Rare LPs of Nathaniel Branden Lectures on Objectivism

$

139

Rare LP collection of Nathaniel Branden’s Lectures

on Objectivism and Seminars on Psychology

In 1958, Nathaniel Branden undertook to craft a series of detailed lectures, which in Ayn Rand's words would "teach my philosophy." That philosophy, Objectivism, offered a revolutionary sense of life—with "...the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute." (Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged)

In 1968 Rand and Branden parted ways and he began his Seminar series of LPs. 

This collection is from my father’s estate and is in good shape.  All of the Seminar LPs  are in good shape as well.

I figure if you're interested in these rare LPs,  you're the serious collector I'm looking for but if you're just interested in these lectures PLEASE visit the Objectivism Store or visit Nathaniel Branden's web site and dive in!. (you can thank me later)

The two key components of this collection are the original 20 lecture LPs and the Seminars on LP. 

1.  The Role of Philosophy

2.  What is Reason
3.  Logic and Mysticism
4.  The Concept of God
5.  Free Will
6.  Efficient Thinking
7.  Self-Esteem
8.  The Psychology of Dependence
9.  The Objectivist Ethics 
10.  Reason and Virtue
11.  Justice vs. Mercy
12.  The Evil of Self-Sacrifice
13.  Government and the Individual
14.  The Economics of a Free Society
15.  Common Fallacies About Capitalism
16. The Psychology of Sex
17.  Romanticism and Naturalism
18.  The Novels of Ayn Rand, Part II
19.  The Nature of Evil
20.  The Benevolent Sense of Life

Seminar - a monthly recorded "Question and Answer" session with Nathaniel Branden in which he discusses key issues in psychology and philosophy.

These are the only seminar LPs I have to offer.

• # 4 Sept 1969

• # 7 Dec 1969

• # 16 Sept 1970

• # 17 Oct 1970

• # 24 May 1971

• # 25  June 1971 

• # 26 July 1971

• # 35 April 1972

• #36 May 1972

• #38 July 1972

• #41 October 1972

• #42 November 1972

As an added bonus, I also have two books of his, The Disowned Self and Breaking Free.

Here are some of details of what's on the Seminar LPs.

#4 Sept 1969 - Love and Sexuality  *Podcast sample

#7 Dec 1969 - Marriage  * Podcast sample

#16 Sept 1970 - Reason / Emotion conflict

#17 Oct 1970 - Emotions and motivation

#24 May 1971 -The meaning of mental illness

#25  June 1971 - questions answered;

1. Do you find that there is one problem more than any other that stands in the way of a successful man-woman relationship?

2. How do you teach your clients to deal with emotions of anger an resentment towards a marital partner?

3. Many people seem to have great difficulty in knowing what they feel - just what emotions they are experiencing at any time. Can you account for this?

4. In a recent lecture you said: "No one ever won a war against his emotions by declaring war on them." Can you elaborate on this?

5. You spend a lot of time teaching your clients the art of describing their feelings and emotions.  How do you avoid the danger of encouraging an attitude of self-indulgence and irresponsibility?

6. What dangers, if any, exist for a person attending psychotherapy?

7. Among the many problems that you are called upon to treat, are there any basic recurring themes that you find present in most clients?

 # 26 July 1971 - questions answered;

1. Can a person who was raised under adverse circumstances and who comes across Objectivism in middle age, become an emotionally whole human being without professional help?

2. If a very young child is reared in an irrational manner, is it inevitable that he will repress his painful emotions?

3. What problems might a person who was exposed to a great deal of irrationality during childhood, and accepted this as normal, encounter in a romantic relationship?

4. If a man and a woman are going through a process of de-repression in therapy, can their romantic relationship be jeopardized?

5. What can partners in a romantic relationship do to encourage emotional honest between themselves?

6. Why might a normally outgoing, and spontaneous woman freeze up in the presence of any man she finds immensely attractive?

7. Is the presence of both parents necessary if a child is to have a healthy sexual identity?

8. Do you think a woman is a psychologically unfit to be President?

9. Could the trend by some parents to de-emphasize the difference between the mother as feminine and the father as masculine affect a child's feeling of sexual identity?

# 35 April 1972 - questions answered;

1. Why are we predominantly monogamous?

2. Why does it seem more proper for a woman to take orders in a job situation from a man, than vice-versa?

3. Should sex be only in the context of a long term serious affair, or can it be proper as a one night stand?

4. Is masturbation as such a wrong or can it be sometimes a proper outlet?

5. Is it a woman's part to surrender to a man sexually - is conquest masculine and surrender feminine?

6. If one partner is frustrated by insufficient sexual activity, how can the couple best resolve this problem?

7. Is it possible to make a real romantic relationship out of a marriage that was originally based on neurotic motivations?

8. How does one keep a relationship viable with limited time together alone?

9. How does one cope when it seems that one has grown beyond the intellectual development of ones spouse or partner?

10. What personal inadequacies might move a person to choose as a romantic partner one who is much less of a person intellectually and emotionally than he is?

11. In my own marriage I caused my wife to repress much of the good that is in her. What can I do to repair the damage that I've done to her?

12. Do you think that the use of so called pornography as a sexual stimulant represents a deficit in a sexual relationship?

13. What kind of sexual pleasure or enjoyment between a man and woman do you consider irrational or illegitimate?

#36 May 1972 - questions answered;

1. Do you believe that human beings would naturally develop to be bi-sexual, if it weren't for cultural and social taboos?
2. During a lengthy separation of a couple, is absolute sexual fidelity a realistic and psychologically healthy goal?
3. Is it in the best interest of a romantic relationship to participate in sexual intercourse if one is not in the mood?
4. Do you think it is harmful to think of masculinity and femininity in terms of roles?
5. What are the effects on romantic love and specifically sex, when one of the partners is experiencing frustration in his productive or creative efforts?
6. I've noticed that anger in my partner is sexually stimulating to me.  Is this a personal excitement or is anger is some way related to sex?
7. Many women deny or subdue the full power of their sexual feelings because of a fear of being dominated or overpowered by the man. What are some of the psychological factors that give rise to this fear?
8. Is it practical to assume that a person can be satisfied romantically and sexually with one person for life?
9. Can a romantic relationship survive when there's little or no privacy, due to the demands of children?
10. Do you think it's more difficult for women than for men to make career choices?
11. Is there anything a woman can do to help a man when impotence occurs?

#38 July 1972 - questions answered;

1. Would you elaborate on the importance of expressing negative feelings toward a partner, in order to keep positive feelings alive?
2. Is there cause for a woman to fear that if she forms a strong love relationship with a man, the odds are great against her being able to maintain her inner freedom and independence?
3. You once said that romantic partners should strive for deeper and deeper levels of intimacy. Would you elaborate one this?
4. Am I right in believing that there is no such thing as a frigid woman, if the man / woman relationship is right?
5. Could you say something about keeping alive the consideration an interest that couples have at the beginning of a romantic relationships.
6. It is possible for me to function well without sexual fulfillment for months. But once a meaningful romantic relationship begins, my sexual desires become almost overpowering. Is this a specific experience of mine or something that most women can relate to?
7. Are there negative effects if partners limit their interests only to things that can be mutually enjoyed?
8. What is your feeling about a couple who respect and admire each other, but find excitement in acting out and sharing each others sexual fantasies?
9. Is there anything inherent in the way women are brought up that makes it difficult for women to relate to women?
10. Is there any solution for the women who husband cannot tolerate any anger on her part towards him and who finds that, after learning to repress and inhibit this, she can no longer respond to him sexually?
11. Men often complain that women are actually role-playing when acting overly dependent. Do you think men do anything to encourage this behavior?

#41 October 1972

• Mr. Branden describes and discusses one of the techniques which he uses in the course of counseling to help couple explore personal problems and increase communication and intimacy - a technique which couples can utilize without professional assistance.

#42 November 1972

1. If young children can turn off the world as a natural defense mechanism against traumatic experiences or continual abusive treatment, to what extent can or should  they be held responsible for later improper and even criminal action?
2. Is there any evidence that sex with a number of different individuals after marriage is psychologically harmful?
3. Your use of the term "masculine" and "feminine" seemed to have changed from your first Romantic Love lectures to the recorded version. Did you change your definition? How would you now define these terms?
4. Assuming you agree that there is a basic difference between the sex drives of men and women, can you account for this?
5. What are the most common reason that people find it difficult to verbalize their feelings, in particularly in the context of a marriage?
6. Do you think that a certain length of time is necessary before a person can say with certainty that he or she is really in love?
7. Do you view guilt as a natural emotion that one will feel simply because one is human, or must guilt be learned through inculcating a particular way of viewing moral principles?
8. Is everyone capable of experiencing the most exciting and rewarding kind of level of romantic love, including and especially sexually, or is this dependent on one's values, emotional adjustment, intellect, etc.?
9. In The Primal Scream, Arthur Janov says that a healthy person has no psychological needs - that such needs arise only when a person has repressed his awareness of his biological needs. What is your view of this?
10. Do you consider the influence of existential philosophy, and particularly the emphasis on the discovery of the inner self, to be  A) emotionally constructive, and B) growing?
11. Is it essential for a person who helps others with their psychological problems to have had problems of his own?
12. Do you think that a man is born with talents. and if so, how does this tie in with the contention that man is born tabula rasa?
13. Do you see any long range benefits from the direct political activity by Objectivists and other Libertarians, or do you think we can become influential by continuing to use educational approach?
14. Is it practical to attempt to establish libertarian colonies or self-supporting systems in the present day world?
15. Within a libertarian framework, the FCC would do nothing more than protect the property rights of the people who own the TV and Radio stations. Who is going to safeguard viewers from subtle forms of media brainwashing such as subliminal flashes?
16. Two reasons why businesses incorporate are tax benefits and limited liability. Under a noncoercive governmental structure, presumably the former would not apply and the latter would be nonexistent. Couldn't one then predict the end of a large businesses because of lack of invested capitol?
17. Is a conflict between good and evil an essential element in a romantic novel?

35lbs

Note: I am willing to ship Internationally