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Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism has received criticism from academic philosophers and other intellectuals, distinct from criticisms of Rand herself and of the Objectivist movement.

Background

Rand's ideas have largely been ignored or harshly criticized by academics. Rand's work was described as "fiercely anti-academic" by journalist Scott McLemee. In the words of David Sidorsky, professor of moral and political philosophy at Columbia University, Objectivism is "more of an ideological movement than a well-grounded philosophy".

The problem of universals

Rand's claim to have solved the problem of universals has been disputed by critics. Scott Ryan asserts that Rand has misapprehended the problem; that the genuine problem of universals is an ontological issue regarding whether attributes are identically present in diverse contexts. Ryan claims there are exactly two answers: realism, which posits that some universals do exist, and nominalism, which claims they do not. Ryan says that no third way is possible, and that Rand's discussion of concept-formation, which she proposed as her solution in her Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology (1979), does not address this question.

Theoretical content

Objectivism holds that reality exists independent from consciousness; that individual persons are in contact with this reality through sensory perception; that human beings can gain objective knowledge from perception through the process of concept formation; that the proper moral purpose of one's life is the pursuit of one's own happiness or "rational self-interest"; that the only social system consistent with this morality is full respect for individual rights, embodied in pure, consensual laissez-faire capitalism; and that the role of art in human life is to transform man's widest metaphysical ideas, by selective reproduction of reality, into a physical form — a work of art — that one can comprehend and respond to.

Academic philosophers have generally dismissed Rand's ideas, and Atlas Shrugged in particular, as sophomoric, preachy, and unoriginal, and they have marginalized her philosophy.

A notable exception to the general lack of attention paid to Objectivism in academic philosophy is the essay "On the Randian Argument" by Harvard University philosopher Robert Nozick, which appears in his collection, Socratic Puzzles (1997). Nozick is sympathetic to Rand's political conclusions, but does not think her arguments justify them. In particular, his essay criticizes her foundational argument in ethics — laid out most explicitly in her book The Virtue of Selfishness — which claims that one's own life is, for each individual, the ultimate value because it makes all other values possible. Nozick states that to make this argument sound one needs to explain why someone could not rationally prefer dying and thus having no values. Thus, he argues, her attempt to defend the morality of selfishness is essentially an instance of begging the question. Nozick also argues that Rand's solution to David Hume's famous is-ought problem is unsatisfactory.

Raymond Boisvert, a philosophy professor at Siena College, has opined that Rand's theories are out of sync with the complex interrelationships and interconnected systems of modern life.

Cultism

Murray Rothbard, Jeff Walker, and Michael Shermer have argued that Objectivism's claim "that there are objective truths and realities, particularly in the moral realm dealing with values" contributes to manifestations of cultism that they found within the Objectivist movement, including slavish adherence to unprovable doctrine and extreme adulation of the founder. In his 1972 article "Sociology of the Ayn Rand Cult", libertarian intellectual Rothbard wrote that "the guiding spirit of the Randian movement was not individual liberty … but rather personal power for Ayn Rand and her leading disciples." Shermer specifically cited the philosophical content of Objectivism as bearing responsibility for what he saw as cult-like behavior:

As long as it is understood that morality is a human construction influenced by human cultures, one can become more tolerant of other human belief systems, and thus other humans. But as soon as a group sets itself up to be the final moral arbiter of other people's actions, especially when its members believe they have discovered absolute standards of right and wrong, it is the beginning of the end of tolerance and thus, reason and rationality. It is this characteristic more than any other that makes a cult, a religion, a nation, or any other group, dangerous to individual freedom. This was (and is) the biggest flaw in Ayn Rand's Objectivism, the unlikeliest cult in history.

— "The Unlikeliest Cult in History", Skeptic vol. 2, no. 2, 1993, pp. 74-81., in Shermer, Michael

In response to one fan who had offered her cult-like allegiance, Rand declared, "A blind follower is precisely what my philosophy condemns and what I reject. Objectivism is not a mystic cult". Rand's close associate, Mary Ann Sures, remarked:

Some critics have tried to turn her certainty into a desire on her part to be an authority in the bad sense, and they accuse her of be­ing dogmatic, of demand­ing unques­tion­ing agreement and blind loyalty. They have tried, but none successfully, to make her into the leader of a cult, and followers of her phi­los­o­phy into cultists who accept without think­ing everyth­ing she says. This is a most unjust accusa­tion; it’s real­ly perverse. Unques­tion­ing agreement is precise­ly what Ayn Rand did not want. She wanted you to think and act independently, not to accept conclusions because she said so, but because you reached them by us­ing your mind in an independent and firsthand manner. She was adamant about it: your conclusions should result from your observa­tions of reality and your think­ing, not hers. Now, she could help you along in that process, and, as we all know, she did. But she never wanted you to substitute her mind for yours.

— Facets of Ayn Rand: Ayn Rand's Certainty, in Mary Ann Sures

Psychological criticism

Psychologists Albert Ellis and Nathaniel Branden have argued that adherence to Objectivism can result in hazardous psychological effects. Branden cited in particular the "destructive moralism" of Rand and her followers, which he had encouraged as a former member of Rand's inner circle, but which he now claims "subtly encourages repression, self-alienation, and guilt."

Denial of indigenous land rights

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Objectivism has been criticized for its denial of indigenous land rights, particularly in reference to American natives. When Ayn Rand addressed West Point cadets in 1974 and was asked about the dispossession and genocide of Native Americans which occurred en route to forming the United States, she replied:

They didn't have any rights to the land, and there was no reason for anyone to grant them rights which they had not conceived and were not using. What was it that they were fighting for, when they opposed white men on this continent? For their wish to continue a primitive existence, their 'right' to keep part of the earth untouched, unused and not even as property, but just keep everybody out so that you will live practically like an animal, or a few caves above it. Any white person who brings the element of civilization has the right to take over this continent.

Again on Columbus Day of 1992, Michael Berliner of the Ayn Rand Institute hailed the European conquest of North America, describing the indigenous culture as “a way of life dominated by fatalism, passivity, and magic.” Western civilization, Berliner claimed, brought “reason, science, self-reliance, individualism, ambition, and productive achievement” to a people who were based in “primitivism, mysticism, and collectivism”, and to a land that was “sparsely inhabited, unused, and underdeveloped.” In response, Robert McGhee, an archaeologist with the Canadian Museum of Civilization, disputed Mr. Berliner's contentions by stating that "The American Constitution and its concept of democracy may owe much, to the political concepts of the Iroquois and other Native peoples."

References

1. McLemee, Scott (September 1999). "The Heirs Of Ayn Rand: Has Objectivism Gone Subjective?". Retrieved 2007-07-20.
2. Harvey, Benjamin (2005-05-15). "Ayn Rand at 100: An 'ism' struts its stuff". Rutland Herald. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
3. Rand, Ayn (1990). Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, Expanded 2nd Edition. ISBN 0-452-01030-6.
4. Ryan, Scott. Objectivism and the Corruption of Rationality", Writers Club Press (2003), ISBN 0-595-26733-5
5. Peikoff, Leonard (1993). Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand. Meridian. ISBN 978-0452011014.
6. ^ Tisdale, Sara Dabney (August 13 2007), "A Celebration of Self", U.S. News & World Report, pp. p. 72 {{citation}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link).
7. Karlin, Rick (August 26 1994), "Ayn Rand Followers Push on Objectivists Reflect the Philosophy Found in 'The Fountainhead'", The Times Union (Albany, NY), pp. p. C1 {{citation}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
8. Nozick, Robert, "On the Randian Argument," in Socratic Puzzles, Harvard University Press, 1997, pp. 249-264
9. Rand, Ayn (1964). "The Virtue of Selfishness: A New Concept of Egoism". New American Library. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
10. ^ Rothbard, Murray (1972). ""The Sociology of the Ayn Rand cult."". Lewrockwell.com. Retrieved 2006-03-31.
11. Walker, Jeff (1999). The Ayn Rand Cult. Chicago: Open Court. ISBN 0-8126-9390-6
12. Shermer, Michael (1993). ""The Unlikeliest Cult in History"". Skeptic. 2 (2): 74–81. Retrieved 2006-03-30. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |autorlink= ignored (help)
13. ^ Hudgins, Ed (2007). ""Out of Step: TNI's Interview with Michael Shermer"". The New Individualist. 10 (1–2).
14. Rand, Ayn Letters, p. 592 Letter dated December 10, 1961, Plume (1997), ISBN 0–452–27404–4, as cited in ""Ayn Rand Biographical FAQ: Did Rand organize a cult?"". Retrieved 2006-06-25.
15. Sures, Mary Ann. ""Facets of Ayn Rand: Ayn Rand's Certainty"". Retrieved 2008-03-28.
16. Ellis, Albert. Is Objectivism a Religion? Lyle Stuart, New York 1968.
17. ^ Branden, Nathaniel. "The Benefits and Hazards of the Philosophy of Ayn Rand". Journal of Humanistic Psychology. 24 (4): 39–64. Retrieved 2008-04-08.
18. “Ayn Rand and the Sioux - Tonto Revisited: Another Look at Hanta Yo”, by Ward Churchill, Lakota Eyapaha, Vol. 4, No. 2, June 1980
19. Endgame: Resistance, by Derrick Jensen, Seven Stories Press, 2006, ISBN 158322730X, pg 220
20. Blackfoot Physics: A Journey Into The Native American Universe, by F. David Peat, Weiser, 2005, ISBN 1578633710, pg 310
21. Blackfoot Physics: A Journey Into The Native American Universe, by F. David Peat, Weiser, 2005, ISBN 1578633710, pg 310
22. "Time to put the Facts Ahead of the Myths About Columbus", by Robert McGhee, Ottawa Citizen, October 14 1992

Further reading

• Ayn Rand Contra Human Nature, by Greg S. Nyquist, AuthorHouse, 2001, ISBN 0595196330
• Is Objectivism A Religion?, by Albert Ellis, L. Stuart, 1968, ASIN B0006BV6Y2
• Objectivism and the Corruption of Rationality: A Critique of Ayn Rand's Epistemology, by Scott Ryan, AuthorHouse, 2003, ISBN 0595267335
• Reconsidering Ayn Rand, by Michael B. Yang, Enclair Publishing, 2000, ISBN 1579212557
• The Ayn Rand Cult, by Jeff Walker, Open Court, 1998, ISBN 0812693906
• With Charity Toward None: An Analysis of Ayn Rand's Philosophy, by William F. O'Neill, Littlefield Adams, 1977, ISBN 0822601796

External links

• Ayn Rand Contra Human Nature - Greg Nyquist's Criticisms of Objectivism
• Critiques of Libertarianism: Criticisms of Objectivism (or Ayn Rand)
• National Review : "Big Sister Is Watching You", by Whittaker Chambers, December 28 1957
• The Objectivism Reference Center — Index of essays critical of Objectivism

• Criticisms
• Objectivist philosophy