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Introduction to Objectivism
ADVANCING YOUR POTENTIAL
Ayn Rand wrote volumes urging people to be selfish.
What? Aren’t people already too selfish? Just do whatever you feel like, be a thoughtless jerk, and exploit people to get ahead. Easy, right? Except that acting thoughtlessly and victimizing others, Rand claims, is not in your self-interest.
What Rand advocates is an approach to life that’s unlike anything you’ve ever heard before. Selfishness, in her philosophy, means:
- Follow reason, not whims or faith.
- Work hard to achieve a life of purpose and productiveness.
- Earn genuine self-esteem.
- Pursue your own happiness as your highest moral aim.
- Prosper by treating others as individuals, trading value for value.
At the dawn of our lives, writes Rand, we “seek a noble vision of man’s nature and of life’s potential.” Rand’s philosophy is that vision. Explore it for yourself.
Objectivism, a philosophy for living on earth.
Common Beliefs That Ayn Rand Challenges
“YOU ARE YOUR BROTHER'S KEEPER”
“LOVE IS SELFLESS”
“MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL”
Essentials of Objectivism
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Reality
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Reason
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Self-Interest
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Capitalism
I am not primarily an advocate of capitalism, but of egoism; and I am not primarily an advocate of egoism, but of reason. If one recognizes the supremacy of reason and applies it consistently, all the rest follows.
— AYN RAND, “Brief Summary,” The Objectivist
WHAT DID AYN RAND SAY ABOUT:
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