[Lecture Five] Objectivism: The State of the Art
by Dr. Leonard Peikoff
Total Time: 1 hour, 28 minutes
Course summary: In preparing the material for his treatise, Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand, Dr. Leonard Peikoff confronted unique problems and challenges in how properly to systematize the material. Based on his earlier comprehensive course on Objectivism in 1976, Dr. Peikoff had to question whether he had developed the content to the most precise and accurate formulations. In completing this process, he arrived at new insights that allowed him to present the material more clearly and to demonstrate the proofs for them. He reviews this material in this course. Read more »
In this lecture: This lecture switches the focus from epistemology to ethics by examining the nature of principles. Dr. Peikoff contrasts the nature of what a principle is and various wrong approaches. He explains the necessity of thinking and acting on principle.
Study Guide
This material is designed to help you digest the lecture content. You can also download below a PDF study guide for the entire course.
| Why does human survival require long-range action? |
| How is it possible for an action to be morally neutral but not neutral generally? |
| Describe how all human actions have survival consequences. |
| Why do negative actions not always immediately result in destruction of values? |
| How does one determine how long-range one’s action should be? |
| What means does a human consciousness use to reduce vast data down into a graspable whole? |
| What is the result of unit reduction in thinking about human choices and actions? |
| In ethics, what is the cognitive benefit of previous conceptualization of the problems of survival? |
| What does it mean to say that a principle is a general truth on which other truths depend? |
| Using an example, explain the difference between a generalization more broadly and a principle specifically. |
| Are principles ends or means? What are the consequences of each answer? |
| What does it mean, specifically, to have a code of values? |
| Using examples, explain how principles are necessary for success in life more generally. |
| Why does one evasion necessarily lead to destruction of all knowledge |
| Why must principles be absolutes? |
Q&A Guide
Below is a list of questions from the audience taken from this lecture, along with (approximate) time stamps.
| 1:12:17 | How would the term “principle” apply to Christianity, as in “the principles of Christianity”? |
| 1:15:03 | Can your frame of concern be longer than your lifespan? |
| 1:17:20 | What about Ayn Rand’s statement “those who fight for the future live in it today”? |
| 1:18:33 | What is the difference between flirting with death and pursuits that involve substantial risks, such as those in recreation (mountain climbing, skydiving, etc.) or careers such as being a test pilot? |
| 1:22:38 | You’re born into society and given a lot of things developed by other men, such as language, culture, and so on. Therefore, you first have to pay back the debt that you incurred to those people and then you’re free to live your own life. |
| 1:26:30 | To what extent can one continue to act to sustain one’s life when there is no long range possible? |