It is often said that definitions state the meaning of words. This is true, but
it is not exact. A word is merely a visual-auditory symbol used to represent a
concept; a word has no meaning other than that of the concept it symbolizes,
and the meaning of a concept consists of its units. It is not words, but
concepts that man defines—by specifying their referents.
Copyright © 1986 by Harry Binswanger.
Introduction copyright © 1986 by Leonard Peikoff.
All rights reserved. For information address New American Library.
Acknowledgments
Excerpts from The Ominous Parallels , by Leonard Peikoff.
Copyright © 1982 by Leonard Peikoff. Reprinted with permission of
Stein and Day Publishers. Excerpts from The Romantic Manifesto ,
by Ayn Rand. Copyright © 1971, by The Objectivist .
Reprinted with permission of Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc. Excerpts from
Atlas Shrugged , copyright © 1957 by Ayn Rand, The
Fountainhead , copyright © 1943 by Ayn Rand, and For the
New Intellectual , copyright © 1961 by Ayn Rand. Reprinted by
permission of the Estate of Ayn Rand. Excerpts from Philosophy: Who
Needs It , by Ayn Rand. Copyright © 1982 by
Leonard Peikoff, Executor, Estate of Ayn Rand. Reprinted by
permission of the Estate of Ayn Rand. Excerpts from “The Philosophy
of Objectivism” lecture series. Copyright © 1976 by
Leonard Peikoff. Reprinted by permission. Excerpts from Alvin
Toffler’s interview with Ayn Rand, which first appeared in
Playboy magazine. Copyright © 1964. Reprinted by permission
of Alvin Toffler. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction
in whole or in part in any form. Used by arrangement with Plume, a member of
Penguin Group (USA), Inc.