5 comments about On Ayn Rand (Wadsworth Philosophers Series).

1. Allan Gotthelf is a philosopher and a follower of the ideas of philosopher/novelist Ayn Rand. He is associated with the Ayn Rand Institute, which advocates the "Official Objectivism" of Leonard Peikoff.
   
   Generally speaking, ON AYN RAND is reliable introduction to Rand's thought. On the other hand, it's of the strangest books I've read in terms of its "construction." The endnotes take up an unusually large percentage of the book. For example, chapter 4 is 5 pages long and the endnotes almost 3 full pages. In addition, much valuable information that is contained in the endnotes belongs in the text. The discussion of her first novel, WE THE LIVING, takes up one paragraph in the text, but there are three paragraph length endnotes that tell you much more about the novel. This is highly unusual for any book, particularly an introduction. It's almost as if the book was put together from two separate sources. And, although the book is 97 pages long, the section on Rand's politics is one page long! Simply put, this is not a book that will grab the attention of those new to Rand or those who know her mostly through her novels and politics.
   
   What is most troubling about the book is its partisan tone, which at times approaches agitprop. There is not a single word of criticism of Rand, and Gotthelf's praise is overboard. We read about the "poignant and beautiful lines" of one of her books, how her theories are "remarkable" and "original," and how her theory of concept formation would change the world if only we would let it into our heart. There is also a deliberate attempt to downplay the influence of Nietzsche (or any other thinker) on her thought. But what I found most irritating is that 100% of the time she is referred to as "Ayn Rand." A huge flaw is the failure to mention any books on Ayn Rand not written by Official Objectivists. Indeed, when he mentions in a footnote that Barbara Branden wrote a memoir/biography of Rand, he doesn't even name the book (although he insists that it's riddled with errors). He claims that there is no evidence that Rand's philosophy professors in Russia influenced her - an obvious reference to Chris Sciabarra's book AYN RAND: THE RUSSIAN RADICAL - but he doesn't mention Sciabarra or the book's title. The bibliography mentions only books by Rand, with the exception of Peikoff's OBJECTIVISM: THE PHILOSOPHY OF AYN RAND.
   
   Although Rand has been the subject of considerable interest of late, there is still no completely satisfactory introduction to her thought. The best introduction remains Tibor Machan's AYN RAND.



2. This book is good for someone who wants to understand Rand but does not yet want to dive into the endless books by and on Rand. It is a good overview of her philosophy and life, but certainly not complete.

   Those liking this book will also like "Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand" by Leonard Piekoff




3. Allan Gotthelf has written a decent little book here. Aside from a couple of annoying verbal habits (e.g. always writing out Ayn Rand's full name every time he refers to her) and a couple of unpleasantnesses (e.g. some nasty remarks about the Brandens and the existing secondary literature on Objectivism), this is actually a pretty well-written and well-organized brief overview of Rand's thought. (Of course -- heh heh! -- you shouldn't expect to understand it all _right away_. It takes _many, many years of serious study_ to learn that Rand was absolutely correct in every single particular.)

   The presentation is orderly, if occasionally skimpy. Gotthelf devotes a couple of short, fawning chapters (well, all the chapters are short -- and fawning, too, come to think of it) to Rand's sinless life and then proceeds to take the reader on a guided tour through the main features of her thought in metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. Political theory gets short shrift, but that's okay; while it was undoubtedly the strongest (or at any rate the least vulnerable) portion of Rand's philosophy, it was also by far the least original (which, actually, is _why_ it was the least vulnerable). Aesthetics doesn't get much attention either, which is sort of too bad, but maybe Gotthelf doesn't want to give away too many of Rand's propaganda techniques.

   I especially enjoyed the tour; it's always a pleasure to encounter a book that one has completely refuted before it was even published. The reviewer from Austin is right: Rand _wasn't_ really a very good philosopher. And Gotthelf's accurate-but-uncritical summary of Rand has been a tremendous help to me in rewriting, for publication, my critique of Rand's epistemology (still available in an earlier draft form on my website); he confirms and recommits every error I pick on her for, and may even introduce one or two new ones of his own. (For example, at one point he seems to imply that the "primacy of existence" premise commits him to materialism.)

   You may well imagine that critics of Objectivism (of whom I am obviously one) receive lots of silly e-mails telling them they've gotten this or that point entirely wrong (usually from people who don't seem to be able to read all that well themselves). So I'm happy to say that at numerous points I have been able to use Gotthelf's handy little text to confirm (yet again) that I was reading Rand correctly after all, and that she was just as wrong as I said she was. Now that I've taken account of his work in rewriting my own, the result is a much clearer critique. (Which just goes to show, I suppose, that Objectivists and libertarians _can_ cooperate in a good cause.)

   And I'm not kidding about the quality of Gotthelf's work; this _is_ a fairly well-executed introduction, although it will probably be a bit hard to read for anyone completely unfamiliar with Rand's work. For the most part (but not entirely!) this little book reads like a precis of Leonard Peikoff's _Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand_ (which is, by the way, one of the few items of "secondary Objectivist literature" about which Gotthelf has anything good to say). As such it will make a helpful companion to that volume, whether Peikoff likes it or not. (And as I hinted, if you read carefully you'll find a few points at which Gotthelf disagrees with Peikoff and the ARI mainstream. For example, did Rand think her ethic was founded on an "axiom"? Compare Gotthelf's remarks with David Harriman's in the _Journals of Ayn Rand_.)

   It will also be helpful to anyone -- Randie or otherwise -- who wants a quick and dirty summary of what Objectivism is all about. Love it or hate it, here it is.




4. Gotthelf's book is probably the worst introduction to Rand yet written.

   The book is clear to a reader only if that reader is already highly familiar with the idiosyncratic semi-technical vocabulary of Objectivism. Indeed, not only does Gotthelf express Rand's thoughts in Rand's rather obscure way of speaking, he typically lets her speak for herself - literally. Most of the main ideas are introduced by way of quoting Rand, at length. This might be okay were Gotthelf to then elucidate Rand's strange formulations, but he takes it for granted that the quotations are clear.But, when cut from context, the quotations lose most of their original flavor. This means that Gotthelf has managed to replicate all of the problems with Rand's unclear and inconsistent language without replicating any of her energy and lively style.

   Gotthelf has a skewed approach to the question of how much of the book to use on a given subject. He devotes quite a bit of it to deeply a adoring account of Rand's biography, without citing the unauthorized memoir and biography by Rand's closest companions or even the authorized biography written by Barbara Branden in the early 1960's. He does cite Leonard Peikoff's biographical essay on Rand. It is appropriate that Gotthelf, who fails to display much concern with the truth about Rand's life, should cite Peikoff: Peikoff concludes that essay by explaining that our wishes determine what kind of a person Rand was.

   One could tolerate hagiography if it at least included some relevant information about the development of Rand's philosophy. But this one does not. The well-articulated and strongly defended theory that Rand's philosophical development was much influenced by her immersion, in the Russia of her youth and education, in the dialectical methodology characteristic to the approach of virtually all academics in virtually all subjects on virtually all sides of virtually all questions. That is, Gotthelf manages to spend about a third of the book celebrating Rand, without mentioning the one and only fact about her personal history that is at all interesting from a philosophical point of view: that she may have taken elements of her philosophical methodology from the educational system in which she studied.

   Gotthelf's skewed sense for what is worth including is displayed elsewhere, in his decision to spend about 40% of the book on Rand's metaphysics; primarily her theory of concepts. This leads him to shortchange Rand's politics, dealing with Rand's most well-known theory on a single page.

   But, since Gotthelf spends so much of the book on Rand's metaphysics, and uses quotations from Rand to do most of his explaining, we must ask whether this book is a more efficient introduction to Rand's metaphysics than just reading Rand. Rand's work on metaphysics is about 100 pages long; more if you count the appendices, which help to elucidate but add little that's really essential. So now we're wading through 35 pages of hagiography and 40 pages of metaphysics to get not just the same old explanations but quotations that one could have found in Rand in a book that's only about 25 pages longer.

   The discussion of ethics is similarly problematic. Rand's meta-ethical argument is deeply obscure. One cannot, by reading her essay on the subject, discover what are its premises, what are its conclusions, and how one infers the conclusions from the premises. All of the various interpretations of this argument that have been offered have been subjected to serious criticism. Gotthelf neither explains the argument (more quotations) nor even tries to show how it can deal with the criticisms that have been offered.

   Rand was not a really very good philosopher; her programmatic, mostly methodological, insights require a total reworking from the bottom up. One wonders whether she'll ever acquire a scholarly following capable of doing this, or if the poor woman will be forever cursed with unconstructive, admiring sycophants on the scale of Gotthelf.




5. I found it extremely difficult to get through each page. This is a very poorly written book.

No comments about Geographical Voices: Fourteen Autobiographical Essays (Space, Place, and Society).

No comments about Herbert Read Reassessed.

5 comments about Maimonides: A Spiritual Biography (Lives and Legacies.).

1. A concise biography of Moses Maimonides, great philosopher, physician to Saladin, writer on astronomy, logic, law and mathematics, which concentrates on his spiritual legacy. Moses Maimonides is considered the greatest Jewish philosopher of the Middle Ages, his work inspiring not only his contemporaries of all faiths but also later thinkers such as Leibniz and Spinoza.
   A rich biography exploring the historical, philosophical and social aspect of a great philosopher to be treasured. Arbel is a splendid writer.
   Born into a distinguished family in medieval Cordoba, Spain, the young Moses Maimonides was quickly recognized by his teachers for his outstanding intellectual abilities and extraordinary versatility. At the age of 13, when his peaceful world was shattered by war and persecution, and his family was forced into exile, fleeing and wandering from one place to another for many years, his religious and secular studies continued. Moses was, above all, a writer, and he wrote extensively until the end of his life." "After completing the Mishneh Torah in 1180, Maimonides was recognized internationally as the chief religious and legal authority of the entire Jewish world. A large part of his writing comes from his responses. Letters came from rabbis, judges, scholars, students, teachers and head of schools; even private citizens sent their letters and expected an official responsum. The question of whether Maimonides meant for the Mishneh Torah to replace the Talmud remains one of the most controversial parts of his legacy, and Arbel addresses the troubling argument with a lucid and tenacious intelligence." Maimonides' views were curiously modern and his medical writings constitute a significant chapter in the history of modern medical science. He approached his work as a sacred duty and with a sense of mission, and acquired the reputation of a doctor who treated the soul as well as the body.
   
   The work of Arbel is a treasure by all means.



2. The kind of book only alert minds and lovers of history and culture will read. Rich in style, knowledge and historical information. No doubt, this is one of the best books written about Maimonides! Outstanding!!!



3. I am twelve years old, and I got this book for my bat-mitzva. I loved it and learned a lot and I would recommend it to both adults and children. I particularly liked the way Maimonides helped women during those hard times.



4. As a librarian, I was alerted to this excellent biography by Booklist and by The Library Journal, which both gave it excellent reviews. I don't read every book I order, but since I am particularly interseted in Maimonides, I did read it, and with great pleasure. I have studied much of Maimonides' work, and many books that analyzed his work, but Arbel's book is the only one fulfilling the need for a lively biography that really tells about Maimonides, his character and his relationships.

   The book is extremely well-written, easy to understand, and will be entirely comprehesible to the secular reader. You don't have to be a Maimonides expert, a philosophy student, or a religious scholar to enjoy it. Yet any scholar will appreciate Arbel's historical research and grasp of the era he discusses.

   My only criticism was that I wished the book were longer and continued into the second generation (Maimonides' son, Abraham, was a fascinating character). However, I realized that the book is a part of a series of biographies, the well-received Lives and Legacies (all called "A Spiritual Biography") from Crossroad Publishing, so Arbel probably followed certain guidelines as to length. I am very much looking forward to the publication of Arbel's biography of Rabbi Hillel, which apparently he is writing now.




5. The appearance of a new biography of Maimonides is always important, if only because it happens infrequently.

   What we need, and do not yet have in English, is an excellent and scholarly biography of Maimonides, like Netanyahu's biography of Abarbanel.

   Ilil Arbel's new biography, entitled Maimonides, A Spiritual Biography, does not fill that bill. However, for those who are already reading Maimonides, it will fill in the historical gaps reasonably well. The book is based on secondary and tertiary sources, with the exception of the more historically significant items of Maimonides' correspondence and some of the shorter works, which the author shows familiarity with. The author is fluent in Hebrew, and may be an Israeli, it is not clear from the jacket material. That material indicates that she is a "Writer and editor, and has a Ph.D. in the field of mythology and folklore, and is a regular contributor of Judaic myths to Encyclopedia Mythica, her next book is A biography of Hillel, she resides in New York City".

   The book comes with a full index and a short bibliography. There are a very few notes, more would have been desirable. I would like to know where she got some of her material. There is a Chronology which she confesses is based on the usual consensus opinions but not based on any research of her own.

   I do not think the book will do anyone any harm. She pointedly stays away from giving comment or analysis of the Guide or the Mishneh Torah, and for that reason, I do not understand why she calls this a spiritual biography. The excitement that I get from the works of Maimonides themselves is not well communicated by the author.

   What she does do that helps make this book of contemporary significance is the integration of Geniza material from the Ben Ezra synagogue in Cairo, Egypt, about which I recently wrote on in connection with the Spertus College of Judaica exhibit. She does know this material, and has spent some time with the writings of S.D. Goitein, the acknowledged expert in that field. She also has listed in her bibliography several contemporary Israeli books on Maimonides. All of these sources help to provide depth and context in Maimonides' story.

   Among these positive attributes I would randomly site her extended treatment of the unending controversies between Maimonides and the Gaon of Baghdad, Shmuel Ben Ali, who was the leader of the Babylonian Academy and saw himself as the universal Jewish authority. She also fills in the personalities of Maimonides son Abraham, and his student Joseph Ibn Aknin, for whom the Guide of the Perplexed was dedicated.

   On the controversial issue of Maimonides' feigned conversion to Islam, she fails to explain the meaning of such conversions, and leaves her readers confused. At one point she states flatly we can rest assured that he never converted to Islam, and at other times she indicates just as flatly that he feigned observance of Islam. She should have explained that Islam does not need conversion at all as Islam views people as having an Islamic nature which only needs to be realized. Such realization takes place when the individual acknowledges the formula of the divinity of Allah and the prophecy of Mohammed in a mosque. Maimonides himself writes that since this is all that is required, together with occasional attendance at Mosque prayers, a Jew need not question his own faith if he has to do these acts for the sake of survival.

   Admittedly our determination that Maimonides feigned such conversion is based on circumstantial evidence, but it is exceptionally good circumstantial evidence. Apart from his own words in his epistle on the subject, we know for a fact that no Jew, and particularly no Jew of public prominence like Maimonides and his father, could have survived long in Fez, Morocco under the Almohads without feigning Islam. Then there is the well known case, discussed by Arbel, of the prosecution brought by Abul Arab ibn Moisha in Cairo. Moisha had known Maimonides in Fez, as an apparent Muslim, and was shocked to find him as the head of the Jewish community in Cairo. He brought a prosecution against Maimonides for the capital heresy of converting from Islam. Maimonides' protector, El Fadil, Saladin's vizier, was the judge in the case. Arbel states that Fadil's ruling was to declare Maimonides never really adopted the fate or converted but only kept up a fabulous disguise and therefore could not have had a relapse from Islam. What really happened, according to Dr. Joel Kraemer, was that the court ruled coerced conversions were not effective conversions in Islam, citing Quran, and Maimonides could not be held guilty for feigning conversion under coercion.

   Like all books nowadays, the editors don't really do any editing, and there are many obvious typographical errors in the text. One howler is the author's apparent inability to distinguish pray from prey (twice!) as in
   ". . . It prayed on his mind."

   The book is neither long nor difficult to read, and the author has a moderately engaging prose style. She seems to be genuinely interested in the details of Maimonides life, and for those reasons the book should be read.

No comments about The Complete Correspondence, 1928-1940.

3 comments about Nasir Khusraw, the Ruby of Badakhshan: A Portrait of the Persian Poet, Traveller and Philosopher.

1. Dr Hunsberger's book takes us on the wondrous travels of the seminal poet and philosopher who helped to shape the thinking and practices of his many readers and disciples. Her lively and insightful account of Nasir's hajj and his stops along the way make him come to life and illustrate how his experiences shaped his philosophy and influenced his timeless writing. Dr Hunsberger's artfully written book is must reading for those curious about the development of civilization in the Middle East.



2. Dr Hunsberger's biography of the seminal Persian poet and philosopher is a must read for anyone curious about the state of affairs in the Middle East a millennium ago. Her exhaustive research and insight gives ballast and meaning to the personality of Nasir Khusraw as well as his travels and his journals. I highly recommend Dr Hunsberger's most-amazing book to any scholar devoted to Middle Eastern, Arabic, Persian or Islamic studies. Nasir was a dedicated scholar and so is Dr Hunsberger.



3. This book answered a lot of questions that I had about the people of Badakshan and surrounding areas. Extremely readable book. Age old philosophies disclosed, still relevant after 1000 years. Great poetry and translation by Alice Hunsberger. Must read by all Rumi fans.

1 comments about Emanuel Swedenborg (Swedenborg Studies, No. 9).

1. In Emanuel Swedenborg: The Development Of His Thought, Tomas Spiers and Anders Hallengren successful collaborate to provide a superbly crafted English translation of Martin Lamm's seminal examination of the celebrated 18th century scientist and theologian, Emanuel Swedenborg. Weaving Swedenborg's scientific philosophy with his spirituality in an engaging, informative, and insightful biography, Lamm makes accessible a very highly recommended and seminal contribution to Swedenborgian studies that will well serve to introduce a whole new generation of readers to a remarkable man and his astonishing contributions to science and metaphysics that are still evident and influential today.

No comments about Sartre (Life&Times).

3 comments about This Timeless Moment: A Personal View of Aldous Huxley.

1. It is almost as hard to write a review of this book as it must have been for Mrs. Huxley to write it. Above all else, for the purposes of reading this review or the text itself, please keep in mind that it is not a novel but a recollection of her husband that the public had decided they knew so well.

   If you haven't read Aldous' works, don't bother with This Timeless Moment as it would be as interesting and informative as reading a description of the flavour of a fruit you've never tried. If you have read his texts though and found yourself immersed in the worlds within the man's mind for all its brilliance and receptivity, then this book will give you insights you simply could not get anywhere else.

   Not being an author herself, This Timeless Moment is not well written by any technical or literary means, but nor is it meant to be. This is a recollection of a husband by his widowed wife; it explores their time together and apart, describes the man she knew for the latter half of his life, and examines the misconceptions of the renowned author as communicated through the media. It is as to the point, as it is a scattered writing as any memory translated to paper promises to be; where it loses in technical merit it gains in heartfelt sincerity.

   There is also as much in this text for the fans of Aldous Huxley's writing as there is for the man himself. The biggest gift included is the first and only copy of a novel he had begun before his death in which, it is explained, he had hoped to achieve a level of completeness previously unattained- a level he only came to understand as his illness took hold. There is also a great deal of reference to his last published novel, Island, as to how it related to the man himself and his experiences that he'd incorporated into the writing. Of interesting personal note are the many letters and transcripts of recorded conversations between the husband and wife, as well as letters by Aldous to his brother and son.

   Included among much of the book are references to Aldous Huxley's experiments with psychedics which the media has given such focus and emphasis. It must be said that she is not advocating the use of the drugs, nor is she defending his choice to use them- she speaks of his and her own experiences with LSD and the level of consciousness found within them. Another review I read here on Amazon referred to her as being "preachy" about this issue, but I found that it was anything but. As evident by his writing, Aldous Huxley was interested in virtually every facet of life and the exploration of consciousness was but one of them.

   Also check out www dot yourwords dot org for more about this text and others.

   If you're looking for something mind-blowing, read Aldous' own writing itself like Brave New World, The Doors of Perception, Island or any other, and ignore this for now. If you have read these though and want more insight into the man lining each page, read This Timeless Moment and get past the sensationalism of the media into the mind of the woman he had shared it with.




2. After reading Huxley's books for years, we finally get a glimpse into his later years through the eyes of his second wife, Laura Huxley. It is apparent throughout the book the extent to which Laura loved and admired Aldous. Nothing wrong with that.

   We learn the truth about his alleged "blindness", his view of psychedelics and how he handled death. Although through my readings it was apparent that Huxley was a brilliant man of letters, the biography brought to light the kindness of the man. He was, according to Ms. Huxley, willing to avail himself and his knowledge to anyone who sought it (except perhaps reporters from whom he understandably sought sanctuary).

   Even though I am sure it was unintended, we also come away with some notions about Ms. Huxley. Her devotion to Aldous, open-mindedness, and self-effacing manners shine through.

   I liked the book, but somehow felt the picture was incomplete. Certainly Huxley must have had an interior struggle between his religous beliefs and his intellect. Such a struggle is not discussed in this book. Perhaps Ms. Huxley was unaware of such a struggle or perhaps Aldous had somehow transcended it by the time he met Laura.




3. "This Timeless Moment" has been selected for listing in "Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments: An Entheogen Chrestomthy" http://www.csp.org/chrestomathy

No comments about Aleister Crowley - Portrait of an Occultist (Biography).