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FROM NOVELIST TO PHILOSOPHER, 1944–1957
since the rise of scientifi c naturalism. 38 What differentiated Objectivism
was its ambition. Rather than simply reassert the idea of objective and
transcendent truth, a project supported by a host of other neo- Aristotelian
thinkers, Rand attempted at the same time to vindicate a controversial
and infl ammatory transvaluation of values that contradicted the basic
teachings of Western religion and ethics.
The scope of her project awed her young followers, who considered
her a thinker of world-historical signifi cance. In her ideas they found a
“round universe,” a completely comprehensible, logical world. Rand’s
focus on reason led her to declare that paradoxes and contradictions
were impossible. Thought, she explained, was a cycle of moving from
abstract premises to concrete objects and events: “The cycle is unbreakable;
no part of it can be of any use, until and unless the cycle is completed.”
39 Therefore a premise and a conclusion could never clash, unless
an irrational thought process had been employed. Nor could emotions
and thoughts be at odds, Rand asserted. Emotions came from thought,
and if they contradicted reality, then the thought underlying them was
irrational and should be changed. Indeed even a person’s artistic and
sexual preferences sprang from his or her basic philosophical premises,
Rand taught the Collective.
It was all adding up to one integrated system. Man was a rational
creature who used his mind to survive. The rational faculty required
independence and individuality to operate properly; therefore an ethics
of selfi shness was appropriate for rational men. Any moral or ethical
problem could be approached from this perspective. Was a person
acting independently? Were his or her actions based on reason and
consistent with his or her premises? That was the true determinant of
right, Rand taught. Even more than her fi ction or the chance to befriend
a famous author, Rand’s philosophy bound the Collective to her. She
struck them all as a genius without compare. On Saturday nights they
argued and debated the fi ne points and applications, but never questioned
the basics Rand outlined. During these marathon sessions, Rand
was indefatigable, often talking until the morning light. The Collective
marveled at how the opportunity to talk philosophy rejuvenated her,
even after a long day of writing. The obvious was also the unthinkable.
To keep up with her younger followers, Rand fed herself a steady stream
of amphetamines. 40
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