I will be going through the 4 things that make up Ayn's philosophy with my own take and Mormon persepective with notes.
1. Metaphysics: Objective Reality
To begin to understand the objectivism philosophy one has to accept and agree with the statement 'existence exists.' Rand believed this phrase to be self evident in that if one were to argue this point they would be admitting that it must exist because it is being reacted to. Also, Rand believed that existence is the one thing that is absolute and static. Existence is existence. Or, as Rand put it, A is A.
That’s about the same as saying "Something that is, is something that is." That’s not always reality though, nor does it offer an explaination of what that something is, other than it is. Its as if to say a movie critic for Inception, just merely said "Inception is Inception, a movie thats a movie with a plot thats a plot." No insight or definition of what the movie really is other than its a movie. Depending on what a person decides to see makes up this thing called "existence", it has a lot to do with what that individuals decides life is all about.
Also, being drunk changes the objective reality of that individual. Drunk is drunk and you're perception, objectively, is changed, just as if you were tired, or in a subconscious dream state and seeing things, feeling things; they might seem like existence but they only existed in the mind of that moment, and not outside of the mind, the imaginations and feelings of that person. The dream was real but what happened didn’t really happen. That existence didn’t exist except for that the dream was a dream.
2. Epistemology: Reason
To observe this existence one is given five senses. We rely on these five senses, and only these five senses to guide every decision we make, every action we take, and for survival. It is on this basis that Rand rejected such notions as God, the occult, and mysticism.
Five senses is all we get according to Rand, but science is embarking everyday to the facts that we have discernments, ingrained prejudices, and many other senses or motives that affect our senses and decisions. Also, a sense is a good way to make people fooled, as in the example of seeing a magician make an elephant disappear, based on seeing only we think the man is magic, but upon using our common sense or rationality, we can sense that this man isn’t really magical but a smooth operator. But then again how can we really be sure other than we "know" (or so we think we know) that making an elephant stop existing is quite impossible, but we only base that on the fact that no one has ever done it before.
We can have the wool pulled over our eyes by society which is what Ayn Rand always rails against because society disagrees with her subjective reality. Ayn basically tries to make her subjective experience the objective experience of everyone else’s subjective experience. To some extent we may all share a view, but just as we all have different eyes and knowledge and senses beyond the 5, we all live in our subjective realities because no man can leave that. Objectivity is quite impossible, unless it is through God who is all knowing and all seeing. Christ defied the objective reality of death and walking on water, fetes that would have been (and still are) presumed impossible by our Objectivist friends and our learned understanding of reality through our sense.
Just as Dan Ariely talks about here:
The gifts of the Spirit talked about in the book of Moroni, are things that man is endowed with from God that offer greater knowledge and power, to know and do things beyond our own power and knowledge. That concept alone is opposed by Ayn Rand completely. Joseph Smith and all the prophets knew things and did things (parting the red sea) that people would not have known or be able to do with all the combined power of men. God is the source of power to men. The strength of men is always defeated by the power of God through out all the book of Mormon.
The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: “Reading the experience of others, . . . can never give us a comprehensive view of our condition and true relation to God. Knowledge of these things can only be obtained by experience through the ordinances of God set forth for that purpose. Could you gaze into heaven five minutes, you would know more than you would by reading all that ever was written on the subject.” He’s saying that through God we can we experience the true perspective and objectivity, not through our own power. Ayn Rand dismisses these things as mystical because she never had that experience, because she didn’t have faith, which requires exercising belief in that which is beyond your 5 senses.
Faith in things that she would say don’t exist and can’t exist because simply in her very narrow gate of mind, they cannot be seen on the 5 senses of the natural mind. She has a mind with 5 doors for only 5 sources of info. As if to say she was an Ipad with no USB. The info she could be getting through opening her mind and soul to the idea that some things exist whether you see them or not. Being Ayn she is unable to be Christian because Christianity comes by faith and the Spirit, two things not recorded by the 5 senses she basis her reality on.
Some saw Christ and they crucified Him, others saw Him and rejoiced. But, he’s still the same Christ but we all see things through our distorted views of prejudice, feelings, and understanding or lack of understanding. But with faith we can see, by believing we are seeing. She lacks that in her philosophy and thus is weakened and distorted in her own subjective view of our world.
3. Ethics: Self-Interest
Rand believed that every man is an end to himself, not the means to the ends of others. This means that to live a fulfilling life, one's own survival and interests must always be first priority and the moral guideline with which one makes their decisions.
Christ’s priority was the survival of everyone else and thus self interest being the opposite. Self interest as seen in the examples of Pride and Selfishness in the Book of Mormon results in the destruction of people morally, spiritually and ultimately physically. Rand seems to reject the idea that some people actually find fullfillment in sacrificing themselves to others.
The main goal of the Gospel is unity. At-one-ment with God and others. "Love others as yourself" is an instruction to be one with others and share their desires as they share yours, depending on the mercy of God for your sustenance, serving others' needs as your own and depending on others for your needs to be met, being equal in all things as prescribed in 4th Nephi, the law of Consecration, witnessed in all the times in the Book of Mormon when the people were righteous and not divided into classes, based on their materialistic pride, lust for power, or in bondage to their laziness. In Hebrews it says "God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect." John 3:16 “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Luke 20:38 "for all live unto him." Malachi 4:5-6 “And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” Obadiah 1:21 "And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord’s." Doctrine and Covenants 128:18 "For we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they without us be made perfect."
Joseph Smith said that some people entirely denounce the principle of self-aggrandizement as wrong. "It is a correct principle," he said, "and may be indulged [in] upon only one rule or plan--and that is to elevate, benefit and bless others first. If you will elevate others, the very work itself will exalt you. Upon no other plan can a man justly and permanently aggrandize himself"
Matthew 16:25 says "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it"
I look at Christ on the cross as a symbol of Christ hanging all the pride of the world, cleansing us of our pride and selfishness, ultimately overcoming all selfishness we have, so that we all might be lifted up through our humility to Him. In the book Anthem, Ayn subscribes that "I" is a word that has the utmost importance and then ends with image of “EGO” being carved into a rock. A complete opposite value of self versus Christ’s value of everyone else.
4. Politics: Capitalism
Lastly, Rand's ideal government is laissez faire capitilism. In this situation the governments place is only to police and protect the rights of the people. This would mean an entire separation of economics and state where the government would have no hand in policing the interest rates, helping corporations out, or providing welfare to the masses.
The problem with this is that Capitalism without regulation is harmful to others, thus child labor laws, people unionizing to combat the health hazards, unfair wages, and disrespect to humanity and environment. Government is required to protect the rights of people and thus a separate of economics and state would result in a disbanding of lives financially and physically. Capitalism is self defeating, if there were no rules at all, then one mega power would eventually take over and the end result would be fascism. Aren’t corporations fascist while employed for the CEO? Its his rule and if you don’t follow with the crowd then you are fired which is the equivalent of killing off whoever they want on a whim.
Conclusion:
"The civil magistrate should restrain crime, but never control conscience; should punish guilt, but never suppress the freedom of the soul."-Joseph Smith
I think everyone can agree that we can't control the conscience of someone but we can and should punish them that break the rules that keep us all safe or threaten our freedom and rights to live.
Ayn made some powerful arguments about the necesity of not using force which are great and true. But her overall weakness is that her philosophy derives from not wanting or feeling obligated to be responsible for others. She came from the Soviet Union where everything was taken and owned by the Government. Her reaction to that was to leave and go to America where she could keep all that she earned. The problem is that coming from a society of takers doesn't justify not giving.
Malachi 3 outlines "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings." If we have but don't give then we are robbing God, He of course will not (and Satan cannot) force us but we are expected/admonished/commanded to give an offering unto God in the name of Jesus Christ. Its our choice to give or not.
The greatest tools Satan has in getting us to follow him, is by appealing to our selfishness and the only way he is able to exercise power is- if we let him. While it was Satan's plan for us to not have the freedom of choice and be forced to obey, God grants us the ability to choose, but appeals to our charity.
What do we value? Why should man be selfish? Which way leads to freedom? Ayn was very close, she just missed the biggest thing of all- Charity never faileth.
