Kelley's views have been controversial, with critics arguing that he contradicts important principles of Objectivism.

During his career he publicly debated a vast amount of people who represented opposing views to his ; this included for example debates with psychologist Nathaniel Branden on Objectivism and psychiatrist Thomas Szasz on the topic of mental illness.

Many libertarians justify their political views using aspects of Objectivism.

Objectivism holds that the proper functions of a government are " the police, to protect men from criminals — the armed services, to protect men from foreign invaders — the law courts, to settle disputes among men according to objectively defined laws ," the executive, and legislatures.

In his essay, " An Open Letter to Ayn Rand ," Childs rejected Objectivism as true libertarianism, asserting that the establishment of government is in violation of self-ownership and the non-aggression principle In the 1960s Childs endorsed anarcho-capitalism, but later expressed doubts about anarchism.

" Thus, Objectivism holds that the mind does not create reality, but rather, it is a means of discovering reality.

Objectivism holds that because the opportunity to use reason without the initiation of force is necessary to achieve moral values, each individual has an inalienable moral right to act as his own judgment directs and to keep the product of his effort.

Asher has published four books under the Literary Kicks imprint, including Why Ayn Rand Is Wrong ( and Why It Matters ), which argues that Ayn Rand's ethical philosophy of Objectivism is built upon a flawed psychological foundation.

The name " Objectivism " derives from the idea that human knowledge and values are objective: they exist and are determined by the nature of reality, to be discovered by one's mind, and are not created by the thoughts one has.

# REDIRECT Objectivism ( Ayn Rand )# Metaphysics: objective reality

* Books about Objectivism or Ayn Rand — Lists of books related to Objectivism with detail pages including tables of contents, ISBN numbers for multiple editions, and links to reviews

Objectivism is a system of philosophy created by philosopher and novelist Ayn Rand ( 1905 – 1982 ) that holds: reality exists independent of consciousness ; human beings gain knowledge rationally from perception through the process of concept formation and inductive and deductive logic ; the moral purpose of one's life is the pursuit of one's own happiness or rational self-interest.

Objectivism celebrates man as his own hero, " with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute.

Rand characterized Objectivism as " a philosophy for living on earth ", grounded in reality, and aimed at defining human nature and the nature of the world in which we live.

" Objectivism rejects belief in any thing alleged to transcend existence.

Objectivism therefore rejects naïve realism.

Objectivism includes an extensive treatment of ethical concerns.

Objectivism holds that the only social system which fully recognizes individual rights is capitalism, specifically what Rand described as " full, pure, uncontrolled, unregulated laissez-faire capitalism.

" Objectivism regards capitalism as the social system which is most beneficial to the poor, but that this isn't its primary justification.

Objectivism maintains that only societies seeking to establish freedom ( or free nations ) have a right to self-determination.

Art, according to Objectivism, serves a human cognitive need: it allows human beings to grasp concepts as though they were percepts.

Objectivism defines " art " as a " selective re-creation of reality according to an artist's metaphysical value-judgments "— that is, according to what the artist believes to be ultimately true and important about the nature of reality and humanity.

In this respect Objectivism regards art as a way of presenting abstractions concretely, in perceptual form.

Objectivism regards art as an effective way to communicate a moral or ethical ideal.

Objectivism does not, however, regard art as propagandistic: even though art involves moral values and ideals, its purpose is not to educate, only to show or project.

The term " romanticism ," however, is often affiliated with emotionalism, to which Objectivism is completely opposed.

In 1991, prominent Objectivist Leonard Peikoff published Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand, a comprehensive exposition of Rand's philosophy.

Surveys such as On Ayn Rand by Allan Gotthelf ( 1999 ), Ayn Rand by Tibor R. Machan ( 2000 ), and Objectivism in One Lesson by Andrew Bernstein ( 2009 ) provide briefer introductions to Rand's ideas.

Some scholars have focused on applying Objectivism in more specific areas.

For example, some advocates of laissez faire ( such as classical liberalism in the 19th century and Objectivism in the 20th century ) argue that such economies protect property rights and are thus both free and just, regardless of whether or not they are more efficient, though advocates also generally believe that laissez faire economies are more efficient.

Objectivism is a philosophy created by Russian-American philosopher and novelist Ayn Rand ( 1905 – 1982 ).

The Ayn Rand Society, dedicated to fostering the scholarly study of Objectivism, is affiliated with the American Philosophical Association's Eastern Division.

Aristotle scholar and Objectivist Allan Gotthelf, chairman of the Society, and his colleagues have argued for more academic study of Objectivism, viewing the philosophy as a unique and intellectually interesting defense of classical liberalism that is worth debating.

This is the understanding of people such as the author Ayn Rand who argued that only individuals have rights, according to her philosophy known as Objectivism.

Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism is a major influence on the party.

This is a bibliography for Ayn Rand and Objectivism.

Objectivism is a philosophical system initially developed in the 20th century by Rand.

David Kelley ( born June 23, 1949 in Shaker Heights, Ohio ) is an American philosopher, author, and advocate of Objectivism.

An ongoing research and writing project over the past decade has been his magnum opus, The Logical Structure of Objectivism, which he is co-authoring with economist William Thomas.

The Ayn Rand Institute: The Center for the Advancement of Objectivism ( ARI ) is a 501 ( c )( 3 ) nonprofit think tank in Irvine, California that promotes Ayn Rand's philosophy, called Objectivism.

Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand is a 1991 book by philosopher Leonard Peikoff about the ideas of his mentor, Ayn Rand.

" It is part of the Objectivist movement that split off from the Ayn Rand Institute ( ARI ) in 1990 due to disagreements over whether the philosophy of Ayn Rand's Objectivism was a " closed system " or an " open system.