Objectivist movement
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{{otheruses3|Objectivism}}
{{Objectivism}}
The '''Objectivist movement''' is a movement to study and advance [[Ayn Rand]]’s philosophy, [[Objectivism (Ayn Rand)|Objectivism]]. Ayn Rand was a novelist and philosopher who wrote the novels ''[[The Fountainhead]]'' and ''[[Atlas Shrugged]]''. The movement began informally in the 1950s and consisted of students who were brought together by their mutual interest in Rand’s novel, ''The Fountainhead''. The ironically named [[Ayn Rand Collective]] (ironic due to their advocacy of individualism) consisted, in part, of [[Nathaniel Branden]] and [[Barbara Branden]], [[Alan Greenspan]], and [[Leonard Peikoff]]. Nathaniel Branden, a young Canadian student who had been greatly inspired by Rand's work, became a close confidant and encouraged Rand to expand her philosophy into a formal movement.
Since its informal beginnings in Rand’s living room to today's collection of think tanks, academic organizations, magazines, and journals, the Objectivist movement has seen its fair share of change and controversy.
==Early history==
The first formal presentation of Objectivism began with the Nathaniel Branden Lectures (NBL), shortly after the publication of Rand’s final novel, ''Atlas Shrugged''. Nathaniel Branden was the first member of The Collective, as well as Rand’s star student and intellectual heir.<ref name = "passion">{{cite book | last = Branden | first = Barbara | year = 1986 | title = The Passion of Ayn Rand | publisher = Anchor | isbn = 0-3852-4388-X}}</ref> Later, Branden and Rand became romantically involved.<ref>{{cite book | last = Branden | first = Nathaniel | year = 1998 | title = My Years with Ayn Rand | publisher = Jossey-Bass | isbn = 0-7879-4513-7}}</ref> After the publication of ''Atlas Shrugged'', Rand was inundated with requests for more information about her philosophy. Not wanting to be a teacher or leader of an organized movement, she allowed Branden to lecture on her behalf.<ref name = "passion"/>
<div style="float:right;margin:0px 0px 10px 10px;width:220px;">
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| colspan="3" bgcolor="#E0E0E0" style="font-size:11px;line-height:13px;" | '''Timeline of the Objectivist Movement'''
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| bgcolor="#E9E9E9" style="width:60px;" | '''Year'''
| bgcolor="#E9E9E9" style="width:200px;" | '''Event'''
|-
| valign="top" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" style="border-right:1px solid #E9E9E9;" |
1943<br />
1950<br />
1957<br />
1958<br />
1961<br />
1968<br />
1971<br />
1980<br />
1982<br />
1985<br />
1987<br />
1989<br />
1991<br />
1999<br />
2000<br />
2001<br />
| valign="top" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" style="border-right:1px solid #E9E9E9;"|
Fountainhead published<br />
Branden meets Rand<br />
Atlas Shrugged published<br />
NBI created<br />
Objectivist Newsletter starts<br />
Branden-Rand split<br />
Ayn Rand Letter starts<br />
Objectivist Forum starts<br />
Rand's death<br />
ARI starts<br />
Ayn Rand Society forms<br />
Peikoff-Kelley split<br />
IOS starts<br />
JARS founded<br />
Objectivist Academic Center<br />
First Anthem Foundation fellowship<br />
|}
</div>
The success of NBL prompted Branden to expand his lecture organization into the [[Nathaniel Branden Institute]] (NBI). Rand, with Branden, co-founded the first publication devoted to the study and application of Objectivism. ''[[The Objectivist Newsletter]]'' began publication in 1961 and was later expanded into ''[[The Objectivist]]''.<ref>''The Objectivist Newsletter'' vol. 1 no. 1</ref>
===The Nathaniel Branden Institute===
{{main|Nathaniel Branden Institute}}
The 1960s saw a rapid expansion of the Objectivist movement. Rand was a frequent lecturer at universities across the country. With [[John Hospers]], Rand hosted a radio program on Objectivism at Columbia University. NBI hosted lectures on Objectivism, the history of philosophy, art, and psychology in cities across the country (see the [[Nathaniel Branden Institute]]). Campus clubs devoted to studying Rand’s philosophy formed throughout the country, though operated independently of NBI. Rand was a frequent guest on radio and television, as well as a semi-annual lecturer at the Ford Hall Forum.<ref>Rand, Ayn. [http://www.aynrandbookstore2.com/prodinfo.asp?number=AR60D "Ayn Rand's The Ford Hall Lectures - Complete Set]</ref> At the peak of its popularity, NBI was delivering taped lectures in over 80 cities.<ref>''The Objectivist Newsletter'' vol. 4 no. 12</ref> By 1968 NBI had arranged for the lease of an entire floor in the Empire State Building (which would have been shared with Barbara Branden's book club and ''The Objectivist'').<ref>Announcement in ''The Objectivist'' vol. 6 no. 6</ref>
In 1968, Rand publicly broke with Nathaniel and Barbara Branden, accusing them of systematic deception and financial exploitation.<ref>''The Objectivist'' vol. 7 no.5</ref> In a letter sent to the mailing list of ''The Objectivist'', the Brandens countered that the break was linked not to deception and exploitation, but to Nathaniel’s desire to end his ongoing romantic relationship with Rand.<ref name = "passion"/> In 2005, Rand’s contemporaneous notes on the subject were published in [[James S. Valliant]]'s book, ''The Passion of Ayn Rand's Critics''. Valliant interprets this new evidence as vindicating Rand and damning the Brandens.<ref name = "Valliant">{{cite book | last = Valliant | first = James S | year = 2005 | title = The Passion of Ayn Rand's Critics | publisher = Durban House | isbn = 1-9307-5467-1}}</ref> This interpretation is strongly contested by the Brandens.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://rebirthofreason.com/Articles/Branden/The_Passion_of_Barbara_Branden.shtml | title = The Passion of Barbara Branden | accessdate = 2007-07-25}}</ref>
Though ''The Objectivist'' continued publishing without the Brandens until September 1971, the NBI was closed.<ref>''The Objectivist'' vol. 7 no.5</ref> The Brandens continued to sell several NBI lectures through their company, Academic Associates, though neither was involved with the Objectivist movement again until 1996. Peikoff later described the Brandens' expulsion as the first "of the many schisms that have plagued the Objectivist movement."<ref name = "Fact and value">{{cite web | title = Fact and Value | accessdate = 2007-07-25 | date = 1989 | last = Piekoff | first = L. | url = http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=objectivism_fv}}; reprinted from ''The Intellectual Activist'' vol. 5, no.1</ref>
===The 1970s===
The 1970s saw a reduction in the size and activity of the Objectivist movement. ''The Objectivist'' was replaced by ''[[The Ayn Rand Letter]]'' in 1971.<ref>''The Objectivist'' vol. 10 no.9</ref><ref>''The Ayn Rand Letter'' vol. 1 no.1</ref> ''The Ayn Rand Letter'' published writing only by Rand (and occasionally Leonard Peikoff), while ''The Objectivist'' had published articles by many Objectivists. Though Peikoff gave lectures on Objectivism, and Rand gave four workshops for a dozen professionals in philosophy and a few in math and physics, on her book, ''[[Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology]]'',<ref>Rand, Ayn (1990). ''Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology.'' Plume. ISBN 0-4520-1030-6</ref> there was no organized movement. In the late 1970s, ''The Objectivist Calendar'', a publication that listed upcoming events within the Objectivist movement, closed due to inactivity.<ref>''The Ayn Rand Letter'' vol. 4 no. 3</ref>
During this period of time, Rand began working even more closely with Peikoff,<ref name = "own words">{{cite video | people = Peikoff, Leonard | title =Leonard Peikoff in His Own Words | medium = DVD | publisher = Northern River Productions }}</ref> helping edit his book, ''The Ominous Parallels'', for which she wrote the introduction.<ref>{{cite book | last = Peikoff | first = Leonard | year = 1982 | title = The Ominous Parallels | publisher = Plume | isbn = 0-4520-1117-5}}</ref> By her death in 1982, Peikoff had been designated as heir to her estate, and controls the copyrights to her books and writing barring the public domain ''[[Anthem]]''.
Ironically, Ayn Rand’s 1982 death coincides with what might be called the birth of the modern Objectivist movement. 1980 saw the foundation of ''[[The Objectivist Forum]]'', a journal endorsed by Rand, but edited and published by [[Harry Binswanger]].<ref>''The Objectivist Forum'' vol. 1 no. 1</ref> Shortly after Rand’s death, Peikoff’s first book, ''The Ominous Parallels'', was published. In 1983 Peikoff gave a series of lectures titled ''Understanding Objectivism'',<ref>''The Objectivist Forum'' vol. 3</ref> which is almost universally considered by Rand scholars the most important lecture series on Objectivism ever given.<ref>{{cite book | last = Smith | first = Tara | year = 2006 | title = Ayn Rand’s Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist | publisher = Cambridge University Press | isbn = 0-5218-6050-4}}</ref><ref name = "contested">{{cite book | last = Kelley | first = David | year = 2000 | title = The Contested Legacy of Ayn Rand | publisher = Transaction Publishers | isbn = 0-7658-0060-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last = Sciabarra | first = Chris | year = 1995 | title = Ayn Rand: The Russian Radical | publisher = The Pennsylvania State University Press | isbn = 0-271-01440-7}}</ref>
===The Ayn Rand Institute===
{{main|Ayn Rand Institute}}
In 1985, [[Leonard Peikoff]] and [[Ed Snider]] founded the [[Ayn Rand Institute]] (ARI), the first organization devoted to the study and advocacy of Objectivism since the closure of NBI in 1968.<ref>''The Objectivist Forum'' vol. 5 no. 6</ref> The institute began by sponsoring essay contests on Rand’s novels and distributing op-eds analyzing world events from an Objectivist perspective.<ref>''The Objectivist Forum'' vol. 6 no.5</ref> In 1987 the institute began teaching aspiring Objectivist intellectuals.<ref>''Impact'' June 2003</ref>
===The Peikoff-Kelley split===
In 1989 there was another split within the Objectivist movement, this time explicitly philosophical. [[David Kelley]], a philosopher and lecturer then affiliated with the ARI, was criticized by Objectivist [[Peter Schwartz]] for lecturing under the auspices of Laissez-Faire Books (LFB), a libertarian book store.<ref>[http://www.lfb.org/index.php?action=help&helpfile=clt.html The Center for Libertarian Thought] is LFB's parent organization</ref> Schwartz argued that Kelley had violated the Objectivist moral principle of sanction, both because LFB was an explicitly libertarian organization and because it promoted books which Schwartz interpreted as unjustly hostile and defamatory towards Ayn Rand and Objectivism.<ref>Schwartz, Peter. "On Sanctioning the Sanctioners," ''The Intellectual Activist'' vol. 4, no. 20</ref> Kelley responded, in a paper titled "A Question of Sanction", by disputing Schwartz’s interpretation of the sanction principle in particular and moral principles in general. Subsequently, Peikoff wrote a response to Kelley’s paper, titled "Fact and Value", endorsing Schwartz’s view and arguing that Kelley’s position amounted to a rejection of fundamental principles of Objectivism. Peikoff announced that he would no longer allow ARI (which he controls by charter) or the Estate of Ayn Rand to co-operate with Kelley.<ref name = "Fact and value"/>
Kelley responded to the Peikoff-Schwartz critique in his monograph, ''Truth and Toleration'', later ''The Contested Legacy of Ayn Rand''.<ref name = "contested"/> He responded to his ostracism by founding the Institute for Objectivist Studies (IOS) (later The Objectivist Center (TOC), currently [[The Atlas Society]] (TAS)) with the help of Ed Snider. Kelley was joined by Objectivists George Walsh and Jim Lennox, as well as one-time Rand friends, Joan and Allan Blumenthal.<ref>Walsh, George. "A Statement," ''The Intellectual Activist'' vol. 5 no. 3</ref>
==Recent history==
In its modern form, the Objectivist movement contains two think tanks, two journals and two magazines, several scholarly organizations, several hundred campus and community groups, and a number of Internet-based forums and social networking sites.
===The Atlas Society and the Ayn Rand Institute===
Kelley’s Institute for Objectivist Studies (IOS) was founded in 1991, when it began to publish material on Objectivism and host conferences for Rand scholars. In the early 1990s they held a symposium on [[Chris Sciabarra]]'s book, ''Ayn Rand: The Russian Radical''.<ref>Sciabarra, Chris (1995). Ayn Rand: The Russian Radical. The Pennsylvania State University Press. ISBN 0-271-01440-7</ref> In the mid 1990s, IOS invited Nathaniel and Barbara Branden to participate in the institute’s activities, effectively bringing them back into the Objectivist movement. Jim Lennox and the Blumenthals disassociated from the organization in protest. The Brandens have continued to participate in TAS events since that time.
In 1994, the Ayn Rand Institute (ARI) expanded its educational programs into the Objectivist Graduate Center (OGC), which held classes led by Leonard Peikoff and Harry Binswanger. The OGC expanded into the Objectivist Academic Center (OAC) in 2000, offering undergraduate and graduate courses on Objectivism, writing, history, the history of philosophy, and the history of science.<ref>''Impact'' September 2000</ref>Several OAC classes are now accredited.<ref>[http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=education_academic_index OAC website]</ref> In 1991, Peikoff's book ''[[Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand]]'' was published. It was the first systematic presentation of Rand's philosophy to appear in print. ARI increased its notoriety by staging a protest against President Clinton’s volunteerism initiative in 1996. 1996 also saw a series of lectures on Objectivism by ARI intellectuals at Harvard.<ref>''Impact'' December 2006</ref> ARI gathered more attention for its activism on behalf of the family of Elian Gonzalez. 1998 saw the release of Academy Award nominated documentary, ''Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life''. In 1999 the United States Postal Service released an Ayn Rand stamp.<ref>''Impact'' April 1999</ref>
In 2000, [[Yaron Brook]] replaced Michael Berliner as head of the ARI.<ref>''Impact'' March 2000</ref> The 2000s have seen the most rapid growth of the Objectivist movement since its birth in the late 1950s. Op-eds put out by ARI are published by hundreds of newspapers annually, and ARI intellectuals are frequent guests on radio networks such as [[Air America Radio|Air America]] and TV networks such as [[Fox News]] and [[CNBC]]. ARI speakers give scores of lectures on college campuses each year, which are sponsored by the hundreds of Objectivist campus clubs around the country.<ref>''Impact'' December 2006</ref> There are many community groups dedicated to the study of Objectivism, as well as several on-line forums and social networks for fans of Rand's novels and philosophy (see links).
As of 2007, ARI has distributed over 700,000 free copies of Ayn Rand’s novels to high schools around the country.<ref>''Impact'' February 2007</ref> In 2005 ARI opened a branch in Canada, which distributes free books to Canadian schools. Independently of ARI's free books program, Rand's books sell over 500,000 copies per year. Total sales of her books since publication is over 24 million copies.<ref>[http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_ari About ARI] From the Ayn Rand's Institute's website</ref>
ARI intellectuals are frequently interiewed for their controversial positions, particularly on Islam and the war on terror. In 2006, ARI sponsored a conference on the war on terror. In addition to Objectivist speakers, mid-east scholars [[Daniel Pipes]], [[Robert Spencer]], and [[Flemming Rose]] gave lectures. The event was capped by Yaron Brook’s Ford Hall Forum lecture (Brook is only the third Objectivist to be invited to the [[Ford Hall Forum]], after Ayn Rand and Leonard Peikoff).<ref>[http://www.objectivistconferences.com/fordhall06/ The Jihad Against the West]</ref>
The 2000s also saw a change for the Atlas Society (TAS). David Kelley stepped down as executive director and was replaced by ex-[[CATO]] scholar [http://www.objectivistcenter.org/cth-17-1366-Edward_Hudgins.aspx Ed Hudgins]. The institute relocated to Washington D.C. and launched a new magazine, [http://www.objectivistcenter.org/cth-42-1328-New_Individualist.aspx ''The New Individualist'']. TAS has recently attracted media attention following its participation in the 2007 [[Conservative Political Action Conference]] - CPAC.
While the 2000s have seen much expansion of the Objectivist movement, they have not been without controversy. In 2004 and 2005, several well known students and employees left The Atlas Society, in part because of the material in Jim Valliant’s book, ''The Passion of Ayn Rand’s Critics''.<ref>[http://www.dianahsieh.com/blog/2004/02/public-statement.html Public statement by TAS student Diana Hsieh]</ref><ref>[http://www.dianahsieh.com/blog/2005/09/another-departure.html Public statement by TAS lecturer Greg Perkins]</ref><ref>[http://www.solopassion.com/node/762 Public statement by TAS employee Bill Perry]</ref><ref>[http://www.solopassion.com/node/489 Public statement by TAS lecturer Lindsay Perigo]</ref>
===Objectivism in academia===
Despite the fact that several members of The Collective were philosophy graduate students at NYU (Peikoff’s PhD advisor was [[Sidney Hook]]),<ref name = "own words"/> Objectivism did not begin to make serious inroads into academic philosophy until the 1980s, and did not gather much attention until the 2000s.<ref>{{citation | first = Erika | last = Fricke | url = http://www.umc.pitt.edu/pittmag/summer2004/cornerstones.html | title = Follow Reason: An Objectivist Viewpoint | journal = Pitt Magazine | date = summer 2004 | accessdate = 2007-07-25}}</ref>
Rand herself had much disdain for modern academia, citing the poor state of American universities, particularly the [[humanities]], as the source of much of the country's problems.<ref name = "new intellectual">{{cite book | last = Rand | first = Ayn | title = For the New Intellectual | publisher = Signet | isbn = 0-4511-6308-7}}</ref> Until recently, Objectivism has grown independently of academia, supplying free books to high schools and universities, sponsoring essay contests for students and support programs for teachers and professors interested in studying and teaching Rand's ideas.<ref name = "About ARI">{{cite web | url = http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_ari | title = About ARI | accessdate = 2007-07-25}}</ref>
In 1987, noted [[Aristotle]] scholar and Rand student [[Allan Gotthelf]] founded the Ayn Rand Society, which is affiliated with the [[American Philosophical Association]]. Non-Objectivist participants have included [[Jaegwon Kim]] and [[Susan Haack]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.aynrandsociety.org | title = Welcome to the Website of the Ayn Rand Society | accessdate = 2007-07-25}}</ref>
In 1999 the academic journal ''The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies'' (JARS) was founded to help facilitate the study of Rand’s thought within academia.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.aynrandstudies.com/jars/index.asp | title = The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies | accessdate = 2007-07-25}}</ref> The journal is boycotted by scholars affiliated with the ARI.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://groups.google.com/group/humanities.philosophy.objectivism/msg/e5bc18eb5192ed57?hl=en& | title = To All Sincerely Concerned With Objectivism | last = Bernstein | first = Andrew | accessdate = 2007-07-25}}</ref>
In the early 2000s, Objectivist John McCaskey founded the Anthem Foundation for Objectivist Scholarship, which sponsors the work of established Objectivist professors.<ref>''Impact'' July 2003</ref> As of 2007 there are 13 fellowships for the study of Objectivism in universities in the U.S., including at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Texas, Austin.<ref name = "About ARI"/> In 2006, the Anthem Foundation in conjunction with the University of Pittsburgh hosted a conference on the philosophy of science called "Concepts and Objectivity: Knowledge, Science, and Values." Participants included Objectivists Onkar Ghate, Allan Gotthelf, James G. Lennox, Harry Binswanger, and [[Tara Smith (philosopher)|Tara Smith]], as well as noted analytic philosophers David Sosa, A.P. Martinich, and Peter Railton.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.pitt.edu/~hpsdept/news/news/ConceptsObjConf2006.pdf | title = Concepts and Objectivity | date = 2006 | accessdate = 2007-07-23}}</ref>
In 2006, Cambridge University Press published Tara Smith’s book, ''Ayn Rand’s Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist''.<ref>{{cite book | last = Smith | first = Tara | year = 2006 | title = Ayn Rand's Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist | publisher = Cambridge University Press | isbn = 0-5218-6050-4}}</ref> This book, along with the previously mentioned "Concepts and Objectivity" conference, has been cited by some Objectivists as the biggest inroad into mainstream academic philosophy to date; 2006 also saw several seminars on Objectivism at Brown University given by [[Yaron Brook]].<ref>''Impact'' December 2006</ref>
==Accusations of cultism==
Several people, including [[Murray Rothbard]],<ref name = "Murray">Rothbard, Murray. {{cite web | title="The sociology of the Ayn Rand cult." | url=http://www.lewrockwell.com/rothbard/rothbard23.html | accessdate=2006-03-31}}</ref>; Jeff Walker<ref name="walker">{{cite book | last = Walker | first = Jeff | year = 1999 | title = The Ayn Rand Cult | publisher = Open Court | isbn = 0-8126-9390-6}}</ref> and [[Michael Shermer]]<ref name = "Shermer">{{cite journal | last = Shermer |first = Michael | title= The Unlikeliest Cult in History | url = http://www.2think.org/02_2_she.shtml | accessdate=2006-03-30 | journal = Skeptic | volume = 2 | issue = 2 | pages = 74–81 | year = 1993}}</ref> have accused Rand of being a cult-like figure and the Objectivist movement of being a cult. Walker compares it with [[Scientology]] as being a cult-like organization.<ref name="walker"/> Critics use the epithet 'Randroid' (a [[portmanteau]] of Rand and [[android]]) to evoke the image of an indoctrinated cultist, programmed to parrot Rand’s every word.
===Rothbard===
Rothbard wrote:
<blockquote>"If the glaring inner contradictions of the [[Leninist]] cults make them intriguing objects of study, still more so is the Ayn Rand cult... [f]or not only was the Rand cult explicitly atheist, anti-religious, and an extoller of Reason; it also promoted slavish dependence on the guru in the name of independence; adoration and obedience to the leader in the name of every person's individuality; and blind emotion and faith in the guru in the name of Reason."<ref name = "Murray"/></blockquote>
In ''The Passion of Ayn Rand’s Critics'', Valliant asserts that his one-time friend Rothbard "told me that his ''Sociology of the Ayn Rand cult'' was 'highly fictionalized'. For example no one was ever 'excommunicated' from Rand's circle for not liking the music of Rachmaninoff as Rand did."<ref name = "Valliant"/>
===Walker===
Jeff Walker compares Objectivism to the well known cult of [[Scientology]]. Walker compares both [[Dianetics]] and Objectivism side by side. Both, argues Walker, are totalist sets of beliefs that advocate "an ethics for the masses based on survival as a rational being." Walker continues, "Dianetics used reasoning somewhate similar to Rand’s about the brain… both have a higher mind reprogramming the rest of the mind."<ref name = "walker"/> Walker further notes that both philosophies claim to be based on science and logic.
Rand scholar and founder of JARS [[Chris Sciabarra]] has criticised Walker’s objectivity and scholarship,<ref name="Sciabarra">{{cite journal | last = Sciabarra | first = Chris | title = Books for Rand Studies | url = http://www.nyu.edu/projects/sciabarra/essays/cult.htm | journal = Full Context | volume = 11 | issue = 4 | year = 1999 | pages = 9–11}} </ref> and [[R. W. Bradford]], founder of [[Liberty (1987)|Liberty]] magazine, called it "merely annoying" for scholars.<ref name="Bradford">{{cite journal | last = Bradford | first = R.W. | journal = Liberty | volume = 13 | issue = 2 | title = Ayn Rant | year = 1999 | url = http://web.archive.org/web/20050211153421/www.libertysoft.com/liberty/reviews/70bradford2.html }}</ref>
===Shermer===
Michael Shermer argued that the Objectivist movement displayed many of the characteristics of religious cults, including the veneration and inerrancy of the leader; hidden agendas; financial and/or sexual exploitation; and the beliefs that the movement provides absolute truth and absolute morality.<ref name="Shermer"/> During a 2007 interview Shermer stated that he found the philosophy of Objectivism to be "perfectly sound", though not perfect, citing the problems of integrating the idea of objective truths with the moral realm and values.<ref name="Hudgins">{{cite journal | last = Hudgins | first = Ed | title = Out of step: TNI's interview with Michael Shermer | url = http://www.objectivistcenter.com/ct-1852-M_Shermer.aspx | journal = The New Individualist | volume = 10 | issue = 1-2 | year = 2007}}</ref>
===Responses to cultism charges===
In response to an admirer who offered her cult-like allegiance, Rand wrote:
<blockquote>"My philosophy advocates reason, not faith; it requires men to think – to accept nothing without a full, rational, firsthand understanding and conviction – to claim nothing without factual evidence and logical proof. A blind follower is precisely what my philosophy condemns and what I reject. Objectivism is not a mystic cult."<ref>{{cite web | url = http://web.archive.org/web/20050208040908/www.noblesoul.com/orc/bio/biofaq.html | title = Ayn Rand Biography }}</ref></blockquote>
In the magazine ''The Laissez-Faire City Times'', Jim Peron wrote an analysis of Objectivism that argues similarities to cults are superficial at best and charges of cultism directed at Objectivists are [[ad hominem]] attacks used to dismiss Objectivist ideas without considering them. He specifically points out that Objectivism does not contain the layers of initiation which Scientology is known for, lacking a hierarchy, obligation, cost or physical coersion. Organized instruction in Objectivism is free for students through the partially accredited academic center of the ARI. Both ARI and TAS give grants and scholarships as non-profit organizations. Writes Peron:
<blockquote>“I cannot see how a disembodied philosophy can be a cult. I say Objectivism was disembodied because there was no Objectivist organization to join. The Nathaniel Branden Institute gave lectures but had no membership. You could subscribe to a newsletter but you couldn't join. Objectivism was, and is, structureless. And without a structure there cannot be cult. Cults spend a great deal of time recruiting members and persuading them to join a structure. A structure, or organization, is not optional. It is an essential trait of a cult. If the structure doesn't exist then there is no cult... Did Objectivism recruit members? It doesn't seem so. The obvious reason is that there was nothing to which members could be recruited. The vast majority of self-proclaimed Objectivists are people who read Rand's works and agreed with her. Most have never attended an Objectivist meeting nor subscribed to any Objectivist newsletter. All they did was buy Rand's books and like them."<ref>{{cite web | last = Peron | first = Jim | url = http://web.archive.org/web/20050211093834/www.noblesoul.com/orc/essays/obj_cult1.html | title = Is Objectivism a Cult?}}. Objectivism Reference Center, reprinted from ''The Laissez-Faire City Times''.</ref></blockquote>
== Notes ==
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
* [http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer Ayn Rand Institute]
* [http://www.aynrandsociety.org/ Ayn Rand Society]
* [http://www.capitalismcenter.org/ The Center for the Advancement of Capitalism]
* [http://www.objectivismonline.net/ ObjectivismOnline.Net]
* [http://www.objectivistcenter.org The Atlas Society]
* [http://www.nathanielbranden.com/catalog/splash.php Nathaniel Branden's site]
* [http://peikoff.com/ Leonard Peikoff's site]
* [http://barbarabranden.com/ Barbara Branden's site]
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