If I Was A Philosopher Trivia Quiz

Answer: Russia

Ayn Rand was born Alisa Zinov'yevna Rosenbaum (1905) to non-observant Jewish bourgeois parents in Russia. Her father was a successful pharmacist and his wife Anna bore three daughters. Rand began writing plays at age eight, and was a close friend of Vladimir Nabokov's young sister Olga.

The two were interested in political debate and theories such that by age twelve, Alisa had strong opinions about the ongoing 1917 February Revolution. Because of the October Revolution, the family business was confiscated and the family had to flee.

They suffered much, but when the Revolution ended universities opened to women, so at 16, Rand was among the first to enrol.

Answer: Nietzsche

Ayn Rand was fluent in several languages including German, so at university in Saint Petersburg she studied Friedrich Nietzsche closely. For her, Aristotle was a greater influence, and she rejected the views of nearly all other philosophers. Rand was enrolled in the social pedagogy program (education and upbringing of children and other vulnerable people as a function of society), with an emphasis in history.

She graduated in 1924, and published her first written work on the silent film actress Pola Negri (1925).

She also changed her name to Ayn Rand, which may have been an English rendition of her Russian name, though the exact nature of the name change has never been determined.

Answer: New York

Manhattan is a borough of New York City. Its skyline brought the young Rand to tears over its "splendor". She lived briefly in Chicago and then went to Hollywood, California. The famous Cecil B. DeMille gave her a small part in his film "The King of Kings", which changed Rand's life in two major ways: she began work as a screenwriter, and she met her future husband, actor Frank O'Connor.

Their marriage led to her American citizenship in 1931. Rand penned that NYC was "beauty and genius" "the will of man made visible".

She wrote in her novel "The Fountainhead, "...I feel that if a war came to threaten this, I would throw myself into space, over the city, and protect these buildings with my body."

Answer: We the Living

In 1936 Rand published "We the Living", her first novel, after many publishers rejected it. A clear indictment of repressive states and communism, some influential members of the American Communist Party strongly opposed it. The US release earned only $100. Foreign releases fared better, but critics said Rand merely echoed the views of her mentor Nietzsche. Like Rand's early life, the novel is set in Russia.

A spirited girl (Kira) loved Leo, and both suffered at the hands of the state. They planned to escape, until Leo fell ill. Kira sacrificed much to restore his health, but by then he was corrupt. Setting out alone, Kira nearly reached freedom, but was killed. "We the Living" sold three million copies in a later, second printing.

Answer: Ego

Rand esteemed the judging, thinking, intellect, or ego. "Anthem" (1938) was her science fiction novella about a future society ruled by the World Council, with the individual nearly non-existent. A man called Equality 7-2521 was "cursed" with a desire to learn and create, which was viewed as a threat by the ruling council. For Rand the "I" or ego was to be celebrated and protected, because others wish to control or destroy it. Again Rand had trouble finding a publisher in the USA, so "Ego" was published in England. "Ego" was revised and published as "Anthem" in 1946.

It won the Hall of Fame Award in 1987, was nominated in 2014 for a Retrospective Hugo Award for "Best Novella", and inspired many musical works, short stories, and plays.

Answer: Anti-communist public speaking

Ayn Rand became politically involved in the anti-communist movement during the years leading up to the Second Red Scare (USA, late 1940s and 1950s). The Second Red Scare was the spread of fear and unfounded accusations about so-called communists or radical leftists.

It was fueled by the Cold War. Having lived through the Russian revolutions, oppression and poverty in Russia/USSR, Rand was a powerful anti-communist voice. Rand thrived on public speaking, even with hostile crowds. She was adamantly for free market, American ideals, and individual freedom.

She testified before the U.S. House Un-American Activities Committee, and released "The Fountainhead", a novel about uncompromising individuality.

Answer: Dystopian fiction

Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead" is a dystopian novel. A future authoritarian government controls the individual, stripping them of their unique expression and choices. In "The Fountainhead" (1943) a man guided by his own ethics and intellect, architect Howard Roark, holds fast to his individuality, in a world where "I" has been forgotten and "we" is used instead.

In this novel Rand purposely edits out any obvious influence of the philosopher Nietzsche, allowing her own philosophy stronger voice: "A building has integrity, just as a man and just as seldom! It must be true to its own idea, have its own form, and serve its own purpose!" - Howard Roark in "The Fountainhead."

Answer: Objectivist

"The Center for Objectivist Studies" (The Atlas Society) promoted Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, which said that use of the reasoning mind, freedom and achievement, are essential to humankind. "Reality" and moral truth are objective, that is, not determined by subjective perception. Each person must be true to their own self-interest.

However, no one's interests are of higher value, and no one should interfere with the freedom of others. Rand's mentor Aristotle believed we have a duty to help others, though the self comes first. Rand agreed we must benefit each other, and we must be "ethical egotists".

The best seller "Atlas Shrugged" (1957) tells of an industrial collapse, and the mysterious disappearance of the most gifted and capable in a society. Chief of Operations Dagny Taggart searches for an explanation, while Hank Rearden struggles to free himself, and John Galt voices Rand's philosophy.

Answer: Honor

Ayn Rand's admirable heroes are guided by self-interest, but also by intellect, "truth" and honor. Their choices are right, just, and rational. But Rand's Objectivist philosophy has often been used to justify a selfish lifestyle: "Whatever I do for my own benefit is good, and those who do not achieve are either jealous or incompetent!" became popular.

The philosophy is flawed in that people of less moral fortitude than her heroes can easily ignore the ideals she presented. Rand rejected limiting others, success at their expense, gloating and greed. Still, she had intense critics: "Rand's philosophy is nearly perfect in its immorality...To justify and extol human greed and egotism is to my mind not only immoral, but evil." - Gore Vidal

Answer: Dollar sign

Ayn Rand (1905-1982) died at 77 in her beloved New York. She suffered heart failure, though heavy smoking and prior surgery for lung cancer may have contributed. A six foot dollar sign was placed at her grave, signifying her staunch belief in a free society and individual reward. For some the dollar sign seemed an irony, since she lived on social security and welfare in her old age, while others remained proud of her "me first" views. Her funeral was attended by over 800, many influential in intellectual, political and economic circles.

"I started my life with a single absolute: that the world was mine to shape in the image of my highest values and never to be given up to a lesser standard, no matter how long or hard the struggle". - Ayn Rand, "Atlas Shrugged"