Hi. Some of the essays from The Objectivist Newsletter are reprinted in other Ayn Rand books which I have read. Should you take a philosophy course? Absolutely! How did Ayn Rand develop her ideas? How do they compare to the ideas of Descartes or Thomas Hobbs, or John Locke? Who was Seneca, Plato or Hippocrates? How have ideas changed through the centuries? What is dialectical reasoning? If knowing the answers to questions like these is important to you --get thee to a class! ;)

I am, too :-)

ask your questions. there is lots of talent in here

I am so glad I know you

i'm just doing it for fun and to see what i am up against. thanks for the tips and if i have any questions i will come to this site to post them.lol

My mom probably has every book, but i dislike reading books that have no story and are very dry because i just end up going to sleep. lol. So i'm thinking the news letter will be better format for me.

I can always try and get him to do it, when i get done with this book.

I bought it for my mom for her birthday last year.

I work at it.

you are a piece of work :)

I think Young Capitalist is dusting off what is already in the library. Bring on your questions, Young Capitalist! He's going to need your help Mark as he has questions

Great comments already. I would add that Ayn Rand's logical presentation of her ideas in the context of the social, political, economic events of the day are insightful and so well thought-out. These are the volumes (TON and TO) in which Rand and Peikoff first published a lot of what was later repackaged in book form (Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, The Analytic-Synthetic Dichotomy, and more). It's certainly diving right in. For a lighter dive, I like For the New Intellectual or Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal.

With thought of "know your enemy", I would tentatively approve studying Philosophy. You'll hate parts of it. Are you doing it for the degree, or the fun? If all you want is the learning, minor in Philosophy or just pick and choose your courses. It's also very important to find a professor that you trust, early on - not necessarily in the Phil. Dept, but it helps. Such a person can tell you "he's a moron, read this" or "take it twice". And, degree in hand and knowledge in brain, what are the things you want to do then?
.....says the History major who could have graduated with 5 B.A.'s but didn't want to take the stupid entry-level classes. so also says the person with a partial Masters' Classical Antiquities [ancient languages, art, architecture, literature & anything else that sounded interesting] degree, who got tired of the administrations' excretions.

hey, Young Capitalist-your grand dad HAS the Objectivist Newsletters! Have him scan that one to you

I am your Grandpops age with a BA in Philosophy. I've read almost everything she wrote. If you want to know what you'll be facing in a philosophy course in college, I urge you to find a copy of The Objectivist Volume 9 Number 8 August 1970 in which Ayn Rand wrote an article titled "The Comprachicos".