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Objectivism Home > Essentials of Objectivism
Ayn Rand named her philosophy “Objectivism” and described it as a
philosophy for living on earth. Objectivism is an integrated system
of thought that defines the abstract principles by which a man must
think and act if he is to live the life proper to man. Ayn Rand first
portrayed her philosophy in the form of the heroes of her best-
selling novels, The Fountainhead (1943) and Atlas Shrugged (1957).
She later expressed her philosophy in nonfiction form.
Ayn Rand was once asked if she could present the essence of
Objectivism while standing on one foot. Her answer was:
Metaphysics: Objective Reality
Epistemology: Reason
Ethics: Self-interest
Politics: Capitalism
She then translated those terms into familiar language:
“Nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed.”
“You can’t eat your cake and have it, too.”
“Man is an end in himself.”
“Give me liberty or give me death.”
The basic principles of Objectivism can be summarized as follows:
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.
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).
Human Nature
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).
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.
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.
Esthetics
“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.”
Copyright © 1995-1999 by the Ayn Rand Institute.
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