Articles by Marsha Familaro Enright
It’s been a year since Stephen Moore’s article, “Atlas Shrugged: from Fiction to Fact in 52 Years,”seemed to ignite an explosion of interest in Ayn Rand. Sales of this prescient novel tripled; two Rand biographies have been selling like hotcakes; and references to her in the media have skyrocketed. Yet, some free-market defenders continue to … Continue reading “Can the free market be saved without Ayn Rand?”
Ken Follett’s novels are not only inspiring and well-written, but also reveal thematic and stylistic choices similar to those in Ayn Rand’s novels. Could it be more than a coincidence? I became hooked on British author Ken Follett through his most famous novel, The Eye of the Needle. It’s the gripping World War II story of a … Continue reading “Did Ayn Rand Influence Ken Follett?”
“I came here with no friends, an old typewriter, and look what I achieved. It would have been impossible to achieve this in England.” So said James Clavell, an Australian immigrant to America who learned the fundamentals of the American outlook on life in a horrific Japanese prisoner of war camp. In over four decades … Continue reading “James Clavell’s Asian Adventures”
originally published in Montessori Leadership “Help me to do it myself,” self-responsibility, peace: these are fundamentals of the Montessori philosophy. How many of you know that another, highly influential thinker with these same beliefs has had a huge influence on the Montessori movement: Ayn Rand? Today, there are thousands of parents, teachers and heads of school … Continue reading “A little recognized influence on the Montessori Movement by Marsha Familaro Enright”
Marsha Familaro Enright has been attracted by the pleasures and problems of education since the third grade. Trained in biology and psychology, she has written research articles on psychology, neuropsychology, development, and education for a number of publications. She founded the Council Oak Montessori School near Chicago in 1990 and has served as its president … Continue reading “Schools for Individualists: TNI’s exclusive interview with Marsha Enright, by Sara Pentz”
When I was in grammar school in the late ‘50’s, I loved school. I eagerly looked forward to learning every day. But by the time I was eight I noticed this wasn’t true for everyone. No. In fact, many, many of the other children were confused or defiant or scared or just plain bored. I could … Continue reading “The Montessori Way, by Tim Seldin and Paul Epstein”
Philosophy & Psychology If “Emotions Are Not Tools of Cognition,” What Are They?: An Exploration of the Relationship Between Reason and Emotion Marsha Familaro Enright A Conversation with Ayn Rand “Emotions are not tools of cognition,” Ayn Rand said on more than one occasion (1961, 55; 1964, 6; 1974, 6). An emotion as such … Continue reading “If Emotions Aren’t Tools of Cognition, what are they?”
Q: How did the ideas of Ayn Rand impact your life? Marsha: I read through Atlas the summer following The Fountainhead, and all the books and essays I could get my hands on after that, over the next few years. This included Nathaniel Branden’s The Psychology of Self-Esteem, which greatly influenced my thinking in psychology, … Continue reading “Interview with Marsha Enright by Karen Minto, Full Context, Vol. 12, No. 1”
Music is an art without an apparent object – there are no scenes to look at, no sculptured marbles to touch, no stories to follow – and yet it can cause some of the most passionate and intense feelings possible. How does this happen – how can sounds from resonant bodies produce emotion (1) in … Continue reading “CON MOLTO SENTIMENTO: On the Evolutionary Biology and Neuropsychology of Music”
Navigator: Perhaps you could begin by telling us something of the history of the New Intellectual Forum. Who started it, and when? Enright: In 1985, a listing in The Objectivist Forum led me to contact Mike McCarthy of the Chicagoland Objectivist Principles Organization (COPO). My husband John and I began going to meetings of COPO at … Continue reading “Interview: How to Run an Objectivist Salon”