'isms

At times I feel very undereducated and wish I understood more about the world around me. One of the major things that I wish I knew more about are all of the “isms”. Whether it is a time period or state of being, I seem to forget what each one means as soon as I learn. Here are a couple I came across today while reading the Daily Heller. Hopefully writing about them will help keep them fresh in my mind.

Individualism; while this one seems fairly straight forward, I still found the definition quite interesting. Individuals possess “an inalienable right to [their] own life, a right derived from [their] nature as a rational being.” I find the prerequisite of being rational quite interesting, while humans are more rational than other animals, at times it seems individuals act with complete irrationality. Does this take away their right to be an individual? The definition also said that “Individualism holds that a civilized society, or any form of association, cooperation or peaceful coexistence among men, can be achieved only on the basis of the recognition of individual rights—and that a group, as such, has no rights other than the individual rights of its members.” I found this excerpt interesting because it simply shows that each individual holds the power to change things, hopefully for the better.

“Do not make the mistake of the ignorant who think that an individualist is a man who says: “I’ll do as I please at everybody else’s expense.” An individualist is a man who recognizes the inalienable individual rights of man—his own and those of others.”

“An individualist is a man who says: “I will not run anyone’s life—nor let anyone run mine. I will not rule nor be ruled. I will not be a master nor a slave. I will not sacrifice myself to anyone—nor sacrifice anyone to myself.””

“Textbook of Americanism,” The Ayn Rand Column, 84.

Objectivism; the philosophy created by novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand. Objectivism holds that reality is an absolute; facts are facts despite what people may want to believe. Reason is the only way for people to understand reality, their only source of knowledge and only guide to action. People must exist for their own sake, neither sacrificing themselves for others nor allowing others to do the same. Individuals must pursue self-interest and seek personal happiness. The ideal political system is laissez-faire capitalism; no masters or slaves, but rather traders. No person can exert physical force on others, and the government acts only as policemen that protect the rights of the people. There should be a complete separation of state and economics in the same way as the separation of state and church.