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Dec132009

How to Study Ayn Rand's Writings

Sunday, December 13, 2009 at 9:27PM

Ayn Rand's writing is rich and deep, and it warrants in-depth study. How best can you tackle the material? Philosopher Harry Binswanger gave a lecture on this topic, which is available from the Ayn Rand Bookstore. Here, with his permission, is a brief synopsis of his suggestions in that lecture:

Read first; study second. Read an essay first, to enjoy it and to get an overview. Then you can dig in and study it using a three-step process: divide, conquer, and assimilate.

1. Divide: Break down the essay into smaller and smaller parts, until you have a unit you can "chew" without getting indigestion. When you narrow your focus to a paragraph, a sentence, or even a word, you get extra mental leverage. If you take too big a chunk, you will just find the material confusing. Don't worry about getting too small. Part of studying is connecting the pieces back to the wider context.

2. Conquer: Confront each part of the text by asking tough questions about it. Here are some questions that help you reduce each idea to reality:

What does it mean? As opposed to what?
Is it true? What is the evidence?
What are examples?
What is the essential?

And here are some questions that help you integrate it with your other knowledge:

Why does she make the point this way? Why those words?
Is this point necessary? If I negated it, what other knowledge would fall?
Why is the point made here? Why not elsewhere?
What are the implications, especially the value implications? How does this affect my life?

If you can't answer a question, make a note of it. Be on the lookout for possible answers. Ayn Rand was an extremely careful writer. She had a reason for every word, every formulation, every choice. If you look for her reasons, you can find them eventually, and learn from them.

3. Assimilate: You need to remember what you learn. How? Identify what you think is important, and tell yourself to remember that. Package the key points for yourself so they're easy to remember. For really important formulations, such as definitions, it's worth it to memorize Ayn Rand's language.

In summary: Divide (zoom in), conquer (ask questions), and assimilate (work to retain the material). This simple 3-word package can help you remember how to get the most out of studying Ayn Rand's writings.

Jean Moroney is President of Thinking Directions (http://www.thinkingdirections.com). She teaches thinking tactics to managers and other professionals grappling with the pace and complexity of business. As a graduate student, she ran the campus club at Carnegie Mellon for one year. She has many years of post-graduate experience running a local Toastmasters club, which poses similar challenges.

This article was originally posted Mar 29, 2009.

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