rwsh@hound.UUCP (R.STUBBLEFIELD) (06/06/84)
Open Letter to Lorien Y. Pratt Dartmouth College Library Hanover, NH 03755 decvax!dartvax!lorien Dear Lorien, With respect to the connection between Ayn Rand and "libertarians," the most philosophical presentation of the latter view is in a book called LIBERTARIANISM by John Hospers. I think it is now out of print, but you might try Laissez Faire Books 206 Mercer Street New York, N.Y. 10012 Harry Binswanger, editor of THE OBJECTIVIST FORUM, analyzed the anti- philosophical nature of the libertarian movement in a question-and- answer department in August, 1981. I believe you can get a copy by writing The Objectivist Forum Box 5311 FDR Station New York, N.Y. 10150 The relation between Objectivism and "libertarianism" in essence is that the latter take Rand's derived political principle--that no man may initiate the use of force--out of the context in which it was derived (her metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics) and treat it as an intrinsic rule: "Thou shalt not initiate force." Binswanger's 4-page article has examples to illustrate this error and the problems it leads to. If, in fact, you receive archives of net discussion of Rand's ideas, I suggest you have some of her works nearby for reference. Her ideas have been much more misrepresented than presented on the net. I have noticed that even those who claim to agree with her will sometimes misreprent her. Lectures on Objectivism are on tape and can be rented from Walter Huebscher P.O. Box 5555 Concord, Ontario Canada L4K 1B6 (416)635-6834 I am pleased to hear of another person who has read and enjoyed ATLAS. I highly recommend Rand's other works too. One more source for material of interest to those who share Ayn Rand's values and ideas is Palo Alto Book Service 200 California Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94306 (415)327-7781 Bob Stubblefield ihnp4!hound!rwsh (201)949-2846