REALITY About Ayn Rand part3
But who is to say what's rational or irrational? And who is Ayn Rand
to say what a man should do, anyway? Maybe what's true for
her isn't true for you, or what's true in theory isn't true in
practice. What is truth? Can it vary from one person or realm
to another? And, come to think of it, aren't we all bound
together? Can anyone ever really achieve private goals in this
world? If not, there's no point in being selfish. What kind of
world is it? And if people followed Ayn Rand, wouldn't that
lead to monopolies or cutthroat competition, as the socialists
say? And how does anyone know the answers to all these (and
many similar) questions? What method of knowledge should
a man use? And how does one know that?
For a philosophic idea to function properly as a guide,
one must know the full system to which it belongs. An idea
plucked from the middle is of no value, cannot be validated,
and will not work. One must know the idea's relationship to
all the other ideas that give it context, definition, application,
proof. One must know all this not as a theoretical end in itself,
but for practical purposes; one must know it to be able to rely
on an idea, to make rational use of it, and, ultimately, to live.
In order to approach philosophy systematically, one must
begin with its basic branches. Philosophy, according to Objectivism, consists of five branches. The two basic ones are
metaphysics and epistemology. Metaphysics is the branch of
philosophy that studies the nature of the universe as a whole.
(The Objectivist metaphysics is covered in the present chapter
on "Reality.") Epistemology is the branch that studies the nature and means of human knowledge These two branches make possible a view of the nature of man
Flowing from the above are the three evaluative branches
of philosophy. Ethics, the broadest of these, provides a code
of values to guide human choices and actions
Politics studies the nature of a social system and defines the
proper functions of government . Esthetics studies the nature of art and defines the standards by which
an art work should be judged
In presenting Objectivism, I shall cover the five branches
in essential terms, developing each in hierarchical order, and
offering the validation of each principle or theory when I first
to say what a man should do, anyway? Maybe what's true for
her isn't true for you, or what's true in theory isn't true in
practice. What is truth? Can it vary from one person or realm
to another? And, come to think of it, aren't we all bound
together? Can anyone ever really achieve private goals in this
world? If not, there's no point in being selfish. What kind of
world is it? And if people followed Ayn Rand, wouldn't that
lead to monopolies or cutthroat competition, as the socialists
say? And how does anyone know the answers to all these (and
many similar) questions? What method of knowledge should
a man use? And how does one know that?
For a philosophic idea to function properly as a guide,
one must know the full system to which it belongs. An idea
plucked from the middle is of no value, cannot be validated,
and will not work. One must know the idea's relationship to
all the other ideas that give it context, definition, application,
proof. One must know all this not as a theoretical end in itself,
but for practical purposes; one must know it to be able to rely
on an idea, to make rational use of it, and, ultimately, to live.
In order to approach philosophy systematically, one must
begin with its basic branches. Philosophy, according to Objectivism, consists of five branches. The two basic ones are
metaphysics and epistemology. Metaphysics is the branch of
philosophy that studies the nature of the universe as a whole.
(The Objectivist metaphysics is covered in the present chapter
on "Reality.") Epistemology is the branch that studies the nature and means of human knowledge These two branches make possible a view of the nature of man
Flowing from the above are the three evaluative branches
of philosophy. Ethics, the broadest of these, provides a code
of values to guide human choices and actions
Politics studies the nature of a social system and defines the
proper functions of government . Esthetics studies the nature of art and defines the standards by which
an art work should be judged
In presenting Objectivism, I shall cover the five branches
in essential terms, developing each in hierarchical order, and
offering the validation of each principle or theory when I first
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