Rationalism Befalling Objectivist Stance about Trump - A Case Study, Redux
Details
Methods for comprehending the world can be classified generally into
- (1) inferring from universal principles--rationalism,
- (2) gathering reports from sense-data--empiricism, or
- (3) inducing ever-higher generalizations from perception--objectivism.
This classification on methodology contextualizes the epistemology of Objectivism, the philosophy as outlined by 20th-century novelist-philosopher Ayn Rand.
Yet intellectual leaders of organized Objectivism--i.e., those institutions setup after her death, such as the Ayn Rand Institute (ARI)--don't practice what they preach in the sphere of politics.
Cultural critic Sherwin Newman argues that, on the question of whether or not to endorse the Trump 45/47 administrations, Objectivists of organized Objectivism fall back on the method of rationalism to answer the endorsement question.
Meeting Outline:
- Reviewing the MDI methodological hypothesis: misintegration, disintegration, and integration, mapping them to rationalism, empiricism, and objectivism
- Reading the writings of Onkar Ghate and Harry Binswanger--the organized Objectivism's position about the current federal administration
- Reading Newman's argument for why these thought leaders are methodologically rationalistic
- Applying the Objectivist method to analyze some current policies from the current Trump administration
- Q & A
Critic's Bio:
- Sherwin Newman: Objectivist and intellectual activist with a mission to advance truth in the American culture war; addressing the current state of the Objectivist community; writing actively on Facebook, Substack, and Instagram. Sherwin is a graduate from the University of South Africa and currently lives in New Hampshire.
Join in for a discussion on applied philosophy.
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Image source: WSJ video-image