HBL — Where Ayn Rand fans
come to talk.
The Harry Binswanger Letter (HBL) is the leading forum for online discussion of Ayn Rand’s philosophy, Objectivism, and its applications to science, current events, the arts, and personal life.
What Is HBL?
Where most forums on Ayn Rand are dominated by the uninformed, HBL is dominated by some of the world’s leading Objectivist intellectuals.
This is where Ayn Rand fans come to share their questions, their thoughts, and their values.
For a sample of what you’ll find on HBL, you can read the public posts on our blog, Value for Value, or sign up for a free 2-week trial.
Who is
Harry Binswanger?
Harry Binswanger
- A Ph.D. in philosophy (Columbia University) who has taught philosophy at Hunter College (C.U.N.Y.), The New School for Social Research, and The University of Texas, Austin.
- A longtime associate of Ayn Rand’s who became a close friend in her final years
- The author of How We Know: Epistemology on an Objectivist Foundation
- The creator and compiler of The Ayn Rand Lexicon, a 535-page mini-encyclopedia of Objectivism
- The publisher and editor of The Objectivist Forum, a bimonthly journal (1980 – 1987) launched with Ayn Rand’s endorsement and for which she acted as “Philosophic Consultant” until her death in 1982.
- Editor, with Leonard Peikoff, of the audio tapes of Rand’s “Workshops on Objectivist Epistemology” (1969-1970), to form a 200-page Appendix to the 2ndedition of Rand’s Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology
- The author of The Biological Basis of Teleological Concepts, a book integrating Ayn Rand and Darwin on biological goal-directedness
- For 38 years, a member of the Board of Directors of the Ayn Rand Institute.
Who is HBL for?
Though most of our members are Objectivists, anyone with a serious interest in Objectivism and respect for the work of Ayn Rand is welcome to join. Whether you’ve just discovered Rand’s novels or studied her philosophy for decades, you’ll find challenging new questions and fresh analyses on HBL.
What does it cost?
$22 a month, in exchange for:
Emailed posts
Three days a week, Harry Binswanger emails to the entire membership his selection of an average of 5 Member Forum posts (including a few written by him). This makes it easy to keep up with the discussion, even when you get distracted.
Meeting of the Minds
Live discussions on Zoom (or by phone) led by Harry Binswanger. Meetings take place every Sunday, from 12 pm to 1:00 pm ET, and recordings are available for members who can’t make it live
The Member Forum
A community-moderated forum for extended discussion and polite argumentation on any topic in Objectivism, current events, and recommendations of books and artworks. (The forum typically receives 100 new posts a week.)
Facebook Group
The emailed posts are also put on our private Facebook group: HBLetter Objectivist discussion group.
Meeting of the Minds Archives
Over 250 past episodes. Topics like: HB’s recollections of Ayn Rand, the nature of the subconscious, the esthetics of music, what it was like to grow up in Nazi Germany, ways to raise public awareness of Objectivism.
Forum Archives
Search through HBL’s archives: over 42,000 posts extending back to 2014
Don’t take us on faith, get a free trial. If you have any specific questions, you can email us at support@hbletter.com.