Table of Contents
What does check your premises mean?
Ayn Rand coined the catch phrase: “Check your premises.” A premise is a past conclusion that supports your present thinking. Her point was that if you arrive at a contradiction in the present, there is an error somewhere in your past conclusions. You need to find that mistake, because otherwise it will sabotage you.
What does the term Atlas Shrugged mean?
Title and chapters She was pleased when her husband suggested Atlas Shrugged, previously the title of a single chapter, for the book. The title is a reference to Atlas, a Titan in Greek mythology, who is described in the novel as “the giant who holds the world on his shoulders”.
Should contradictions be allowed to exist?
Rand insisted that contradictions should not be allowed to exist in one’s thinking. If a contradiction does exist, her philosophy suggests that you check your premises, and correct it. Allowing contradictions to remain uncorrected undercuts one’s ability to determine truth.
What is Ayn Rand’s philosophy of reality?
Rand’s philosophy is a formal one. It begins with Metaphysics and parallels Aristotle’s view of reality. It holds that existence exists and that A is A. Rand’s starting point is that reality is specific and that it exists independent of human consciousness. Using today’s jargon, reality is what it is.
What did Ayn Rand say about pride?
Rand refutes this and asserts that there can be love of self and that pride is not a sin. She was a champion of intelligence, competence, success, and self-esteem. Remember, Rand advocated rational self-interest, a third moral choice for individuals, and that was her primary contribution to philosophy.
What is objectivism according to Ayn Rand?
Objectivism sees society as offering individuals only the choice between being a sadist or a masochist. Objectivism tells individuals that they can reject both paths and live life without sacrificing themselves to others or sacrificing others to themselves. Ayn Rand advocated a morality of rational self-interest.