“Until or unless I write a comprehensive treatise on my philosophy, Dr. Peikoff’s course is the only authorized presentation of the entire theoretical structure of Objectivism, i.e., the only one that I know of my own knowledge to be fully accurate.” — Ayn Rand
Non-Fiction Books
Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand (OPAR)
Ayn Rand’s philosophical ideas are spread through hundreds of fiction and non-fiction works, radio addresses, taped and untaped lectures, seminars, and discussions. Until the publication of Peikoff’s magnum opus Objectivism, there was no single book, the interested student of philosophy could turn to, that presented Rand’s philosophy as a single integrated whole. Thanks to Dr. Peikoff this is no longer the case. Leonard Peikoff’s Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand covers every philosophical topic that Ayn Rand held as important–from the objectivity of concepts and the metaphysical nature of man, to the virtue of selfishness and the purpose of art, this book covers it–and more.
The Ominous Parallels: The End of Freedom in America (TOP)
“How America has been detoured from its original path and led down the same road that Germany followed to Nazism. Self-sacrifice, mysticism, racial ‘truth,’ the public good, doing one’s duty—these are among the seductive catch-phrases that Leonard Peikoff dissects, examining the kind of philosophy they symbolize, the type of thinking that lured Germany to its doom and that he says is now prevalent in the United States.”
Based on a lecture course given by Leonard Peikoff in 1972, this book provides essential knowledge for everyone whose life pursuits are threatened by our culture’s widespread irrationality. “To fight for your values in a world such as ours, you must regard yourself as a psychotherapist of an entire culture,” states Dr. Peikoff in his opening lecture. “Its present state at any given time cannot be understood except as an outgrowth from its past. The errors of today are built on the errors of the last century, and they in turn on the previous, and so on back to the childhood of the Western world, which is ancient Greece.”
Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism is increasingly influencing the shape of the world from business and politics to achieving personal goals. Here, Leonard Peikoff—Rand’s heir—explains how you can communicate philosophical ideas with conviction, logic, and, most of all, reason. Based on a series of lectures presented by Peikoff, Objective Communication shows how to apply Objectivist principles to the problem of achieving clarity both in thought and in communication. Peikoff teaches readers how to write, speak, and argue on the subject of philosophical ideas—ideas pertaining to profoundly important issues ranging from the question of the existence of God to the nature and proper limits of government power. Including enlightening discussions of a wide range of Objectivist topics—such as the primacy of consciousness, the pitfalls of rationalistic thinking, and the true meaning of the word “altruism,” as well as in-depth analysis of some of Ayn Rand’s own writings—Peikoff’s Objective Communication is essential reading for anyone interested in Ayn Rand’s philosophy.
Discovering Great Plays: As Literature and as Philosophy
Based on a series of lectures by Leonard Peikoff and edited by Marlene Trollope, Discovering Great Plays provides the ability to understand, judge and savor the values offered by great drama.
Plays discussed include: Antigone by Sophocles; Othello by Shakespeare; Le Cid by Corneille; Don Carlos by Schiller; An Enemy of the People by Ibsen; Saint Joan by Shaw; Monna Vanna by Maeterlinck, and Cyrano de Bergerac by Rostand. A list of recommended editions and translations is provided by the author. Readers will discover plot-theme as the key to a play; Antigone as a great heroine; Iago as the blackest villain in literature; the Cornelian hero; Schiller’s Grand Inquisitor scene as the most dramatic and philosophic in all theater; Ibsen and Ayn Rand’s Howard Roark; Shaw’s genius in presenting the genius against society; and Cyrano de Bergerac by Rostand.
Ayn Rand’s heroic vision of man as a rational, noble, productive being has inspired millions of people. It can be difficult, though, to grasp just how her ideas, universal and abstract as they are, can serve as a practical and specific guide to everyday life. Keeping It Real: Bringing Ideas Down to Earth offers invaluable advice on how to apply broad philosophical principles to the real-world decisions we have to make every day. In this book, Leonard Peikoff, Ayn Rand’s longtime friend and heir, provides a wealth of practical counsel on personal relationships, child-rearing, career problems, politics, sex, and many other topics. His answers to hundreds of questions—taken from the first five years of his former podcast—highlight the importance of ensuring that the principles we claim to live by do not float in our minds as useless wordplay, but rather guide us in action toward our personal, selfish happiness here on earth. Keeping It Real also contains numerous anecdotes and insights pertaining to Ayn Rand herself, making it invaluable for those who want to learn more about her from today’s most knowledgeable source.
Cause of Hitler’s Germany
In The Cause of Hitler’s Germany—previously published as part of his 1982 book The Ominous Parallels—Leonard Peikoff, Ayn Rand’s long-time associate, demonstrates how unreason and collectivism led the seemingly civilized German society to become a Nazi regime.
The DIM Hypothesis: Why the Lights of the West Are Going Out (DIM)
“Peikoff identifies the three methods people use to integrate concrete data into a whole, as when connecting diverse experiments by a scientific theory, or separate laws into a Constitution, or single events into a story. The first method, in which data is integrated through rational means, he calls Integration. The second, which employs non-rational means, he calls Misintegration. The third is Disintegration—which is nihilism, the desire to tear things apart. In The DIM Hypothesis Peikoff demonstrates the power of these three methods in shaping the West, by using the categories to examine the culturally representative fields of literature, physics, education, and politics. His analysis illustrates how the historical trends in each field have been dominated by one of these three categories, not only today but during the whole progression of Western culture from its beginning in Ancient Greece. Extrapolating from the historical pattern he identifies, Peikoff concludes by explaining why the lights of the West are going out—and predicts the most likely future for the United States.”
Courses (mp3)
Many of these are also available for free on Ayn Rand Campus.
Advanced Seminars on Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand (1990-91)
“These seminars (formerly titled “Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand”) are not a re-reading of Leonard Peikoff’s Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand (OPAR), but are a “chewing” of its ideas.
Eight Great Plays — As Literature and as Philosophy (1993)
The History of Philosophy, Volume 1
The History of Philosophy, Volume 2
Induction in Physics and Philosophy
Objective Communication (1980)
