objectivism

American  

[uhb-jek-tuh-viz-uhm] / əbˈdʒɛk təˌvɪz əm /

noun

1. a tendency to lay stress on the objective or external elements of cognition.

2. the tendency, as of a writer, to deal with things external to the mind rather than with thoughts or feelings.

3. a doctrine characterized by this tendency.

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objectivism British  

/ əbˈdʒɛktɪˌvɪzəm /

noun

1. the tendency to stress what is objective

2. philosophy

   1. the meta-ethical doctrine that there are certain moral truths that are independent of the attitudes of any individuals

   2. the philosophical doctrine that reality is objective, and that sense data correspond with it

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Other Word Forms

• nonobjectivistic adjective
• objectivist noun
• objectivistic adjective
• objectivistically adverb

Etymology

Origin of objectivism

First recorded in 1850–55; objective + -ism

Explanation

Objectivism is a philosophical belief that the reality of things is independent of people's experiences or feelings about them — so if a tree falls in the forest, and nobody hears it, it still makes a sound. Objectivism gets its name from the idea that everything humans know and perceive is objective, existing in reality rather than being given meaning by the human mind. Reason, logic, and scientific proof are all primary tenets of objectivism; beliefs, perceptions, and feelings have much less importance. Novelist Ayn Rand borrowed the word objectivism as the name of her own philosophy, which says that the most rational way to live is to always act in your own self-interest.

Example Sentences

Barney, who operated a group of for-profit colleges for years, is a noted proponent of Ayn Rand’s philosphy of objectivism.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 31, 2024

It turned out that subjects with relativist leanings were more tolerant toward the disagreeing person than those who had tended toward objectivism.

From Scientific American • Oct. 16, 2019

Ms. Rand brought her principles of individualism and capitalism together in a credo she called objectivism, whose disciples today include Alan Greenspan, the former chairman of the Federal Reserve, and Rand Paul, the Kentucky senator.

From New York Times • Jul. 7, 2015

So moral relativism makes us more corrupt, but it also keeps us open-minded; moral objectivism keeps us on the straight and narrow, but it also breeds intolerance.

From Slate • Mar. 6, 2015

The natural consequence of objectivism is something like that attributed by many to modern militarism, since it ends by inducing the very thing it claims to prevent.

From The Will to Doubt An essay in philosophy for the general thinker by Lloyd, Alfred H.