Suggested Reading List for Newcomers

For those who are interested in Ayn Rand’s thought and want to read her firsthand, but aren’t sure where to begin, the following readings, organized by topic, offer a place to start. This, of course, is by no means a comprehensive list of Ayn Rand’s writings or of the Objectivist literature.

Ayn Rand’s Fiction

• Atlas Shrugged
• The Fountainhead
• Anthem
• We the Living

Philosophy’s Nature and Importance

• “Philosophy: Who Needs It” in Philosophy: Who Needs It, or listen to the audio recording of Ayn Rand’s original West Point lecture.
• “Philosophical Detection” in Philosophy: Who Needs It
• “For the New Intellectual” in For the New Intellectual

Objectivism as a System of Philosophy

• “Introducing Objectivism” in The Voice of Reason
• “This is John Galt Speaking” in For the New Intellectual
• Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand by Leonard Peikoff

Ethics

• “Introduction” in The Virtue of Selfishness
• “The Soul of an Individualist” in For the New Intellectual
• “Who is the Final Authority in Ethics” in The Voice of Reason
• “The Objectivist Ethics” in The Virtue of Selfishness
• “Causality Versus Duty” in Philosophy: Who Needs It
• “How Does One Lead a Rational Life in an Irrational Society?” in The Virtue of Selfishness

Politics

• “Man’s Rights” in The Virtue of Selfishness
• “The Nature of Government” in The Virtue of Selfishness
• “The Moral Meaning of Capitalism” in Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal
• “What Is Capitalism?” in Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal
• “The Meaning of Money” in For the New Intellectual

Cultural Trends

• “Faith and Force: The Destroyers of the Modern World” in Philosophy: Who Needs It
• “The Intellectual Bankruptcy of Our Age” in The Voice of Reason
• “Conservatism: An Obituary” in Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal
• “The Left: Old and New” in Return of the Primitive: The Anti-Industrial Revolution
• “The Anti-Industrial Revolution” in Return of the Primitive: The Anti-Industrial Revolution
• “Global Balkanization” in Return of the Primitive: The Anti-Industrial Revolution
• “The Age of Envy” in Return of the Primitive: The Anti-Industrial Revolution
• “For the New Intellectual” in For the New Intellectual