February 14, 1977
Robert F. Anderson
Dept. of Philosophy, Oldfather Hall 1024
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, Nebraska 68588
Dear Mr. Anderson:
In answer to your letter of December 8, Miss Rand has asked me to convey to you the following:
“You say ‘I find I am not quite clear on whether you hold that the proper life for humans is a life of productive work or a life of rational activity.’ I do not understand what you mean by the words ‘rational activity’ in such a context. Does this mean that you regard productive work as an irrational activity?
“If, by ‘rational activity,’ you mean thinking, or mental work, or intellectual work, then you are totally outside my context. I do not recognize the mind/body dichotomy. I hold that intellectual work is the root of any other kind of work, and that every kind of productive work includes both an intellectual and a physical component.”
Yours truly,
Barbara Weiss
BW/b
Barbara Weiss was AR’s secretary for many years.
Copyright © 1985 – 2024 The Ayn Rand Institute (ARI). Reproduction of content and images in whole or in part is prohibited. All rights reserved. ARI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Contributions to ARI in the United States are tax-exempt to the extent provided by law. Objectivist Conferences (OCON), Ayn Rand Conference (ARC), Ayn Rand University (ARU) and the Ayn Rand Institute eStore are operated by ARI. Payments to OCON, ARC, ARU or the Ayn Rand Institute eStore do not qualify as tax-deductible contributions to the Ayn Rand Institute. AYN RAND, AYN RAND INSTITUTE, ARI, AYN RAND UNIVERSITY and the AYN RAND device are trademarks of the Ayn Rand Institute. All rights reserved.
