Objectivism: Ayn Rand's Personal Philosophy

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Objectivism: Ayn Rand’s Personal Philosophy These notes are taken from The Reader’s Guide to the Writings and Philosophy of Ayn Rand found at the end of Centennial Editions of Anthem. Ayn Rand provides a nutshell version of Objectivism by describing four aspects of it: Metaphysics the philosophy of what constitutes REALITY (How do we know what reality is?) Epistemology the philosophy of knowledge (How do we know what we know?) Ethics the philosophy of how we determine what is right vs. wrong, fair vs. unfair Politics the philosophy of how we govern groups of people Objectivism holds the following ideas: Metaphysics Objective Reality Epistemology Reason Ethics Self-Interest Politics Capitalism A further exploration of the ideas: Metaphysics Objective Reality Rand agrees with Naturalism in that reality is observable and measurable. There is one reality. She disagrees with Modernism in that Modernists believe in Subjective Reality, the idea that humans CREATE reality through their perceptions. Rand says that our only ability is to perceive reality, not create it. “facts are facts” This believe precludes (makes impossible) a belief in the supernatural. Epistemology Reason Rand agrees with the Enlightenment that we should use reason to achieve our goals. She holds that reason is man’s highest virtue. Other ways of “knowing what we know” is through faith, tradition, and intuition, none of which she would deem valid methods of “knowing.” Ethics Self-Interest Rand believes wholly in acting upon one’s self-interest. No one should sacrifice himself for others or sacrifice others for himself. This idea would preclude any altruistic acts. She would think Mother Teresa foolish for spending her life in the service of others. Politics Capitalism Rand believes that capitalism is the only form of government that is free from violence. In a capitalist society, people can work as hard as they need to to get what they need. In other forms of government, one’s work ethic or talent has no bearing upon how successful one can be financially, which leads people to use violence to acquire what they need. With laissez-faire capitalism, man has no limits imposed upon his success, like the price caps of socialism, and the absence of property rights of communism. Art Romantic Realism Rand is a Romantic in that her heroes portray man “as he COULD/SHOULD be,” and she is a Realist in that she places her heroes in the contemporary world to deal with the real problems of today’s world (That would be the “today” of the 1930’s/40’s.). Government Libertarian-ish Rand was a libertarian before it had a name. She believes that the ONLY purpose of government should be to protect people’s right to property: A police force and military capable of defending men against those who would hurt them in order to take their possessions. Rand lived through the Russian Bolshevik Revolution, and her experiences with communism led her to develop her unique philosophy. Her experiences with communism and her atheism inform her idea that man in an end in himself, not a means to anyone else’s end (i.e. living to glorify a deity or to help/provide for others). .

Copy Link

Recommended publications

Ayn Rand? Ayn Rand Ayn
Who Is Ayn Rand? Ayn Rand Few 20th century intellectuals have been as influential—and controversial— as the novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand. Her thinking still has a profound impact, particularly on those who come to it through her novels, Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead—with their core messages of individualism, self-worth, and the right to live without the impositions of others. Although ignored or scorned by some academics, traditionalists, pro- gressives, and public intellectuals, her thought remains a major influence on Ayn Rand many of the world’s leading legislators, policy advisers, economists, entre- preneurs, and investors. INTRODUCTION AN Why does Rand’s work remain so influential? Ayn Rand: An Introduction illuminates Rand’s importance, detailing her understanding of reality and human nature, and explores the ongoing fascination with and debates about her conclusions on knowledge, morality, politics, economics, government, AN INTRODUCTION public issues, aesthetics and literature. The book also places these in the context of her life and times, showing how revolutionary they were, and how they have influenced and continue to impact public policy debates. EAMONN BUTLER is director of the Adam Smith Institute, a leading think tank in the UK. He holds degrees in economics and psychology, a PhD in philosophy, and an honorary DLitt. A former winner of the Freedom Medal of Freedom’s Foundation at Valley Forge and the UK National Free Enterprise Award, Eamonn is currently secretary of the Mont Pelerin Society. Butler is the author of many books, including introductions on the pioneering economists Eamonn Butler Adam Smith, Milton Friedman, F.
[Show full text]
1The Strengths and Limits of Philosophical Anarchism
THE STRENGTHS AND LIMITS OF 1 PHILOSOPHICAL ANARCHISM THE BASIC DEFINITION of state legitimacy as the exclusive right to make, apply, and enforce laws is common, clearly visible in Max Weber and contemporary political philosophy and found less explicitly in the classical contract thinkers.1 A. John Simmons, drawing on Locke, writes that “A state’s (or government’s) legitimacy is the complex moral right it possesses to be the exclusive imposer of binding duties on its sub- jects, to have its subjects comply with these duties, and to use coercion to enforce the duties” (Simmons 2001, 130). Similar definitions—whether vis-à-vis legitimacy or authority—with slight alterations of terms and in conjunction with a series of other ideas and conditions (for example, “authoritativeness,” background criteria, the difference between force and violence) can be found in Robert Paul Wolff (1998, 4), Joseph Raz (2009), Richard Flathman (1980), Leslie Green (1988), David Copp (1999), Hannah Pitkin (1965, 1966), and others. The point is that the justification of state legitimacy and the (corresponding) obligation to obey involve, more often than not, making, applying, and enforcing laws: political power. Often left out of these discussions—with important exceptions—are the real practices of legitimate statehood, and perhaps for good reason. What philosophers who explore the question of legitimacy and authority are most often interested in—for a variety of reasons—is the relation of the individ- ual to the state, that is, whether and to what extent a citizen (or sometimes a noncitizen) has an obligation to obey the state. As Raz notes, part of the explanation for this is that contemporary philosophical interest in questions of political obligation emerged in response to political events in the 1960s (Raz 1981, 105).
[Show full text]
The Futurist Moment : Avant-Garde, Avant Guerre, and the Language of Rupture
MARJORIE PERLOFF Avant-Garde, Avant Guerre, and the Language of Rupture THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS CHICAGO AND LONDON FUTURIST Marjorie Perloff is professor of English and comparative literature at Stanford University. She is the author of many articles and books, including The Dance of the Intellect: Studies in the Poetry of the Pound Tradition and The Poetics of Indeterminacy: Rimbaud to Cage. Published with the assistance of the J. Paul Getty Trust Permission to quote from the following sources is gratefully acknowledged: Ezra Pound, Personae. Copyright 1926 by Ezra Pound. Used by permission of New Directions Publishing Corp. Ezra Pound, Collected Early Poems. Copyright 1976 by the Trustees of the Ezra Pound Literary Property Trust. All rights reserved. Used by permission of New Directions Publishing Corp. Ezra Pound, The Cantos of Ezra Pound. Copyright 1934, 1948, 1956 by Ezra Pound. Used by permission of New Directions Publishing Corp. Blaise Cendrars, Selected Writings. Copyright 1962, 1966 by Walter Albert. Used by permission of New Directions Publishing Corp. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637 The University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London © 1986 by The University of Chicago All rights reserved. Published 1986 Printed in the United States of America 95 94 93 92 91 90 89 88 87 86 54321 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Perloff, Marjorie. The futurist moment. Bibliography: p. Includes index. 1. Futurism. 2. Arts, Modern—20th century. I. Title. NX600.F8P46 1986 700'. 94 86-3147 ISBN 0-226-65731-0 For DAVID ANTIN CONTENTS List of Illustrations ix Abbreviations xiii Preface xvii 1.
[Show full text]
Jay: an Intimate Martyr of Objectivism Jordan Miller
First Class: A Journal of First-Year Composition Volume 2017 Article 5 Spring 2017 Jay: An Intimate Martyr of Objectivism Jordan Miller Follow this and additional works at: https://ddc.duq.edu/first-class Recommended Citation Miller, J. (2017). Jay: An Intimate Martyr of Objectivism. First Class: A Journal of First-Year Composition, 2017 (1). Retrieved from https://ddc.duq.edu/first-class/vol2017/iss1/5 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Duquesne Scholarship Collection. It has been accepted for inclusion in First Class: A Journal of First-Year Composition by an authorized editor of Duquesne Scholarship Collection. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Honors Program Second Prize Essay JAY: AN INTIMATE MARTYR OF OBJECTIVISM By Jordan Miller Instructor: Dr. Matthew Ussia “At the dawn of our lives, we seek a noble vision of man’s nature and of life’s potential” (“Introduction”). According to Ayn Rand, Russian-American novelist and philosopher, Objectivism is that vision. This credo rests in the foundation that reality exists and one must discover its nature with an audacious approach of self-serving ambition. Although it has received a fair amount of following, praise, and success, Rand’s philosophy has also sourced the demise of many individuals through broken promises and mental pandemonium. The life and mental state of Jay, a broken man from the novel Intimacy by Hanif Kureishi, serves to thoroughly exemplify the philosophy’s imperfections and the reasoning behind one’s downfall on the path of Objectivism. Throughout the novel, his character development, or lack thereof, constitutes as the paradigm for an Objectivist breakdown.
[Show full text]
Winds and Tigers: Metaphor Choice in China's Anti-Corruption Discourse
Jing-Schmidt and Peng Lingua Sinica (2017) 3:2 DOI 10.1186/s40655-016-0017-9 RESEARCH Open Access Winds and tigers: metaphor choice in China’s anti-corruption discourse Zhuo Jing-Schmidt* and Xinjia Peng * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract University of Oregon, Eugene ’ 97403, OR, USA This article examines metaphor choice in China s official anti-corruption discourse. Drawing on corpus data, we analyze the metaphors used by the Chinese Communist Party and its flagship newspaper, the People’s Daily, to frame the anti-corruption campaign and influence public perception. It is found that both embodied experience and cultural models are recruited as the metaphoric vehicles or source domains for the strategic profiling of different aspects of corruption and anti- corruption actions as the target domain. Additionally, metaphor choice is systematically different in the Chinese and the English versions of the party newspaper, reflecting that metaphor use is sensitive to sociocultural context, especially to the knowledge base within an epistemic community. Keywords: China, Anti-corruption campaign, Metaphor choice, Political discourse 1 Background During the transition from a planned economy to a market economy in the last three decades, China has experienced what many scholars call an “economic miracle.” At the same time, Chinese society is faced with “an extraordinary and serious epidemic of cor- ruption” (Meng 2014: 33). There seems to be a consensus among China scholars that the reforms that brought about liberalization and commercialization, and fueled the economic boom, also drove the surge of corruption by providing fertile soil for its rampant growth (Gong 2002, 2006; Guo 2008).
[Show full text]
Objectivism/Subjectivism in Scientific Articles of Different Areas: the Heterogeneity of Academic Writing
OBJETIVISMO/SUBJETIVISMO EM ARTIGOS CIENTÍFICOS DAS DIFERENTES ÁREAS: A HETEROGENEIDADE DA ESCRITA ACADÊMICA Ângela Francine FUZA* ▪ RESUMO: A existência do discurso que postula a homogeneização da escrita acadêmico- científica no processo de constituição do texto é a problemática que desencadeou esta pesquisa. Nesse sentido, o objetivo deste estudo é analisar artigos científicos brasileiros de periódicos A1 das diferentes áreas do conhecimento a partir dos elementos que constituem os gêneros, forma composicional, estilo e temática, delimitando aspectos que tendem ao objetivismo e ao subjetivismo nos textos. O trabalho se pauta nos pressupostos dialógicos do Círculo de Bakhtin, no tocante aos gêneros, ao objetivismo e subjetivismo, e nas pesquisas desenvolvidas segundo os princípios dos Novos Estudos do Letramento. Os resultados apontam que: a) todo enunciado é constituído de elementos subjetivos e objetivos; b) os aspectos que evidenciam objetividade e subjetividade marcam-se predominantemente na forma composicional (e arquitetônica) e no estilo dos textos, em diálogo com a temática; c) os artigos das diferentes áreas se assemelham, ao tratar de elementos que tendem à objetividade, como forma composicional e recursos linguísticos; d) os artigos diferem quando apresentam aspectos que, embora estejam na materialidade verbal, encontram significação no contexto extraverbal, perpassando a subjetividade, como escolha temática; variação no número de autores no texto etc.; e) a existência de nuances de objetividade e de subjetividade permite caracterizar a escrita nas áreas de forma heterogênea. ▪ PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Objetivismo. Subjetivismo. Escrita acadêmica. Artigo científico. Introdução A escrita acadêmico-científica tem sido um tema amplamente discutido no meio acadêmico por pesquisadores do campo dos estudos da linguagem em seus vários âmbitos e perspectivas metodológicas.
[Show full text]
Aristotle and Kant on the Source of Value
Aristotle and Kant on the Source of Value The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Korsgaard, Christine. 1986. Aristotle and Kant on the source of value. Ethics 96(3): 486-505. Published Version http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/292771 Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:3164347 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA Aristotle and Kant on the Source of Value* ChristineM. Korsgaard THREE KINDS OF VALUE THEORY In this paper I discuss what I will call a "rationalist" account of the goodness of ends. I begin by contrasting the rationalist account to two others, "subjectivism' and "objectivism.' Subjectivism identifies good ends with or by reference to some psychological state. It includes the various forms of hedonism as well as theories according to which what is good is any object of interest or desire. Objectivism may be represented by the theory of G. E. Moore. According to Moore, to say that something is good as an end is to attribute a property, intrinsic goodness, to it. Intrinsic goodness is an objective, nonrelational property of the object, a value a thing has independently of anyone's desires, interests, or pleasures. The attraction of subjectivist views is that they acknowledge the connection of the good to human interests and desires.
[Show full text]
Liberalism and the Objectivity of Ethics - Beyond Subjective Morality: Ethical Reasoning and Political Philosophy
Louisiana Law Review Volume 47 | Number 5 Student Symposium: Conflict of Laws in Louisiana May 1987 Liberalism and the Objectivity of Ethics - Beyond Subjective Morality: Ethical Reasoning and Political Philosophy. By James S. Fishkin.* New Haven : Yale University Press, 1984. Pp. vii, 201. $14.95. George C. Freeman III Repository Citation George C. Freeman III, Liberalism and the Objectivity of Ethics - Beyond Subjective Morality: Ethical Reasoning and Political Philosophy. By James S. Fishkin.* New Haven : Yale University Press, 1984. Pp. vii, 201. $14.95., 47 La. L. Rev. (1987) Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.lsu.edu/lalrev/vol47/iss5/15 This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Reviews and Journals at LSU Law Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Louisiana Law Review by an authorized editor of LSU Law Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. BOOK REVIEW LIBERALISM AND THE OBJECTIVITY OF ETHICS Beyond Subjective Morality: Ethical Reasoning and Political Phi- losophy. By James S. Fishkin.* New Haven : Yale University Press, 1984. Pp. vii, 201. $14.95. George C. Freeman, III** "What is the aim of your philosophy?-To show the fly the way out of the bottle." Ludwig Wittgenstein' James Fiskin's latest book, Beyond Subjective Morality, focuses on a question of profound significance: "Independent of particular religious and metaphysical assumptions-assumptions among which a modern lib- eral state must presumably maintain a certain neutrality-can there be a
[Show full text]
2020 Anthem Winning Essay 8Th, 9Th and 10Th Grade
2020 ANTHEM WINNING ESSAY 8TH, 9TH AND 10TH GRADE FIRST PLACE Georgia Mirică, Bucharest, Romania – American International School of Bucharest, Voluntari, Bucharest, Romania Aside from very rare exceptions, there is no opposition to the leaders in this society. Why is this? What ideas must the people in this society have accepted to live a life of obedience, drudgery and fear? The systematic construction of the literary universe in which Ayn Rand’s Anthem unfolds oversees a global society that strips human beings of their fundamental dignities and forces them to live in constant oppression and suppression of individualism. The novella follows the protagonist, Equality 7-2521, in his discovery of forbidden knowledge and subsequent escape, divulging truths about the dangers of collectivist ideals and totalitarianism, holding a mirror up to a tumultuous contemporary world. In Anthem, the re-programming of human values through complete indoctrination of collectivist ideals makes it so that the inhabitants of this society cease to be individual human beings, and instead are viewed as gears in a vast system. Having no notion of the self, they accept oppression as dutiful, being depersonalized to the point that they can be exploited completely without rebellion. Violently cradled by the arms of a totalitarian state from birth, perpetually kept in darkness, halted by ideological barriers, the result is a people submissive to abuse without question, having never been taught to question. One may argue that, upon birth, human beings are no more than lumps of clay to be shaped by this mysterious force called life and hardened by maturity, adopting the values of their environment unconsciously.
[Show full text]
A Philosophical Approach to Business Education
The Canadian Journal of Higher Education, Vol. XXII-2, 1992 La revue canadienne d'enseignement supérieur, Vol. XXII-2, 1992 A Philosophical Approach to Business Education JAANA WOICESHYN * Abstract Business education has been blamed for deficiencies in the leadership, decision- making and ethical conduct of business managers. The quantitative and analyti- cal orientation in business school curricula and the consequent lack of humani- ties-based courses have been identified as reasons. The fundamental reason, however, lies in the philosophy of business research and education which shapes the curricula, teaching methods, and ultimately the graduates' ability to handle various managerial functions. The most commonly recognized philosophical basis of business research is empiricism. The argument presented here is that pragmatism, which shares ele- ments with empiricism, has also significantly shaped business education. This paper is an attempt to show why empiricism, together with pragmatism, are the root causes of the above deficiencies. Supplementing business school curricula with humanities courses, a strategy often recommended to correct for the defi- ciencies, is not sufficient. As an alternative solution, an objective philosophical approach is evaluated, along with its practical implications for business educa- tion. Résumé La formation en administration est souvent blâmée pour les lacunes rencon- trées chez les gentionnaires en regard des habiletés de chef de file et de prise de décision, et par-rapport à l'éthique professionelle. On attribue généralement ces lacunes à l'orientation strictement quantitative et analytique des pro- grammes d'études et à l'absence de contenus provenant des disciplines des let- tres et des sciences humaines. Cette communication, cependant, suggère que ces lacunes s'expliquent avant tout par la philosophie sous-jacente à la recherche en administration et en éducation sur laquelle reposent les pro- grammes d'etudes, les méthodes d'enseignement, et utimement, les habiletés des * University of Calgary.
[Show full text]
Teachers Guide to We the Living
Teacher’s Guide INCLUDES: SUMMARIES, STUDY QUESTIONS, AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING We the Living By Ayn Rand Teacher’s Guide by Michael S. Berliner, Ph.D. For 10th – 12th graders 2 A Teacher’s Guide to We the Living by Ayn Rand A Teacher’s Guide to We the Living by Ayn Rand 3 TABLE OF Contents INTRODUCTION AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND INTRODUCTION AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND .......................................................3 At a farewell party before Ayn Rand left they were happening at the time.” One Soviet Russia for America in 1926, a family example was the purge of university students THE THEME...................................................................................................................................3 friend urged her: “When you get out, tell the whose parents were proletarian; and many of rest of the world that we are dying here.” We the small details were taken from her own THE STORY (Part One) ..............................................................................................................4 the Living, published ten years later, fulfilled life, such as the music she liked. Many of the her promise to that friend. It was also a characters were based on members of the PART ONE STUDY QUESTIONS ..............................................................................................4 promise that the fictional Kira Argounova extended Rosenbaum (her birth name) wanted to fulfill for her Uncle Vasili: “I’ll tell family: Ayn Rand’s sister Nora was the basis THE STORY (Part Two) ..............................................................................................................6 them over there, where I’m going. I’ll tell for the character of cousin Irina, her actual them about everything. And maybe some- father was the basis for Uncle Vasili, and her PART TWO STUDY QUESTIONS .............................................................................................6 one, somewhere, will understand.” real mother had much in common with Kira’s fictional mother.
[Show full text]
An Introduction to Objectivism by the Virginia Tech Objectivist Club
An Introduction to Objectivism By the Virginia Tech Objectivist Club My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute. –Ayn Rand Who Was Ayn Rand? Born 1905 in St. Petersburg, Russia Opposed communist ideals from childhood Kerensky and Bolshevik revolution Graduated from University of Petrograd with history and philosophy degree Studied at State Institute of Cinema Arts http://visbella.wordpress.com/author/visbella/page/3/ Who Was Ayn Rand? Rand idolized America Moved to NYC in 1926 Started cinema work 1929 in Hollywood Met future husband, Frank O’Connor Wrote 1st screenplay, “Red Pawn”, in 1932 “We the Living” published in 1936 “Anthem” ’37 “Fountainhead” ’43 “Atlas Shrugged” ’57 Died March 6, ‘82 http://en.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/17 Who Was Ayn Rand? After Atlas Shrugged Rand focused on non-fiction, and lectures on objectivism Leonard Piekoff and the Collective The Collective started the Objectivist Movement Piekoff heads up ARI Had a tough time growing up and succeeding as a writer Never let her environment compromise what she wanted to do http://godscopybook.blogs.com/gpb/2005/02/ayn_rand_celebr.html A Brief Overview of Objectivism There are 5 branches of Objectivism Metaphysics Epistemology Ethics Politics Aesthetics http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Objectivist1.jpg Metaphysics: Objective Reality Three Axioms: Existence Identity Corollary:
[Show full text]