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Objectivism is a philosophical system developed by Russian-American writer Ayn Rand (1905–1982). Rand first expressed Objectivism in her fiction, most notably ''The Fountainhead'' (1943) and ''Atlas Shrugged'' (1957), and later in nonfiction essays and books. Leonard Peikoff, a professional philosopher and Rand's designated intellectual heir, later gave it a more formal structure. Peikoff characterizes Objectivism as a "closed system" that is not subject to change. Objectivism's central tenets are that reality exists independently of consciousness, that human beings have direct contact with reality through sense perception, that one can attain objective knowledge from perception through the process of concept formation and inductive logic, that the proper moral purpose of one's life is the pursuit of one's own happiness (rational self-interest), that the only social system consistent with this morality is one that displays full respect for individual rights embodied in ''laissez-faire'' capitalism, and that the role of art in human life is to transform humans' metaphysical ideas by selective reproduction of reality into a physical form—a work of art—that one can comprehend and to which one can respond emotionally. Academic philosophers have mostly ignored or rejected Rand's philosophy.〔; ; ; ; ; ; 〕 Nonetheless, Objectivism has been a significant influence among libertarians and American conservatives.〔; 〕 The Objectivist movement, which Rand founded, attempts to spread her ideas to the public and in academic settings. == Philosophy == Rand originally expressed her philosophical ideas in her novels, most notably, ''The Fountainhead'' and ''Atlas Shrugged''. She further elaborated on them in her periodicals ''The Objectivist Newsletter'', ''The Objectivist'', and ''The Ayn Rand Letter'', and in non-fiction books such as ''Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology'' and ''The Virtue of Selfishness''. The name "Objectivism" derives from the idea that human knowledge and values are objective: they exist and are determined by the nature of reality, to be discovered by one's mind, and are not created by the thoughts one has. Rand stated that she chose the name because her preferred term for a philosophy based on the primacy of existence—"existentialism"—had already been taken. Rand characterized Objectivism as "a philosophy for living on earth", grounded in reality, and aimed at defining human nature and the nature of the world in which we live.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Objectivism (Ayn Rand)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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