power--of man's conceptual faculty. She offers a startlingly original solution to the problem that brought about the collapse of modern philosophy: the problem of universals. This brilliantly argued, superbly written work, together with an essay by philosophy professor Leonard Peikoff, is vital reading for all those who seek to discover that human beings can and should live by the guidance of reason.
|
You may like...
Barbie
Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling
Blu-ray disc
R256
Discovery Miles 2 560
Loot
Nadine Gordimer
Paperback
(2)
R383
R318
Discovery Miles 3 180
|