Foundations of a Free Society: Reflections on Ayn Rand's Political Philosophy (Ayn Rand Society Philosophical Studies)

For many people, the continued interest in Ayn Rand is puzzling. This new book, edited by two philosophers with a deep knowledge of Rand's ideas, answers that question.Though the focus is on Rand's political philosophy, the scope of the book extends to all aspects of her thought--from her "primacy of existence" metaphysics to her unique conception of objectivity in epistemology to her ethics of rational self-interest. As the authors show, Rand's distinctive political conclusions are shaped by these deeper ideas in a way that distinguishes her from libertarians and conservatives with whom she is typically categorized.For example, in Robert Tarr's contribution, "Economic Theory and Conceptions of Value: Rand and Austrians versus the Mainstream," we learn how Rand's epistemology and ethics lead to a distinctive understanding of how a free market functions (and more broadly to a distinctive understanding of what the subject of economics studies). We also see how her analysis deepens and strengthens ideas implicit in the economic analysis by Austrian economists such as Ludwig von Mises.Similarly, in several of the contributions including two by Harry Binswanger, we see how understanding Rand's concept of objectivity leads her to view anarchism, not as a cousin of freedom but as its antithesis.In Onkar Ghate's "Rand (contra Nozick)" we see how Rand's ethics of rational egoism leads her to approach political philosophy in a much deeper way than Nozick. Whereas Nozick starts by asking, "Is a state necessary?" Rand sees the first issue as understanding the value to an individual of living in an organized society--an understanding that gives rise to a robust theory of rights and of government as the institution tasked with placing physical force under objective control in order to secure rights.Finally, the book contains three essays by philosopher Darryl Wright on Rand's analysis of the evil of the initiation of physical force. We see that for Rand this principle is not an axiom or starting point, but a conclusion that follows from her understanding of how the mind grasps reality and selects, pursues, and enjoys values.The book also contains critical essays on Rand's thought that raise interesting questions that push the authors more sympathetic to Rand to clarify areas of her thought that are less well fleshed out.Overall, this book is an important contribution to Rand scholarship and more broadly to free-market scholarship. Those in broad agreement with Rand will find many new and clarifying insights into her ideas. Those who disagree will come away with a deeper appreciation of the richness and uniqueness of her philosophy, including but not limited to her political philosophy.

The name Ayn Rand is frequently referenced in political discussions, but few of her detractors (as well as her admirers) have a solid understanding of her political philosophy and the fact that her radical political views are an outgrowth of her radical views in ethics and epistemology. This scholarly volume, the third in the Ayn Rand Society’s Philosophical Studies series, features in-depth and nuanced examinations of Rand’s political thought and its place in both the classical liberal tradition as well as the landscape of the libertarian movement. While the majority of the volume’s contributors agree with Rand’s philosophy, the volume also features critical essays from scholars who disagree with Rand’s views.One of the book’s highlights is a trio of essays by Darryl Wright that examines Rand’s principle that the initiation of force is evil and ought to be banished from human relationships. Wright contrasts what he dubs the “non-initiation of force principle” that Rand espouses with the non-aggression principle that libertarians typically espouse. Wright argues that there are significant differences between these two views and that Rand’s principle is firmly rooted in her ethical egoism and her epistemology. Wright’s first essay is wide-ranging; it discusses everything from Rand’s metaethics to her views on sense perception. All of this is in service of demonstrating that her principle has a solid foundation and that this foundation informs her applications of the principle. These foundational elements are what give rise to Rand’s divergence from libertarian thinkers (which is discussed in Wright’s third essay). I was particularly impressed by Wright’s handling of the free rider problem and his related description of Rand’s conception of valuing as a contextual activity. In his second essay, Wright analyzes Rand’s claim that force “negates” and “paralyzes” the mind; he writes, “This claim is related to, but different from, an argument of Locke’s in his first Letter Concerning Toleration.” Wright goes on to offer an interesting and detailed description and analysis of Locke’s argument. This brings me to a broader point about this book: while the book is primarily about Ayn Rand, it does also contain many interesting (and sometimes surprisingly lengthy) discussions of other thinkers such as John Locke, Robert Nozick, John Stuart Mill, Ludwig Von Mises, and others. These discussions are mainly in service of comparing and contrasting the views of these thinkers with Rand’s views, but the discussions are still enlightening in and of themselves.Since I have some familiarity with both Objectivism and contemporary analytic philosophy, one of the aspects of the book that I found most interesting was the difference in philosophical methodology between the two. This contrast is brought into sharp relief in Salmieri’s and Binswanger’s respective responses to Zwolinski’s and Huemer’s critical essays; see the opening section (“Methodology”) of Binswanger’s essay and Salmieri’s footnote #27 at the bottom of page 184 where he points out that Zwolinski’s criticisms appear to hinge on the analytic-synthetic distinction that Rand rejects because of the nature of her theory of concept-formation.Another highlight for me was Onkar Ghate’s essay on the separation of church and state. Ghate reviews the contemporary debate surrounding this issue as well as the principle’s origins in Locke, Jefferson, and Madison. Ghate then explains the surprising connection of this principle to Rand’s case for economic freedom.This is a dense yet very readable book. I definitely plan on rereading it since I am confident that I will gleam many fresh insights the second time through it.

This book examines all aspects of Ayn Rand's political philosophy which centers around the issue of individual rights. It also deals with critics of Ayn Rand and those who claim to have similar views but do not (e.g., Nozick and various libertarians).. It also takes on compromisers who consider Rand's view to be too unpopular. There are outstanding essays by Objectivist philosophers such as Darryl Wright, Aadm Mossaof, Greg Salmieri, Robert Garmong, Onkar Ghate and Harry Binswanger. This book is the best single source outside of Rand's own writings, for her political philosophy. It reveals her unique genius over and over again.

It really has some great essays.