What is Objectivism?
Q: What is Objectivism?
A: Objectivism is a philosophy started by Ayn Rand that has four main ideas. It states that everything that exists has an identity, reason is how a person knows what they think or believe is true, it's good to be happy and try to improve one's life, and governments should only protect people from violence, theft, fraud and other actions against people's rights.
Q: What does "A is A" mean?
A: "A is A" means that a thing is the thing which it is - its identity does not depend on how people think about it or talk about it.
Q: How can a person know what they think or believe to be true?
A: Reason is how a person knows what they think or believe to be true - rational, logical thinking produces the best outcome. This means recognizing that a thing is the thing it is and not confusing it with things which it isn't.
Q: What did Ayn Rand call "rational self-interest"?
A: Ayn Rand called trying to be happy without hurting others or oneself in order to help something like God "rational self-interest".
Q: What are some of the works in which Ayn Rand talked about her ideas?
A: Some of the works in which Ayn Rand talked about her ideas include The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged, The Objectivist Newsletter, The Objectivist, The Ayn Rand Letter, Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology and The Virtue of Selfishness.
Q: What kind of government did Ayn Rand support?
A: Ayn Rand supported laissez-faire capitalism and libertarianism as forms of government - she thought governments should only protect people from violence, theft fraud and other actions against their rights.
