Posted on 02/14/2005 8:31:09 PM PST by tbird5
Ayn Rand deserves to be taken seriously, because she was right about three things of immense importance: metaphysics, morals and individual liberty. Although many of her characteristic arguments were anticipated by Aristotle, Rand highlighted their relevance to modern life, and made them accessible. And by illustrating key philosophical concepts in superbly titled novels, she has provided millions of readers with arguments, and a vocabulary, that can be used to challenge the errors of conventional morality and collectivist government.
The great metaphysical truth that Rand recognised is supremely simple: 'A is A'. This is a shorthand way of referring both to the actuality of objective reality and the possibility of objective truth. There is a world that exists independent of mind; a thing is what it is and not some other thing; furthermore, things can be known to be what they are through the use of reason. By interacting with things in the world, we can learn about the world, and come to have reliable knowledge of it. In particular, we can discover what is necessary for the survival and flourishing of different kinds of natural existents, including human beings. These form the basis of an objective morality.
Metaphysics matters crucially for morals. If, counterfactually, there were no world, no truths could be learned about it. A fortiori, there could be no moral truths. Sadly, this nihilistic notion is the one propounded by most modern (i.e., post Cartesian) philosophy; it dismisses as 'naive realism' the Aristotelian/ Randian view that there exists an objective reality that is independent of mind and that is capable of being known. It is largely because of this dismissal that modern academic philosophy has rendered itself so irrelevant.
(Excerpt) Read more at socialaffairsunit.org.uk ...
Yes the truth is singular.
...because some kinds of conduct are necessary for the survival of human beings as human beings. Rand recognises that there is such a thing as 'human nature', and that it is the nature of man to be a rational animal. Just as the nature of fish requires them to be immersed in water to survive, so does the nature of man requre the use of reason for man's survival as man.
This can't be right...if reason were necessary for survival then the Democrats would have become extinct a long time ago...
Bump for later read.
LOL!
Man is not a rational being he is rationalizing one..
and has been from the get...
imo
Try 'rationalizing' to yourself that poison is food and you'll understand where the difference lies - or reality will wipe you out.
later ping
Post-modern philosophy believes the primitive idea that there is no objective reality. This makes post-modern philisophy as useless as medicine would be if medicine were to abandon science and accept the ancient view that all sickness is caused by an imbalance of bodily humours and can be cured with leeches. The post-modernists champion ancient errors while pretending to be avant-garde.
One outa three ain't bad.
"The post-modernists champion ancient errors while pretending to be avant-garde."
Well WT, I agree with your statement to a point. Certianly the aura of avant-garde is very important to the post-modernists, and is most like their greatest motivating force.
However, it's not "ancient errors" that they are championing; the most foolish ancient had ten times the common sense of the most enlightened post-modern. The errors that being celebrated are quite modern, co-inciding with Einstien's theory of relativity, which is their gospel.
What is so interesting about Ayn Rand and her philosophy, is that she comes across as an the anti-philosopher--at least as far as post-modernists are concerned. I think she would find good company amongst most of the ancients, with the possible exception of Plato, who she hated.
Most "ancient" were locked into a mix of fear, brutality, envy avoidance (the most vicious kind of envy), and the superstitious traditions that grew out of their fear, brutality and envy. Post-modernists are the "ancients" of modern times.
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