Justice, Moral Judgment, and the Danger of Psychologizing

A talk by Onkar Ghate
Ayn Rand’s novels and nonfiction essays contain a wealth of material on the psychological dimensions of philosophical ideas and principles. But in one of those essays she also cautions about the danger of “psychologizing.” We’ll explore aspects of how to extract the action-guiding value of the psychological dimensions of philosophical ideas that she highlights while avoiding the pitfall of psychologizing.
Recorded at OCON on July 2, 2023, in Miami, Florida.
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[@Mr.Witness]

One of the hardest talks to really grasp but extremely powerful. Definite rewatcher

[@1voluntaryist]

At 9 I "acted out" in class, based on a build up of resentment toward the requirement to "pledge my allegiance". It felt wrong, like I was granting an open promise, to be specified later, as if I owed a debt I needed to pay, needed to constantly remind myself/society I owed. So, I asked my teachers for an explanation. Instead I was physically attacked. I decided to boycott the ritual. About 14 years later I read "The Virtue of Selfishness" and I understood my feelings, my stubborn rejection to self-enslavement.

[@1voluntaryist]

@@jure4835 I was in 4th grade, with about 35 students, and a female teacher who exploded into rage, ran over to my desk and jerked me out by my arm/ear, I fell to the floor, she yelled for me to get up, then continued to shake me. Keeping hold, she took me to the principal's office where I was pushed into a seat outside his office. I waited there while the teacher was inside. She came out, left, and the secretary went in, came out with a note for my parents. I was instructed to go home and stay there. The following year, with a new teacher, I objected when "under god" was added to the pledge, stating that I was an atheist. I was "pledging" as a favor to my parents who promised we would move soon. But, I hadn't promised to swear to a religious oath. Again, I was physically attacked, and expelled again. I tore up the letter to my parents they sent home with me, stayed home reading our encyclopedia, but after about two weeks my parents got a call, went in and I was "allowed" (forced) to go back. I graduated from 6th, went to Jr. High, at another school and no pledge was required.

[@peggyfranzen6159]

I can't thank Ayn Rand enough for her book" For The New Intellectual."

[@1voluntaryist]

Ayn was careful to define her terms "so that you will know what I am talking about..." (1977, Ford Hall Forum) from the outset. I greatly appreciated that because it was rare, but facilitated communication, allowing more depth.

[@edbonz2]

EXCELLENT AS ALWAYS. ALSO, Any material element or resource which, in order to become of use or value to men, requires the application of human knowledge and effort, should be private property-by the right of those who apply the knowledge and effort. “The Property Status of the Airwaves,” Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal, AYN RAND TU ARI & DR GHATE

[@freddymarti]

Thanks!

[@kphaxx]

Great talk! Glad you shared this one, for those who missed OCON or wanted to rewatch.

[@turdferguson6978]

@AynRandInstitute As long as we have government indoctrination centers (public schools) this topic is something that needs to be a mandatory part of the curriculum.

[@eduardorpg64]

Pleny of my therapists psychologized me: they assumed things about me for which they had no evidence whatsoever. Also, I didn't know that it took Ayn Rand 2 years to write Galt's speech! Awesome talk!

[@williamhyman]

Thank you yes Carl Jung's Synchronicity took me for a ride...literally..it took me away from philosophical principles and cognitive methods...there is no evidence for Synchronicity!

[@LenSklogW]

As with OPAR, what does it say about humanity that this is a topic of discussion? I have challenged Yaron on the genetic propensity for Homo Sapiens for this. I just have trouble thinking this is not obvious. How do we so easily drift into group think and other mechanisms enabling the primitive? ... when it is engrained in our thinking. How do we eradicate that element of our nature? ... assuming my hypothesis is correct.

[@drstrangelove09]

Just before I was watching this I had a car/bicycle "accident" ... it was not serious. I was at an intersection in my car where the traffic was all coming from the left (one way road) and I was turning right. When I came up to the intersection, I looked and there were no pedestrians or bikes (or so I thought)... I waited for a while looking for a place to squeeze in (it was rush hour)... I saw my chance... so I started ... then I heard "HEY!!!"... I turned my head to look forward and I saw a guy and a bike and the bike has a makeshift trailer thing, he was coming from the left and I did not look to the left again before I started out. The guy was yelling at me and very angry. I got out and apologized. I gave the guy all of the money in my wallet (maybe $150 dollars) and he walked away still very angry. Then, when I got home, I watched the part where Onkar talked about the construction workers throwing bricks... I hope I did not do an equivalent thing but maybe I did... drat. (I'm also still bothered that I scratched the front of my car which is quite new and in a pristine state otherwise.)

[@YashArya01]

45:00

[@chrisalex001]

Anybody who links Donald Trump with Ayn Rand has not understood her work. I'm not saying that's been done here, but I still wanted to share it.

[@wbiro]

What matters is someone's philosophy (which underlies one's psychology). The problem is all philosophies are clueless (as is current philosophy itself), so people look elsewhere for cause/effect...

[@sierra-holdings]

Very wrong and incorrect... whole idea of ayn was that you should not impose your system of values and morality on others

[@MarttiSuomivuori]

you talk like a preacher

[@DeeperWithDiego]

Preachers tend to be wonderful speakers!