Objectivism Debate Guide
From PhiloWiki
Objectivism regards reason as an absolute. It holds that all knowledge is based on the evidence of the senses. It holds that all beliefs, conclusions, and convictions must be established by logical methods of inquiry and tested by logical methods of verification. In short, it holds that the scientific approach applies to all areas of knowledge.- David Kelley
- 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. I did as follows:
- Metaphysics: Objective Reality
- Epistemology: Reason
- Ethics: Self-interest
- Politics: Capitalism
- If you want this translated into simple language, it would read:
- "Nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed" or "Wishing won't make it so."
- "You can't eat your cake and have it, too."
- "Man is an end in himself."
- "Give me liberty or give me death."
- If you held these concepts with total consistency, as the base of your convictions, you would have a full philosophical system to guide the course of your life. But to hold them with total consistency—to understand, to define, to prove and to apply them—requires volumes of thought. Which is why philosophy cannot be discussed while standing on one foot—nor while standing on two feet on both sides of every fence. This last is the predominant philosophical position today, particularly in the field of politics.
- My philosophy, Objectivism, holds that:
- Reality exists as an objective absolute—facts are facts, independent of man's feelings, wishes, hopes or fears.
- Reason (the faculty which identifies and integrates the material provided by man's senses) is man's only means of perceiving reality, his only source of knowledge, his only guide to action, and his basic means of survival.
- Man—every man—is an end in himself, not the means to the ends of others. He must exist for his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself. The pursuit of his own rational self-interest and of his own happiness is the highest moral purpose of his life.
- The ideal political-economic system is laissez-faire capitalism. 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. It is a system where no man may obtain any values from others by resorting to physical force, and no man may initiate the use of physical force against others. The government acts only as a policeman that protects man's rights; it uses physical force only in retaliation and only against those who initiate its use, such as criminals or foreign invaders. 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.
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Introducing Objectivism from Ayn Rand Institute Ayn Rand |
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Metaphysics
"Reality, the external world, exists independent of man's consciousness, independent of any observer's knowledge, beliefs, feelings, desires or fears. This means that A is A, that facts are facts, that things are what they are—and that the task of man's consciousness is to perceive reality, not to create or invent it." Thus Objectivism rejects any belief in the supernatural—and any claim that individuals or groups create their own reality.
- Objectivism is a foundationalist worldview. What are the advantages and disadvantages of foundationalism, coherentism, and other starting positions? Are Objectivism's axioms valid?
- Objectivism holds that all evidence ultimately reduces itself to sensory data. Can our senses be "deceived" ?
- In Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, Leonard Peikoff argues against the alleged distinction between analytic propositions and synthetic propositions, on the basis that ALL facts are ultimately obtained by sense data. Do you think that "pure logic" divorced from the senses has a place in philosophy?
- From "Atlas Shrugged": "A is A, things are what they are, and nothing else" : trite tautology, or profound premise?
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Epistemology
"Man's reason is fully competent to know the facts of reality. Reason, the conceptual faculty, is the faculty that identifies and integrates the material provided by man's senses. Reason is man's only means of acquiring knowledge." Thus Objectivism rejects mysticism (any acceptance of faith or feeling as a means of knowledge), and it rejects skepticism (the claim that certainty or knowledge is impossible).
- Do you agree with Objectivists that science is the best method we have to find knowledge about the natural world?
- Is Objectivism atheistic? What is the Objectivist attitude toward religion?
- Does quantum mechanics disprove objectivity?
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Ethics
"Reason is man's only proper judge of values and his only proper guide to action. The proper standard of ethics is: man's survival qua man—i.e., that which is required by man's nature for his survival as a rational being (not his momentary physical survival as a mindless brute). Rationality is man's basic virtue, and his three fundamental values are: reason, purpose, self-esteem. Man—every man—is an end in himself, not a means to the ends of others; he must live for his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself; he must work for his rational self-interest, with the achievement of his own happiness as the highest moral purpose of his life." Thus Objectivism rejects any form of altruism—the claim that morality consists in living for others or for society.
- Objectivism is strongly individualistic - promoting rational self-interest in morality and capitalism in politics - and explains social organization as the harmony of individual values expressed in action. Apply this model to the following concepts : friendship - love relationship - corporation - interest group - Wikipedia - Open Source Software.
- What was Ayn Rand's view on capital punishment?
- What was Ayn Rand's view on abortion?
Man is a rational being. Reason, as man's only means of knowledge, is his basic means of survival. But the exercise of reason depends on each individual's choice. "Man is a being of volitional consciousness." "That which you call your soul or spirit is your consciousness, and that which you call 'free will' is your mind's freedom to think or not, the only will you have, your only freedom. This is the choice that controls all the choices you make and determines your life and character."Thus Objectivism rejects any form of determinism, the belief that man is a victim of forces beyond his control (such as God, fate, upbringing, genes, or economic conditions).
- Ayn Rand stated that the central values we should hold are reason, purpose and self-esteem. What do you think is the proper role for these values ?
- From "Atlas Shrugged": What is "sanction of the victim"?
- Objectivists are rational egoists, and hold that this egoism does not contradict benevolence because it is in people's interest to seek good relationships with others. To what extent can a rational egoist justify benevolence? Do you find this limit problematic? On what basis?
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Politics
"The basic social principle of the Objectivist ethics is that no man has the right to seek values from others by means of physical force—i.e., no man or group has the right to initiate the use of physical force against others. Men have the right to use force only in self-defense and only against those who initiate its use. Men must deal with one another as traders, giving value for value, by free, mutual consent to mutual benefit. 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, in which the only function of the government is to protect individual rights, i.e., to protect men from those who initiate the use of physical force." Thus Objectivism rejects any form of collectivism, such as fascism or socialism. It also rejects the current "mixed economy" notion that the government should regulate the economy and redistribute wealth.
- Objectivists hold that the state must be dedicated to protecting individual rights (through police, military and courts), and nothing more. Do you see justification for more, or less? How would you defend your own political position against the Objectivist individualist model of society?
- Does Objectivism hold that all individuals have something valuable to contribute? What about people who lack creativity or ability? Would they fit into a pure capitalist society? What was Ayn Rand's view on charity?
- What is the connection between an individual's moral worth and his intelligence, in the Objectivist view?
- Does Objectivism support Libertarianism?
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Aesthetics
"Art is a selective re-creation of reality according to an artist's metaphysical value-judgments." The purpose of art is to concretize the artist's fundamental view of existence. Ayn Rand described her own approach to art as "Romantic Realism": "I am a Romantic in the sense that I present men as they ought to be. I am Realistic in the sense that I place them here and now and on this earth." The goal of Ayn Rand's novels is not didactic but artistic: the projection of an ideal man: "My purpose, first cause and prime mover is the portrayal of Howard Roark or John Galt or Hank Rearden or Francisco d'Anconia as an end in himself — not as a means to any further end."
- Objectivism argues that art must deal with what is "important" in the universe. An minor event in one's life could have no significance whatsoever; a minor event or detail in a work of art was selected by the artist to represent part of his microcosm, by virtue of being there, the event has been decided by the artist be important. Rand has said, "In life, one ignores the unimportant; in art, one omits it." Should art include random events?
- To Objectivists, art has a purpose, to "overcome the crow" and make understanding possible. Art, therefore, must be intelligible and it must be clear. Do you agree?
- To Objectivists, the degree of how tightly integrated a work of art can be thought of as the degree of "beauty" of a work. Rand thought of beauty as a "harmony" between the parts of a given object. The integration of a work often depends on the artist's devotion to his selectivity. During the filming of Siegfried, the director Fritz Lang was reported to have a sign in his office with the words, "Nothing in this film is accidental." This is the credo of Objectivist art. Do you agree?
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Atlas Shrugged
- Atlas Shrugged is a novel by Russian-born writer and philosopher Ayn Rand, first published in 1957 in the USA. It was Rand's last work of fiction before concentrating her writings exclusively on philosophy. Along with The Fountainhead, it is one of her two most famous novels and is considered her magnum opus. Its theme (as stated by Rand) is "the importance of the individual's reasoning mind in human life."
- It is a highly philosophical and allegorical story that deals with themes of Rand's own Objectivism, though she was not yet known as a philosopher when it was written. It is also one of the longest novels ever written, totalling one-thousand pages or more (depending on edition of the publication).
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Atlas Shrugged from Wikipedia |
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Criticism
- How does Objectivism compare with other philosophical frameworks?
- Some have asserted that Objectivism is not taken seriously by analytic as well as continental philosophers. Why would this be? Is Objectivism too populist or faddish?
- Is it hip or unhip (or neither) to proclaim oneself an Objectivist?
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