What is Objectivism?
Objectivism is the philosophy developed by Ayn Rand; it is presented in her book “Philosophy, who needs it?” and her other works.
The central ideas of Objectivism are:
- Reason is mankind’s means of knowledge.
Knowledge is gained through a process of reasoning that begins with facts and follows the laws of logic.
Objectivism rejects the belief that knowledge is a matter of opinion;
Rational self-interest.
Everyone should seek their own happiness through a productive life in which their own independent, thought process is their guide to action.
The primary virtues of the Objectivist philosophy are clarity, rationality, and positive mental attitude.
- Objectivism is a pro business philosophy.
Objectivism supports a free market.
What is Logic?
Logic is the method by which we reach conclusions about the world based on the facts.
While most people associate logic with mathematical logic, in fact logic is a broader art.
Ayn Rand defined logic as ``the art of non-contradictory thinking''
Thinking (not feeling) is the main function of our minds. Our brains are put there to think---to grasp what is out there and then plan what to do.
“Non-contradictory” refers to the primary rule of logic: If one arrives at a contradiction, for example, “ it is and it isn’t”, then one has made an error.
- All errors in logic ultimately manifest themselves as contradictory, vague or ambiguous thoughts or statements. Therefore “Vagueness is a vice”.
- Logic begins with the facts. A process of thought based on guesswork is not logic. Every logical conclusion should be able to be traced back to its grounding in observation.
The psychology of achievement.
Why is it that some people are more successful than others?
That is a question that has intrigued psychologists for over eighty years.
Many ideas have been advanced that have attempted to link success with various factors.
Psychologists have tried to correlate success with INTELLIGENCE - But they failed.
- They tried to correlate success with HIGHER EDUCATION - But they failed.
- They tried to correlate success with GENDER - But they failed.
- They tried to correlate success with RACE - But they failed.
- They tried to correlate success with AGE - But they failed.
- They tried to correlate success with SOCIAL STATUS - But they failed.
The ONLY thing that success can be correlated with is ATTITUDE.
- Attitude makes the difference.
- Attitude is a state of mind.
- Attitude is psychology.
There is a specific psychology that is the root cause of all achievement.
Your psychology, the way you handle your mind, body and emotions will have the greatest influence on your external results.
Your psychology counts more than anything else. Successful people have a “Success psychology”.
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF ACHIEVMENT is a system of thought and action that guarantees greater success to the degree that it is implemented.
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