djames27

I am new to Objectivism and I have a question regarding the nature of abstractions. A religious conservative I converse with has stated that Ayn Rand's philosophy denies universals because it denies the existence of abstractions. This person asserts that under Objectivism only concretes exist therefore mental abstractions can't exist and therefore Objectivism makes things like morality, objectivity and goodness impossible. This conservative is essentially arguing that Objectivism is a materialist philosophy. First, did Ayn Rand ever argue that only concretes exist? That sounds sloppy and Ayn Rand was never sloppy. Second, what exactly is the ontological status of thoughts, abstractions, concepts and even consciousness itself under Objectivism. What is the best way to think of the existence of these things.