Morality
and
Reason
and
Reason
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"My philosophy, in essence, is the
concept of man as a heroic being
with his own happiness as the
moral purpose of his life, with
productive achievement as his
noblest activity, and reason as his
only absolute." -- Ayn Rand
concept of man as a heroic being
with his own happiness as the
moral purpose of his life, with
productive achievement as his
noblest activity, and reason as his
only absolute." -- Ayn Rand
Morality and reason. You'll hear a lot
about the first, but precious little about
the latter. Of course, one cannot exist
without the other. As a police officer,
you're going to become a little confused
right from the beginning of your
training as you become a casualty of the
culture wars.
You'll be bombarded with a variety of
moral viewpoints. You'll be expected to
accept all these different views of
morality on the basis that reasoning is
not absolute, but dependant and relative
to the moral viewpoint with which you're
interacting. Be polite, and pay
attention, and then tuck it away under
miscellaneous nonsense.
You can respect a wide range of views on
morality, different from your own,
without sacrificing sound reasoning. As
long as your morality is firmly based in
the knowledge of what is right and
wrong, your ability to reason, soundly
and decisively, will not be that difficult.
If you let a lot of politically correct junk
get in your way, you're going to have
problems.
about the first, but precious little about
the latter. Of course, one cannot exist
without the other. As a police officer,
you're going to become a little confused
right from the beginning of your
training as you become a casualty of the
culture wars.
You'll be bombarded with a variety of
moral viewpoints. You'll be expected to
accept all these different views of
morality on the basis that reasoning is
not absolute, but dependant and relative
to the moral viewpoint with which you're
interacting. Be polite, and pay
attention, and then tuck it away under
miscellaneous nonsense.
You can respect a wide range of views on
morality, different from your own,
without sacrificing sound reasoning. As
long as your morality is firmly based in
the knowledge of what is right and
wrong, your ability to reason, soundly
and decisively, will not be that difficult.
If you let a lot of politically correct junk
get in your way, you're going to have
problems.
With this acclaimed work
and its immortal query,
"Who is John Galt?", Ayn
Rand found the perfect
artistic form to express
her vision of existence.
Atlas Shrugged made
Rand not only one of the
most popular novelists of
the century, but one of its
and its immortal query,
"Who is John Galt?", Ayn
Rand found the perfect
artistic form to express
her vision of existence.
Atlas Shrugged made
Rand not only one of the
most popular novelists of
the century, but one of its
| Ayn Rand |
Report from the Front: 9-11:
The Ultimate Philosophy Lesson
by Edward Hudgins
September 10, 2003 -- So much has been written about the 9-11
terrorist attacks that it is difficult to add much that is new or
enlightening. Perhaps it is sufficient to reflect that most of the
observations and lessons make one point in common: A rational
philosophy is literally a matter of life and death.
Real philosophy is not constituted in dry, dusty books, nor in senseless
and soul-killing rules to be followed by rote. The Objectivist philosophy
instructs us on the nature of reality (existence exists); about how we
can discover truth (through the use our rational faculty); on what code
of values will allow us to live happy, fulfilling and flourishing lives
(rational individualism); and on what social and governmental
arrangement is most appropriate for human beings (capitalism).
Choosing reality and reason allowed architects to meet the technical
challenges of building the World Trade Center. The land on which the
skyscrapers were built was too wet; dig a hole three feet deep and it
fills up with water. The solution: build a giant concrete basin, a reverse
bathtub, seven stories deep to keep the water out. The architects had
to design the towers as innovative tube-like structures, with each
building's weight not borne principally by internal pillars but by
load-bearing outer walls.
Each individual working on those shining towers, to the extent they
were successful, had to call on the best within themselves, to use their
minds to determine the nature of the facts and reality that they faced,
to discover the appropriate actions needed to complete their tasks,
and to have the strength and fortitude to see those tasks through.
Each individual who helped create the World Trade Center created for
themselves the pride of accomplishment and gave each of us an
inspiring vision of achievement as well as the world's then-tallest
buildings, dedicated to commerce and the creation and exchange of
wealth by free people. The World Trade Center was a manifestation of
a rational philosophy of life.
By contrast, the terrorists who destroyed it were religious fanatics who
chose their beliefs without reason or critical thought. They held to a
narrow, rigid dogma without reference to facts that might have
contradicted or mitigated their views, without any concern for the
consequences. Of course, to the extent that these self-made savages
chose the irrational, they were incapable of creating anything like the
World Trade Center or the planes that they used to destroy them. The
only thing they could do was destroy.
Spiritually, the terrorist could not be filled with the true pride of
achievement, which requires an honest and open mind. Their souls
could only be filled with rage and hate. Those emotions and truly evil
wills were required for them to drown out all thoughts of justice or
humanity, to allow them to look into the eyes of an innocent child or
other passengers on their hijacked planes and to murder them with
many other children, mothers, fathers, son and daughters. The
ultimate, consistent consequence of irrationality is death.
But most Americans accept an ethic of life and happiness. The terrorist
attacks gave us all a better appreciation of the blessings of a free
country. Let us also reflect that to remain free and happy and alive we
need to maintain a constant commitment to a rational morality.
The Ultimate Philosophy Lesson
by Edward Hudgins
September 10, 2003 -- So much has been written about the 9-11
terrorist attacks that it is difficult to add much that is new or
enlightening. Perhaps it is sufficient to reflect that most of the
observations and lessons make one point in common: A rational
philosophy is literally a matter of life and death.
Real philosophy is not constituted in dry, dusty books, nor in senseless
and soul-killing rules to be followed by rote. The Objectivist philosophy
instructs us on the nature of reality (existence exists); about how we
can discover truth (through the use our rational faculty); on what code
of values will allow us to live happy, fulfilling and flourishing lives
(rational individualism); and on what social and governmental
arrangement is most appropriate for human beings (capitalism).
Choosing reality and reason allowed architects to meet the technical
challenges of building the World Trade Center. The land on which the
skyscrapers were built was too wet; dig a hole three feet deep and it
fills up with water. The solution: build a giant concrete basin, a reverse
bathtub, seven stories deep to keep the water out. The architects had
to design the towers as innovative tube-like structures, with each
building's weight not borne principally by internal pillars but by
load-bearing outer walls.
Each individual working on those shining towers, to the extent they
were successful, had to call on the best within themselves, to use their
minds to determine the nature of the facts and reality that they faced,
to discover the appropriate actions needed to complete their tasks,
and to have the strength and fortitude to see those tasks through.
Each individual who helped create the World Trade Center created for
themselves the pride of accomplishment and gave each of us an
inspiring vision of achievement as well as the world's then-tallest
buildings, dedicated to commerce and the creation and exchange of
wealth by free people. The World Trade Center was a manifestation of
a rational philosophy of life.
By contrast, the terrorists who destroyed it were religious fanatics who
chose their beliefs without reason or critical thought. They held to a
narrow, rigid dogma without reference to facts that might have
contradicted or mitigated their views, without any concern for the
consequences. Of course, to the extent that these self-made savages
chose the irrational, they were incapable of creating anything like the
World Trade Center or the planes that they used to destroy them. The
only thing they could do was destroy.
Spiritually, the terrorist could not be filled with the true pride of
achievement, which requires an honest and open mind. Their souls
could only be filled with rage and hate. Those emotions and truly evil
wills were required for them to drown out all thoughts of justice or
humanity, to allow them to look into the eyes of an innocent child or
other passengers on their hijacked planes and to murder them with
many other children, mothers, fathers, son and daughters. The
ultimate, consistent consequence of irrationality is death.
But most Americans accept an ethic of life and happiness. The terrorist
attacks gave us all a better appreciation of the blessings of a free
country. Let us also reflect that to remain free and happy and alive we
need to maintain a constant commitment to a rational morality.
Copyright, The Objectivist Center. For more information, please visit
www.ObjectivistCenter.org.
www.ObjectivistCenter.org.
Edward Hudgins is executive director of the Atlas Society and its
Objectivist Center, which celebrates human achievement.
Objectivist Center, which celebrates human achievement.
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| Copyright © 2006 - 2010 - Barry M. Baker - CareerPoliceOfficer.com |
| Disclaimer |
| CareerPoliceOfficer.com is not responsible for the contents of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site, or any changes or updates to such sites. Links are provided only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement by this site. |
In her novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, and in nonfiction
Unknown Ideal, Ayn Rand forged a systematic philosophy of reason
and freedom.
Rand was a passionate individualist. She wrote in praise of "the men of
unborrowed vision," who live by the judgment of their own minds, willing
to stand alone against tradition and popular opinion.
Her philosophy of Objectivism rejects the ethics of self-sacrifice and
renunciation. She urged men to hold themselves and their lives as
their highest values, and to live by the code of the free individual:
self-reliance, integrity, rationality, productive effort.
Objectivism celebrates the power of man's mind, defending reason and
science against every form of irrationalism. It provides an intellectual
foundation for objective standards of truth and value.
Upholding the use of reason to transform nature and create wealth,
Objectivism honors the businessman and the banker, no less than the
philosopher and artist, as creators and as benefactors of mankind.
Ayn Rand was a champion of individual rights, which protect the
sovereignty of the individual as an end in himself; and of capitalism,
which is the only social system that allows people to live together
peaceably, by voluntary trade, as independent equals.
Millions of readers have been inspired by the vision of life in Ayn
Rand's novels. Scholars are exploring the trails she blazed in
philosophy and other fields. Her principled defense of capitalism has
drawn new adherents to the cause of economic and political liberty.
Unknown Ideal, Ayn Rand forged a systematic philosophy of reason
and freedom.
Rand was a passionate individualist. She wrote in praise of "the men of
unborrowed vision," who live by the judgment of their own minds, willing
to stand alone against tradition and popular opinion.
Her philosophy of Objectivism rejects the ethics of self-sacrifice and
renunciation. She urged men to hold themselves and their lives as
their highest values, and to live by the code of the free individual:
self-reliance, integrity, rationality, productive effort.
Objectivism celebrates the power of man's mind, defending reason and
science against every form of irrationalism. It provides an intellectual
foundation for objective standards of truth and value.
Upholding the use of reason to transform nature and create wealth,
Objectivism honors the businessman and the banker, no less than the
philosopher and artist, as creators and as benefactors of mankind.
Ayn Rand was a champion of individual rights, which protect the
sovereignty of the individual as an end in himself; and of capitalism,
which is the only social system that allows people to live together
peaceably, by voluntary trade, as independent equals.
Millions of readers have been inspired by the vision of life in Ayn
Rand's novels. Scholars are exploring the trails she blazed in
philosophy and other fields. Her principled defense of capitalism has
drawn new adherents to the cause of economic and political liberty.
Copyright, The Objectivist Center. For more information, please
visit www.ObjectivistCenter.org.
visit www.ObjectivistCenter.org.
most influential thinkers.
Atlas Shrugged is the astounding story of a
man who said that he would stop the motor
of the world--and did. Tremendous in scope,
breathtaking in its suspense, Atlas
Shrugged stretches the boundaries further
than any book you have ever read. It is a
mystery, not about the murder of a man's
body, but about the murder--and rebirth--of
man's spirit. * Atlas Shrugged is the
"second most influential book for Americans
today" after the Bible, according to a joint
survey conducted by the Library of
Congress and the Book of the Month Club
Atlas Shrugged is the astounding story of a
man who said that he would stop the motor
of the world--and did. Tremendous in scope,
breathtaking in its suspense, Atlas
Shrugged stretches the boundaries further
than any book you have ever read. It is a
mystery, not about the murder of a man's
body, but about the murder--and rebirth--of
man's spirit. * Atlas Shrugged is the
"second most influential book for Americans
today" after the Bible, according to a joint
survey conducted by the Library of
Congress and the Book of the Month Club