Objectivism is a philosophical belief devised by Ayn Rand. It is ‘the belief that certain things, especially moral truths, exist independently of human knowledge or perception of them’. A key idea of the philosophy is promoting selfishness but in a rational way that discards any negative connotations.
Selfishness in Objectivism instead means:
- Following reason rather than blind faith
- Achieving purpose through productiveness
- Sustaining genuine self-esteem
- Treating the pursuit of your self interests as your primary goal in life
- Maintain happiness by treating others as individuals with the same self interests
- Trade value for value with others
Discovering this philosophy has peaked my interest as I appreciate the idea of self value and focusing on self interests without negatively impacting others.
The two books above are works of fiction by Ayn Rand that promote her beliefs of objectivism.
Research Questions
- Who proposed this philosophy?
- What was their background?
- Time period?
- Country?
- Upbringing?
- What was their background?
- What are the principles?
- What opposes objectivism?
- In what way?
- What are the social implications?
- How would an objectivist society function?
- What are some similar philosophies?
- How are they different?
- How has this philosophy impacted the world?
GDA Year 3 