Introduction to Rational Ramblings

According to popular belief, philosophy is but an antiquated form of intellectual masturbation, an act of ideological self-stimulation providing no real value or actual consequences to anyone participating in it. University lectures claim morality to be completely subjective, political discourse focuses on utilitarian principles rather than unalienable rights, and self-proclaimed philosophers propose elaborate proofs that reality is unknowable to man through the senses. Wherever one looks, philosophy is touted not as the ultimate tool of the mind, but as its plaything.

This view of philosophy is not only incoherent, but blatantly destructive to human life. As a member of the sole species on Earth capable of advanced thought, one needs more than a set of overly abstract commandments and denouncements of reality. Indeed, what one needs to make sense of the world and live in it is a consistent perspective on existence founded on rational principles developed through ruthlessly logical deliberation guided by reality: in other words, a philosophy.

Despite the hundreds of relevant philosophers who have entered the intellectual landscape in the past century, almost none of them have encouraged such a view of philosophy. Contemporary intellectuals have focused on applying reason to social change alone, treating metaphysics and epistemology as an impenetrable mist, or have merely suggested means of coping with an unfathomable world instead of applying the mind to understand it. Nonetheless, in this sea of doubt and despair, one philosopher has focused on the ground beneath the mist, the principles behind the conclusions, the human behind the ideas. This philosopher is none other than Ayn Rand, 20th century Russian-American novelist and political influencer.

Ayn Rand, with her philosophy of Objectivism, was the first contemporary thinker to recognize that philosophy is not an idle sport of the mind, but a fundamental human need. As Ayn Rand writes in her posthumously published Philosophy: Who Needs It: "the principles you accept...have to be integrated. What integrates them? Philosophy....As a human being, you have no choice about the fact that you need a philosophy. Your only choice is whether you define your philosophy by a conscious, rational, disciplined process of thought...or let your subconscious accumulate a junk heap of unwarranted conclusions." It is this latter state, she argues, in which most people spend their lives, blown about by the whims of elites and deceitful political agendas, failing to develop and adhere to their own conclusions. How crucial it is, then, that each and every individual learn to apply the process of rational thought to every belief and action, not passively accepting dogmas but developing a carefully thought-out consistent set of ideas by which to live.

It is with the goal of encouraging such rational philosophical thinking that I start this blog. The reader may expect highly processed articles elaborating my own perspective on Objectivist ideas, as well as my takes on relevant contemporary political and social ideologies. In regard to the latter, I won't be addressing current events or specific candidates, but the philosophical tools required to evaluate them. While I generally agree with the principles and conclusions of Objectivism, there will be times at which I offer ideas conflicting with some aspects of the system, and everything I write will be in my own words and relative to the context of my knowledge. I hope that in reading my blog one can learn from my mistakes and successes in coming to understand Objectivism and philosophy as a whole, avoiding the pitfalls that usually make such a journey long and demanding.

If you are looking for easy answers to life's problems, simple tenets to memorize, or unquestioning support of your current worldview, this blog is not for you. However, if you wish to engage in meaningful intellectual discourse and scrupulously consider modern philosophical issues from a rational and objective standpoint, you will certainly benefit from the content of Rational Ramblings. 

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Thank you for reading the first post of my philosophy blog, Rational Ramblings (for living on Earth). If you learned from it, please consider sharing it with friends who would enjoy it, and if you have comments, please leave them below to initiate insightful discussion.