Whats your take on Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism?

Question

My view is that no other philosophy can be as down to earth as Ayn Rand's objectivism. Can any modern day philosopher match her feat?

Answer 1

My take is that it is too extreme.  Interesting, but impractical and idealistic.

Answer 2

Ayn Rand actually built on others who came before her.

Stephen Crane but people in an "Open Boat" and watched what Nature would do to them.  Ayn Rand simply moves these people out of Nature and puts them among other people, in cities.  Her Objectivism is the same kind of civilizing force (for the worse) that drags thrashing people under without really doing anything, just as a swimmer that thrashes will drown while the water just sits there.

Answer 3

Her work is derivative and underdeveloped with themes that are are more clearly precursors to the late modern self-help movement than representing an important contribution to philosophy.

Answer 4

John: the movitation for each characther in Atlas Shrugged is purely epistemic. No other novel in history based its characters' motivations on epistemic principles.

actormyk: Plato built on Socrates; Aristotle learned from them but built his own castle; Augustine build on Plato; Aquinas built on Aristotle; all philosophers have done what you accuse Rand of doing. However, she was smart enough to fix Aristotle's mistakes, by removing what Platonic influences he did have.

All the rest of you I similar comments for. But Objectivism rose to political power with Ronald Reagan. It is the favorite philosophy of think-tank policy wonks with libertarian bendings; it is a tremendous influence on at least 2 Supreme Court justices; and it is all that stands between us and complete deterioration of Federalism as influenced by the 14th Amendment and all the national power Washington has accrued since the Amendment was put into effect.

Answer 5

Her view on objectivity is very subjective.

Her novels are boring and much longer than was necessary so as to have made her point and express her views.

The objectivity of Buddhism seems a more accurate expression of the reality of what is.

Answer 6

Besides open insults, no one here has provided any evidence to support that the philosophy of Objectivism is flawed, or that Rand wasn't a philosopher.

Contrary to John's answer, Rand wrote more philosophical non-fiction than fiction, and even her fiction addressed philosophical issues, such as egoism versus altruism in "The Fountainhead," and how the application of the mind-body dichotomy is disastrous to human life in "Atlas Shrugged."[1][2]

Also, there are 13 fellowships for the study of Objectivism at universities, and just recently the "Chair for the Study of Objectivism" was created at the U. of Texas (Austin).[3]  Two of the philosophy courses I've taken at the U. of Michigan (Ann Arbor) included Rand's ethics; namely "Moral Principles and Problems" with Peter Railton and "Philosophy Problems" with Ian Proops.

It certainly seems that academia is becoming more and more convinced that Rand is not only a philosopher, but one worth sending people to research.

I agree with the questioner's take on Objectivism.  I don't know of any modern day (20th-21th century) philosophers who could match her.

Answer 7

I agree that capitalism and free markets ultimately produce the maximum amount of wealth for society, and so-called greed is the critical driver.

Answer 8

Ayn Rand really isn't a philosopher.  Even conservative thinkers who are intellectually honest will tell you this.  

She's a third-rate novelist who wrote some fiction with vaguely philosophical themes, and all of a sudden everyone thinks she's a philosopher.  

EDIT:  Rod, I don't think I ever wrote anywhere that she wrote more fiction than non-fiction.  Do you see that anywhere?

Yaoi Shonen-ai (By the way, everyone needs to look up what that means.  I'd put it here, but he'd only report my answer):  I never said that she didn't write a novel based on "epistemic principles."  I said that she never wrote a GOOD novel.  And if you think something you can find in Ayn Rand is what continues to hold Federalism together, I have a bridge in Alaska you might be interested in.  And I'm sure "objectivism" (a "philosophy" that doesn't even deserve the suffix "ism") is espoused by at least two Supreme Court Justices.  Let me guess?  Scalia and Thomas, right?  That makes sense ... the crazy one, and the one that had absolutely no qualifications for the position in the first place, respectively.

-John

Answer 9

Pedestrian and ordinary.  There is some common sense in there but in terms of philosophy it falls short.  It's basically the philosophy of shrugging your shoulders (get it) and giving up on asking the bigger questions.  I much prefer the existentialism of a Nietzsche.

Answer 10

Read "Philosophical Explanations" by Robert Nozick.

THERE you will see what careful thought is.