The Core Principles of Objectivism in Depth

4.1 Metaphysics: The Axioms of Existence

The foundation of Objectivism is metaphysical: before we can discuss ethics or politics, we must establish what kind of world we live in. Objectivism begins with three axioms that it considers self-evident—meaning they cannot be denied without implicitly asserting them.

4.2 Epistemology: The Mechanics of Knowing

Objectivism's theory of knowledge begins with perception. We perceive the world through our senses, and those perceptions are valid—they give us real information about real objects. The next level is concept formation: we abstract from perceptions to form concepts, then from concepts to more complex abstractions.

4.3 Ethics: The Morality of Life

Objectivism holds that ethics is not a matter of divine command, cultura ...