Is Philosophy Really Necessary?

It’s a pervasive view today that philosophy has little to do with practical problems and daily life, and that philosophers are simply lost in the clouds. This view of philosophy is in fact a perennial one, faced by philosophers from the time of Socrates, in ancient Greece, to the present. But it’s not Ayn Rand’s view.

In 1974, Ayn Rand presented her own view in a lecture to the senior class of the United States Military Academy at West Point. Her thesis — that philosophy is inescapable, practical and therefore immensely important — is both bold and, to say the least, non-obvious.

In this audio lecture, you can listen to Rand defending her thesis before a live audience of military cadets — and you can hear their response! It’s a great introduction for those new to philosophy and to Rand’s ideas.