Reception
Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand was praised by many of Peikoff's fellow Objectivist thinkers as a comprehensive presentation of Rand's philosophy. In a review for the Objectivist magazine The Intellectual Activist, Harry Binswanger said the book provided the first "full, systematic, non-fiction expression" of Objectivism, and said it was filled with "many electrifying ideas, elegant formulations, and majestic overviews." In a treatise defending Rand's ethics, philosopher Tara Smith took Peikoff's book as "an authoritative source of views". Edward W. Younkins said Rand's ideas were "authoritatively described and systematically explained" by Peikoff. According to non-Objectivist Rand scholar Mimi Reisel Gladstein, "The reader who wants a comprehensive view of orthodox Objectivism as it has evolved since Rand's death should start with Peikoff's book."
Peikoff's "orthodox" approach to Rand's ideas drew criticism. Rand scholar Chris Matthew Sciabarra described Peikoff's approach as "noncritical". Non-orthodox Objectivist philosopher David Kelley wrote that Peikoff's introduction of the book as both a "definitive statement" and "interpreted" was "a tortured effort" based on fallacies. In a review for Library Journal, philosopher Leslie Armour called Peikoff an "authorized evangelist" and "official expositor" who was too "bound to the received word" to write a good defense of Rand's ideas.
Other critics attacked the content of Peikoff's views, not just the orthodoxy of his interpretation of Rand. Libertarian writer David Ramsay Steele described Peikoff's effort as "slapdash" and filled with positions that were "wrong, vacuous or trite". Philosopher Henry B. Veatch wrote that Peikoff should have "paid a more discerning and discriminating attention to present-day academic philosophy," instead of "simply brushing academic ethics aside".
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