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33 sessions

Atlas Shrugged Reading Group

Explore one of the most philosophically rich novels ever written and expand your knowledge of rational, life-serving ideas. When is a great novel more than just a great story? When...

About the Course

Explore one of the most philosophically rich novels ever written and expand your knowledge of rational, life-serving ideas.

When is a great novel more than just a great story? When it connects an intriguing plot and well-developed characters to profound ideas that, when applied, can help the reader lead a more flourishing life. This is exactly what Ayn Rand’s magnum opus, Atlas Shrugged, does—and it does so superbly.

The novel centers around a mysterious phenomenon: As America is falling apart, and people are suffering from accidents, shortages of goods, unemployment, and more, the best and brightest in business and the arts start to disappear. As fewer and fewer of them remain and struggle heroically to keep the world turning, they are increasingly hampered by government regulation and public hatred. In time, we see what keeps the producers (and their adversaries) going—and what stops them.

Atlas Shrugged is a thrilling page-turner that will challenge your ideas, sharpen your mind, and help you grow as a person. Join OSI fellow Angel Walker-Werth along with other active-minded participants, for a careful reading and deep discussions of this transformative book. 

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Angelica Werth

Meet Your Instructor

Angelica Werth

Angelica is a fellow and programs manager at Objective Standard Institute, an associate editor and regular contributor to The Objective Standard (opens in a new tab), and an Ayn Rand Fellow at the Foundation for Economic Education. Her roles at OSI include developing courses, teaching writing and editing, mentoring junior fellows, and managing the Junior Fellowship and Intellectual Accelerator Programs. A voracious reader and lover of fiction, Angelica writes and makes videos about philosophic ideas as they manifest in fiction. Read her articles on her Substack, Fictionosophy (opens in a new tab), and watch her videos on her YouTube channel (opens in a new tab).

How This Course Works

This course is interactive and discussion-driven, so enrollment is limited. Register early to secure your spot.

The course is held live on Zoom, which you can download for free here. Sessions are video recorded, so if you miss a session (or want to review), you can watch the recording. OSI may sell course recordings and/or use them for marketing, promotional, or educational purposes.

Homework assignments are optional. Doing them may require an additional hour or more per week but will greatly enhance what you learn in this course.

If you don’t have a copy of the book, you need to get one so you can read the chapters we’ll be discussing each week. You can purchase the book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BetterWorldBooks, or practically any other bookstore. We recommend a print copy of the book, but if you prefer an electronic copy, that is fine, too. (If your financial situation is such that you cannot afford to purchase a copy of the book, please let us know by emailing [email protected], and we will help you get one.)

Course handouts and supplementary materials are delivered via email. Course participants are invited to an exclusive OSI Courses group on Facebook, where they can post questions and engage in discussions with the instructor and other participants.

Have a question that wasn’t answered here? Read our FAQ (opens in a new tab) or email us at [email protected].

By enrolling, you agree to OSI’s Course Terms and Conditions.

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