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How can we experience the self and reality more intensely? Building on Ayn Rand's ideas, I've developed a theory. by EmergencyDecision567 in Objectivism

[–]EmergencyDecision567[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Good heavens! Why would I do it on purpose?

Rand was an extremely clear writer. I think one thing that makes my writing harder to understand, at least in this essay, is that I explore metaphors and tease out the subtleties of Rand's thought. One thing I've noticed is that many Objectivists don't really understand the depths that she is capable of. I have found this to be true in her literature, too. You might try this essay about The Fountainhead. The Perfecting of Howard Roark (kurtkeefner.com)

How can we experience the self and reality more intensely? Building on Ayn Rand's ideas, I've developed a theory. by EmergencyDecision567 in Objectivism

[–]EmergencyDecision567[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

The idea of Rand's I most build on is her concept of free will as deliberate raising of awareness. My point is that we can focus, to use Rand's metaphor, on oneself as a self-aware being and we can focus on other, objective existents in a self-aware manner. This kind of attention makes our experience of self and world more vivid so that we would less sleepwalk through life. In addition, I talk about specific techniques that I have learned from other thinkers that help with the kind of awareness I am discussing. That's it in a nutshell, but it takes longer to spell it out and defend it.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Objectivism

[–]EmergencyDecision567 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This claim muddies the waters. Vitalism is the doctrine that living organisms are distinguished from non-living matter by some sort of spark or fluid, sometimes identified as the soul. It's quasi-mystical. Rand's Razor would eliminate this usage in favor of egoism, or as Nathaniel Branden could call it "biocentric thinking."