Ayn Rand was born Alissa Rosenbaum on February 2, 1905 in St. Petersburg, Russia. She emigrated to the U.S. in 1926 after graduating from the Univ. of Petrograd. She became a screenwriter in Hollywood where she wrestled with exposing the evils of Communism before it became popular thought.
She is best known for her two best-selling novels which reflected her belief that all real achievement comes from individual ability and effort, the pros of capitalism, selfishness is a virtue and altruism a vice. The Fountainhead came out in 1943. Atlas Shrugged came out in 1957.
She had a full life and was married to a man she truly loved who died before she did. When questioned by the media in regards to her atheist faith and her hopes for her beloved husband, she held fast that she can only believe in what is known and has no fear of anything beyond. On March 6, 1982 she was found dead at her New York apartment.
Objectivism is a philosophy that all reality is objective and external to the mind and that knowledge is reliably based on observed objects and events. It places an emphasis on objects rather than feelings or thoughts (Subjective is bunk). Instead of basing your reality of what one may "feel" is correct or based on faith, you would instead base reality on what can only be proven factual, can be seen and observed.
One may refer to this philosophy as selfishness with a point. In other words, one is living for their own experiences and not on behalf of the experiences of others.
Objectivism upholds egoism where a person does not sacrifice themselves, persons, or property just for another person or cause. Objectivism is against altruism where one sacrifices for others. It holds out that each person is capable of fending for themselves if they are not hindered by others who say they cannot. It is against any form of authority which says they MUST give to others.
Objectivism holds that there are extremes in general philosophical thought. Objectivism is the middle ground between the extremes. Religious philosophies and most faith based philosophies are subjective and based merely on thought and faith or mysticism.
Objectivism upholds reason and not faith to base ones' life upon. Extreme certainty or skepticism are opposite sides of the same coin. Both claim to be 100% the only way to think, yet when it comes to proof and it is lacking, neither side will back down to the faith base instead of calling it an unknown factor and dealing with it.
Objectivism upholds libertarianism where the government is dedicated to natural rights of people and does little to interfere with the lives of its citizens. It opposes anarchism where people do whatever they want regardless to how it effects common society. It also opposes statism where the government takes over too much power over the personal lives of its people.
To be clear, Objectivism is a philosophy and not a religion or a cult. However, there are some groups of Objectivists who have bonded together and threw the basis of rational belief out the window to form cult-like groups. It is important not to confuse the principles of the Objective philosophy with the cults of Objectivism. The cults have crossed the line of the principles of Objectivism and have fallen into extremist views which is totally out of line with Objectivism.
