About
Content
Store
Forum

Rebirth of Reason
War
People
Archives
Objectivism

Post to this threadMark all messages in this thread as readMark all messages in this thread as unread


Post 0

Friday, December 11, 2009 - 1:44pmSanction this postReply
Bookmark
Link
Edit
Just in time for Christmas! I just received an email that the pre-ordered paperbacks start shipping tomorrow. I will formally review the book as soon as possible.

Post 1

Monday, December 21, 2009 - 8:27pmSanction this postReply
Bookmark
Link
Edit
You can read my review of the book here

Post 2

Monday, September 17, 2012 - 6:21amSanction this postReply
Bookmark
Link
Edit
Our local Ayn Rand Meetup has been discussing this book at the rate of one chapter per month. Chapter 16 on "The Psychology of Sex" proved the most dissatisfying to date. Branden totally omits the context of biology, evolution, and tribalism, crucial factors needed to explain how this psychology came to be. None of us found this to be anything close to a sound, concise treatment of the subject. Branden's later book The Psychology of Romantic Love does touch on these, but even that text could have used more fleshing of the biology (no pun intended). I also personally found the complete omission of any mention of contraception utterly evasive and inexcusable. The blurb about abortions at the end of the chapter hardly did justice to the relationship between making love and making babies.

Post 3

Thursday, September 20, 2012 - 3:21amSanction this postReply
Bookmark
Link
Edit
context, lads, context - in this case the difference of half a century and what was known in those times, and what was not.........

Post 4

Thursday, September 20, 2012 - 5:58amSanction this postReply
Bookmark
Link
Edit
Robert, please explain how Branden can legitimately omit the "probabilistic" causality between sexual intercourse and reproduction in his lecture. Even Ayn Rand at least mentioned this in her first novel when a character asked about how to prevent making babies. Too bad the question was never answered there. I find the abortion argument alone unsatisfying. If people are going to do this, they need to know more about how to prevent unwanted consequences. Condoms have been around for quite a long time, for instance. The cause of making babies has been known since the legend of Genesis, e.g. thousands of years.

(Edited by Luke Setzer on 9/20, 5:59am)


Post 5

Thursday, September 20, 2012 - 8:35amSanction this postReply
Bookmark
Link
Edit
Luke,


You said, "Branden totally omits the context of biology, evolution, and tribalism, crucial factors needed to explain how this psychology came to be." I'm not clear on what you mean. What explanation of the basic principles of psychology should have been in a book about the Objectivist philosophy but was missing?

In regards to contraception, it's a chapter on psychology in a philosophy book - not part of a Middle School health course. I think he assumed this audience knows where babies come from, how to use condoms, about STDs, etc.

Post 6

Thursday, September 20, 2012 - 8:52amSanction this postReply
Bookmark
Link
Edit
A single question: "Why?"

Why did humans come to value sex so highly?
Why do humans go to such extreme actions centered on the act?
Why did the proscriptions against the act arise?

We asked and answered these questions but they all came down to a single answer: "Tribalism." Proscriptions against birth control arise because the tribe needs more members to outsize enemy tribes and achieve safety in numbers. Proscriptions against fornication and adultery arise because the acts degrade accountability and increase jealousy within the tribe. You get the idea.

None of us has studied anthropology so likely there are deviations from these answers in parts of world history. But I see no sense in discussing psychology divorced from the wider context. This especially holds true given just how strongly the sexual urge demonstrates itself in so many ways for good and ill.

Post 7

Thursday, September 20, 2012 - 1:54pmSanction this postReply
Bookmark
Link
Edit
Luke,

Branden does give an explanation of the mystic's damnation of sex and the resulting laws against abortion. And he mentions that it is the mystics values that need to be addressed. And tribalism is the primitive collectivist's application of mysticism. But Branden is explaining the psychology of sex and he only addresses the morality of sex, or the history of sex, or the politics of sex as needed to discuss the psychology of sex.

I can see value in writing a broader chapter than he did, even if strays a bit from being psychology. Such a chapter could be labeled "Human Sexuality" instead of "Psychology of Sex" - but that isn't what he intended.

And, I just can't see your statement where you allege his "complete omission of any mention of contraception [is] utterly evasive and inexcusable." That seemed to be way over the top. I don't even understand what it is you're saying he is evading! {Neither Branden nor Rand were shy or deceptive in their approach to topics - it just wasn't in either of them to be evasive on any intellectual subject I can think of.)

And the idea of telling those people taking this philosophy course that contraceptives prevents pregnancy is not just straying away from philosophy and psychology, but is massively condescending - do you really think they don't understand where babies come from or what they need to do to prevent unwanted pregnancies?

Post 8

Friday, September 21, 2012 - 5:26amSanction this postReply
Bookmark
Link
Edit
Steve, perhaps I am just being overly sensitive about this. I have known far too many people who knew better and yet still had "oops" pregnancies. For me, contraception is a message that cannot be repeated often enough. On the other hand, I see your point that no amount of repetition will stop some people from evading the causal connection. As for the connection between mysticism and tribalism and their connections to sexual mores, well, hopefully the audience got that from the preceding lectures.

While I admit this chapter touched a raw nerve for me, I had good company with people from older generations in the discussion who shared my dissatisfaction.

Post to this thread


User ID Password or create a free account.