| Synopsis: |
New York, Bern, Berlin, Bruxelles, Frankfurt/M., Oxford, Wien, 1999. Masterworks in the Western Tradition. Vol. 5 General Editors: Nicholas Capaldi and Stuart Warner. Machan's book explores all the major themes of Ayn Rand's philosophical thought. He shows the frequent strengths and occasional weaknesses of Rand's mature philosophy of Objectivism, drawing on his own, and many others', discussion of this challenging and iconoclastic thinker's ideas. Machan's treatment of Rand is a welcome addition to the growing literature of serious scholarship on Rand's philosophical work. « If Any Rand is to have anything beyond a cult following - that is, to have the deepest possible impact on Western culture - think that two things must happen: (1) bright, talented, academic philosophers must see the merit in her system and generate their own extensions, applications, even corrections to her thought; and (2) wise and well-versed academic philosophers must act as a bridge between the Randian movement and the world of academic philosophy, explaining to academics how the perennial, as well as current tricky issues, can profitably be dealt with using some of her insights and explaining to those in the Randian movement how the system and its credibility can be enhanced and improved by squarely facing and successfully navigating some of the stiffest challenges from academics. During my thirty-year acquaintance with Machan's work, I have seen him labor mightily in both arenas, but I think that his forte truly is with the latter. He is a communicator, bridge-builder, and, above all, a 'field marshall' of ideas. (Roger E. Bissell, Musician and Philosopher) « In the tradition of the OUP PastMasters series, Machan's 'Ayn Rand' provides an important scholarly examination of one of our most neglected thinkers. He helps to situate Rand in the wide scheme of Western philosophy and grapples with tough issues in Objectivist thought. His book is challenging to both sympathetic and critical Rand readers and is an important addition to the growing academic literature on Objectivism. (Chris Matthew Sciabarra, Author of 'Ayn Rand: The Russian Radical' and Co-editor of 'Feminist Interpretations of Ayn Rand') |