Nevertheless, none of this seems to solidly disprove the moral, social, and political ideals of objectivism. To justify and extol human greed and egotism is to my mind not only immoral, but evil. Popular author Gore Vidal here voices a common perception against objectivism—that it actively promotes what most people would call extreme immorality—total selfishness and greed. He cannot escape from this need; his only alternative is whether the philosophy guiding him is to be chosen by his mind or by chance.
Although objectivism has only been around since the s, it is rooted in rationalism, materialism, and individualism , all of which have become increasingly popular in the western world since the 17 th century. This world-view was shared by most scientists and many other philosophers from the 17 th century up until the scientific revolutions of the early twentieth century cast those assumptions into doubt.
In other words, metaphysical objectivism, with its believe in a fully objective material world and nothing else, is still a competitive metaphysics today despite the questions raised by quantum theory. Her social philosophy combines rational egoism with the glorification of human potential. Obviously, this absolutism is one of the reasons for its popularity among teenagers and the extreme right-wing.
Her egoism is also not original, except perhaps in its absolutism and romanticism. These ideas have influenced nearly all of modern western thought and could be seen in the writings of many 19 th and early 20 th century philosophers who may have influenced Rand.
So, historically, objectivism seems to be an absolutist simplification and gathering together of several philosophies with their roots in the scientific rationalism of the Greeks and the Age of Reason, along with the main political and economic consequences of those ideals—commitments to individual freedom and responsibility, and capitalism.
Regarded this way, its modern popularity is understandable. There is no recognized opposite to objectivism; people have suggested humanism , relativism , subjectivism, and empathy. Send us feedback. See more words from the same year. Accessed 12 Nov. Britannica English: Translation of objectivism for Arabic Speakers. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!
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Examine the history of slavery and the powerful ideas behind the great moral and political campaigns against slavery. The term "objective" can be applied to methods used in this process, or results produced by it. An objective fact means a truth that remains true always and everywhere , independently of human thought or feelings e. A subjective fact , on the other hand, is a truth that is only true in certain times or places , or for certain people e.
It is a metaphysical and ontological doctrine in that it deals with the existence of things rather than the truth or falsity of things objects in themselves cannot be said to be "true" or "false", although references or statements about objects may be. It is a matter of dispute among philosophers to what degree objectivity can be applied to Aesthetics , Ethics and Epistemology.
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