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This is a great book with a lot of interesting content.  The theme of the book is why we should be optimistic about the future. ... (See the whole review)

Book Description: ... (See the whole review)

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I just bought this book and will report on it here after I get some time to read it ...

Philosophy in World Perspective David A. Dilworth (Yale 1989) What the publisher said of this book on the back cover is exactly right:In this original work of systematic philosophy, David Dilworth places the major texts of Western and Oriental philosophy and religion, both ancient and modern, into one comparative framework. His study reve... (See the whole review)

(Passing this along from my inbox) ... (See the whole review)

Finally, a housing crisis book that really names names!

I just got an email from Charles, who created this graphic novel based on Ayn Rand's Anthem.  I haven't read it, but it's a good idea.  That book in particular seems appropriate for a visual presentation.  The author says he coordinated with ARI on this project, so it seems like it will be a fair interpretation.  If anyone has read it yet, please l... (See the whole review)

I heard the author, Star Parker, interviewed on Sean Hannity today. She literally blew me away. I am recommending this book before even reading it because of how impressed, how in awe, I already am of her. She was so poignant, so prescient. I know of only one other woman -- a prominent mid-20th Century novelist/philosopher who will go unnam... (See the whole review)

Like the subtitle indicates, this book is about induction. When and why is the inference from "some" to "all" legitimate? The narratives about some famous scientists arriving at their inductive generalizations are interesting and illuminating. There are ones about Benjamin Franklin, Kepler, Galileo, Newton, atomic theory, and chemistry. Harriman's ... (See the whole review)

The human race may not survive the agricultural revolution.    “This book is not just about agriculture,” Manning writes, “but about the fundamental dehumanization that occurred with agriculture.”  ... (See the whole review)

Put this in your Rand-sighting file: "Egoless Egoists: The Second-Hand Lives of Mad Men" by Robert White, published in Mad Men and Philosophy: Nothing Is as It Seems (part of the Philosophy and Pop Culture Series.) Much of Mad Men fits the theme of The Fountainhead in its expose of second-handers, and White gets it right: "Presumably, Coo... (See the whole review)

I had the good fortune to attend the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM) 1982-84. It was the first state residential high school of its kind to specialize in recruiting extremely bright, self-motivated, rising eleventh graders for an intense, two year program of rigorous coursework. Unfortunately, I found the history departme... (See the whole review)

Yesterday I finished reading Financial Fiasco. There are other good books about the recent financial crisis covering different aspects of it -- the drama, the bankers, the rating agencies and especially "Wall Street." "Wall Street" makes a good scapegoat for those in Washington, D.C. (The book does not hold Wall Street innocent.) Published ... (See the whole review)

After Adam Smith A Century of Transformation in Politics and Political Economy Murray Milgate and Shannon C. Stimson (Princeton 2009) From the publisher: Few issues are more central to our present predicaments than the relationship between economics and politics. After Adam Smith looks at how politics and political economy were a... (See the whole review)

This is the only 19th century book describing Russia which was forbidden in Soviet Union. Normally they loved the criticism of czarist time, but somehow this book analysis was easily applied to them. I remember reading big portions of it typed on typewriter and secretly distributed through SamIzdat. Now I have it on my book-shelve and nobod... (See the whole review)

The Myth of the Robber Barons describes the role of key entrepreneurs in the economic growth of the United States from 1850 to 1910. The entrepreneurs studied are Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockefeller, James J. Hill, Andrew Mellon, Charles Schwab, and the Scranton family. Most historians argue that these men, and others like them, were Robber B... (See the whole review)

Did you buy your ticket yet? Only $200,000 to see the Earth from Space.

This small book is simply fantastic and fun to read. It also contains some interesting observations.

Essays on Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged Robert Mayhew, editor (Lexington 2009) One contribution to this collection is Michael Berliner’s “The Atlas Shrugged Reviews.” He “describes the generally hostile nature of the reviews the novel received, and underscores that this hostility came as much from the Right as it did from the Left” (x). Ye... (See the whole review)

This precursor of Atlas Shrugged anticipated the election of a Socialist Labour government in the United Kingdom. First published in 1907, action takes place about 1918 and a few years later.  Ernest Bramah Smith wrote adventure and detective books, dime novels.  This work shows many of the those features.  The workmanship is uneven.  The story was... (See the whole review)

Morality within the Limits of Reason Russell Hardin (Chicago 1988) The Economics of Rights, Co-Operation and Welfare Robert Sugden (Oxford 1986, Palgrave Macmillan 2005) Russell Hardin and Robert Sugden have independently employed game theory to expand our understanding of human rights. The relevance of game theory to rights the... (See the whole review)

Suppose that two strangers have agreed to an exchange that must be kept secret. They agree on the money price for the good being exchanged, and they agree on separate pickup locations for the money and the good. The purchaser of the good then calculates: If I leave the money and she leaves the good, that is good (R = reward for cooperation). But if... (See the whole review)

After half a century, the original lecture series on Objectivism is now available in book form, with new commentary by the author and a forward by Barbara Branden. Paperback copies of the book will start shipping to those who pre-ordered the book on 12/12/2009. Order from the Laissez Faire books website: For ten years--from 1958 to... (See the whole review)

Gotthelf reports that the book (a collection of papers delivered to the Ayn Rand Society of the APA) has gone to the publishers (University of Pittsburgh Press).  It's the first volume in the Ayn Rand Society Philosophical Papers.  No publication date given.  <eom> (See the whole review)

Amazon link. Dr. Modell draws upon Gerald Edelman's idea of "neural Darwinism", Edelman's primary/higher-order consciousness distinction, and the ideas on metaphor by Mark Johnson and George Lakoff. He distinguishes among different kinds of memory -- emotional, episodic, procedural and semantic.  I have only read about 25% so far, but it's very tho... (See the whole review)

I have just completed reading this well researched and unbiased biography of Ayn Rand. Eight years in the writing, it traces the evolution of her thinking, relationships, conflicts and triumphs. Jennifer Burns claims not to be an Objectivist but she "gets" the essence of the philosophy. Please read the other comments on the Amazon site. ... (See the whole review)

Link to Video (I don't know how long this will stay up) ... (See the whole review)

Offered a general's star if he will accept assignment to a NATO post in Europe, Colonel John Matherson resigns his commission to move with his wife, dying of cancer, and their two daughters to her Christian-college hometown in the back woods of North Carolina. Then, one day, the lights go out, and, more ominously, car ignitions and cell phones fai... (See the whole review)

Has anyone read this?  To judge from comments, it looks like another case of a conservative coming around to Rand, like Limbaugh or Amity Shlaes.

The Ayn Rand Society will be issuing an annual series under the title Ayn Rand Society Philosophical Studies. The publisher will be University of Pittsburgh Press. Allan Gotthelf will edit the series, with James Lennox as associate editor. Bravo! I am a member of a couple of other APA Societies, in addition to being a member of ARS. One issu... (See the whole review)

This highly entertaining little book, published in 1995, has much more truth to it than most would care to admit. Sadly, it has gone out of print though Amazon still carries used copies at reasonable prices. This review includes a summary of the book's table of contents as well as quotes and summaries of each chapter. Any future release of this ... (See the whole review)

This is my latest a work with the focus on the non-Utopian nature of the free society.

This is an interesting book that attempts to defend naive (or vulgar) realism.  The first couple chapters provide a detailed description of naive realism, and a description of some of the more common alternatives in today's philosophical community.  The author explains why philosophy went towards postmodernism, and traces the roots back to Hume and... (See the whole review)

I just bought this book and am already impressed. Lomborg is a utilitarian, but he shows -- more than any other author has -- just how harmful global warming legislation (e.g., Cap & Trade) is for human beings living on Earth.

Banking fueled railroading.  John Stewart Kennedy's legendary partnership with James J. Hill achieved its heights with the construction of the Canadian Pacific.  Kennedy had established a reputation for being able to save troubled railroads. Kennedy's trajectory began a generation earlier.  His star rose as a commission agent, buying supplie... (See the whole review)

On Amazon I captioned this review: Exploring the GED for Fun and Profit Many high school students quit school before graduation. They have numerous causes for this choice, some more legitimate than others. The bottom line remains that the modern world often demands at least a high school diploma or its equivalent in order to progres... (See the whole review)

Coming Soon! Wittgenstein, Austrian Economics and the Logic of Action Roderick Long (Routledge 2009) Preview from the Author // Where does Wittgenstein stand on this issue? As I read him, he rejects the distinction between analytic and synthetic propositions. As traditionally understood, analytic truths are linguistic stipu... (See the whole review)

Rand: “Litigants obey the verdict of a tribunal [as just] solely on the premise that there is an objective rule of conduct, which they both accept” (AS 143). “That which cannot be formulated into an objective law, cannot be made the subject of legislation—not in a free country, not if we are to have ‘a government of laws and not of men’. An u... (See the whole review)

A book well worth reading. This is a "Wow!" book, hard work, not because it is excellent literature, for there are tons of other books also well written, or merely because it has a fluid and gripping plot to make it most entertaining, for there are also other, though fewer, books that have a well thought and structured plot (some of the very... (See the whole review)

First, I want to name some general strengths and weaknesses of this novel. Overall, I found it a worthwhile read. The author does a solid job of giving his characters substance, depth, and believability. The reader will come to care about them like real people. The plot had enough interesting twists to keep the reader turning pages to learn what ha... (See the whole review)

From the Synopsis at the Barnes and Noble site: “In layman’s terms, using vivid examples, Andrew Bernstein clearly explains the brilliant ideas that animate the conflict and characters of Anthem, The Fountainhead, and Atlas Shrugged.” ... (See the whole review)

This looks excellent! ... (See the whole review)

Per my graduate class in quality engineering: "Read The Goal and provide an executive summary of the book. The summary should cover the main points of the process that Mr. Rogo and his team took to turn around the plant. In addition to the summary, answer the following questions." Part I -- Executive Summary The problem of prod... (See the whole review)

The Sparrowhawk series is an historical fiction must read for lovers of the American Revolution and the spirit of '76 that led up to the glorious cause enshrined in the Declaration of Independence. After reading Book One: Jack Frake you'll be hooked.

Social Philosophy and Policy - 2008 ... (See the whole review)

Did The Dark Knight leave you longing for a less introspective, more morally certain Batman? Then look no further. Writer Frank Miller teams with artist Jim Lee to give us the most hard-boiled Batman ever. He's so hard-boiled that he makes Mike Hammer look like a sissy. Miller and Lee turn the testosterone up as they give us a Batman ... (See the whole review)

Crimes Against Logic: Exposing the Bogus Arguments of Politicians, Priests, Journalists, and Other Serial Offenders by Jamie Whyte. (McGraw-Hill 2004, 157 pages.) ... (See the whole review)

Luto Pternam's Mask Factory manufactures shock troops and assassins to maintain the static totalitarian society of Lisagor on the Planet Oerlikon. His latest "creation" is a conditioned assassin with two unique abilities. The morphodite can initiate Change, a biochemical process that leads to regeneration and sex change. And this morphodite has ... (See the whole review)

The Good: Fantagraphics has done a beautiful job putting together this "coffee table" book. The production quality is high and the book is abundant with reproductions of Steve Ditko's comic book work from the beginning of his career in 1953 to his most recent efforts. And author Blake Bell has done his homework and presents an exhaustive history of... (See the whole review)