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Objectivism through Ayn Rand’s Fiction (Q3-Q4) | 2025

To understand Rand’s philosophy one must give careful consideration to the content and meaning of her novels. This course provides a powerful corrective to a tendency among students of Objectivism to neglect Rand’s fiction in their study of the philosophy.

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Price

$3,000.00

Level

100

Timing

Q3, Q4

Format

Live

About this course

Ayn Rand’s novels are self-consciously philosophical novels, containing abstract themes, characters driven by opposing moral principles, and conflicts rooted in clashing worldviews. And more than that, Rand’s fictional heroes discover and embody new philosophical ideas, original to Rand. To understand Rand’s philosophy one must give careful consideration to the content and meaning of her novels, which contain the richest treatment of a number of central principles of Objectivism available. This course provides a powerful corrective to a tendency among students of Objectivism to neglect Rand’s fiction in their study of the philosophy.

Course Prerequisites

None. All students must take this course, both new students and returning students who have not yet taken it. It is a prerequisite or corequisite for all other courses.
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Instructors

Onkar Ghate
Dr. Ghate is senior fellow, chief philosophy officer, and a board member of the Ayn Rand Institute. He specializes in Rand’s philosophy, Objectivism, and is ARI’s senior instructor and editor. He publishes and lectures on Rand’s philosophy and fiction, including application of Objectivism to cultural issues. He holds a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Calgary.
Ben Bayer
Dr. Bayer is a fellow and director of content at the Ayn Rand Institute. He teaches at Ayn Rand University and gives talks and interviews for ARI. He writes and edits for ARI’s online publication, New Ideal. Dr. Bayer holds a PhD in philosophy and his writing focuses primarily on the application of philosophy to contemporary cultural and political controversies.
Aaron Smith
Dr. Smith is an instructor and fellow at ARI where he teaches and designs educational content for the Institute’s intellectual training and e-learning programs. He also writes, speaks, and gives interviews for the Institute. Dr. Smith received his PhD in philosophy from Johns Hopkins University where his research focused on Aristotle’s theory of knowledge.

About Ayn Rand University​

Ayn Rand described Objectivism as “a philosophy for living on earth.” This idea is at the heart of the Ayn Rand University, an online school of philosophy whose mission is to educate our students about Objectivism and to provide them with the intellectual, career, and life guidance they need to flourish.
Ayn Rand University provides an online educational experience, giving you the flexibility to attend from anywhere in the world. Each quarter, you’ll take one or more courses that feature lectures, graded assignments, classroom discussion, and feedback from our expert faculty. You may also meet regularly with one of our mentors, who will work with you to help you reach your learning and career goals so you can achieve success in thought and action. Though our program is demanding, most students find that they can succeed by devoting about 10 hours a week to their studies. And while we strongly encourage live attendance, all of our classes are recorded so that you can conveniently fit our classes into your schedule.