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Jordan Zimmerman

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Posts posted by Jordan Zimmerman

  1. If you are familiar with the Objectivist theory of concepts you know concepts are open-ended. Philosophy as a subject area and philosophizing as an activity are open-ended. Objectivism is not a concept. Objectivism is a proper noun. Proper nouns refer to a particulars, or as in this case, an enumerated set of particulars. Objectivism is not open-ended. Not open is closed. Objectivism is closed.

    Your definition is, of course, correct. But your conclusion isn't. "BMW" is a proper noun and refers to a set of particulars. This set, however, is open-ended in that future cars can be called BMW. Objectivism is the philosophy as stated by Ayn Rand. But, this doesn't preclude future scholars from creating works that are consistent with Objectivism.

  2. Post #75 could not possibly prove such a thing, as explained in post #76. Because of the nature of Objectivism and the nature of death, obviously Rand cannot develop her philosophy further.

    You quote her as saying "...job that no philosopher can finish in his lifetime" and "There is an awful lot of work yet to be done." Do you infer from these that Rand felt her philosophy (or any philosophy) can never be finished as a philosopher's life ends?

  3. What do you mean by "open"? Do you mean that any new truth about Philosophy is Objectivism, even if Rand thought is was false, while being core and well-settled? Would that be "open"?

    We've already established that not everything that Rand thought or said is part of Objectivism. So, logically your statement "even if Rand thought is was false" doesn't apply. A philisophical statement is either consistent with Objectivism or it isn't.

  4. re: posts above this

    The posts above do _not_ show where Ayn Rand said Objectivism is "closed". The above quotes show that Objectivism has an identity and that Ayn Rand intended to protect that identity and her intellectual property. Post #75, in particular, proves that Objectivism is not closed in any sense of the word that I understand.

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