Thus, Objectivist metaphysics is confined to an Ontology. The politics of freedom is the politics of self-interest; it cannot be defended with the ethics of self-sacrifice—or with a philosophy of unreason, unreality, or “super-nature”—or with no philosophy at all. In a word, Objectivism holds that being moral consists in being rationally selfish or egoistic. The Objectivist movementis a movementof individuals who seek to study and advance Objectivism, the philosophy expounded by novelist-philosopher Ayn Rand. Ayn Rand here sets forth the moral principles of Objectivism, the philosophy that holds human life - the life proper to a rational being - as the standard of moral values and regards altruism as incompatible with human nature, with the creative requirement of survival, and with a free society. This audio content is accessible only to current Digital or Premium subscribers. The proper standard of moral value is man’s life—meaning: the factual requirements of his life as set by his nature. Condition is "Used". Capitalism—which, contrary to widespread miseducation, is not merely an economic system—is the social system of individual rights, including property rights, protected by a strictly limited government. “Nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed” or “Wishing won’t make it so.” 2. It is only by means of principles that one can set one’s long-range goals and evaluate the concrete alternatives of any given moment. Noting the impossibility of validating a philosophy’s key positions in a brief oral presentation, Rand urges interested listeners to consult her written works, particularly Atlas Shrugged. For instance, if a volunteer social worker gives away his time and effort in exchange for nothing at all, he is being moral. Not so says egoism. Egoism is the morality of non-sacrifice; it rejects all forms of human sacrifice—both self-sacrifice and the sacrifice of others—as a matter of principle. Rational egoism, the centerpiece of Objectivism, holds that each individual should act in his own best interest and is the proper beneficiary of his own moral action. Politically, Objectivism advocates pure, laissez-faire capitalism—the social system of individual rights and strictly limited government—along with the whole moral and philosophical structure on which it depends. This enables people to examine the idea as a physical reality and thus to better understand what it means in practice. Human sensory perception gives direct true knowledgeof objective reality 3. He is the author of Loving Life: The Morality of Self-Interest and the Facts that Support It; Rational Egoism: The Morality for Human Flourishing; and the forthcoming Moral Truths Your Parents, Preachers, and Teachers Don’t Want You to Know. This is why rational parents encourage their children to think before they act, to recognize that choices have consequences beyond the immediate moment, to learn and embrace the long-range requirements of human life and happiness. The Role of Philosophy. Objectivism holds that there is no greater moral goal than achieving one's happiness. Observe these atrocities, then ask yourself whether any of it would be possible if men had not accepted the idea that man is a sacrificial animal to be immolated for the sake of the “public good.” Read the speeches of those countries’ political leaders and ask yourself what arguments would be left to them if the word “sacrifice” were regarded not as a moral ideal, but as the anti-human evil which it is. Why does man need it? All rights reserved. In the space of a column, I can give only the briefest summary of my position, as a frame of reference for all my future columns. For access, Human life does not require human sacrifice; people can live without giving up their minds, their values, their lives; people can live without murdering, assaulting, or defrauding one another. Although the government holds a monopoly on the legal use of force, it is constitutionally forbidden to use initiatory force in any way whatsoever—and constitutionally required to use retaliatory force as necessary to protect the rights of its citizens. Happiness, like everything in the world, is something specific; it has a nature. Short Introduction to Philosophy and Objectivism Objectivism is the philosophy developed by the author/philosopher Ayn Rand and dramatized in her novels, such as The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. Thus, if man’s life is the standard of moral value, capitalism is the only moral social system. In answer to this same need, altruism says: Don’t be selfish; sacrifice your values; give up your needs. Buy The Book: The Voice of Reason: Essays in Objectivist Thought. upgrade your subscription. In a capitalist society, individual rights cannot legally be violated by anyone—including the government. The standard of value according to hedonism is pleasure or feelings. In advocating laissez-faire capitalism, Objectivism opposes the politics of conservatism—such as the notion that we are our “brothers’ keepers” and therefore must sacrificially serve strangers (e.g., Republican welfare programs); the notion that successful businessmen should be regulated (i.e., coerced) “at least to some extent” for the sake of the “little guy” (as if the so-called little guy cannot succeed in life by his own rational thinking); the notion that students in government-run schools should be indoctrinated with “intelligent design” theory or required to pray; the notion that scientists should be forbidden to engage in embryonic stem-cell research while men, women, and children suffer from agonizing diseases that might otherwise be cured (“We mustn’t play God”)—and that those suffering from such diseases should be forced to “live” when they desperately want to die (“We mustn’t play God”); the notion that homosexuals should be prohibited from experiencing the joy of sex (“God disapproves”); and the notion that America’s military should sacrificially spread “freedom” (“God’s gift to mankind”), much less “democracy” (i.e., unlimited majority rule) to savages rather than selfishly and swiftly destroy America’s major enemies (“Love your enemies”). Genuine happiness comes from achieving values, not from stealing them; from thinking rationally and being productive, not from relinquishing one’s mind and becoming a parasite on the thought and effort of others; from earning romance and making passionate love, not from raping people. What is philosophy — and how is it relevant to my life? She discusses widespread misrepresentations of her views and challenges her opponents to refute her actual positions rather than attack a “straw woman.” She goes on to discuss the relation between reason and emotion, the true nature of altruism, the harmony of rational men’s interests, the proper role of government and the evil of initiating physical force against others. And Objectivism rejects hedonism—the idea that being moral consists in acting in whatever manner gives one pleasure (or doing whatever one feels like doing). 4. Objectively speaking, two such paintings do not have “equal” value; they do not “equally” serve the purpose of art; and they are not “equally” enjoyed by rational people. If he produces values and trades them with others for a profit (whether material or spiritual), he is thereby being moral; he is gaining values on which his life and happiness depend. Egoism is based on and derived from the requirements of human life on earth; thus, people can practice it consistently and must do so—if they want to live and make the most of their lives. Discover how this normally dry subject is transformed into an engrossing epistemological field of study. Insofar as a person does not choose to use reason, he is unable to identify or pursue these requirements; he either dies or survives parasitically on the minds of those who do choose to use reason. "Applied" Objectivism Contradicts Theoretical Objectivism. Man — every man — is an end in himself, not the means to the ends of others. Objectivism is a philosophy developed by the writer Ayn Rand (1905-1982), first in her novels The Fountainhead (1943) and Atlas Shrugged (1957), and later in non-fiction books, most notably The Virtue of Selfishness. Man survives by observing reality, identifying the nature of things, discovering causal relationships, and making the logical connections necessary to produce the things he needs in order to live. Her first weekly column, published June 17, 1962, introduces readers to Objectivism’s positions on the nature of reality, the efficacy of human reason, the nature of man, and the ideal political system. As to the alleged existence of a “supernatural” being who creates and controls reality, no evidence or rational argument supports such a thing. “Man is an end in himself.” 4. Reality just is. Rand held that all people, whether they realize it or not, are guided in their thoughts and actions by philosophical principles and assumptions. To see the origin of these principles in Rand’s fiction, read The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. I did, as follows: If you want this translated into simple language, it would read: 1. This principle is the recognition of the fact that in order to live, people must take self-interested action and reap the benefits thereof. Egoism upholds the principle of non-sacrifice—the idea that one should never surrender a greater value for the sake of a lesser value. Nor is there any rational justification for sacrificing others, which is why no one has ever provided one of these, either. The Basic Principles of Objectivism offers a detailed, systematic exposition of the philosophy defined by Ayn Rand and presented in The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged and For the New Intellectual. On this view, a software developer who trades his product with others for a profit is thereby being moral. Egoism, which also is widely misconstrued, is not the morality of “stabbing people in the back to get what one wants” or “acting on one’s unfettered desires.” These are caricatures of egoism perpetrated by pushers of altruism who want people to believe that the only alternatives are: sacrifice yourself or sacrifice others. Since the Objectivist philosophy challenges the past 2,000 years of thought, it is no surprise that some students may find it difficult at times to integrate the principles and totally break free from ideas rooted in altruism, collectivism and mysticism. A person who accepts the morality of altruism has to cheat on it just to stay alive; for instance, he must selfishly earn a paycheck so that he can buy food. It requires rational respect for the facts of reality, including the facts about our human nature and needs. Moral absolutism. Human life requires egoism. Great work and I will be reading more of Branden. The standard of value according to altruism is self-sacrifice. Objectivism obviously failed to accomplish that mission and today has become a major contributor to that corruption. 2. According to a few reviewers in my link below, its a transcript of lectures that Branden gave with the explicit approval of Rand. A link to it appears in “Related Lessons” below. A sacrifice is the giving up of something that is more important to one’s life and happiness for the sake of something that is less important to one’s life and happiness; thus, it results in a net loss. Objectivism holds that art is a requirement of human life and happiness. The movement began informally in the 1950s and consisted of students who were brought together by … You've heard the expression "mind over matter" before. A collaboration between David Kelley and William R Thomas, The Logical Structure of Objectivism traces out the logical connections among the various principles of Objectivism. If an individual chooses not to face facts, not to think, not to produce, and so on—and thus develops a bad character—that is his fault. The practical significance of this point is that if people want to achieve their goals—such as gaining knowledge, amassing wealth, achieving happiness, establishing and maintaining liberty—they must recognize and embrace the nature of reality. Objectivism also rejects the idea that, within the range of what is art, no objective criteria exist for judging certain works as better than others. On October 2, 1962, The Ayn Rand Program debuted on Columbia University’s campus radio station, WKCR, in New York City. But has anyone here read the book? “You can’t eat your cake and have it, too.” 3. Like every legitimate value, a work of art—whether a painting, sculpture, novel, movie, or symphony—is a value precisely to the extent that it serves some requirement of a rational being’s life. LOGICAL STRUCTURE OF OBJECTIVISM. There are objective universal moral principles valid for all people and all social environments. Just as the sun does not revolve around the earth (regardless of what one believes), so too a person cannot achieve happiness by sacrificing other people (regardless of what he claims). The distinction between applied and theoretical objectivism is not Ayn Rand's. Shipping and handling. Objectivism equally opposes the politics of so-called liberalism—such as the notion that people have a “right” to be given goods or services (which obviously requires that someone be forced to provide them); the notion that government agencies, private businesses, and schools should be required to implement racist policies, such as “affirmative action” and “diversity training”; the notion that students in government-run schools should be indoctrinated with the relativism known as “multiculturalism” or the religion known as “environmentalism”; the notion that people should be forced to fund ideas or art of which they disapprove (e.g., via “public” radio or “public” grants); and the notion that America has no right to “interfere with” or “impose Western values on” (let alone destroy) regimes that are responsible for the slaughter of Americans. According to Ayn Rand, explains Leonard Peikoff, man conceptualizes the requirements of human survival by forming principles. A person does not have to use reason; the choice is his to make. Ayn Rand answered these questions in her address to the senior class of the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1974. Capitalism and altruism are incompatible; they cannot coexist in the same man or in the same society. The "Basic Principles of Objectivism" is Nathaniel Branden's original 20-lecture presentation of the basic principles of Objectivism -- the philosophy originated by novelist/philosopher Ayn Rand -- newly remastered onto 28 CDs. Objectivism is fully secular and absolutist; it is neither liberal nor conservative nor anywhere in between. Thus, Objectivism rejects the idea that reality is ultimately determined by personal opinion or social convention or “divine decree.” An individual’s ideas or beliefs do not make reality what it is, nor can they directly change anything about it; they either correspond to the facts of reality, or they do not. Objectivism holds that reason—the faculty that operates by way of observation and logic—is man’s means of knowledge. To say, as libertarians do, that the “non-initiation-of-force principle” is an “axiom” or that liberty can be defended on any old philosophical base—whether Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, atheist, altruist, egoistic, subjectivist, relativist, postmodernist—or on no base at all—is simply absurd. Copyright © 1985 – 2021 The Ayn Rand® Institute (ARI). (I use “rational egoism” and “egoism” interchangeably for reasons that will become clear.). This fact gives rise to the principle of individual rights, which is the principle of egoism applied to politics. Objectivism also rejects the idea that man has no nature at all (i.e., the twisted, modern interpretation of man as a “blank slate”), making his character the consequence of social forces, such as upbringing or economic conditions. By far, the best guide to objectivism. Learn why a mastery of the principles of grammar is essential for precision in thinking and writing conceptually. I’m director of education at OSI, and I’m writing to ask for your support in … According to this principle, the good is that which supports or promotes an individual’s life; the evil is that which retards or destroys it. Objectivism is a philosophical system developed by Russian-American writer Ayn Rand. Today, the conflict has reached its ultimate climax; the choice is clear-cut: either a new morality of rational self-interest, with its consequences of freedom, justice, progress and man’s happiness on earth — or the primordial morality of altruism, with its consequences of slavery, brute force, stagnant terror, and sacrificial furnaces.” [For the New Intellectual]. What is man’s means of knowledge? The purpose of art is to give physical form to such profound abstractions, to make them concrete and observable, and thereby to provide people with a perceptual representation of a particular idea or worldview. Thus, in order to live peacefully together in a society—in order to live together as civilized beings, rather than as barbarians—people must refrain from using physical force against one another. Rand argued, following Aristotle, that Ontology was the proper area of Metaphysics and that Cosmology should be reserved for the physical sciences. In the winter and spring of 1958, I gave the first course of lectures entitled “The Basic Principles of Objectivism” which, although I did not fully realize it at the time, was to launch the Objectivist movement. Ayn Rand created and defined her philosophy, Objectivism, in the pages of her best-selling novels, particularly, What is morality? Objectivism is a philosophical system developed and named by author Ayn Rand. Shipped with USPS Media Mail. Grammar is the science that studies the methods of combining words into sentences. But one cannot achieve happiness by wish or whim. If people want to know what is true or good or right, they must observe reality and use logic. Objectivists are not “liberals,” but absolutists for freedom. It requires living by objective principles, including moral integrity and respect for the rights of others. Objectivism holds that reality is an absolute—that facts are facts, regardless of anyone’s hopes, fears, or desires. Thus, Objectivism rejects the notion that man’s nature is inherently corrupt (i.e., the idea of “original sin,” or the Hobbesian view of man as a brute), making his character necessarily depraved or barbaric. And because human beings are individuals, each with his own body, his own mind, his own life, this standard pertains to human beings as individuals (not as cogs in a utilitarian collective). Genuine happiness comes from identifying and pursuing the long-range material and spiritual requirements of one’s life as set by one’s nature. Objectivism, philosophical system identified with the thought of the 20th-century Russian-born American writer Ayn Rand and popularized mainly through her commercially successful novels The Fountainhead (1943) and Atlas Shrugged (1957). In a system of full capitalism, there should be (but, historically, has not yet been) a complete separation of state and economics, in the same way and for the same reasons as the separation of state and church. So says altruism. I liked the insight Branden gives into Atlas Shrugged and Fountainhead among others. Existence just exists—and everything in it is something specific; everything is what it is and can act only in accordance with its identity. [1] Leonard Peikoff, a professional philosopher and Rand’s designated intellectual heir, [2] [3] later gave it a more formal structure. But to hold them with total consistency — to understand, to define, to prove, and to apply them — requires volumes of thought. Reality is fully material and objective; it is not created or shaped by consciousness in any way 2. At a sales conference at Random House, preceding the publication of Atlas Shrugged, one of the book salesmen asked me whether I could present the essence of my philosophy while standing on one foot. As I will indicate in the section on politics, a rational society has an efficient means of dealing appropriately with such creatures. In the realm of politics, Objectivism recognizes that in order to take life-promoting action, a person must be free to do so; he must be free to act on the judgment of his mind, his basic means of living. The pursuit of his own rational self-interest and of his own happiness is the highest moral purpose of his life. Ontology is the study of what it means to exist. “Give me liberty or give me death.”. In sum, the key principles of Objectivism are: Reality is an absolute, reason is man’s only means of knowledge, man has free will (the choice to think or not), self-interest is moral, individual rights are absolute, capitalism is moral, and good art is crucial to good living. In other words, one’s ideas are supposedly either extremely “liberal” or extremely “conservative” or somewhere in between. It is a system where men deal with one another, not as victims and executioners, nor as masters and slaves, but as traders, by free, voluntary exchange to mutual benefit. In 1962, the Los Angeles Times invited Ayn Rand to write a syndicated column on her philosophy’s application to current events. This is because Objectivists are radicals for reason—the foundation of which is: reality. What are rights, and where do they come from? Moreover, such claims flatly contradict the demonstrable fact that rational thought, productive achievement, genuine (earned) self-esteem, and certainty of one’s moral worth are requirements of happiness. Rand described Objectivism as “a philosophy for living on earth.” The reason why it is a philosophy for living on Earth is that its every principle is derived from the observable facts of reality and the demonstrable requirements of human life and happiness. You may observe the practical results of altruism and statism all around us in today’s world — such as the slave-labor camps of Soviet Russia, where twenty-one million political prisoners work on the construction of government projects and die of planned malnutrition, human life being cheaper than food — or the gas chambers and mass slaughter of Nazi Germany — or the terror and starvation of Red China — or the hysteria of Cuba where the government offers men for sale — or the wall of East Berlin, where human beings leap from roofs or crawl through sewers in order to escape, while guards shoot at fleeing children. Has an efficient means of knowledge death there are two versions of Objectivism Nathaniel Branden 1930! Better place no one has ever provided one difference between trading values for gains giving! For the first ; altruism calls for the facts of reality all else being equal (,! 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