What is objectivism?

[Tjis]

Can anyone explain to me what objectivism is? I tried reading the wikipedia page about it and gave up after a few sentences.

[ZeroNowhere]

"Her [Rand's] philosophy, Objectivism, upholds objective reality (as opposed to supernaturalism), reason as man's only means of knowledge (as opposed to faith or skepticism), free will (as opposed to determinism--by biology or environment), and an ethics of rational self-interest (as opposed to the sacrifice of oneself to others or others to self)."
-Michael S. Berliner, board member of the Ayn Rand Institute.

In other words, objectivism doesn't exist.

[Demogorgon]

In many ways it is just a cult that Rand built around herself. Politically it is a sort of Libertarianism, though they don't like to out it that way, but it comes down to a supposed adherence to "reason" but if you look at the logic it is really just a series of non sequiter and baseless assumptions. The closest comparison in terms of the way it works its way into followers minds is scientology I suppose.

[Poison]

From my conversations with Randroids I've come to understand that it amounts to a belief that you're right no matter what the evidence or actual reason shows, because you've got "objective truth" on your side.

[Schrödinger's Cat]

Economically, Objectivists are radical minarchists. They believe a state must exist to maintain capitalism (enforce property "rights"), but it should receive only voluntary payments. The makeup of the state - democratic, monarchistic, republican - is mostly irrelevant. It just needs to be capitalist.

[Kassad]

Objectivism is a political line of thought that advocates laissez-faire economics. It advocates absolutely no government regulation over the market, claiming that regulation stems economic growth and technological innovation. The theory was propagated by Ayn Rand. Basically, her theoretical line states that 'selfishness' and 'greed' are not negative traits, but merely the nature of humans to compete. Her supporters are notorious for advocating a twisted, elitist form of eugenics, in that a popular group of Objectivists recently stated that Sarah Palin should have aborted her mentally dysfunctional child. Objectivists want the total destruction of all socialized and nationalized groups or areas, choosing to leave them to the private sector. They want to totally abolish all welfare and wage or safety regulations.

Basically, they're Ron Paul. Only... stupider.

[Jack]

They also regard unions as "violent" and "collectivist".

[GracchusBabeuf]

Can anyone explain to me what objectivism is? I tried reading the wikipedia page about it and gave up after a few sentences.Ayn Rand's vision of an American commissarocracy with commissars being replaced by elite capitalist bosses.

[Trystan]

Basically, it's an irrational cult created by Russian born "author" and "philosopher" Ayn Rand who was all butt-hurt that the Bolshies took away her daddy's means of production. It became popular and well known because of a rape scene in one of her novels. Basically.

This is an informative video about the subject:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5404826610265339909

[Dooga Aetrus Blackrazor]

Ayn Rand did for libertarianism what Stalin did for communism. Arguably, leftists will argue Rand's views are the consequence of libertarianism, and rightists will argue Stalin's views are the consequence of communism. Neither are entirely accurate.

Most libertarians think freedom entails the ability to accumulate wealth based on voluntary interaction. Rand thought this, but she also thought efforts to go against capitalism were somehow "wrong, and immoral." The principles of libertarianism themselves allow for unionization and other practices to take place.

Libertarians think free individuals will engage in capitalism. Anarchists think free men will engage in communism (or can't be free to engage in capitalism because it is a necessary suppression of freedom). I'd see some truth in both anarchist perspectives. However, Rand though free individuals were not free to oppose capitalism, as I understand it. It's something objectively good that has to be enforced.

I really don't know much about this because I try to avoid idiocy. For whatever reason (perhaps reading it would illuminate me), Rand has been argued as a pseudo-academic by both rightists and leftists. A sort of "Oprah Philosopher," to make up a term. She has little substance, but she's popular due to mainstream idiocy.

[trivas7]

Ayn Rand did for libertarianism what Stalin did for communism. Arguably, leftists will argue Rand's views are the consequence of libertarianism, and rightists will argue Stalin's views are the consequence of communism.
See; I knew there others here that understand that all radical politics share a certain symmetry vis-a-vis Ken Wilber's quadrants (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Wilber#Quadrants).