During the ¨Covid-19 crisis¨, a college student asked me what Objectivism is. She wanted a quick answer.
It is not possible to explain what Objectivism is in a few sentences because it is a Philosophy, and it needs years of study, but I gave her a framework according to my understanding:
Objectivism is a Philosophy for Living on earth because all the principles are derived from the observable facts of reality and the requirements of human life and happiness.
I named the first branches of philosophy according to Ayn Rand’s article “Introducing Objectivism”, published in the Los Angeles Times on June 17, 1962:
- “Reality is an objective absolute. Facts are facts, independent of man’s feelings, wishes, hopes, or fears.”
- “Reason, the faculty which identifies and integrates the material provided by man’s senses, is man’s only means of perceiving reality, his only source of knowledge, his only guide to action, and his basic means of survival.”
- “Man- every man- is an end in himself, not the means to the ends of others. He must exist for his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself.”
Man needs a rational morality understanding that the highest moral purpose of his life is to achieve his own happiness by following his own rational interests.
At the end of our conversation, I recommended her to read Ayn Rand books starting with ¨The Fountainhead.¨
To conclude, I would like to express my solidarity with college students. It is sad to see them being one of the most affected during this “Covid-19 crisis.”
It is important to understand that Covid-19 is not the real problem, nor is it a political-economic problem—the fundamental problem is a philosophical one. Therefore, everyone needs a proper Philosophy more than ever. Objectivism offers you that.
