We note with sadness the death today of Nathaniel Branden.
At our organization’s 1996 Summer Seminar, in Boulder, Colorado, Branden made the first of many appearances at our events.
His lecture “ Objectivism and the Psychology of Self-Esteem ” was also a first on a larger scale, as he acknowledged in his opening words:
This is the very first time in 28 years that I have addressed an Objectivist audience, and it is a more thrilling experience for me than I have any words to communicate to you. I feel that in being here I have come home to a very important part of myself, from which I needed to separate for a while in order to gain perspective.
Branden was referring, of course, to his acrimonious rupture with Ayn Rand in 1968. He had created the NathanielBranden Institute ten years earlier, after the publication of Rand’s novel Atlas Shrugged, in order to promote the philosophical ideas dramatized in the novel. His 20-lecture course, The Basic Principles of Objectivism, was the first systematic statement of the philosophy—and the first of many courses offered through NBI. With Ayn Rand, he edited The Objectivist Newsletter and The Objectivist magazine, where his early work on psychology was published, along with most of Rand’s most important philosophical essays. It is hard to imagine that there would have been an Objectivist movement without him.
After his break with Rand, Branden continued his career in psychology, as an innovative therapist and teacher of therapists. His many books and lectures earned him worldwide respect as a pioneer on the subject of self-esteem. He fought against those who identify self-esteem with narcissism—both those who denigrate self-esteem for that reason and those who promote narcissism in the name of self-esteem. Through his research, teaching, and publications, Branden argued that genuine self-esteem is earned by pursuing the essentially Objectivist values of rationality, integrity, productiveness, and responsibility.
We are proud to have played even a small role in reuniting the rich stream of his psychological insight with the wider philosophy of Objectivism, where his work began.
He was a giant, an Atlas. He will live beyond his life.
EXPLORE:
Nathaniel Branden, Remembered by Edward Hudgins
The Moral Revolution in Atlas Shrugged by Nathaniel Branden
This classic, by Nathaniel Branden, was prepared under Ayn Rand 's oversight. It offers a classic analysis of Rand's portrayal of her radical, new ethical perspective.
Objectivist Ethics in an Information Age Economy by Nathaniel Branden
Today's organizations require a higher level of independence, self-reliance, self-trust, and initiative. In a word, self-esteem.
David Kelley es el fundador de The Atlas Society. Filósofo profesional, profesor y autor de best-sellers, ha sido uno de los principales defensores del Objetivismo durante más de 25 años.
David Kelley founded The Atlas Society (TAS) in 1990 and served as Executive Director through 2016. In addition, as Chief Intellectual Officer, he was responsible for overseeing the content produced by the organization: articles, videos, talks at conferences, etc.. Retired from TAS in 2018, he remains active in TAS projects and continues to serve on the Board of Trustees.
Kelley es filósofo profesional, profesor y escritor. Tras doctorarse en filosofía por la Universidad de Princeton en 1975, se incorporó al departamento de filosofía del Vassar College, donde impartió una amplia variedad de cursos de todos los niveles. También ha enseñado filosofía en la Universidad Brandeis y ha dado conferencias con frecuencia en otros campus.
Los escritos filosóficos de Kelley incluyen obras originales sobre ética, epistemología y política, muchas de las cuales desarrollan las ideas objetivistas con mayor profundidad y en nuevas direcciones. Es autor de La evidencia de los sentidosun tratado de epistemología; Verdad y Tolerancia en el Objetivismosobre cuestiones del movimiento Objetivista; Unrugged Individualism: La base egoísta de la benevolenciay El arte de razonarun libro de texto muy utilizado para la introducción a la lógica, ahora en su 5ª edición.
Kelley ha dado conferencias y publicado sobre una amplia gama de temas políticos y culturales. Sus artículos sobre asuntos sociales y política pública han aparecido en Harpers, The Sciences, Reason, Harvard Business Review, The Freeman, On Principle y otros. Durante la década de 1980, escribió con frecuencia para la revista financiera y de negocios Barrons sobre temas como el igualitarismo, la inmigración, las leyes de salario mínimo y la Seguridad Social.
Su libro Una vida propia: derechos individuales y Estado del bienestar es una crítica de las premisas morales del Estado del bienestar y una defensa de alternativas privadas que preserven la autonomía, la responsabilidad y la dignidad individuales. Su aparición en 1998 en el especial "Greed" de John Stossel en ABC/TV suscitó un debate nacional sobre la ética del capitalismo.
Experto en objetivismo reconocido internacionalmente, ha pronunciado numerosas conferencias sobre Ayn Rand, sus ideas y sus obras. Fue asesor de la adaptación cinematográfica de Atlas encogido de hombrosy editor de Atlas Shrugged: La novela, las películas, la filosofía.
"Conceptos y naturalezas: A Commentary on The Realist Turn (by Douglas B. Rasmussen and Douglas J. Den Uyl)," Reason Papers 42, no. 1, (Summer 2021); Esta reseña de un libro reciente incluye una inmersión profunda en la ontología y epistemología de los conceptos.
Los fundamentos del conocimiento. Seis conferencias sobre la epistemología objetivista.
"La primacía de la existencia" y "La epistemología de la percepción", The Jefferson School, San Diego, julio de 1985.
"Universales e inducción", dos ponencias en las conferencias de GKRH, Dallas y Ann Arbor, marzo de 1989.
"Escepticismo", Universidad de York, Toronto, 1987
"La naturaleza del libre albedrío", dos conferencias en el Instituto Portland, octubre de 1986.
"The Party of Modernity", Cato Policy Report, mayo/junio de 2003; y Navigator, noviembre de 2003; un artículo muy citado sobre las divisiones culturales entre las visiones premoderna, moderna (Ilustración) y posmoderna.
"I Don't Have To"(IOS Journal, Volumen 6, Número 1, abril de 1996) y "I Can and I Will"(The New Individualist, Otoño/Invierno de 2011); piezas de acompañamiento sobre cómo hacer realidad el control que tenemos sobre nuestras vidas como individuos.