Director of the Ayn Rand Institute speaks out

Leslie Culver / Staff Writer / The USD Vista

Objectivism is not a term one typically hears thrown about on a college campus like that of the University of San Diego. However, if one is lucky enough to spot a student reading “The Foutainhead” or “Atlas Shrugged” it may be mentioned. Ayn Rand, the author of the aforementioned novels, created a ripple affect in the philosophy world when she wrote those books. The theory of objectivism, created by Ayn Rand, has gained recognition, especially here in the United States. The Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights helps promote the ideas of objectivism and the executive director of the institute, Dr. Yaron Brook, is considered outspoken in regards to current government policies pursued by the United States.

According to Brook, objectivism seeks to use reason to understand the world and promote individualism to achieve the best lives that people can live. The idea of capitalism fits neatly into this philosophy because it is the only economic system that emphasizes the individual. Objectivists emphatically take a stance against government intervention in its citizen’s private lives because as Brook adamantly stated, government should only protect the rights of citizens, not regulate them. Considering that the United States is currently facing an economic crisis that is affecting millions of Americans, the solution that objectivists propose, according to Brook, would be far-reaching. The current crisis was a result of government policies that attempted to regulate far too much of the economy, such as individuals rights to own homes. He proposes that the Federal Reserve should be abolished because it attempts to manipulate the money supply that essentially caused the housing crisis. In short, the U.S. needs to rely more upon private banks and abolish the Federal Reserve, which objectivists argue is attempting to unreliably regulate the economy.

Naturally, with the presidential election on the horizon, both candidates have been addressing the current economic crisis in their campaigns. Brook took issue with both political parties and their respective plans of action. Both parties lack an elementary understanding of individual rights and they do not understand freedom. He also criticized both candidates foreign policy plans stating that, in effect, McCain would support the Iraqi government, which has voiced anti-American sentiments and Obama would befriend people who would want to kill us. He also commented on Obama’s plan for the nationalization of health care, stating that it is not a solution to the problems that the majority of Americans face. Both presidential candidates, according to Brook, clearly lack an understanding of the intentions of the founding fathers. Objectivists strongly disagree with the concept of collectivism, which both major political parties are currently promoting.

Since objectivists have such strong resentments toward both political parties, it would logically follow that they would be attracted to another party such as the Libertarian Party. However, this is not the case. Brook stated that the Libertarian party is just as flawed as the Democratic and Republican parties and it therefore harms the ideals of objectivism in just the same manner. Brook then critiqued the current election by saying that it is the worst election ever because both of the candidates are pacifists and show no regard for individualism.”

However, there are some people who have issues with the objectivist viewpoint that Brook so adamantly articulated. One professor, in the USD Political Science department, said that it is basically a philosophy that promotes radical selfishness. Objectivists, according to this professor, have no regard for socialists or even people who are religious because they see these people as having no concern for their self interest.”

Ayn Rand, the creator of this controversial philosophy, created a school of thought that still has an application to today’s society and its problems, as Dr. Brook pointed out. The philosophy of objectivism does have a recognized following in the United States and will continue to have an effect on the future of American politics.