The Anti-Conceptual Mentality

Razi Ginzberg

Presented at: London Ayn Rand Meetup ARC-UK

Date: Oct 07, 2020

The main characteristic of [the anti-conceptual] mentality is a special kind of passivity: not passivity as such and not across-the-board, but passivity beyond a certain limit—i.e., passivity in regard to the process of conceptualization and, therefore, in regard to fundamental principles. It is a mentality which decided, at a certain point of development, that it knows enough and does not care to look further. What does it accept as “enough”? The immediately given, directly perceivable concretes of its background. . .

Ayn Rand, The Missing Link

How do humans form concepts? And what happens when we outsource our concept formation to others? What impact have different approaches to epistemology had on societies throughout history, and where can we see manifestations of the different approaches today?

In preparation for this discussion, please read the relevant page on the Ayn Rand Lexicon. It would also be very useful to read Rand's essay The Missing Link, in Philosophy: Who Needs It.

epistemology

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