Objectivism

[trivas7]

Objectivists presume that man is that creature that survives by the working of his mind. All valid thinking boils down to the use of the law of identity. Per their understanding all things have a nature, man ergo is the rational animal ala Aristotle. They presume that man is essentially a thinking being.

How do you respond to this argument? I tend to think that like much of their philosophy it is completely idealist and on this ground alone refutable. Per Marxism it eschews the material basis (sensuous labor) that man's survival depends on. Thoughts?

[Kwisatz Haderach]

You don't even have to appeal to its idealistic nature to refute it. Objectivism is illogical and self-contradictory, because it starts from the premise "human beings are rational creatures who need to use their minds to survive" (true) and immediately switches it to "every individual human being is a rational creature who needs to use his own mind - and only his own mind - to survive" (bullshit). Objectivism makes a true observation about the human species as a whole, and then pretends that this applies to each individual human being taken separately.

That's like ignoring the difference between "humans can build pyramids" and "you personally can build a pyramid".

[BurnTheOliveTree]

Objectivism is just an awful belief system. Reading Rand, you'd expect that she just wants us all to hate eachother and retreat into selfish little cocoons... Even if it had merit, it would be a miserable philosophy to attatch yourself to.

-Alex

[RoterAnarchie]

emmanuel kant will tell you there is no such thing as objectivism
my disbelief in objectivism makes me a non-marxist btw...

[trivas7]

emmanuel kant will tell you there is no such thing as objectivism
my disbelief in objectivism makes me a non-marxist btw...
Do you mean to say that Kant persuades you that objectivity doesn't exist?

And why if true does that mean you can't be a Marxist? Marxism is shot through with subjectivity.

[Incendiarism]

I don't think anybody takes objectivism seriously, not in academic circles, society, us, etc...it's kept alive by those who identify as objectivists and that is it, the rest of us just kinda laugh at them and give absolutely no credence to their philosophy.

[Kami]

emmanuel kant will tell you there is no such thing as objectivism
my disbelief in objectivism makes me a non-marxist btw...


I doubt very much you mean objectivism; Kant was dead long before Rand plagued this earth.

[Jazzratt]

my disbelief in objectivism makes me a non-marxist btw...

So your disbelief in an opposing school of philosophy makes you a non-marxist?

[Dimentio]

So your disbelief in an opposing school of philosophy makes you a non-marxist?

Objectivism 1# = Locke &/co = Reality is objective and outside of our minds.

Objectivism 2# = Ayn Rand.

[trivas7]

Objectivism is just an awful belief system. Reading Rand, you'd expect that she just wants us all to hate eachother and retreat into selfish little cocoons... Even if it had merit, it would be a miserable philosophy to attatch yourself to.

-Alex
Absolutely true. I found Chris Scriabarra's "Ayn Rand: The Russian Radical" to be a fascinating read re the use of dialectics.