Ayn Rand: Philosophy of Objectivism

Essentially, Ayn Rand sought to take the most objective look at the nature of humankind possible. This led her to the belief that one should not try to create reality as one desires or believes it ought to be, but rather to observe it for what it is and to make adjustments based on these observations. Her belief was that reason was the cornerstone upon which a person’s acquisition of knowledge ought to be based. There is little room spiritual notions that might obscure this pursuit of knowledge, a point which drew a good deal of criticism.

Rand advocated a system in which each person was their own master and had, in order to be a genuine and happy person, the responsibility to look out for their own interests first. This was, of course, to be done without infringing upon the rights of others to pursue that same end, but the point was clear: one’s own happiness was the highest and most noble good to which one could aspire.

The main thrust of the critique of Rand’s work was that in advocating a purely secular basis for human existence, one could aspire only to as much as human-made societies and their institutions could make possible. In this way, the argument goes, by following Rand one could become too ensnared in a faith in these human constructs and could thus fall prey to the notion that somehow each individual was his or her own God. In any case, the arguments on both sides make for illuminating reading and reflection.