Wilhelm Thomas

Ist Amerika sozialistisch?

Die Sozialversicherung ist ein sozialistisches Programm. Aber wenn man gezwungen ist, ein sozialistisches Programm zu nutzen, ist man noch lange kein Sozialist. Ein Sozialist ist schließlich...

17. März 2016

Ayn Rand ist schlechter Geschmack

Darin ist sich die New Yorker Literaturwelt einig, so scheint es. In der New York Times Book Review vom Sonntag, 2. November, werden zwei...

2. November 2014

Tugend und Egoismus

Atlas Summit 2014 -- Die objektivistische Ethik basiert auf der Erkenntnis, dass für jeden Organismus sein Leben der höchste Wert ist. Dies ist der

18. Juli 2014

Values in Atlas Shrugged (Part 1: Career)

Atlas Summit 2012 -- The heroes of Atlas Shrugged are rational, productive businesspeople. In Ayn Rand's thought, a career represents the

Jan 14, 2013

Myth: Ayn Rand was Simply Pro-Wealthy and Pro-Business

Ayn Rand supported a laissez-faire capitalist economic system and defended the morality of making a profit through private business.

4. Mai 2011

Mythos: Ayn Rand war keine ernstzunehmende Philosophin

Am 2. August 2009 stellte die New York Times John Allison von BB&T vor, der die Prinzipien von Ayn Rand in der Bank umsetzte, als er dort CEO war...

2. Mai 2011

Mythos: Ayn Rand war für Hund-frisst-Hund-Egoismus

Many people still think Ayn Rand advocated a take-what-you-want-and-damn-everyone-else kind of selfishness.

2. Mai 2011

Die Einheit von Geist und Körper

Ayn Rand rejected the dichotomy between mind and body and correlate dichotomies such as theory vs. practice, the moral vs. the practical, reason vs. emotion, and love versus lust.

Apr 13, 2011

Reason vs. Anti-Reason

Dieses Audioprogramm befasst sich mit Rands Auffassung von Glück als Selbstzweck, einschließlich der Unterschiede in ihren Formulierungen dieses Zwecks...

Apr 13, 2011

Was ist die objektivistische Sicht der Realität (Metaphysik)?

Der Objektivismus geht davon aus, dass es nur eine Realität gibt, nämlich die, in der wir leben. Es ist selbstverständlich, dass die Realität existiert und so ist, wie sie ist; unsere Aufgabe ist es

5. April 2011

Freedom of Speech

Objectivists absolutely hold that we have a right to freedom of speech. It is an aspect of our broader right to liberty: the right to take..

25. Januar 2011

Eigentumsrechte und Ureinwohner Amerikas

Jeder ursprüngliche Anspruch auf Eigentumsrechte beinhaltet in gewissem Sinne eine Beschlagnahme des Eigentums. Da keine Eigentumsrechte bestehen, bevor Eigentumsrechte begründet werden

29. September 2010

Progressivism and Objectivism

If only Progressivism could be a genus of Objectivism! But, alas, no.The Progressive movement was originally an intellectual and political

29. September 2010

Pornografie

Meines Wissens gibt es im Objektivismus keine etablierte Position zur Pornographie. Hier ist jedoch mein Versuch, eine objektivistische

Armut und Behinderungen

The Objectivist answer to poverty and other social problems is: 1) create a society in which people have clear reasons to be responsible...

Pre-Emptive Strikes and Iraq

Pre-emptive use of force may be proper when one is faced with a clear and present danger. This might be a credible threat from someone, or

Problems with Subjective Arguments for Statism

Subjective criteria like "I like it" of course can't be proven as you say. And that is, in fact, why they are wrong. I can't add any more..

Elterliche Pflichten

Objektivisten sind der Meinung, dass Eltern verpflichtet sind, für ihre Kinder zu sorgen und sie zu erziehen. Während der Objektivismus keine ungewählten Verpflichtungen akzeptiert

Organized Government

Please see our Q&A " What is the Objectivist View of Law and Government ?" which describes the general Objectivist approach to politics. Thi

Needy Children

"The needy" come in two classes: those who are unable to care for themselves, and those who are able. Objectivism holds that it is not...

Polygamie

Der Objektivismus hat keine feste Position zur einvernehmlichen Polygamie. Beachten Sie, dass ich diese Antwort auf die Polyandrie beziehe (eine feste Beziehung

Prisoner's Dilemma

First, let me remark that you are right that Objectivism doesn't share Singer's idea of interest. We can see this by looking at the real...

Parapsychology

Objectivism does not recognize "parapsychological phenomena." As far as I know, there is no reliable evidence for any of them. Some forms...

Philosophy Scholarship and Rand

Ayn Rand is not a revered figure in academic philosophy at this time. But there is a growing body of scholarship on her ideas by academic

Nature and Wilderness

What Objectivism opposes is the idea that nature has inherent value, apart from any human needs, values, or purposes. In general, Objectivis

Natural Rights

Rights are fundamental political principles. As such, they are based in morality. They summarize how human beings ought to be treated in a

Objectivism and Individualism

"Individualism" is a term for classifying theories, such as ethical or social theories. Any theory that places the individual foremost or

Enrons Lektionen für den Kapitalismus

März 2002 -- Der plötzliche Konkurs der Enron Corporation ist ein Skandal, der die Unterstützung für den freien Markt erschüttert hat. Das Leben in einer Division-of...

9. September 2010

Book Review: "Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged"

BOOK REVIEW: Edward W. Younkins, Editor, Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged: A Philosophical and Literary Companion (Ashgate Publishing, Aldershot

8. September 2010

Die Moral des Geldes

In reacting to the Enron scandal, many cultural commentators have been quick to recur to a favorite theme: the corrupting power of commerce

Sep 1, 2010

War: An Objectivist View

Consider two horrific acts. Number one: a depressed father enters his living room, shoots his wife and children, and then himself. Number

Jul 1, 2010

How Can One Create a Harmony of Interests Among People?

The Objectivist ethics holds the human good does not require human sacrifices and cannot be achieved by the sacrifices of anyone to anyone.

Transhumanism: How Does it Relate to Objectivism?

Transhumanism (e.g. H+ ) or Extropianism is an ideological coalition centered on the idea that, in the near future, substantial....

Libertarianism and Objectivism: Compatible?

Libertarianism is the political position that all human relationships should be voluntary, i.e. not subject to the initiation of force by...

Verursacht die Tatsache, dass du der Hüter deines Bruders bist, Streit mit dir?

Objectivism reads "I am my brother's keeper" as a short-hand for an ideal of self-sacrifice and service to the group. In other words, it...

The Individualist's Guide to Progressive Change

If socialism were a respectable affiliation, Progressives would probably call themselves “democratic socialists.”But socialism died as a....

26. Juni 2010

Choose or Lose: How Regulation Destroys Value

When economic crises hit, politicians of both parties are demanding more regulation of the economy. Failures in banking and finance...

26. Juni 2010

Warum sollte man aus Prinzip handeln?

Als "prinzipientreu" gilt gemeinhin jemand, der an seinen moralischen Idealen festhält und "Zweckmäßigkeit" und Kompromisse scheut. Objektivismus....

Jun 18, 2010

Was ist der objektivistische Standpunkt zur Moral (Ethik)?

My morality, the morality of reason, is contained in a single axiom: existence exists—and in a single choice: to live. The rest proceeds ...

Jun 15, 2010

Was ist die objektivistische Erkenntnistheorie (Epistemologie)?

Reason is the faculty which… identifies and integrates the material provided by man's senses. Reason integrates man's perceptions by means

Jun 15, 2010

Nationalismus: Hilft er einem Land auf die Sprünge?

Nationalism is the doctrine that a unitary cultural and political entity, the nation, should be the organizing principle of society....

Jun 11, 2010

TAS vs. ARI: Eine Frage der Objektivität und Unabhängigkeit

Die Atlas Society (früher bekannt als The Objectivist Center) arbeitet mit Studenten zusammen, um die revolutionären Ideen von...... zu verbreiten.

Jun 10, 2010

Illegal heißt in Arizona jetzt illegal

Arizona has enacted a law that makes illegal immigration to the U.S. a state crime. As the top state for border-crossings from Mexico...

3. Mai 2010

Military Service and Liberty

In life, we take risks to achieve and maintain values. Objectivism holds that you should choose a course in life that will be conducive to

Objectivism and the Military

Objectivism has no position on most of the questions you ask, and in many cases the same general answer applies: We'll see when we get there

Drogenprohibition, Prostitution und Pornographie

Objectivism holds that the sole purpose of government is to secure our right to live free from force. This implies property rights and

Wie unterscheidet sich der Marxismus vom Objektivismus?

Marxism and Objectivism are similar in very few respects: —They are systems of thought. But Marxism is primarily a political and economic

Mises and Rand

Ayn Rand and Mises knew each other, and they were on good personal terms, though never close friends. There is reason to think Rand read....

Rights and Self-Interest

Objectivism's social ethic (which underlies its theory of rights) is based on the recognition of a complex fact about rational beings: that

Apr 8, 2010

Reflections on the Journalists' War Chatter

April 5, 2003 -- I am trained as an economist, and so it especially irks me when ignorant journalists attempt to comment on the economy...

Apr 4, 2010

Was betrachtet der Objektivismus als Kunst (Ästhetik)?

Art is a selective re-creation of reality according to an artist's metaphysical value judgments. Man's profound need of art lies in the fact

Mar 25, 2010

American World Conquest? It's More Likely Than You Think

October 21, 2003 -- Osama bin Laden's latest screed threatens further attacks "inside and outside the United States" and goes on to name

15. März 2010

Antiglobalismus und Nihilismus

July 25, 2001 -- This week, people will travel inexpensively from all over the globe to Genoa, Italy—to protest the policies that made their

15. März 2010

Wozu braucht man eine Philosophie?

Mar 11, 2010

Warum ist der Objektivismus ein System von Ideen?

I am not primarily an advocate of capitalism, but of egoism; and I am not primarily an advocate of egoism, but of reason. If one recognize

Mar 11, 2010

Scott Browns Pro-Life-Sieg

Republican Scott Brown has been elected to fill the U.S. Senate seat for Massachusetts that arch-Liberal Ted Kennedy had filled...

Feb 27, 2010

Poverty, Capitalism, and Class

When Objectivists speak of capitalism, we mean laissez-faire capitalism, a political system based on the individual rights to life...

Jun 19, 2009

Individual Rights: The Objectivist View

The Declaration of Independence states that the purpose of government is to secure the rights of man. Most Americans know and assent to the

May 5, 2009

Ayn Rand's Philosophical Stunt Novel

Ayn Rand called Atlas Shrugged a “stunt novel.” She meant that it is a rollicking entertainment: a mystery novel with dramatic twists and

7. Oktober 2007

American Heroism

The terrorist attacks of September 11 showed us good and evil, heroism and villainy. There were people who stared death in the face and, set

Nov 1, 2001