The Return of the Primitive: The Anti-Industrial Revolution | 
 enlarge | Author: Ayn Rand
Creator: Peter Schwartz
Publisher: Plume
Category: Book
List Price: $17.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  33 reviews
Sales Rank: 323430
Media: Paperback
Edition: Expanded
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.9 x 0.8
ISBN: 0452011841
Dewey Decimal Number: 303.4
EAN: 9780452011847
ASIN: 0452011841
Publication Date: January 1, 1999
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Book Description
In the tumultuous late 60s and early 70s, a social movement known as the "New Left" emerged as a major cultural influence, especially on the youth of America. It was a movement that embraced "flower-power" and psychedelic "consciousness-expansion," that lionized Ho Chi Minh and Fidel Castro and launched the Black Panthers and the Theater of the Absurd. In Return Of The Primitive (originally published in 1971 as The New Left), Ayn Rand, bestselling novelist and originator of the theory of Objectivism, identified the intellectual roots of this movement. She urged people to repudiate its mindless nihilism and to uphold, instead, a philosophy of reason, individualism, capitalism, and technological progress. Editor Peter Schwartz, in this new, expanded version of The New Left, has reorganized Rand's essays and added some of his own in order to underscore the continuing relevance of her analysis of that period. He examines such current ideologies as environmentalism and multiculturalism and argues that the same primitive, tribalist, "anti-industrial" mentality which animated the New Left a generation ago is shaping society today.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 28 more reviews...
 The only argument against "modern" political ideas, written 30+ years ago! April 23, 2007
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Have you thought, when hearing your friends fall blindly for the latest global warming hype, or hearing your professors disparage the American White Male as the cause of all the world's problems, that there is something terribly wrong with their positions? But have you found it difficult to argue effectively for your side because, no matter what facts or logical argument you raise, they respond with "facts" of their own and a "logical" argument that just doesn't seem right?
Ayn Rand is a master at uncovering the philosophical premises that are behind modernist fads like environmentalism (of course back then it was the next ice age, not global warming!), progressive education, racism, gender studies, etc. The ideas in Ayn Rand's Return of the Primitive and other books show the rottenness of many of the terrible ideas that are a part of our culture and will not only help you to understand and argue for better ideas but will arm you with principles against accidentally accepting the terribly mistaken philosophical premises that are behind them.
Beware of Chaos and Destruction in the Front Yard February 19, 2006
8 out of 11 found this review helpful
Return of the Primitive is a well-written, well-structured work of literature that revisits, repeats and updates the viewpoints of Objectivist ethics and the merits regarding laissez-faire capitalism. Several passages will often come from Rand's earlier work, Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal but with a contemporary brandishing of reflection and reaffirmation of Rand's philosophy, some of which would come from Rand's latter volumes of her Objectivist Newsletter, the earlier of which established the framework of Capitalism.
While The Virtue of Selfishness, Rand's introduction to her Objectivism, has the reader to consider the importance of self-awareness and the pursuit of happiness and while Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal postulates the type of money market system that would comply with merits of rational thinking and achievement, Return of the Primitive seems to weld tightly together the themes of both of these earlier nonfiction publications. With additional commentaries and chapters that would be contributed by Peter Schwartz, Chairman of the Board of the Ayn Rand Institute, several years later in this updated edition, Rand's Objectivism now has a distinctive, twenty-first century ring in the realm of property rights Why? Because the frequent reporting of the Hurricane Katrina aftermath and the recurring disputes of raising the tax base via eminent domain seem to render the words of Rand and Schwartz as prophecies for what would happen if the rights of the individual, personal or property, are undermined in the slightest way in the name of the so-called "public good". As Rand would state: the public good is not any specific person or people. So just what is it? Blank out!
Also included is a passage written by Rand over thirty years ago that one might label as an ominous warning (though I do not believe that it was intended as such) of the deficiencies of multiculturalism, a topic that only Schwartz would specifically identify and attack. Within these words, Rand, admitting that she did not do thorough research on the matter, let the reader know that after having travelled the world over she believed that countries that had only one nationalized language were the most productive, both socially and economically. It is understandable that any American, including myself, who would read these lines would begin to wonder about what is going to happen to the United States; more specifically, one might ponder on whether the increasing presence of illegal foreigners is going to drastically diminish the dominance of the English language and, in consequence, cause declines in technological innovation and production to the extent that the world's wealthiest nation will soon lose its standing as such.
As a key strength of this work Rand reinforces her Objectivist ethics, not just by revisiting her earlier works, both fiction and nonfiction, but also by attacking leading academic institutions for having their philosophy departments espouse what she deemed as ideologies that were irrational and whose ultimate consequences, if not underlying goals, were destructive to the essential foundations of establishing or maintaining a civilization. Of those particular subjects despised by Rand is Kantian Nihilism, which Rand regarded as damnable in the sense of undercutting rationality, meaning, and reason, all of which were her central themes in constituting what is a purposeful, human existence.
Intermittently, Rand would cite passages and news events that she would claim were the fruits of Kantian Nihilism and were thus antitheses to her Objectivist ethics. Among the mentioned were the Berkeley student riots in 1964 that led to the types of disorderly conduct which she said opposed and undermined the very merits of academic excellence and, more importantly, the laws and ordinances set up so as to affirm and maintain those same standards. Another case in point was the behavior of the crowds at Woodstock (I will admit that I liked the music and the movie) which, she said, served as a definitive paradigm of Kantian Nihilism; prevalent were wild sex orgies among strangers, drug overdoses, continual wallowings in mud and feces, riotous behavior resulting in varying levels of destruction to others' property (thus property rights), and the need for food and water by those who ended up starving and dehydrated because they did not plan ahead and consider potential troubles that could and would lie ahead, all of which, figuratively speaking, amassed one big festival of animals ready to be sacrificed to the gods of Nihilism.
Quite graphic are some of Rand's accounts. Nonetheless, she was quite effective in equating the Objectivism/Nihilism duality with that of order versus chaos or of structure versus destruction.
Return of the Primitive is a well thought out exposition of why one must not cave in to outside pressures at mere whims. Where religious dogma and "Just Say No" fall far short of equipping one to walk the straight and narrow, the passages of Return of the Primitive will expose one to the consequences of the aimless and wide and why this alternative pathway is so horrendous.
In closing, for those wondering where their part of the world is philosophically and sociologically situated, I will leave you with these few words from this most valuable reference on living: "As Ayn Rand said:'The uncontested absurdities of today are the accepted slogans of tomorrow'...Appeasement is not consideration for the feelings of others, it is consideration for and compliance with the unjust, irrational feelings of others. It is a policy of exempting the emotions of others from moral judgment, and of willingness to sacrifice innocent, virtuous victims to the evil malice of such emotions."
A very insightful look at several aspects of our culture! March 12, 2004
11 out of 13 found this review helpful
In this book Ayn Rand looks at numerous aspects of our culture from Woodstock and the space missions to public education and relates them to various philosophic principles. She shows not only how irrational the current left-wing philosophy is, but also how it is now morally bankrupt, especially compared with 'the old left'. Despite the colossal failure of socialism time and time again, modern liberals- to this day- continue to idealize it, even the horrors of the former Soviet Union. Just look at the book 'In Denial: Historians, Communism, & Espionage' by John Earl Haynes and Harvey Klehr. Or look at the cover story "Missing the Good Old Soviet Days" in the March 8th, 2004 Los Angeles Times.This is a new release of the classic "The New Left: The Anti-Industrial Revolution" with a few additional pieces by Ayn Rand and a few new pieces by Peter Schwartz, a contemporary Objectivist. The new book offers better organization of the content, and the new essays clearly illustrate how the trend continues with Environmentalism and Multiculturalism.
Communally shared confusion December 26, 2003
15 out of 19 found this review helpful
Even from an early age, I was distrustful of the glory others saw in something like Woodstock, for instance. I remember thinking that there was something terribly wrong about hordes of unwashed stoners swaying together in a field of mud to the sounds of musicians who, shortly after, began dropping like flies from gnawing at handfuls of drugs. So this is the enlightenment we've all been overlooking? It just never seemed to make a lot of sense to my young mind.Now, of course, I can see what was so vacant in the notion of everyone joining together, taking several steps backward into the dark ages, tossing material comforts out of the window and wallowing in a mud pit to the sounds of 'revolution' with thousands of chronically-unemployed fiends. Namely: -If someone can afford to pitch a tent at a rock concert for days on end, you can be sure that some 'prude' or 'unenlightened' person, namely, a parent, is paying for their folly. I just could never convince myself that taking money from someone in one hand and flipping them off with the other was consistent enough to earn my admiration. -Listening to howling revolutionary inanities calling for a 'return to nature' through a microphone connected to a 5 million dollar sound system, and not falling down in laughter at the contradiction, is apparently confusing only to those who don't have peppermints for eyes. -The unfolding philosophical and moral blackhole left in the wake of people like David Crosby who, after years of free-basing & drinking himself into liver-eroding blindness....all the while caterwauling songs about how screwed-up everyone else is....required a liver transplant. Why he didn't go to the river Ganges and find a fakir to do this remains a mystery, but here's one thing that is right out there in the open: he took a liver that someone who had the misfortune of being born with a liver defect could have used. He got one, though, and we get the payoff of suffering another decade of painfully repetious reunion shows featuring three wasted, jaded old men screeching "Teach Your Children". Thanks for the advice. Anyway, buy this book.....Peter Schwartz also has some good essays toward the end.
People Mistake "Egoism" for being Anti-Love. May 7, 2003
17 out of 22 found this review helpful
I notice, reading the reviews of those that "hate" Rand, that they often say that Rand's philosophy of selfishness is 'destroying western civilization' by insisting people not care for others. What a horrible misunderstanding this is. Those who believe as much have not spent any good amount time reading Rand's works.Rand is not against love and compassion. Indeed, Rand's philosophy is supportive of such emotions, as well as charity. The difference is that Rand supoorts THE INDIVIDUAL'S CHOICE to love, care, and contribute. Rand's philosophy is completely compatible with a compassionate society. She simply maintains that it is individuals, not the government, who should choose to help others. She argues, quite clearly, that it is each person's choice to "give" and not the government's choice to "take" charity. Why do so many people on the left try to jump on Rand and make her into a demon? There is NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING in the philosophy of Objectivism that states that one MUST NOT show charity, compassion, or carring. It simply argues that such choices should be the decision of the individual, based on what the individual finds important, as opposed to guilt, regulation, or government sanction. I have a dear friend who is an Objectivist, and he is one of the most giving people I know. Guess what, he just doesn't want the government to force people into "giving." There is another word for forcing someone to give. That word is "theft." Stop complaining and attacking Rand. Just because you disagree doesn't mean you should mis-state what Rand stood for. Otherwise you can count yourself among those enlightened souls who call all Democrats Communists, all Republicans Nazis, and all bums "lazy." This is a fine book. Rand is a fine thinker. You may disagree with her thoughts, but that doesn't make them wrong.
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