Fury Over the Focus

Re “Fountainhead of a New Fury”: Why was there so little mention of Ayn Rand’s philosophical work? Why was there no mention of the Ayn Rand Society, a branch of the American Philosophical Assn. (an organization of university philosophers, with similar branches for Plato, Aristotle, David Hume and others)? Or of the Ayn Rand Institute, right here in Marina del Rey, which conducts a yearly essay contest on “The Fountainhead” for high school juniors and seniors, and which sponsors academic work in philosophy?

I was glad to see her described as a “consistent (and) passionate champion of individual rights,” but there is a lot more to Ayn Rand than politics. Ayn Rand provided new and important insights into the nature of reason and its role in human life, into morality and the important questions traditionally answered by religion. Especially with more and more people turning to fundamentalism, Shirley MacLaine, “crystal power,” and drug cults for meaning in life, Ayn Rand’s rational, benevolent message deserves better than to be carelessly dismissed as adolescent foolishness.

BEN KOVITZ

Van Nuys