Allan Gotthelf (1942–2013)

The essays vary somewhat in quality, as some of the contributors clearly aren't experts in Objectivism (Christine Swanton's insistence on trying to ascribe some form of "virtuous altruism" to Rand borders on the willfully obtuse)---but even the weaker contributions raise interesting questions and distinctions, and the responses to them are often enlightening. Darryl Wright's essay "Reasoning about Ends: Life as a Value in Ayn Rand's Ethics" alone is worth the price of the volume. This is the direction Ayn Rand scholarship should be taking. Can't wait for future volumes in the series on other areas of her thought!… (mais)