  All or Nothing: Philosophy with Degrees (Part 1) - A Survey of Errors
by Joseph Rowlands
I’m going to talk about a widespread pattern of philosophical errors, which I refer to as the “all or nothing” mentality. The basic problem is an inability to see things in terms of degrees. Instead, everything is viewed as all or nothing. It’s either 100 percent, or 0 percent, with nothing in between. (Read more...)
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The Ontology of Space
by Adam Reed
Does the concept of space correspond to a real existent? The naïve answer would be "no:" to the non-scientist, space denotes emptiness, the absence of existents. And of course absence is not an existent. Fortunately, this naïve view of the ontology of space is wrong. (Read more...)
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The Three Central Tenets of an Objective Philosophy of Science
by Ed Thompson
There are three things that philosophy must do in order to generate, or sustain, the special sciences. These are: to provide statements of contextually-absolute factual relations (definitions), to constrain unbounded possibility (arbitrariness), and to outline "the rules by which you can claim knowledge." (Read more...)
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Axioms: The Eightfold Way
by Ron Merrill
The axiomatic method of reasoning is more than a technique of argument useful for refuting philosophical skeptics. It provides us with a method of grounding fundamental truths about reality. (Read more...)
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Implied Axioms
by Fred Seddon
Part of my celebration of Rand’s hundredth birthday has been to reflect on some of her writings that are either central to Objectivism, or which have meant the most to me. I was thinking about Rand's two "corollary axioms" and came to realize that Rand could have added more axioms to this list. (Read more...)
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Dystopia and Utopia: The Story of The Two Johns and Other Such Randian Jewels
by Manfred F. Schieder
Ayn Rand's life and works contain many surprises, symbols and moving oddities. A few examples show how masterfully she spun connections and injected symbolism into her work. (Read more...)
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The Ontology of Emergence
by Adam Reed
An emergent property is a non-reductive property—that is, a property that cannot be "reduced to" (computed or deduced from) the measurements of the attributes of the separate components that compose the system. Emergent properties require emergent attributes, that is, system attributes whose measurements cannot be reduced to the measurements of the attributes of the system's components. Do such attributes exist? (Read more...)
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Holding Court - July 21, 2005
by Barbara Branden
Ayn Rand Interviews: Part One (Read more...)
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The "Problem" of Initial Acquisition
by Peter Cresswell
Philosopher and academic Gerald Cohen has a problem with how values come into the world, with how they came to exist. He calls this "the problem of initial acquisition." I call it trivial idiocy, but he and his supporters set great store by it.
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Objectivism and Determinism
by Roger E. Bissell
What is implied by basic Objectivist metaphysical premises is “self-determinism,” the view that one’s actions (including the act of focusing one’s awareness) are determined by one's values/desires/ideas. For short, I call it “value-determinism.” And although it does not qualify as “free will” in the sense of “could have done otherwise,” that is not valid, anyway. But it does qualify as “free will” in the sense of one’s being the originator of that action, absent environmental duress and physical or medical impairment. (Read more...)
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The Ontology of Information, and Hard Atheism
by Adam Reed
In view of the new knowledge acquired since the time when Ayn Rand wrote on the subject, "soft atheism" is obsolete. We humans now know, in the same sense in which we know anything at all, that an entity with the attributes traditionally ascribed to a God cannot exist in reality. (Read more...)
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Existence, Relation, and Measurability
by Luke J. Morris
As I was re-reading Ayn Rand's Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology a little while back, I came across an intriguing argument that hadn't struck me before, put forth in a single paragraph: If everything exists in relation to something else, then everything must be (in principle) measurable; there can be no immeasurable entities. (Read more...)
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Totalism in the Philosophy of Ayn Rand
by Neil Parille
Even Ayn Rand’s critics concede that she is an exciting writer. Philosophy, often seen as one of the driest subjects, comes alive for her readers. I would suggest that one of the reasons for this is what has been called her “totalism.” (Read more...)
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Holding Court - June 23, 2005
by Barbara Branden
Stop the Linz-bashing! (Read more...)
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Checking Your Premises: Non-Contradiction as a Way of Life
by Luke J. Morris
If a man claims that he values human life, while at the same time destroying the lives of those who make living possible, is his first claim true? On the other side, if a man loves the product of his mind’s effort, and takes pride in his achievement – then abandons his creation to the rule of fools who never could have created it – does he really love his work? These are a few of the questions that Ayn Rand answers in Atlas Shrugged. (Read more...)
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Compromising With Reality?
by Heidi C. Lange
A simple analysis of the conflict between John Galt and Mr. Thomspon; the conflict between acceptance and denial of reality; the conflict between individual rights and "collective" rights. (Read more...)
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The Hank Rearden Story: The Path to Mind-Body Integration
by Edward W. Younkins
In reality there is no split between the mental and the physical. Man is an inextricable fusion of mind and body. The values of one’s mind are not disconnected from the actions of one’s body. It follows that the generally accepted mind/body and love/sex dichotomies are destructive to human flourishing. Dualism is incompatible with true human existence. Man is an indivisible entity that can only be divided for purposes of discussion. (Read more...)
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Limits to the Effectiveness of Moral Judgment
by Luke Setzer
Much consternation in the Objectivist movement has arisen over exactly the best way to practice the virtue of justice -- to pronounce moral judgment and to give that pronouncement the teeth needed to make it effective. Various schisms, excommunications and ostracisms have taken place at one end of the spectrum of practice, while excessively tolerant "somnambulist ecumenism" has marked the other end. This wide difference of applications of justice demands a re-examination of its function in order to discover how optimally to practice this challenging virtue. (Read more...)
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Objectivists and Collective Guilt
by Nathan Hawking
Where do you really stand on the principles of individualism? Could you, unknowingly, share some of the collectivist attitudes of a Stalin or Mao? The issue of collective guilt goes to the heart of whether we defend individualism for others as we defend it for ourselves. (Read more...)
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What's Wrong with a Little Injustice?
by Joseph Rowlands
In my recent article, "Those Tough Choices," I gave an example of lending money to a friend. I suggested that if the money is lent without formal agreement, it can be abused by the borrower, who may delay repayment, even when he has enough to pay back. It may seem like a lot of hassle. Isn't it reasonable to ask why someone should go through such hurdles? (Read more...)
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Objectivism: Not Just a Better Set of Rules
by Joseph Rowlands
Perhaps they think that Objectivist morality is just another set of rules, just like other obedience-based moralities. They may even believe that it's a better set of rules. They can argue that since the rules are designed to enhance your life, the rules work better in practice. (Read more...)
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"Holding Court"
by Barbara Branden
At the suggestion of James Kilbourne and the request of Lindsay Perigo, I am beginning a weekly column here on SOLOHQ of responses to the questions you would like to ask me. Because Lindsay refers to me, for reasons best known to him, as "Majesty," it was agreed that the column will be named "Holding Court." (Read more...)
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Those Tough Choices
by Joseph Rowlands
A man has a dilemma. He's cheated on his wife, and now he has to decide what he's going to do. Now he has to choose between telling her or keeping it a secret. Even if she decides not to leave him, she may never trust him again. If he decides not to tell her, he's got a different set of problems. What should he do? How does Objectivism help him decide on a course of action? (Read more...)
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The Passion of the Critics of Ayn Rand's Critics
by Scott Schiff
Alright, has anyone else started The Passion of Ayn Rand's Critics?
I was angry about this book, but now that I'm reading it, I'm finding it more pathetic, exposing many flaws with the Peikovian approach to Objectivism. For that reason, it deserves to be discussed. (Read more...)
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Virtue Dichotomies
by Joseph Rowlands
Virtues must be a synthesis of productivity and rationality, or they fall into the camp of the mind-body dichotomy. They would discuss the morality of how you think, but in a way that's severed from how you act. (Read more...)
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