the page number only for the passage’s beginning even when it continues beyond that page in the original (e.g., a page reference normally given as “54-56” would appear here only as ”54”). And, unless otherwise stated, all quotations are from Ayn Rand.
Note also that paperback page references for The Romantic Manifesto and The New Left refer to the second editions of these works. The first edition of the former did not include “Art and Cognition,” and “The Age of Envy” was not included in the first edition of the latter.
All the books cited are available in paperback editions from New American Library. Much of the other material, including back issues of Miss Rand’s periodicals and some separate pamphlets, is available from The Objectivist Forum, P.O. Box 5311, FDR Station, New York, NY 10150. (When an article published in a periodical has been reprinted in a book, only the book reference is given.)
I wish to thank Leonard Peikoff for his continued encouragement and editorial advice. Thanks are also due to Allison Thomas Kunze for identifying several passages that were worthy of inclusion and to Michael Palumbo for his meticulous assistance in assembling the manuscript.
I must stress that the Lexicon is not intended as a substitute for the primary sources from which it is derived. It is a fundamental tenet of Objectivism that philosophy is not a haphazard collecaion of out-of-context pronouncements, but an integrated, hierarchically structured system, which has to be studied and judged as such. For a brief indication of what Objectivism as a philosophic system advocates, the reader may refer to the entry, OBJECTIVISM. For a fuller statement, the best single source is Galt’s speech in Atlas Shrugged (reprinted in For the New Intellectual).
-Harry Binswanger
New York City
February 1986
Conceptual Index
THIS INDEX groups the topics under the headings: Philosophy, Psychology, Economics, and General. Philosophy is broken down into its branches: metaphysics (the study of the fundamental nature of reality and of man), epistemology (the theory of knowledge), ethics (the science of moral values), politics (including both political theory and more concrete public policy issues), and esthetics (the philosophy of art).
PHILOSOPHY: Metaphysics
Absolutes
Abstractions and Concretes
Atheism
Benevolent Universe Premise
Byronic View of Existence
Causality
Chance
Change
Consciousness
Contradictions
Creation
Determinism
Entity
Existence
Existent
Final Causation
Free Will
Goal-Directed Action
God
Identity
Infinity
Life
Malevolent Universe Premise
Man
Matter
Metaphysical
Metaphysical vs. Man-Made
Metaphysics
Miracles
Motion
Nature
Necessity
Non-Existence
Objectivity
Primacy of Existence vs. Primacy
of Consciousness
Prior Certainty of Consciousness
Religion
Self
Soul-Body Dichotomy
Space
Subjectivism
Supernaturalism
Time
Universe
Volitional
Zero, Reification of
PHILOSOPHY: Epistemology
Absolutes
Abstraction (process of)
Abstractions and Concretes
Agnosticism
Analytic-Synthetic Dichotomy
“Anti-Concepts”
“A Priori”
Arbitrary
Argument from Intimidation
Axiomatic Concepts
Axioms
Certainty
Chance
Common Sense
Communication
Concept-Formation
Concepts
Conceptual Common
Denominator
Consciousness
Context
Context-Dropping
Contradictions
Corollaries
Definitions
Dogma
Emotions
Epistemology
Esthetic Abstractions
Faith
Falsehood
“Frozen Abstraction,” Fallacy of
Fundamentality, Rule of
Genus and Species
Grammar
Hierarchy of Knowledge
Implicit Knowledge
Induction and Deduction
“Instinct”
Integration (Mental)
Introspection
Invalid Concepts
Irrationalism
Irreducible Primaries
Knowledge
Language
Learning
Linguistic Analysis
Logic
Logical Positivism
Materials, Concepts of
Mathematics
Meaning (of Concepts)
Measurement
Method, Concepts of
Mysticism
Mystics of Spirit and of Muscle
Nominalism
Normative Abstractions
Numbers
Objectivity
“Open Mind” and “Closed Mind”
Ostensive Definition
“Package-Dealing,” Fallacy of
Perception
Platonic Realism
Polylogism
Possible
Pragmatism
Primacy of Existence vs. Primacy
of Consciousness
Principles
Prior Certainty of Consciousness
Proof
Propositions
“Rand’s Razor”
Rationalism vs. Empiricism
Reason
Religion
“Rewriting Reality”
Science
Self-Evident
Sensations
Similarity
Skepticism
“Stolen Concept,” Fallacy of
Subjectivism
Tabula Rasa
Teleological Measurement
Theory-Practice Dichotomy
Thought/Thinking
Truth
Understanding
Unit
Unit-Economy
Validation
Words
Zero, Reification of
PHILOSOPHY: Ethics
Abortion
Altruism
Ambition
Amoralism
Appeasement
Birth Control
Career
Character
Charity
Collectivism
Compassion
Competition
Compromise
Cooperation
Courage and Confidence
Creators
Cynicism
“Duty”
Emergencies
Emotions
End in Itself
Envy/Hatred of the Good for
Being the Good
Errors of Knowledge vs. Breaches
of Morality
Evasion
Evil
Faith
Final Causation
Focus
Free Will
Good, the
Happiness
Hedonism
Honesty
Honor
Humility
Independence
Individualism
Integrity
Intrinsic Theory of Values
Irrationality
“Is”-“Ought” Dichotomy
Justice
Life
Love
Man-Worship
Marriage
Mediocrity
Mercy
Metaphysical Value-,Judgments
Money
Moral Cowardice
Moral Judgment
Moral-Practical Dichotomy
Morality
Mystical Ethics
Normative Abstractions
Objective Theory of Values
“Open Mind” and “Closed Mind”
Original Sin
Physical Force
Pity
Prestige
Pride
Productiveness
Purpose
Racism
Rationality
Religion
Responsibility/Obligation
Sacred
Sacrifice
Sanction
Sanction of the Victim
Self
Self-Esteem
Self-Interest
Selfishness
Selflessness
Sex
Social Theory of Ethics
Standard of Value
Subjectivism
Suffering
Tactfulness
Trader Principle
Ultimate Value
Utilitarianism
Values
Virtue
Whims/Whim-Worship
PHILOSOPHY: Politics
Abortion
Ambition
America
Anarchism
Antitrust Laws
Birth Control
Businessmen
Businessmen vs. Bureaucrats
Capitalism
Censorship
Civil Disobedience
“Collective Rights”
Collectivism
“Common Good”
Communism
“Conservatives”
“Conservatives” vs. “Liberals”
Constitution
“Consumerism”
Contracts
Corporations
Creators
Crime
Democracy
Dictator
Dictatorship
Draft
Ecology/Environmental
Movement
Economic Power vs. Political
Power
Egalitarianism
“Ethnicity”
Fascism/Nazism
Fascism and Communism/
Socialism
Founding Fathers
Foreign Policy
Fraud
Free Market
Free Speech
Freedom
Genocide
Government
Government Grants and
Scholarships
Guild Socialism
Human Rights and Property
Rights
Ideology
Inalienability
Individual Rights
Individualism
“Isolationism”
Justice
Law, Objective and Non-Objective
“Liberals”
“Libertarians”
Life, Right to
Lobbying
“McCarthyism”
“Meritocracy”
Middle Class
Minority Rights
Mixed Economy
Monopoly
National Rights
New Left
Pacifism
Patents and Copyrights
Peace Movements
Permission (vs. Rights)
Physical Force
Politics
Pollution
Poverty
Production
Property Rights
“Public Interest,” the
“Public Property”
Pursuit of Happiness. Right to
Pyramid of Ability
Quotas
Racism
“Redistribution” of Wealth
Representative Government
Republic
Retaliatory Force
Retroactive Law
Revolution vs. Putsch
Rightists vs. Leftists
Rights of the Accused
Sanction of the Victim
Secession
Self-Defense
Self-Determination of Nations
Service
Socialism
Social System
Society
Soviet Russia
States’ Rights
Statism
Taxation
Technology
Trader Principle
Tradition
Tribalism
Tyranny
Unions
United Nations
Utilitarianism
Voting
War
Welfare State
“Window-Dressing”
PHILOSOPHY: Esthetics
Ancient Greece
Art
Artistic Creation
Ballet
Beauty
Bytonic View of Existence
Characterization
Choreographer
Classicism
Culture
Dance
Decorative Arts
Director
Esthetic Abstractions
Esthetic Judgment
Esthetics
Literature
Man-Worship
Metaphysical Value-Judgments
Modern Art
Motion Pictures
Music
Naturalism
Novel
Opera and Operetta
Painting
Performing Arts
Photography
Plot
Plot-Theme
Popular Literature
Romanticism
Sculpture
Sense of Life
Style
Stylization
Subject (in Art)
Subjectivism
Theme (Literary)
Thrillers
Visual Arts
PSYCHOLOGY
Ambition
Anti-Conceptual Mentality
Automatization
Behaviorism
Benevolent Universe Premise
Byronic View of Existence
Consciousness
Cynicism
Emotions
Envy/Hatred of the Good for
Being the Good
Evasion
Femininity
Focus
Free Will
Freud
Happiness
Hostility
Humility
Humor
Imagination
Independence
“Instinct”
Integration (Mental)
Intelligence
Introspection
Language
Learning
Loneliness
Love
Malevolent Universe Premise
Mental Health
Metaphysical Value-Judgments
Motivation
Motivation by Love vs. by Fear
Neurosis vs. Psychosis
“Open Mind” and “Closed Mind”
Pleasure and Pain
Prestige
Pride
Psycho-Epistemology
“Psychologizing”
Psychology
Rationalization
Second-Handers
Self
Self-Esteem
Sensations
Sense of Life
Sex
Soul-Body Dichotomy
Subconscious
Subjectivism (Psychological)
Suffering
Tabula Rasa
Thought/Thinking
tradition
Understanding
Whims/Whim-Worship
ECONOMICS
Antitrust Laws
Capitalism
Competition
Consumption
Corporations
Credit
Deficit Financing
Economic Good
Economic Growth
Economic Power vs. Political
Power
Free Market
Gold Standard
Inflation
Interest (on Loans)
Interventionism (Economic)
Investment
Managerial Work
Market Value
Mixed Economy
Money
Monopoly
Poverty
Production
Purchasing Power
Pyramid of Ability
Savings
Socialism
Taxation
Technology
Tribal Premise (in Economics)
Unemployment
GENERAL
America
Ancient Greece
Aristotle
Christmas
Civilization
Common Sense
Communication
Culture
Dark Ages
Education
Emergencies
Enlightenment, Age of
Founding Fathers
Goal-Directed Action
History
Intellectuals
Kant, Immanuel
Linguistic Analysis
Logical Positivism
Man
Marriage
Mediocrity
Middle Ages
Middle Class
Mill, John Stuart
Nietzsche, Friedrich
Nineteenth Century
Objectivism
“Open Mind” and “Closed Mind”
Philosophy
Pragmatism
Religion
Renaissance
Sacred
Technology
Thanksgiving
Abbreviations
A
Abortion. An embryo has no riglels. Rights do not pertain to a potential, only to an actual being. A child cannot acquire any rights until it is born. The living take precedence over the not-yet-living (or the unborn).
Abortion is a moral right—which should be left to the sole discretion of the woman involved; morally, nothing other than her wish in the matter is to be considered. Who can conceivably have the right to dictate to her what disposition she is to make of