Objectivism 101

1. 14th Annual Summer Seminar of The Objectivist Center Diana Mertz Hsieh Lecture Four: The Virtues Wednesday, July 2, 2003 Objectivism 101

2. Objectivism 101 Schedule • Sunday Ayn Rand and Philosophy • Monday Reality and Reason • Tuesday Life and Happiness • Wednesday The Virtues • Thursday Individual Rights and Capitalism • Friday Art as Spiritual Fuel

3. The Nature of Virtues • Virtues are actions by which we gain and/or keep our values • Longer-term: Virtues are commitments, in thought and action, to the types of actions required to achieve rational moral values

4. The Major Virtues • Rationality • Productiveness • Independence • Honesty • Justice • Benevolence • Integrity • Pride

5. 1: Rationality • Rationality is the commitment to objectively grasping and acting on the facts of reality • Rationality requires a commitment to… • Full conscious awareness • The facts of reality • The method of logic …at all times, in all areas of life

6. Rationality in Action • Rationality is the commitment to objectively grasping and acting on the facts of reality • Example One: Your lover tells you that he’s interested in polyamory, but you’re not so eager for a third in the relationship. • Example Two: You discover that your spouse has been hiding money in a separate bank account.

7. 2: Productiveness • Productiveness is the commitment to achieving the values that sustain your life • Productiveness means… • Creating values • Trading with others • Not mindless drudgery, not mooching or looting from others

8. Productiveness in Action • Productiveness is the commitment to achieving the values that sustain your life • Example One: After you are laid off, your parents eagerly offer to let you move back in with them • Example Two: You realize that your output at work has declined over the past year.

9. 3: Independence • Independence is the commitment to forming and acting upon your own judgments • Two forms of independence: • Independence in thought • Independence in action

10. Independence in Action • Independence is the commitment to forming and acting upon your own judgments and living by your own mind • Example One: At your new job, one particular person seems to be ostracized from the group. • Example Two: A friend asks you what you think of her new boyfriend, but you know she just wants to hear “He’s great!”

11. 4: Honesty • Honesty is the refusal to fake the facts of reality • Two forms of honesty: • Honesty with oneself • Honesty with others

12. Honesty in Action • Honesty is the refusal to fake the facts of reality • Example One: In a job interview, your prospective boss asks you invasive questions about your personal life. • Example Two: After years in graduate school, you realize that your department is falling apart due to internal squabbles – and that obtaining your degree is increasingly unlikely.

13. 5: Justice • Justice is the virtue of evaluating others objectively and acting accordingly • Two aspects of justice: • Objective judgment of others • Acting based on those judgments • A failure to judge others only encourages evil

14. Justice in Action • Justice is the virtue of evaluating others objectively and acting accordingly • Example One: You are mistakenly given credit for a co-worker’s contribution to a project during presentation. • Example Two: You discover that a cousin borrowed money from your parents and never repaid the loan.

15. 6: Benevolence • Benevolence is the commitment to treating other people as potential trading partners • Three aspects of benevolence: • Civility • Sensitivity • Generosity

16. Benevolence in Action • Benevolence is the commitment to treating other people as potential trading partners • Example One: Grandma gives you a really, really ugly shirt for Christmas. • Example Two: You want to have a nice lunch with a friend, but know that he cannot afford much more than Subway.

17. 7: Integrity • Integrity is the commitment to acting in accordance with long-range values and moral principles • Integrity requires us: • To think past short-term gains to long-range consequences • To pursue and defend our values in face of opposition • Integrity is the virtue of acting on virtue

18. Integrity in Action • Integrity is the commitment to acting in accordance with long-range values and moral principles • Example One: Your liberal and religious co-workers make disparaging remarks about atheists and gun owners. • Example Two: Your boss at work wants you to pirate software.

19. 8: Pride • Pride is the commitment to one’s own moral perfection (moral ambitiousness) • Pride requires us to hold ourselves up the the highest moral standard • Recognize and remedy your moral failures • Recognize your moral successes “…as man is a being of self-made wealth, so he is a being of self-made soul…”

20. Pride in Action • Pride is the commitment to one’s own moral perfection • Example One: After a romantic relationship ends, you realize that you took the wrong side in some disputes with others about the behavior of your lover. • Example Two: You are laid off as part of your company’s downsizing.

21. The Major Virtues • Rationality • Productiveness • Independence • Honesty • Justice • Benevolence • Integrity • Pride

22. Today’s Topics • Virtue • Rationality • Productiveness • Independence • Honesty • Justice • Integrity • Pride • Benevolence