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Excerpt from Atheism, Ayn Rand, and Other Heresies

In his 1991 book Atheism, Ayn Rand, and Other Heresies, George H. Smith includes an essay discussing academic views of Rand's philosophy.

Ayn Rand was one of the most intriguing and dynamic figures in twentieth-century thought. She had enormous power to inspire or to frustrate, to engage one's sympathies or to enrage them. While primarily a novelist, Ayn Rand constructed a philosophic system, which, although sketchy at times, is integrated, coherent, and compelling.

[...]

Possibly because of the fierce emotions, pro and con, that Rand evokes, there has appeared relatively little in the way of competent reflection on Ayn Rand as philosopher. Accounts of Objectivism written by Rand's admirers are frequently eulogistic and uncritical, whereas accounts written by her antagonists are often hostile and, what is worse, embarrassingly inaccurate.

Evaluations of Rand in the academic community vary widely. On one extreme, the head of a philosophy department at a major university once called Rand "the worst philosopher in the history of Western Civilization." On the other extreme, the late Hiram Hadyn, an accomplished scholar who disagreed with Rand, remarked that Rand had constructed the most impressive philosophic edifice since Thomas Aquinas in the thirteenth century.

How, then, are we to evaluate the work of Ayn Rand as philosopher? How are we to judge the work of this astonishing woman who wrote with such intellectual passion?

I shall not attempt to analyze or criticize Rand's theories; this complex task would require far more than a single essay. Nor shall I assess Rand's influence on the climate of opinion, for this requires a perspective that can come only with the passage of time.

Another approach to Rand's ideas, and the one I shall adopt here, is to examine Objectivism for points of similarity to other philosophies. As I shall demonstrate, many features of Objectivism can be found elsewhere. In epistemology and ethics, some of Rand's arguments are strikingly similar to the arguments of Aristotelians, especially to those modern followers of Thomas Aquinas known as Thomists. In political philosophy, Rand's approach to natural rights and limited government falls squarely in the tradition known as Classical Liberalism.

Although Rand is often represented as a philosophic maverick, she actually represents a throwback to philosophy in the classical sense. The true mavericks are found in logical positivism, ordinary language philosophy, existentialism, and other schools that (until recently, perhaps) dominated much of modern philosophy. Unlike many of her contemporaries, Rand addressed the same basic questions that have vexed philosophers for centuries: What is the nature of existence? How do we acquire knowledge? What are concepts? What is ethics, and why do we need this discipline? What is the proper role of government?

Uncovering precedents and parallels to Rand's philosophy is not a popular enterprise among her more ardent disciples. For these true believers, it is not enough for Rand to be totally right; she must also be totally original. The problem here, of course, is what we mean when we call a philosopher "original."

Ayn Rand was not especially well-read in philosophy, and this fueled some of her originality. If previous philosophers anticipated some of her arguments or if some of her contemporaries made similar points, Rand seemed largely oblivious to those facts. Thus, in citing precedents and parallels, I don't wish to suggest that Rand borrowed from other philosophers without acknowledgment (although this does seem likely in a few instances). Rather, I believe that Rand originated most of her ideas; that is, she worked them out for herself, unaware that they had been previously worked out by others. She reinvented a number of wheels, so to speak. Whether this kind of originality is especially praiseworthy is an open question, but it at least demonstrates a remarkable ingenuity.

I do think that Rand was original in a more fundamental sense. A philosophy is (or should be) more than unconnected theories and arguments bundled together by a common name. A philosophy is an integrated and organized system of theories and arguments. Therefore, even if many elements of Objectivism can be found in other philosophers, this does not mean that Objectivism, considered as a philosophical system, is unoriginal.

In the final analysis, originality may or may not be admirable. A new method of torture may be original, but this does not recommend it. Conversely, to say that torture is wrong may be unoriginal but important nonetheless. It is always better to reaffirm old truths than to originate new falsehoods.

Another problem haunts Ayn Rand's philosophy. Rand was a sharp polemicist who gave no quarter to her adversaries. Many philosophers have retaliated by exiling her beyond the pale of respectable discussion. This is a mistake. Whether you like the woman or not, her brilliance and influence cannot be gainsaid. If Rand is to be excluded from serious consideration because of her polemicism, then why not exclude other polemical philosophers as well?

From "Ayn Rand: Philosophy and Controversy" in Atheism, Ayn Rand, and Other Heresies, pp. 193-195. Omissions from the text are shown with bracketed ellipses. All other punctuation and spelling is from the original.

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