by Onkar Ghate
"This is John Galt speaking"
Thus begins Ayn Rand's explanation of her revolutionary philosophy, Objectivism—perfectly integrated into the plot of her greatest novel.
This lecture course studies Galt's speech and integrates it with the rest of the story. Dr. Ghate offers an illuminating breakdown of its component parts and shows why each is essential to the novel. He considers how its abstract philosophical points explain events in the story. Finally, since "Galt's Speech" is Ayn Rand's most carefully crafted statement of Objectivism, Dr. Ghate examines her precise formulations on such questions as: why altruism is the morality of death; and why evasion is the root of evil.
(MP3 download; 6 hrs., 3 min., with Q & A, 261.66 MB)