| Home Rand's Books Other Books Magazines Texts Biography Forums Websites Critics Miscellaneous Search Email Us |
| You Are Here: Home > Books > Reviews > Ayn Rand and Business | |
| Stuck in another site's frames? Escape! |
Reviewer: Richard Lawrence
Review Summary: An effective non-technical introduction to Rand's ideas for a business audience. Those already familiar with Objectivism will find this book superfluous and occasionally flawed.
At first sight, Ayn Rand and Business might make one think of all those other books that try to connect various historical figures to the world of modern business: the books on the supposed management secrets of Jesus, Ghengis Khan, etc. The comparison invites skepticism. Is this some hack imitation of those books, exploiting Rand's name to jump on the latest management book bandwagon? Certainly the bland title does not suggest creative originality, and the cover photo of Rand is not the most attractive one that they might have used.
After reading the book, one might recall that there is a good reason for the adage, "Don't judge a book by its cover." Although it has some flaws, this book is reasonably good introduction to Rand's ideas as they apply to the business world.
The authors, Donna Greiner and Theodore Kinni, are not philosophers or academics of any kind. They are business writers (as well as businesspeople in their own right, having founded their own company to sell books). It is precisely their down-to-earth, non-academic approach actually makes the book a refreshing read in comparison to some of the other material about Rand that has come out in the last few years. They consistently connect the theoretical to the concrete, using specific examples of companies run in accordance with (or in violation of) Objectivist principles. They explain Rand's ideas in straightforward language that emphasizes the natural appeal that has always been evident in people's reaction to Rand's novels, but which sometimes is lost in more technical, academic presentations.
After some biographical background on Rand and a high-level overview of her philosophy as a whole, the bulk of the book focuses on ethical issues. Greiner and Kinni divide the book's second section (called "Randian Work") into chapters for each of Rand's major virtues: rationality, independence, integrity, etc. A brief third section looks at management techniques that use the Objectivist virtues, although in many ways this material is a recap of points that have already been made in the previous section.
The authors presumably do not consider themselves Objectivists. They talk about Objectivists in the third person, and occasionally criticize what they see as the Objectivist position on an issue. Their formulations of some ideas do not agree exactly with those of Objectivist authors, although the discrepancies are likely to be too subtle for this book's primary audience to worry about them. They are also quite critical of some aspects of Rand's personal life, especially her relationship with her protege Nathaniel Branden and their following in the 1950s and 60s. But they recognize that Rand has been dead for almost two decades, and what matters most to their readers is how they can use her ideas in their own lives, not the details of her personality or personal life.
It is questionable why the authors present Rand's personal life in the way they do. In introducing Rand to an audience not already familiar with her, it is entirely appropriate to begin with a biographical sketch. Moreover, a biography that failed to mention her well-known relationship with Branden or some of the other material they discuss, would tend to create questions about the authors' credibility. A non-biased account of Rand's adult life is going to mention this material. However, Greiner and Kinni do appear rather quick to accept the accounts of Rand's detractors as being wholly true. Still, the flaws in this material are not enough to ruin value of the way they handle applying Rand's ideas to business issues in the rest of the book.
Readers who want an authoritative or detailed introduction to Rand's ideas should look elsewhere, preferably to Rand's own works, such as Atlas Shrugged. However, for businesspeople who react to Objectivist books with complaints like "It's too long -- my time for reading is so limited," or "I don't care about philosophy -- I need ideas to help my business," Ayn Rand and Business might be just the thing to get their attention.
The philosophy of Ayn Rand, a twentieth-century novelist and philosopher, is known as Objectivism. The Objectivism Reference Center provides resources about Rand, her ideas, her works, and places where those are discussed and debated. Visit the Site Information page for details on site policies. Suggestions for additional materials or additional links are welcomed.
If you have questions, comments or corrections related to this page, email the webmaster. If JavaScript is enabled for your browser, you can check to see when this page was last modified.
Copyright © 1999-2008 by Richard Lawrence. All rights reserved.
| Home Rand's Books Other Books Magazines Texts Biography Forums Websites Critics Miscellaneous Search Email Us |