A Brief Introduction

[Mistress Moon]

Hello to everyone.

I do not consider myself an Objectivist and would never give myself that term, as I do not agree with all of the philosophy and I really don't like to subscribe to a school of anything. I am an individual, and will make up my own mind about the reality of what is.

I do, however, have respect for Ayn Rand and cannot understand people that don't get that A is A.

Anyway, I am not sure if I will post much. If I have some input or a question, I will certainly speak up, but otherwise I am mostly here to read the posts by other members.

[Myself]

Welcome to the Forum. What parts of Objectivism do you agree with, and which parts do you not?

On a side note: Are you Harsh, Mistress Moon?

[BurgessLau]

[...] I really don't like to subscribe to a school of anything. I am an individual, and will make up my own mind about the reality of what is.

Do you believe that you must choose one or the other -- that is, either subscribing "to a school" or being an "individual"? Isn't it possible to be an individual who subscribes to a "school" (set of ideas) he agrees with?

I am an individual, and I agree with every element of Ayn Rand's philosophy as far as I have studied it. That doesn't mean I agree with her views, necessarily, in other fields such as psychology. For example, I disagree with her apparent views on homosexuality -- as I have heard them reported by others who heard her make comments informally. I have not researched the issue of her views further for the simple reason that I don't care enough. It is her philosophy that I take as a guide because I think it is objective -- that is, drawn logically from the facts of reality.

How deeply and extensively have you studied Ayn Rand's philosophy?

Which areas of her philosophy do you agree with or disagree with?

[Mistress Moon]

Myself and BurgessLau, thank you both for your replies and questions.

In response to Myself, yes, I can be a harsh mistress at times.

In response to BurgessLau, I was originally introduced to Objectivism through the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. I am an avid reader of science fiction and fantasy, but that particular series has always been my favorite because it reflected my beliefs most closely.

Recently, I made an attempt to read The Fountainhead. Frankly, the book bored me and I was unable to finish. But I didn't want to give up on Ayn Rand altogether since I had recently discovered that Terry Goodkind was an advocate of Objectivism. So I bought a copy of Atlas Shrugged. It took me only one week to finish that book! So I haven't studied Objectivism in depth. I have been reading the posts on this site for awhile and have come across one or two main Objectivist principles that I disagree with.

I will bring those up when I have more free time. I would like to mention an Objectivist principle that has always made rational sense to me, even before I read the Sword of Truth series.

From what I understand, (I could be mistaken, please correct me if I am), Objectivism adheres to the fact that altruism is immoral. I would go one step further and say that altruism does not even exist. Even someone like Mother Teresa, who seemed to do everything in service to other people, was in fact serving herself in the belief that her god would reward her. To simplify, nobody really ever does anything for selfless reasons. There is always a personal gain expected in return, even if it's as something as small as feeling good about helping someone else. The difference between an Objectivist (and myself) and an irrational human being would then be that the Objectivist is willing to admit that their own life is their highest value, not someone else's life.

I hate to end here, as I do want to bring up the aspects of Objectivism that I have found I disagree with, but I am short on time at the moment. I will be back. Take that as a threat...or not.

[jrs]

...  nobody really ever does anything for selfless reasons.

See the "Virtue of Selfishness" by Ayn Rand ("VOS" for short).

In particular, see the chapter "5. Isn't Everyone Selfish?" by Nathaniel Branden on page 66 of VOS.

A genuinely selfish man knows that only reason can determine what is, in fact, to his self-interest, that to pursue contradictions or attempt to act in defiance of the facts of reality is self-destructive -- and self-destruction is not to his self-interest.

Edited July 6, 2005 by jrs

[softwareNerd]

Welcome to the forum.

I would go one step further and say that altruism does not even exist. Even someone like Mother Teresa, who seemed to do everything in service to other people, was in fact serving herself in the belief that her god would reward her.

On this topic, you'll probably find these earlier threads useful:

1) Isn't everyone selfish

2) Can we be 100% selfless

[BurgessLau]

I have been reading the posts on this site for awhile and have come across one or two main Objectivist principles that I disagree with. 

First, keep in mind that no one in ObjectivismOnline.net speaks for Objectivism. Though many are sincere students of Objectivism, and some even have a lot of experience in studying it, they can be mistaken in their understanding or inadvertently misleading in their presentation of Ayn Rand's philosophy, Objectivism.

To learn Ayn Rand's philosophy, read Ayn Rand's writings, or -- in a few cases -- the writings of some of her students when she was editorially supervising their work and thus sanctioning the content.

The first and most important work to purchase is The Ayn Rand Lexicon. It is indispensable for any serious student of Objectivism. I recommend simply looking up topics, or browsing, and following your interests. When you find a topic that intrigues you because you need it to better your own life, then follow the sources cited for the excerpts included under that topic. Go to the original sources -- such as The Virtue of Selfishness.

[Mistress Moon]

Thank you all for the information. I will certainly pick up a copy of The Ayn Rand Lexicon when I get the time.

[Prometheus98876]

Greetings, even though you are not a Objectivist, you are on roughly the right track, perhaps.

I will say this, I have noticed that alot of people start off in your shoes, not sure whether they agree with AR, or not doing so. But they do in time come to realise that she is (mostly) right. Maybe you will be one of these, maybe not.

You have one of the very basic foundations right though (A = A), so the rest can follow...