Objectivism - The Philosophy of Ayn Rand

Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand [by Leonard Peikoff] is the only comprehensive treatment of Ayn Rand's philosophy. Whether you are a scientist seeking to ground the principles of physics in reality, or an artist who wishes to understand the nature of art, or a philosopher puzzled over the problem of universals, or a teenager wondering about the meaning of life, or a historian wishing to grasp the link between the events in Nazi Germany and Ancient Greece, or a journalist seeking to grasp the cause of the slaughters in Bosnia and the cause of the slaughters in the schools of America, or a mother who wants to teach her child when one should and should not lie, or a businessman engaged in the virtue of making money, or a psychologist wishing to understand the relationship between the emotions and thought, or a college student in search of earth shattering ideas for a graduate thesis, or a teacher wishing to understand the way the mind works, or a priest searching for a rational basis for morality — Leonard Peikoff's Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand will have something of immense value to offer you — intellectually, morally, practically, and personally. Table of Contents Acknowledgements Preface Chapter 1: Reality Existence, Consciousness, and Identity as the Basic Axioms Causality as a Corollary of Identity Existence as Possessing Primacy Over Consciousness The Metaphysically Given as Absolute Idealism and Materialism as the Rejection of Basic Axioms Chapter 2: Sense Perception and Volition The Senses as Necessarily Valid Sensory Qualities as Real Consciousness as Possessing Identity The Perceptual Level as the Given The Primary Choice as the Choice to Focus Or Not Human Actions, Mental and Physical, as Both Caused and Free Volition as Axiomatic Chapter 3: Concept-Formation Differentiation and Integration as the Means to a Unit-Perspective Concept-Formation as a Mathematical Process Concepts of Consciousness as Involving Measurement-Omission Definition as the Final Step in Concept-Formation Concepts as Devices to Achieve Unit-Economy Chapter 4: Objectivity Concepts as Objective Objectivity as Volitional Adherence to Reality by the Method of Logic Knowledge as Contextual Knowledge as Hierarchical Intrinsicism and Subjectivism as the Two Forms of Rejecting Objectivity Chapter 5: Reason Emotions as a Product of Ideas Reason as Man's Only Means of Knowledge The Arbitrary as Neither True Nor False Certainty as Contextual Mysticism and Skepticism as Denials of Reason Chapter 6: Man Living Organisms as Goal-Directed and Conditional Reason as Man's Basic Means of Survival Reason as an Attribute of the Individual Chapter 7: the Good "Life" as the Essential Root of "Value" Man's Life as the Standard of Moral Value Rationality as the Primary Virtue The individual as the Proper Beneficiary of His Own Moral Action Values as Objective Chapter 8: Virtue Independence as a Primary Orientation to Reality, Not to Other Men Integrity as Loyalty to Rational Principles Honesty as the Rejection of Unreality Justice as Rationality in the Evaluation of Men Productiveness as the Adjustment of Nature to Man Pride as Moral Ambitiousness The Initiation of Physical Force as Evil Chapter 9: Happiness Virtue as Practical Happiness as the Normal Condition of Man Sex as Metaphysical Chapter 10: Government Individual Rights as Absolutes Government as an Agency to Protect Rights Statism as the Politics of Unreason Chapter 11: Capitalism Capitalism as the Only Moral Social System Capitalism as the System of Objectivity Opposition to Capitalism as Dependent on Bad Epistemology Chapter 12: Art Art as a Concretization of Metaphysics Romantic Literature as Illustrating the Role of Philosophy in Art Esthetic Value as Objective Epilogue: The Duel Between Plato and Aristotle References Index

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DNTNY (2009-04-15)

Let's see

tyydyy (2009-06-11)

The cult of Objectivism is a deeply flawed. If you find that you must waste the time to acquaint yourself with such drivel at least read the many and scholarly critiques of it. The internet is brimming with them. I recommend not engaging with the Randian nuts because they are emotionally compromised.

gabriel1475 (2009-07-20)

Your mom is emotionally compromised.

acfreema (2009-08-28)

every school of thought is a cult.
i have great interest in the criticisms against rand, but i refuse to read them before i have become acquainted with her ideas; one cannot effectively refute anything without knowing it.
to simply say, "objectivism is logically inconsistent" and then stopping there is drivel. if you are going to make an outlandish statement like "kant is wrong", you had better prepare to defend yourself, the same is true of anyone.
"the intellectual bankruptcy of our age" is a great essay/lecture of rand's, consider reading it. if you live in america, you will wonder why she hasn't gotten more attention.

treii28 (2010-08-13)

Argumentum ad Hominem. Fascinating how anyone (anywhere I have ever seen it) that has something to say against Rand or Objectivism always avoids actually stating any contradictory evidence and instead stoops to name calling nonsense. Demonization is a bullshit trigger. When someone leads off an argument by trying to belittle the opposition, they are bullshitting, pure and simple.

Barkingspyder (2011-04-12)

The ad hominem attack is the only way people who refuse to acknowledge truth CAN respond.

traffic (2011-04-30)

Barkingspyder- face facts- you're a randroid which makes you an idiot. Not to mention that you're on a site called "The Pirate Bay". Somehow I doubt you have the brain capacity to see the irony and hypocrisy since no randroid has show to be able to think above the level of a 6 year old.