Ayn Rand proves herself wrong

Ayn Rand’s concept of Capitalism is false and invalid, according to her own philosophy.

According to Ayn Rand’s Objectivist philosophy, a true concept must be observed before it is thought. If there is not an example in the real world, the mental concept is false and invalid.

  • “…concepts represent classifications of observed referents…”i
  • ”There are… invalid concepts, i.e. … without referents…”ii
  • “Truth is a product of … identification… of the facts of reality”iii
  • “All truth is a product of logical identification of the facts of experience.”iv

According to Ayn Rand, Capitalism is an “unknown ideal”v. A Capitalist economic system has “never yet existed, not even in America”vi. Using her premises, the following must be the case:

  • If concepts must be observed and Capitalism has never been observed, then Capitalism is not a concept.
  • If truth is real and Capitalism has never existed, then Capitalism is not true.
  • If truth must be experienced and Capitalism is unknown, then Capitalism is not true.
  • If concepts without referents are invalid and Capitalism does not have a referent, then Capitalism is an invalid concept.

Therefore, according to her own philosophy, Ayn Rand’s concept of Capitalism is false and invalid.

Sources:

Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, New American Library, Mentor edition (paperback) 1979 Library of Congress # 78-71454

Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal, New American Library, Signet edition (paperback) 1967 Library of Congress # 66-26772

i Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, Definitions, pg 62

ii Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, Definitions, pg 65

iii Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, Definitions, pg 63

iv Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, The Analytic-Synthethic Dichotomy pg 158

v Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal

vi Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal, The Objectivist Ethics, pg 33