6
votes
How does objectivism see altruism during an accident?
First, Objectivist principles are intended to be rational guidelines for maximizing long-term happiness. Accidents and emergencies are, by definition, exceptional events, and behavioral principles ...
- 373
6
votes
Life as the standard of value in Ayn Rand's Objectivism, and the significance of a flourishing life
Objectivism is inconsistent philosophical theory
Alisa Rosenbaum (Ayn Rand) created Objectivism in an attempt to justify her political ideas and to an extent explain her literary works . Main theme ...
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5
votes
If an amateur philosopher were to come up with a revolutionary logical philosophy, how could they get that accepted?
Following Ayn Rand's model by gaining influence outside of academia isn't an insult to professional philosophers unless you make it out to be that way.
To get the attention of academics, maybe you ...
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5
votes
Does Quantum Physics Refute Ayn Rand's Objectivism?
Rand's Objectivisms' central tenets are that reality exists independently of consciousness, that human beings have direct contact with reality through sense perception, that one can attain objective ...
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4
votes
Is my interpretation of Objectivism in relation to environmental preservation correct?
The principle an Objectivist would emphasize for you is private property (and more fundamentally self-ownership). An Objectivist would argue that there are perfectly ethical occasions where force is ...
- 1,030
4
votes
Accepted
How does Rand explain her choice of laissez-faire capitalism?
Rand defines capitalism as follows: “Capitalism is a social system based on the recognition of individual rights, including property rights, in which all property is privately owned.” (Rand, Ayn, ...
4
votes
Accepted
Would Ayn Rand's Objectivism work in a society?
Rand's Objectivism is really Locke's 'State of Nature' argument (SoNa) on steroids. It imagines a world in which everyone is a rational, self-sufficient individual whose relationships to other people ...
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3
votes
Accepted
What model of self-deception was Ayn Rand using in Atlas Shrugged?
Rand uses the term evasion to refer to self-deception. This is the willful refusal to accept reality and the evidence of your senses by suspending your judgement deliberately refusing to identify and ...
3
votes
What model of self-deception was Ayn Rand using in Atlas Shrugged?
Rand explained what sort of behaviour and ideas she considered honest:
http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/honesty.html
Honesty involves acting rationally by trying to understand and judge ideas and ...
- 7,227
3
votes
Accepted
Ayn Rand's Objectivism - Can an immoral act become moral?
To me, it seems the professor's primary point was that her choice to break the law would put her family at "risk" or otherwise inconvenience them. Frankly, an Objectivist would not care ...
- 5,264
3
votes
Is my interpretation of Objectivism in relation to environmental preservation correct?
Presumably, yes.
But this is why Objectivism is not taken very seriously. It opposes such harm, yet also and more ardently, it would seem, opposes the sort of government apparatus that could restrict ...
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3
votes
What philosophers have built on Ayn Rand's Objectivism?
Some of Leonard Peikoff's work is very good, such as "Understanding Objectivism."
Elliot Temple has made some improvements on Objectivism, such as correcting some problems with Objectivist ...
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3
votes
Accepted
Capitalism stance on natural disasters
Sometimes a disaster takes place that will make human life impossible in some particular limited context - Ayn Rand calls this an emergency:
http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/emergencies.html
In ...
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3
votes
Capitalism stance on natural disasters
Providing resources for rebuilding private infrastructure would not be considered a role of government under the Objectivist conception of capitalism. People do not have a “right” to be free from the ...
- 1,836
3
votes
Accepted
What version of Objectivism makes this claim?
Direct realism
Direct or naive realism certainly assumes in its principal versions that :
Perceptual states are belief states: To perceive an object is to acquire
a certain number of true ...
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3
votes
What version of Objectivism makes this claim?
Since you're capitalizing "Objectivism" and asking about other "recognized philosophies" this response is specifically about how the philosophy of Ayn Rand would actually handle such a claim.
The ...
- 1,030
2
votes
Why are Objectivists against Socialism?
There are a lot of false premises in this question. (As Rand would say, "check your premises".) Firstly, it is not true that socialism is usually supported by the lower classes, or that ...
- 1,836
2
votes
How would you explain the is-ought dichotomy to an "Objectivist"?
There is a quote on the Wikipedia page on Objectivism that deals with this:
"[I]t is only the concept of 'Life' that makes the concept of 'Value' possible," and, "the fact that a living entity is, ...
- 5,939
2
votes
How would you explain the is-ought dichotomy to an "Objectivist"?
I think the person you were discussing this topic with did not do a very good job of explaining the Objectivist theory on the is-ought problem. This is something that Rand has written about ...
- 1,836
2
votes
Is Rand's Objectivism consequentialist/consequentially motivated?
Rand's moral philosophy is normative (obviously) and derived from consideration of consequences, but it is not consequentialist in its framing of moral principles and rights. Rand argued that moral ...
- 1,836
2
votes
Is Rand's Objectivism consequentialist/consequentially motivated?
Rand's view of morality is something like the following. Human beings have the capacity to create knowledge about the world, and to make choices in the light of that knowledge. The world is not set up ...
- 7,227
2
votes
How does Quantum science and Objectivism mix?
From your post
"Reality exists as an objective absolute—facts are facts, independent of man’s feelings, wishes, hopes or fears."
And the wikipedia article on objectivism:
Objectivism's central ...
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2
votes
How do the moral components of Randian Objectivism differ from Existentialism?
One could say that the existentialists advocated second-order values (authenticity, free choice, responsibility, caring) while Rand also advocated specific first-order values (like being financially ...
- 7,271
2
votes
Can one find in the writings of Ayn Rand a definitive list of rights?
I would like to know if she ever set everything down together in one place.
She did, in her book, The Virtue of Selfishness, essay Man's Rights. The essay is available in its entirety here, at Ayn ...
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2
votes
Does Quantum Physics Refute Ayn Rand's Objectivism?
Let's first address the elephant in the room. Ayn Rand was a philosopher who would not engage in any philosophical debate with claims that ran contrary to her common-sense vision of the world. A ...
- 1,046
2
votes
Does Quantum Physics Refute Ayn Rand's Objectivism?
Bohm believed in an objective reality that had a hidden part which is difficult for us to measure, observe or think about, but not impossible. That made Bohm's thought (although he had been socialist ...
2
votes
How does Rand explain her choice of laissez-faire capitalism?
In laissez faire capitalism, each person has the right to take or refuse any offer of trade, and is also free to make offers of trade. To do anything you need access to physical objects. To the extent ...
- 7,227
2
votes
If an amateur philosopher were to come up with a revolutionary logical philosophy, how could they get that accepted?
While Rand's philosophy is certainly still a small minority position in academia, it is gradually gaining some traction. This is evidenced by:
The establishment of an academic journal dealing with ...
- 1,836
2
votes
How journalism's rationale to tell facts feasible? How objectivity may be achieved if at all by journalists?
Why assume facts cannot be presented?
Here's a basic semantic framework from standard philosophy of language: Sentences express propositions, and the truth values of propositions are settled by the ...
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