The New Left: The Anti-Industrial Revolution

The New Left: The Anti-Industrial Revolution is a 1971 collection of essays by philosopher Ayn Rand that examines the rise of anti-industrial movements and New Left ideology. The book emerged from a series of articles originally published in The Objectivist, later compiled at the suggestion of a reader who saw their relevance for college students. Through various essays, Rand analyzes what she identifies as an increasing cultural hostility toward industrial and technological progress in Western society. The collection addresses topics including religion, environmentalism, and academia's role in shaping cultural attitudes toward industrialization. The work underwent several expansions and revisions, including a 1975 edition that added "The Age of Envy" and a 1999 version retitled Return of the Primitive: The Anti-Industrial Revolution. The 1999 edition, edited by Peter Schwartz, incorporated additional essays by both Rand and Schwartz. The book stands as a philosophical critique of anti-technological movements and what Rand perceived as broader cultural trends against reason and progress. Its arguments about the relationship between industrial advancement and human prosperity remain relevant to contemporary debates about technology and society.

Readers describe this as one of Rand's more focused and concise works, collecting her essays criticizing the New Left movement and student protests of the 1960s. What readers liked: - Clear analysis of campus activism and its philosophical roots - Predictions about the environmental movement that readers say proved accurate - Strong defense of reason and technology against anti-industrial sentiment What readers disliked: - Repetitive arguments and themes from her other works - Dismissive tone toward student activists - Limited scope compared to her major philosophical texts - Some found it dated and overly reactive to its time period Ratings: Goodreads: 3.9/5 (447 ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (31 ratings) Sample review: "Her diagnosis of the philosophical premises behind the New Left is spot-on, but she fails to engage with their actual arguments and concerns." - Goodreads reviewer Several readers noted it works better as a historical document of the period rather than a current political commentary.

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🔸 The book was originally published in 1971, and was later retitled "Return of the Primitive: The Anti-Industrial Revolution" in a 1999 expanded edition that included additional essays by Peter Schwartz. 🔸 Ayn Rand wrote these essays during a period of significant environmental activism, including the first Earth Day celebration in 1970, which she strongly criticized as being anti-technology and anti-human progress. 🔸 The author escaped from Soviet Russia in 1926, and her experiences under communism heavily influenced her critique of what she saw as collectivist tendencies in the American New Left movement. 🔸 Several essays in the book specifically address the student movements of the 1960s, including detailed analyses of campus protests at Yale University and Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute. 🔸 The book's arguments about environmentalism versus industrial progress presaged many contemporary debates about climate change policy, making it a frequently referenced work in current discussions about economic growth versus environmental protection.