OBJECTIVISM

The Fundamental Concepts Chart

	Metaphysics	Epistemology	Ethics	Politics	Esthetics
Existence:	Physical	Fact	Value	Individual	Identification
Identity:	Perceptual	Intellectual	True	Evidence	Sensual
Consciousness:	Awareness	Conceptual	Mind	Freedom	Expression

 

The Axiomatic Concepts of Objectivism

Existence: Under metaphysics is physical. Under epistemology it is fact. Under ethics it is value. Under politics it is individual. Under esthetics it is identification.

 

Identity: Under metaphysics it is perceptual. Under epistemology it is intellectual. Under ethics it is true. Under politics it is evidence. Under esthetics it is sensual.

 

Consciousness: Under metaphysics it is Awareness. Under epistemology it is conceptual. Under ethics it is mind. Under politics it is freedom. Under esthetics it is expression.

 

Metaphysics: Existence exists - physically. A physical existent is an absolute aspect of nature. An absolute aspect of nature is a fact. When sensed by a brain; facts become the identity of the resulting mental-percept. When abstracted by a mind; identity becomes the information of the resulting idea. When codified by a human consciousness; information becomes the definition of the resulting concept. When denoted with an audio/visual symbol; definition becomes the meaning of the resulting word. When integrated with other definitions; the combined meaning is human intelligence. When expressed back into reality intelligence means survival.

 

Epistemology: Rational identification of the facts of reality naturally results in the expansion of the intellectual content of ones mind.  Epistemology applies the laws of logic to identify what those facts are. Logic says that what is; is what it is. Aristotle formulated this as A=A. Ayn Rand is credited with the logical expression: Existence Exists. In either case it is the first law of logic: The Law of Identity. Logic says that what is; is not that which it is not. This is the second law of logic: The Law of Non-Contradiction. Logic says that what is; is not explained by any combining of the first two laws. In other words a thing is not both; what it is and what it is not. This is the third law of logic: The Law of Excluded Middle.

 

           Humans are human. Humans can act only in whys as allowed by their identity. Humans cannot survive in the way other living beings survive. Human identity is absolute and determines what humans can, must and will do to remain being a living human-being.

 

Ethics: Since the physical values necessary for human survival exist absolutely in nature then man has a right to identify what his true relationship with them is and thereby determine the virtues he must enact for their gain. Since mans mind exists absolutely in nature he; then, has a right to use it in accordance with its identity. Man has a right to survival as a human-being and it is his mind that determines how that is to be achieved. Since the fundamental value of any living organism is the existence of its life man; then, has a naturally existing right to enact the virtues his own mind has determined are necessary to maintain its existence. When an individual is acting properly; i.e., in accordance with his identity as a human-being, he is acting ethically.

 

Politics: Since other men exist in nature this fact determines the actions they can take with regard to ones own right of existence; thereby delimiting the others rights of action. Notice how this delimits ones own rights of action. Under ethics the fundamental value is the existence of ones life but here; under politics, the consideration of this value is when it is possessed by others. Meaning; politics is the application of individual ethics into a social setting. Under ethics when an individual acts to preserve his life he is considered an ethical actor but here; under politics, that same individual is considered a moral actor. When individual actors agree to engage in mutually ethical acts they are; together, acting capitalistically. Capitalistic persons agree to create survival values in abundance. Capitalists create intellectual values (i.e., civil contracts and laws) which result in the protection of the rights of individuals to create physical survival values (food, clothing and housing). Since capitalists can create more survival values than an equal number of separately acting individuals it is said they create profits rather than survival values.

 

           Having a value structure is not the issue. Intellectualizing value is the issue. Suicide bombers are said to have a value structure but since they have not conceptualized what value is in-fact they have no idea what the consequences resulting from their acts will be. Suicide bombers do have a right of action but they don’t have a right to limit, control, or deny another’s equal right of action (whether intellectual or physical). It is proper to say that suicide bombers possess belief rather than intelligence.

 

The knowledge (that is the existence of the physical evidence) necessary to determine what a proper human act is; is presented to man’s mind as the metaphysical and epistemological consequences of his relationships with the facts of reality. Since these consequences are real; thinking rationally about their mental and physical result (both good and evil) is necessary for man to enact rational laws. Rational laws not only protect mans rights of individual action but also provide for their proper implementation. When we notice it’s necessary to be alive to act properly is when we possess the intellect necessary to do so.

 

Esthetics: The virtues of human expression bring back into reality the intellectual; i.e., the conceptualized, content of mans mind. When man acts it is the conceptual content of his mind he consults to determine what actions he ought to be performing. This is saying that cognition applies logic to the relationship which exists between the conceptual content of mans mind and the facts of reality. The conclusions reached; when applied in reality, result in natural consequences. The consequences of ones chosen acts demonstrate the degree of rationality used to create the concepts upon which their enactment depends.

          

           An individual expressing, achieving or supporting ethical values is a rational actor. A society organized to protect value achievement by rational individuals is a moral society. The most moral society ever to exist on the face of this planet is America. Look at the result – it is fact.