Friends and Fans — I have retired from my work as a public intellectual, so Philosophy in Action is on indefinite hiatus. Please check out the voluminous archive of free podcasts, as well as the premium audio content still available for sale. My two books — Responsibility & Luck: A Defense of Praise and Blame and Explore Atlas Shrugged — are available for purchase too. Best wishes! — Diana Brickell (Hsieh)

Preview of Explore Atlas Shrugged, Session 15

30 April 2010

Do you want to better understand and appreciate Ayn Rand's epic novel Atlas Shrugged? Look no further! Explore Atlas Shrugged will help you gain fresh insights into the complex events, characters, and ideas of this epic novel – whether you've read it just once or a dozen times before.

The podcast and study questions below are a preview of Session 15. You can purchase access to the whole of Explore Atlas Shrugged – meaning, over 22 hours of podcasts, 1400 study questions, and other resources – for just $20 using the form below. The written materials in the course are also available from Amazon in paperback and kindle formats, and purchasers of those editions just pay $10 for access to the podcasts.

For more information, including previews of other sessions, visit Explore Atlas Shrugged.


The Reading

Session 15 of Explore Atlas Shrugged covers:

  • Part 3: Chapter 4: Anti-Life
  • Part 3: Chapter 5: Their Brothers' Keeper (Sections 1-2)

Preview the Podcast

Listen to the podcast preview of Session 15 of Explore Atlas Shrugged now – or download it:

  • Preview Duration: 25:12 (Full Podcast: 1:20:15)
  • Download Preview: Standard MP3 File (8.7 MB)

Tags: Art, Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand, Epistemology, Ethics, Literature, Metaphysics, Objectivism, Philosophy, Politics


Preview the Study Questions

The page numbers found in parentheses in these questions refer to the hardcover, softcover, and kindle editions of Atlas Shrugged, not the small mass market paperback. Due to this pagination difference, I don't recommend using the mass market paperback.


Part 3: Chapter 4: Anti-Life

Section 1 (864-885)

Jim Taggart wanders the streets of New York City seeking to celebrate the impending nationalization of d'Anconia Copper. He comes home to his wife Cherryl and forces a celebration on her. She reflects on the past year of her marriage, and then she flees in horror from Jim's words.

Core Questions

  • How did Jim accomplish the deal that will nationalize d'Anconia Copper? Is that an achievement worthy of celebration? Why or why not? What does he think and feel about it? (864-71)
  • How has Cherryl changed since her wedding? What kind of person is she now? What has she learned about Jim? What does she see in him now? (868-85)
  • What is Jim's view of love? How does he need Cherryl? Is his view of love right or wrong? Why? What does it mean in practice? (876-7, 881-2, 883-4)
  • What are the similarities and differences between Jim's marriage to Cherryl and Lillian's marriage to Hank Rearden? Which is worse? (873-83)
  • How and why is Cherryl already damaged by Jim by the time she sees his true nature? Could she recover? Should she try? (882-3)

Extra Questions

  • Why is Jim disturbed by the bum's indifference to the money given to him? (864)
  • What is Jim's motive in his wheeling and dealing, if not money? Why doesn't he want to think about that? (867)
  • Why – and in what way – does Jim want to celebrate the nationalization of d'Anconia Copper with Cherryl? Is that desire innocent or honest? (868)
  • How does Cherryl act toward Jim upon his return home? Why? What does she seek from him? (868-85)
  • What is Cherryl's attitude toward Jim's "welfare philosophy"? Why? Who is right? (870)
  • Why does Jim want to buy Cherryl something with the money he'll earn from the nationalization of d'Anconia Copper? What is her response – and why? (870-1)
  • What does Cherryl think of Dagny Taggart now, including her radio broadcast revealing her affair with Hank Rearden? What is Jim's response to Cherryl's questions about that broadcast? (871-2)
  • Is Cherryl right that Jim is like her father? How are they similar? How are they different? (873)
  • How and why did Cherryl learn to be a woman worthy of the name "Mrs. Taggart"? What was Jim's response to those efforts? What does that reveal about him? (874-6)
  • By what means did Cherryl learn about the true nature of Jim's work? What was she tempted to do instead? Why did she choose to pursue her course to the end? How did Jim react to her discoveries? What does that reaction reveal about him? (876-7, 879-80)
  • Is Cherryl right that Jim is not merely a "phony in his own business" but "an unpaid phony, an unvenal phony"? Why does she think that's worse than being a con artist? Is she right? (876)
  • What is Jim's view of politicians, in contrast to his view of industrialists? Is he right or wrong? (878)
  • Why does Jim want Cherryl to toast to Francisco d'Anconia? Why does she refuse? Is she right? (885)

About Explore Atlas Shrugged

Do you want to better understand and appreciate Ayn Rand's epic novel Atlas Shrugged?

Explore Atlas Shrugged is an in-depth course consisting of a podcast series, study questions, and other resources by philosopher Dr. Diana Brickell. The course breaks Atlas Shrugged into 20 manageable sessions, each covering about 65 pages of the novel.

Explore Atlas Shrugged will inspire fresh insights into the complex events, characters, and ideas of Ayn Rand's epic novel, whether you've read it just once or a dozen times before.

Check out the previews, then purchase access to the whole of Explore Atlas Shrugged for just $20. The written materials of Explore Atlas Shrugged are also available from Amazon in paperback and kindle formats, and purchasers of those editions pay just $10 for access to the podcasts.


Purchase Explore Atlas Shrugged

Access to the online version of Explore Atlas Shrugged costs just $20. It's half off – just $10 – for purchasers of the paperback and kindle editions of the book version. Also, if you contribute to Philosophy in Action's Tip Jar via recurring weekly or monthly contributions (or the equivalent), please email me for free access.

Terms of Sale: (1) You may share the podcasts with members of your household, but not beyond that. (2) You may share the study questions with members of your household, as well as with participants in your online or in-person Atlas Shrugged Reading Group. (3) Do not ever post the podcasts, study questions, or login credentials in any public forum.

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Praise for Explore Atlas Shrugged

The response to Explore Atlas Shrugged has been overwhelmingly positive, including the following remarks:

I require students to read Atlas Shrugged in my introductory economics class. Dr. Hsieh's Explore Atlas Shrugged podcasts were an essential tool to help communicate the novel's lesson and hold effective class discussion. Do not attempt to teach the book without consulting the podcasts first!

— Bailey Norwood, Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Oklahoma State University

And:

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Diana – our GLO Atlas Reading Group is going so very well. We have about 12-13 people attending, and it is truly the most fun we've had in a long time. So much rewarding fun comes out of your ideas and organization. Can't thank you enough for your efforts!!!

And:

I just wanted to send you a quick note and thank you for your efforts on Explore Atlas Shrugged. As part of the Charm City Objectivists Society we used your questions and podcast to help kick off our reading group yesterday for session one. We had epiphanies all around the table from someone who is a firm student of Objectivism to a person who had read Atlas Shrugged but is new to Objectivism. I know that neither Ray (our moderator) or myself could have undertaken this kind of thing without the wonderful resource you have created. You have helped me make a difference in my community and I thank you for it.

And:

The other day, I began listening to your Explore Atlas Shrugged podcasts. I have read and listened to the book several times, but it has been admittedly too long since the last time. Although I can not adequately express how much experiencing your podcasts has meant to me and the extent to which they have reinvigorated me, I did want to thank you...Thank you.

About the Author

I'm Dr. Diana Brickell (formerly Diana Hsieh). I'm a philosopher, and I've long specialized in the application of rational principles to the challenges of real life. I completed my Ph.D in philosophy from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2009. I retired from work as a public intellectual in 2015.

From September 2009 to September 2015, I produced a radio show and podcast, Philosophy in Action Radio. In the primary show, my co-host Greg Perkins and I answered questions applying rational principles to the challenges of real life. We broadcast live over the internet on Sunday mornings.

You can listen to these 362 podcasts by subscribing to the Podcast RSS Feed. You can also peruse the podcast archive, where episodes and questions are sorted by date and by topic.

My first book, Responsibility & Luck: A Defense of Praise and Blame, can be purchased in paperback and Kindle. The book defends the justice of moral praise and blame of persons using an Aristotelian theory of moral responsibility, thereby refuting Thomas Nagel's "problem of moral luck." My second book (and online course), Explore Atlas Shrugged, is a fantastic resource for anyone wishing to study Ayn Rand's epic novel in depth.

You can also read my blog NoodleFood and subscribe to its Blog RSS Feed.

I can be reached via e-mail to [email protected].


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