Discussing Objectivism

Ben Bayer, Aaron Smith

Presented at: OCON 2018

Date: Jun 29, 2018

1. What Might Be, and Ought to Be: The Idealism of Objectivism  (Aaron Smith)
   Ayn Rand is often charged with advocating a kind of cynical amoralism; but the opposite is true. Rand was a moral idealist. In this session, we will discuss the nature and roots of that idealism, addressing such questions as: What does it mean to be an idealist? Why does Rand think that ideals are so important to have and to fight for? What is the connection between having ideals and having a self? Is idealism naïve and impractical?
2. The Sacred and the Profane: Objectivism and Religion (Aaron Smith)
   Why was Ayn Rand opposed to religion? What does Rand make of the notions of the sacred, of reverence, of worship, of the exalted? What is the difference between the ideals common to religions and the ideals projected in Rand’s fiction? Why does she think that man is a proper object of reverence? In this session, we discuss these questions from the perspective of Ayn Rand’s view of reason, of man, and of the world in which he lives.
3. A Self Worth Preserving: Selfishness and Self-Esteem (Aaron Smith)
   Our culture encourages us to develop a strong sense of self-esteem — and at the same time discourages us from pursuing a life devoted to the self. In this session, we discuss Rand’s view of the connection between selfishness and self-esteem, addressing such questions as: What does it mean to have a self? How does one develop a self that is worth sustaining? What does a life dedicated to one’s self look like in practice?
4. Thinking Like an Individualist (Aaron Smith)
   This session explores a key theme of The Fountainhead: the importance of thinking for oneself. We discuss how key speeches and passages from the book address these questions: What does it mean to think for oneself? Does it mean believing whatever one likes, never learning from or agreeing with others, judging everything on a case-by-case basis? Or does it mean using a disciplined, principled method consistent with learning from others? (May contain mild Fountainhead plot spoilers.)
5. Ayn Rand’s Philosophy for Living on Earth (Part 1)  (Ben Bayer)
   This session explores the basic contours of Ayn Rand’s overall philosophy by discussing highlights from Galt’s speech in Atlas Shrugged. On Day 1, we discuss the following questions: Is our society and our world, like Galt’s, going through a moral crisis? Why does Galt (and Rand) think the solution to this crisis is to discover morality, rather than return to it? What is the morality for living on earth, and on what earthly facts is it based? (We try to avoid Atlas plot spoilers.)
6. Ayn Rand’s Philosophy for Living on Earth (Part 2)  (Ben Bayer)
   This session explores the basic contours of Ayn Rand’s overall philosophy by discussing highlights from Galt’s speech in Atlas Shrugged. On Day 2 we discuss the following questions: How does a morality for living on earth differ from conventional morality? Why do people accept conventional morality but refrain from justifying it rationally? How should we deal with such people in our society today, and how should we try to reconstruct our society? (We try to avoid Atlas plot spoilers.)

individualismethicsintellectual activism

Parts: 6

Handout: none

Publications:

• YouTube, 2018 (En) - 62 mins - Part 5 - Ayn Rand's Philosophy for Living on Earth, Part 1
• YouTube, 2018 (En) - 62 mins - Part 6 - Ayn Rand's Philosophy for Living on Earth, Part 2
• YouTube, 2019 (En) - 55 mins - Part 1 - What Might Be and Ought to Be: The Idealism of Objectivism
• YouTube, 2019 (En) - 60 mins - Part 2 - The Sacred and the Profane: Objectivism and Religion