The Axioms of Metaphysics

Every idea in philosophy is built on its core branch: metaphysics, the science that studies the fundamental nature of reality and existence. While metaphysics has historically been the prime branch of philosophy for most thinkers, contemporary philosophers often reject metaphysics altogether, considering it unknowable in itself or indistinguishable from the limits of the human mind. Objectivism offers a unique perspective on metaphysics based on immediate observation of the world that allows one to escape from the cycle of arbitrary doubt and begin philosophy on firm foundations.

Before we can discuss metaphysics in a meaningful way, we must know why it is useful. Since every value judgement or item of knowledge exists relative to an object, it is necessary to know the nature of objects qua objects before evaluating them in any way. Before embarking on any exploration of epistemology or ethics, then, we must have a firm understanding of what reality is and how it may be judged. Ayn rand herself wrote in Philosophy: Who Needs It: "Are you in a universe ruled by nature laws and, therefore, is stable, firm, absolute....Or are you in an incomprehensible chaos, a realm of inexplicable miracles...which your mind is impotent to grasp? The nature of your actions...will be different, according to which set of answers you come to accept." It is crucial, then, that we consider the nature of reality before anything else, justifying the status of metaphysics as first philosophy.

The core propositions of metaphysics are its axioms. According to Ayn Rand, an axiom is "a statement that identifies the base of knowledge...a statement necessarily contained in all others, whether any particular speaker chooses to identify it or not" (Ayn Rand Lexicon, "Axioms"). This means that axiomatic statements are implicit in every possible statement, and rejecting an axiom means rejecting the entirety of Existence and one's mind. Note that this differs greatly from the classical definition of an axiom, which, according to the Wikipedia page on axioms, is "a statement that is taken to be true, to serve as a premise or starting point for further reasoning." While this definition is technically contained within the first, the axioms of Objectivism are not declared arbitrarily but instead are carefully identified as being concepts assumed implicitly by any possible observation, as opposed to being declared a "starting point" for reasoning. Objectivism holds that axioms are not themselves obvious, but must be reached through the higher-level mental process of conceptualization, but they are nonetheless contained in every sense perception and every action one may take.

The first axiom of the Objectivist metaphysics is Existence, formally stating that "Existence (that which is) exists." As with all axioms, Existence can only be defined ostensibly by pointing and saying "that's what I mean." To observe Existence, one must simply point and say "that is," and the very act of perceiving it validates the concept. Existence is self-evident because without it, you wouldn't be able to read this article right now.

The second axiom is Consciousness, stated as "consciousness is conscious." This sounds circular, but it identifies only the fact that one possesses a process of perception which perceives that which exists. In grasping the first axiom and realizing that you are reading this article, you validate the second axiom as well by showing that you are perceiving that fact.

The final axiom of metaphysics is Identity, the Aristotelian "A is A." This means: that which is, is what it is. Every entity that exists has some form and exists as something, else it would be nothing, which is clearly non-existent. Identity gives rise to the law of non-contradiction, as it is impossible for an object to both be what it is and something else at the same time. While Identity feels like a step beyond Existence and Consciousness, it's only an elaboration on the fact of Existence and thus its corollary: Indeed, it is the "that" in the statement "that is."

While these axioms are often stated separately, they are all part of the same fundamental sentence: "I perceive something that exists." This is the necessary starting point of all knowledge and action, as that which does not exist, is not conscious, and is not something cannot know or act. Thus, while these axioms represent different axiomatic concepts in philosophy, they are all intimately connected and contained as one single unit in any perception one experiences.

It must be noted that, while critics of Objectivism claim it justifies its axioms in a circular manner, this is not the case. Such criticisms claim that the axioms are validated by "performative contradiction," meaning their rejection assumes them, i.e. it is contradictory. While it is true that the rejection of the axioms must by definition assume them, serving as a defense mechanism in an argument, this is not how they are validated and only represents a part of the reason they are true. Indeed, the axioms are true not because they cannot be consistently denied, but instead because everything and anything contains them. To perceive something that disproves the axioms is literally to perceive, something that exists, as something: that is, it would affirm them implicitly. While this is certainly contradictory, it is not the rationalist concept of logical contradiction that proves them true, but instead their nature as being implicit in all things that validates them as concepts.

With Existence, Consciousness, and Identity, the foundation of metaphysics is complete. However, there are more propositions to prove from these axioms that are necessary for a complete picture of the knowledge applying to all that is, metaphysics. However, as the purpose of this article is only to explain the Objectivist position on axioms and begin the discussion of metaphysics, these will be saved for a later post.