Philosophy: Who Needs It? The Metaphysical Versus the Man-Made

A discussion of the importance and central role of philosophy in man’s life.

To many people, philosophy is an esoteric, abstract subject that is of interest only to professors and other academic types who speak and write in obscure, impenetrable language, disconnected from real life. Who needs it?

Ayn Rand’s answer is: Everyone. In her novels and non-fiction writings, Rand showed the crucial importance of philosophy in man’s life. Faced with two and a half thousand years of western civilization’s philosophic errors, she developed a radical new philosophy for living on Earth that she called Objectivism.

Whether you have read all of Ayn Rand’s works or none of them, whether you are a beginner or already have an advanced understanding, if you are interested in the impact of ideas on our culture and in your own life you are invited to attend the inaugural meeting of the North Idaho Objectivism Society.

The purpose of this initial meeting is twofold: 1) To introduce ourselves to each other and to get a sense of where people’s interests may lead the group in the future, and 2) To begin our exploration of Objectivism with a discussion of Ayn Rand’s essay “The Metaphysical Versus the Man-Made”, anthologized in the book “Philosophy: Who Needs It”.

In preparation for the discussion, please read (or re-read) the introduction to the book as well as the essay above. If you are unable to obtain the book in time for the meeting, the essay is also available through this link: https://courses.aynrand.org/works/the-metaphysical-versus-the-man-made/.

The North Idaho Objectivism Society will use Meetup.com as the means of coordinating our activities. Please join the society on Meetup.com to be kept informed of future activities. Information may be found here: https://www.meetup.com/north-idaho-objectivism/