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

He wrote many tracts based on Rand’s philosophy of objectivism and grew increasingly distant from old acquaintances.

From Washington Post • Jul. 7, 2018

I knew nothing of Ayn Rand or of objectivism.

From New York Times • Apr. 15, 2017

They accused each other of sham writing and sham culture, and hurled at each other's heads the words "idealism" and "materialism," "symbolism" and "verism," "subjectivism" and "objectivism."

From Jean Christophe: in Paris The Market-Place, Antoinette, the House by Cannan, Gilbert