Jump to content
Objectivism Online Forum

Reblogged: The Order of the Objectivist Metaphysics

Rate this topic


Recommended Posts

With the final principle of the Objectivist metaphysics articulated, we can now see the structure of this branch of philosophy.

The Basic Axioms, and Their Corollaries

We begin with the metaphysical axiomatic concepts and axioms, which I’ve already discussed in my essay on the axioms (the others will be discussed in the following essays on sense-perception and free will):

1. Existence: Existence exists.


2. Consciousness: Consciousness is conscious.


3. Identity: A is A.


4. Existent: 'The building-block of man’s knowledge is the concept of an 'existent'—of something that exists, be it a thing, an attribute or an action.'


5. Entity: Entities are the primary existents. (Or: Entities constitute the content of the world men perceive; there is nothing else to observe.)


6. Action: Actions are actions of entities. (Or: 'Action' is the name for what entities do.) [1]

Whatever axioms and axiomatic concepts that are discovered in any future philosophical investigation, it is Objectivism’s position that the concepts of “existence,” “consciousness,” and “identity” are the basic axiomatic concepts, and the Existence, Identity (Law of Identity), and Consciousness axioms are the basic axioms of philosophy.  This principle is known as “Existence, Consciousness, and Identity as the Basic Axioms.” 

This implies that the other axiomatic concepts are derivative, not basic.  “Existent” is a specification or narrowing of the concept “existence.”  “Entity” is a narrowing of “existent.”  “Action” is a narrowing of “entity.”  And lastly, the epistemological axiomatic concepts “sense-perception” (specifically its validity), “volition,” and “self” are corollaries of the fact of consciousness.[2]

Once a person has conceptualized enough material, one can then reach other axiomatic concepts like “entity,” “existent,” and “action,” and thus comprehend the next intuitive induction/unhypothetical principle: “The Law of Causality.” The Law of Causality (Cause and Effect) is the Law of Identity as applied to the case of “action”; actions are expressions of an entity’s identity, and cannot contradict an entity’s nature.  “Every action has a cause (the cause is the nature of the entity which acts); and the same cause leads to the same effect (the same entity, under the same circumstances, will perform the same action).”[3]  Due to this perspective on causality, Objectivism emphasizes the principle as “Causality as a Corollary of Identity.”

Notice that the principle is that causality is a corollary of identity.  Objectivism does not say that causality is the only corollary of the law of identity.  Because everything is something, all of the non-basic axioms and corollaries in metaphysics and epistemology are corollaries of the law of identity.  While this point is implied in the description of each derivative axiom and all corollaries, it is explicitly discussed in the Objectivist principle, “Consciousness as Possessing Identity.” (This is an axiomatic corollary in epistemology that I’ll discuss in a future essay.)

Expanding on the existence axiom, if we integrate it with the fact of consciousness, the law of identity, and the law of causality, then we can reach “The Primacy of Existence.”  Existence comes first; consciousness is aware of existence but does not create or control the nature of existence.  Consciousness is a mental entity that obeys the Law of Causality; it acts in a certain way and only in that way.  And its chief action is to be aware of existence; it is incapable of creating or altering it.  Such is the reason why the principle is expressed as “Existence as Possessing Primacy Over Consciousness.”

The final principle, “The Metaphysically Given as Absolute,” is the culmination of the above principles.  Human volition makes it possible for our actions to be otherwise, but everything else apart from human action necessarily exists by the laws of reality, unaffected by the actions of consciousness (The Primacy of Existence).  They could not have been otherwise, so any alternatives to these facts of reality would be impossible.  They exist as an absolute, as the standard for our knowledge and values, and as the immutable background for all man-made facts and actions.

References


[2]: Existent: Ayn Rand, Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology (IOE), 2nd. Edition, Appendix, sub-section "Fact."
Entity: Leonard Peikoff, Objectivism: the Philosophy of Ayn Rand (OPAR), note 12 of Chapter 1, "Existence, Consciousness, and Identity as the Basic Axioms."
Action: IOE, Appendix, sub-section "'Entity' vs. 'Attribute,' 'Action,' Etc."
Validity of Sense-perception: OPAR, "The Senses as Necessarily Valid."
Volition: Ibid., "Volition as Axiomatic."
Self: ItOE, sub-section "Self."

[3]: OPAR, "Causality as a Corollary of Identity."



Link to Original
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Roderick said:

Consciousness qua consciousness is an attribute of an entity. Concepts can be called mental entities but that is a derivative sense.

 

Thanks for the catch Plasmatic.  I was too caught up reading the Appendix of Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, and used the wrong category to describe consciousness.  I'll make the change on my blog post momentarily.

 

If anyone else catches any errors or confusing language, do let me know.  I'm working on a series of posts that answer objections to the Objectivist axioms or axioms as such.  I should have 1 or 2 of them up sometime today.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...