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A website that breaks down O'ism to essentials?

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You can find most of the answers you want at www.aynrand.org

The basics of Objectivism are here

I highly recommend Gary Hull's introduction to objectivism lecture, which is on that site in audio format. Listening to that would be the quickest way to become acquainted with Objectivism.

Objectivism is a system of philosophy built from several axioms concerning existence, knowledge, and from those, ethics. Once you understand the basic philosophy, the political implications directly follow.

For example, from the fundamental facts about reality and human nature, Objectivism constructs on objective system of ethics, or morality, and goes on to show what sort of political system, ie capitalism, is appropriate to protect individual rights, which are necessary because of human nature.

I would recommend reading Rand's The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. They are great stories and give an introduction to Objectivism at the same time. Then, if you enjoy the stories and admire the characters, read some of Rand's nonfiction writing, like The Virtue of Selfishness and Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal.

Hope that helps.

Edited by Spano
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Objectivism is a system of philosophy built from several axioms ...

I realize the sense in which those words are meant, but, nevertheless, I think that is a somewhat dangerous formulation, especially to a "Sokrates" asking what Objectivism is.

Much of modern-day theory is "built from several axioms" -- axioms that are considered somewhat arbitrary -- and the rest is deduced from there. Because of this modern-day approach, it is probably much better, and, more accurate, to say that Objectivism is built upon observation of reality -- an inductive process -- with the identification of several fundamental axioms that are irreducible primaries.

I think that leaves less room for misunderstanding.

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Objectivism isn't built from axioms at all! It is built from observation and induction.

It's true that we hold some truth to be axiomatic, in the sense that you can neither reject them nor prove them without relying on them... but that's not how Ayn Rand formulated Objectivism.

Also, the philosophy has many parts that have not been directly and deductively linked to the axioms. Saying that Objectivism is a system of philosophy built from the axioms up is Rationalism, which is very different from the Objectivist Epistemology.

However, the site Spano recommended IS the best place to start.

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Good points, I stand corrected B) . I was thinking of "existence exists", which is the most fundamental part of Objectivism, but I agree that it is important to point out that the inductive process continues throughout, not pure deduction.

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