The Nathaniel Branden Institute (NBI), originally Nathaniel Branden Lectures, was an organization founded by

Nathaniel Branden Nathaniel Branden (born Nathan Blumenthal; April 9, 1930 – December 3, 2014) was a Canadian–American psychotherapist and writer known for his work in the psychology of self-esteem. A former associate and romantic partner of Ayn Rand, B ...

in 1958 to promote

Ayn Rand Alice O'Connor (born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum;, . Most sources transliterate her given name as either ''Alisa'' or ''Alissa''. , 1905 – March 6, 1982), better known by her pen name Ayn Rand (), was a Russian-born American writer and p ...

's philosophy of

Objectivism Objectivism is a philosophical system developed by Russian Americans, Russian-American writer and philosopher Ayn Rand. She described it as "the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with prod ...

. The institute was responsible for many Objectivist lectures and presentations across the United States. Many of those associated with NBI worked on the Objectivist magazines, ''

The Objectivist Newsletter Objectivist periodicals are a variety of academic journals, magazines, and newsletters with an editorial perspective explicitly based on Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism. Several early Objectivist periodicals were edited by Rand. She later end ...

'' and ''

The Objectivist Objectivist periodicals are a variety of academic journals, magazines, and newsletters with an editorial perspective explicitly based on Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism. Several early Objectivist periodicals were edited by Rand. She later end ...

''. There were several subsidiary companies, such as NBI Press (a publishing arm that printed several plays as well as special editions of '' Calumet "K"'' and

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

's ''

The Man Who Laughs ''The Man Who Laughs'' (also published under the title ''By Order of the King'' from its subtitle in French) is a novel by Victor Hugo, originally published in April 1869 under the French title ''L'Homme qui rit''. It takes place in England beg ...

'' with introductions by Rand); NBI Book Service (which sold Objectivist books and books by non-Objectivists with similar views in a particular area); and NBI Art Reproductions (art by Frank O'Connor, Joan Mitchell Blumenthal, and the portrait of Rand by Ilona Royce Smithkin). NBI also reprinted some of Rand's speeches and interviews, along with articles from ''The Objectivist Newsletter'' and ''The Objectivist,'' in pamphlet format. There was an attempt to set up an NBI Theater in early 1967. The plan was to produce ''

The Fountainhead ''The Fountainhead'' is a 1943 novel by Russian-American author Ayn Rand, her first major literary success. The novel's protagonist, Howard Roark, is an intransigent young architect, who battles against conventional standards and refuses to com ...

'' as a play, based on a script by

Barbara Branden Barbara Joan Branden (née Weidman; May 14, 1929 – December 11, 2013) was a Canadian-American writer, editor, and lecturer, known for her relationship and subsequent break with novelist-philosopher Ayn Rand. Life Born in Winnipeg, Barbara Weid ...

, but the project was shut down in 1968. The institute disbanded after Nathaniel Branden's break with Rand in August 1968. Its closest analogues today are the

Ayn Rand Institute The Ayn Rand Institute: The Center for the Advancement of Objectivism, commonly known as the Ayn Rand Institute (ARI), is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit think tank in Santa Ana, California, that promotes Objectivism, the philosophy developed by Ayn Rand ...

and

The Atlas Society The Atlas Society (TAS) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes the philosophy of Ayn Rand. It is part of the Objectivist movement that split off from the Ayn Rand Institute in 1990 due to disagreements over whether Objectiv ...

. From 1996 until his death in 2014, Nathaniel Branden was associated with the latter organization.

Lectures and courses

NBI presented a variety of lecture series. Many of the presentations were also provided as recordings, which were sold and distributed around the country for those who could not attend a live NBI lecture. The lectures delivered by NBI included the following: * ''Basic Principles of Objectivism'' by Nathaniel Branden * ''Basic Principles of Objectivist Psychology'' by Nathaniel Branden * ''A Critical Analysis of Contemporary Psychology'' by Nathaniel Branden * ''The Psychology of Romantic Love'' by Nathaniel Branden * ''The Psychology of Mental Illness'' by Nathaniel Branden * ''Contemporary Theories of Neurosis'' by Nathaniel Branden * ''The Principles of Efficient Thinking'' by Barbara Branden * ''The Objectivist Esthetics'' by Ayn Rand * ''The Economics of a Free Society'' by

Alan Greenspan Alan Greenspan (born March 6, 1926) is an American economist who served as the 13th chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1987 to 2006. He works as a private adviser and provides consulting for firms through his company, Greenspan Associates LLC. ...

* ''A Critical History of Philosophy'' by

Leonard Peikoff Leonard Sylvan Peikoff (; born October 15, 1933) is a Canadian-American philosopher. He is an Objectivist and was a close associate of Ayn Rand, who designated him heir to her estate. He is a former professor of philosophy and host of a natio ...

* ''History of Modern Philosophy'' by Leonard Peikoff * ''History of Ancient Philosophy'' by Leonard Peikoff * ''Contemporary Philosophy'' by Leonard Peikoff * ''Objectivism's Theory of Knowledge'' by Leonard Peikoff * ''The Esthetics of the Visual Arts'' by Mary Ann (Rukavina) Sures * ''Principles of Child Rearing'' by Reva Fox * ''The Principles and Practice of Non-Fiction Writing'' by

Edith Efron Edith Efron (; 1922 – April 20, 2001) was an American journalist and author. Biography Efron was born in New York. Graduating from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where Efron studied under journalist John Chamberla ...

* ''Nazism and Contemporary America: Ominous Parallels'' by Leonard Peikoff * ''Three Plays by Ayn Rand'' by Nathaniel Branden

References

Works cited

* * * * * * {{Nathaniel Branden, state=autocollapse Objectivist organizations Organizations established in 1958 Organizations disestablished in 1968 1958 establishments in the United States