Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand

The conflict of Plato versus Aristotle

is the conflict of Mysticism versus Reason

“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.”

and reason as his only absolute.”

OBJECTIVISM

OBJECTIVISMThe Philosophy of Ayn Rand

MetaphysicsWhat kind of world is it?


EpistemologyHow do I know?







EthicsDealing with others







PoliticsLiving in Society





Reality - the external world exists.

Law of Identity. (Aristotle)A is A.

Reality exists as an objective absolute

facts are facts,

independent of man’s feelings, wishes, hopes or fears.

Existence Exists.

Reality is Independent of Consciousness

Reality is unaffected by your wishes and desires

Cause and Effect - things act in accordance with their nature

No miracles.

Objectivism Rejects any belief in the supernatural





Reason is man’s means of acquiring knowledge.

Reason, is the faculty which identifies and integrates

the material provided by man’s Senses.

Reason is man’s only means of perceiving Reality,

his only source of Knowledge,

his only guide to Action,

and his basic means of Survival.

Consciousness

the task of man’s consciousness is to perceive reality, not to create

or invent it.

Metaphysically Passive

Epistemologically Active

Objectivism Rejects mysticism - (any acceptance of faith or feeling

as a tool of cognition).

Objectivism Rejects skepticism





Man, Every Man, is an end in himself,

not a means to the ends of others.

Man must Live for his own sake,

neither sacrificing himself to others

Nor sacrificing others to himself.

NO SACRIFICING!

The pursuit of his own Rational Self-Interest

and of his own Happiness

is the Highest Moral Purpose of His Life.

Not based on whim

What makes Ethics Necessary?

Man’s Life

Objectivism Rejects altruism

the claim that Morality consists in living for others or for society.

"There is one word—a single word—which can blast the morality of altruism out of existence and

which it cannot withstand—the word: 'Why?'

Why must man live for the sake of others?

Why is that the good?

There is no earthly reason for it—and, ladies and gentlemen, in the whole history of philosophy no earthly reason has ever been given." - Ayn Rand

The basic Social Principle of the Objectivist Ethics

No man or group has the right to initiate the use of physical force

Men have the Right to use Force Only in Self-Defense

Men must deal with each other as Traders

Value for Value, by Free, Mutual Consent to Mutual Benefit.

The Principle of Trade is the only Rational, Ethical Principle for all

Human Relationships.

It is the Principle of Justice.

A trader is a man who earns what he gets and does not take the

undeserved.

Objectivist Virtues

Rationality

Cardinal Virtue leading to all other Virtues

Rationality - using Reason to identify Reality

Honesty

the Refusal to fake reality

Integrity

Consistency in the application of Reason

Productivity

Working to Create one’s Values

Independence

don’t leave your thinking to others

Pride

Pursuit of Moral Perfection

related to Self-Esteem - the belief that one is capable of

Gaining Values

and that one Deserves them

Justice

Principle of applying Reason to the Actions of other men

giving people what they Deserve





The only social system that bars physical force from human

relationships is

Laissez-Faire Capitalism.

Capitalism is a system based on the recognition of Individual Rights,

including Property Rights

The only function of the government is to protect

Individual Rights

How?

the police, to protect you from criminals;

the army, to protect you from foreign invaders;

and the courts, to protect your property and contracts from breach or fraud from others,

to settle disputes by rational rules,

according to objective laws.

Objectivism Rejects any form of collectivism, such as fascism, communism, or socialism.

Objectivism Rejects the current “mixed economy”

Objectivism Rejects any “redistribution of wealth”

Objectivism fights for the philosophical base which Capitalism did not have

and without the moral justification, it is doomed to

perish.

Metaphysics

Objective Reality

Metaphysics

Objective Reality

Epistemology

Reason

Metaphysics

Objective Reality

Ethics

Self-Interest

Epistemology

Reason

Metaphysics

Objective Reality

Ethics

Self-Interest

Politics

Laissez-faire Capitalism

Epistemology

Reason

Metaphysics Epistemology

Ethics

Politics Aesthetics

for the Philosophers

Consciousness

Metaphysically Passive

Epistemologically Active

primacy of existenceversus

primacy of consciousness

The Objective Advantage

Objectivism provides an advantage in the world because it is based on

an Objective Reality

is/ought

changing the culture - 25 years?

I regard compassion as proper only toward those who are innocent victims, but not toward those who are morally guilty. If one feels compassion

for the victims of a concentration camp, one cannot feel it for the torturers. If one does feel

compassion for the torturers, it is an act of moral treason toward the victims

DEFINITIONS ARE THE GUARDIANS OF REASON. WE HAVE TO USE PRECISE LANGUAGE SO WE CAN MEAN WHAT WE SAY.

MetaphysicsOBJECTIVE REALITY

EpistemologyREASON

EthicsSELF-INTEREST

PoliticsLAISSEZ-FAIRE CAPITALISM

Objective Reality Reason

Self-Interest

Laissez-faire Capitalism

Education

Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand