Schisms and Defenses

ARI's Defense:

Fact and Value is Dr. Leonard Peikoff's response to Dr. David Kelley's "A Question of Sanction." It has been made available by The Ayn Rand Institute as part of their website. I, for one, hope that it will be a permanent feature.

Notes on "A Question of Sanction" is a highly-readable, tightly-written critique of Dr. David Kelley's original, widely-distributed letter criticizing ARI-policy and the official approach to the philosophy of Objectivism. It is perhaps best understood as a supplement to Dr. Leonard Peikoff's response to Dr. Kelley's letter. Many people may regard it as an impressive article.

The Dr. David Kelley split from Objectivism is a brief, point-by-point, critique of Dr. Kelley's position, written by J. Will Pierce, and included as a page in his website.

The Jefferson School's Defense:

FAQ - What's REALLY Wrong With Objectivism? is a large website which Chris Wolf has devoted to making available accurate transcripts of the faxes and memos by which the Ayn Rand Institute severed its relationship with the Jefferson School.

The ARI/Reisman Conflict is a website run by Dr. James Kirpatrick and Linda Rearden (who is currently finishing her Ph.D. in philosophy). Here you will find essays on the original split between the Ayn Rand Institute and The Jefferson School, as well as documents on how both Dr. Kirkpatrick and Miss Rearden left the Ayn Rand Institute, and chose to support The Jefferson School.

The State of the Objectivist Movement My own contribution to the debate. I intend to replace this article with something which will take into account a wider context than that in which it was originally written-- at a later time.

IOS's Defense:

Toleration Collection: Introduction is part of Miss Diana Brickell's website, and it contains a good number of articles in defense of both Dr. Kelley and the Institute for Objectivist Studies, articles by leading members of the IOS movement, and some articles by the opposition.

In Their Own Defense: The Brandens

In Answer to Ayn Rand - Preface I have regarded this as simply a part of the history of the Objectivist movement, inasmuch as the Brandens have not claimed to be representatives for the philosophy of Objectivism. However, I have recently changed my mind, and for two reasons. First, some members of the Objectivist movement may believe that the earlier "schism" anticipated the schism between ARI and IOS in certain important respects. Second, Dr. Nathaniel Branden is making a reappearance in the Objectivist movement, and for this reason, these two documents may be regarded as timely.

More General Statements:

How To Avoid Dogmatism About Objectivism is an article and compilation of brief responses which does not neatly fall into any of the categories above, but is certainly worth including here.