Transcript Objectivism 101: Reality and Reason

Objectivism 101
Diana Mertz Hsieh
Lecture Two: Reality and Reason
Monday, July 1, 2002
13th Annual Summer Seminar
of
The Objectivist Center
Objectivism 101 Schedule
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Philosophy
Reality and Reason
Life and Happiness
The Virtues
Individual Rights
Spiritual Fuel
Who Cares?
Metaphysics and epistemology establish a
philosophical method and thereby…
– Shape a person’s most basic view of the world
– Influence all thinking, choices, and actions
Metaphysics
Metaphysics studies the basic nature of reality
What is the relationship between internal world
of consciousness and external world of reality?
Two basic answers:
– Primacy of Existence
– Primacy of Consciousness
Existence or Consciousness?
Primacy of Existence
– Existence needs no explanation
– Facts are what they are
– Consciousness requires an external world
Primacy of Consciousness
– Existence needs explanation
– Facts can be what we want them to be
– Consciousness can be aware of only itself
Example One: Primacy of ?
A woman finds a lump in her left breast. She is worried
that it might be breast cancer. She tells herself:
A
B
“This can’t be happening to
me. God wouldn’t permit
this to happen to a good
person like me. So I’m
sure it’s nothing, just a
harmless cyst. I’ll worry
about it later.”
“I’d better make an
appointment with my doctor
right away. I need to know
whether this is cancer or
not. If it is, early detection
will make a real difference
in treatment.”
Example Two: Primacy of ?
A college student from a poor family is determined to
become wealthy. He formulates a plan:
A
“I’m going to learn all I can
from in business school,
then I’ll work for the best
entrepreneur in the
industry. With that
knowledge and experience
in hand, I’ll start my own
business.”
B
“My seven lucky numbers
are the key to getting rich.
I’m going to buy a lotto
ticket every day with those
numbers! The world owes
me a break!”
Primacy of Existence
Primacy of Existence says…
– Existence needs no explanation
– Facts are what they are
– Consciousness requires an external world
Epistemology
Epistemology studies the nature of cognition
The fundamental question: How do we know
reality?
Human Forms of Awareness
Perceptual awareness is direct knowledge of
the world through sense organs
– Smell of pungent odor of garlic cooking
– Sight of fluffy white clouds in sky
– Feel of roughness of sandpaper or heat of coffee
Conceptual awareness is abstract knowledge of
the world through faculty of reason
– Abstract concepts like blue, rain, obligation, love
– Inference that if driveway wet, then rained last night
– Theory that rain is part of a cycle of evaporation and condensation
The Nature of Reason
Conceptual awareness requires…
– Perceptions: We must always ground conceptual
abstractions in the facts of reality
– Effort: We must exert effort towards the goal of
awareness of reality
– Method: We must be objective in all reasoning
Grounding in Facts
We must always ground our thinking in the facts
of reality, so…
– Focus your attention on the facts!
– Go forth and observe!
– Test your theories against reality!
Exerting Effort
We must exert the necessary effort for
conceptual thought, so…
– Exercise your volitional power by choosing to
focus your mind
The Nature of Volition
Volition is the choice to focus or not, to exert
effort towards the goal of awareness or not
Three basic mental states:
– Focus: exerting effort towards goal of awareness
“Bright eyed and bushy tailed”
– Drift: no effort exerted, mental passivity
“In one ear and out the other”
– Evasion: exerting effort towards goal of
ignorance
“LALALALALALA! I can’t hear you!”
The Method of Objectivity
Objectivity is not emotional disinterestedness or
considering all opinions equally
Objectivity is the method of making judgments
based on…
– all the relevant facts
– only the relevant facts
– the laws of logic
Logic is the art of non-contradictory
identification of reality
Using Reason Effectively
We must always ground conceptual abstractions
in the facts of reality
We must exert effort towards the goal of
awareness of reality
We must be objective in all reasoning
Recommendations:
– David Kelley’s The Art of Reasoning
– Barbara Branden’s Principles of Efficient
Thinking
Alternatives to Reason?
Some want conceptual awareness to be like
perceptual awareness:
– Automatic
– Effortless
– Infallible
So advocate an alternative means to
knowledge:
– Mystical insight
– Authorities
– Emotions
The Nature of Emotions
Emotions are not tools of cognition, not a means
to knowledge
Emotions are subconscious value judgments
Reason and emotion can be in harmony
Reason: The Only Path
Authorities and emotions are not means to
knowledge
Reason is the only way to gain conceptual
knowledge of reality
Objectivism and Atheism
Objectivism is an atheistic philosophy, rejecting
the existence of…
– All supernatural realms
Heaven, hell, and purgatory
– All supernatural beings
Ghosts, unicorns, invisible pink elephants
– All supernatural events
Miracles, reincarnation, resurrection
The supernatural is that which transcends
nature
Do We Know That God Exists?
Argument from Design: The universe is too
complex not to have a designer. God is that
designer. But who designed God?
Argument from First Cause: Everything,
including the universe, must have a cause. God
is that first cause. But what caused God?
Argument from Mystical Experience: Other
people have witnessed miracles of God. How
do we know?
Agnosticism
Agnosticism claims that we do not know
whether God exists or not, after all…
– Theists have not proven his existence
– Atheists have not proven his non-existence
Agnosticism is inconsistent, treating God as
special case
The burden of proof is on those who assert the
existence of something
Objectivism and God
The arguments for God’s existence all fail…
…so theism is false
There is no need to prove God’s nonexistence…
…so agnosticism is false
Atheism is the only rational alternative
Reality and Reason
Metaphysics: Reality
– Primacy of Existence
– Rejection of the supernatural
Epistemology: Reason
– Knowledge requires grounding in facts
– Knowledge requires effort of focus
– Knowledge requires method of objectivity
Today’s Topics
Primacy of existence versus primacy of
consciousness
Perceptual and conceptual awareness
Grounding in facts
Volition / free will
Objectivity and logic
Alternatives to reason: emotion and authority
God’s existence: atheism, theism, and
agnosticism