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Chosen or Proven Ethics?
- Journal of Ayn Rand Studies
- Penn State University Press
- Volume 22, Number 2, December 2022
- pp. 206-213
- Article
- Additional Information
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ABSTRACT:
A true philosophical system requires a true ethical theory. This paper proposes a premise-based approach to the truth of the foundational principle—the requirement to take actions to benefit one's life. Ayn Rand's choice-based foundation as "the single choice: to live" has equivalent consequences for ethical theory, but the premise-based approach and proof firmly anchor the foundation of ethics to the facts of reality. This article demonstrates that in order to be true and consistent, a particular set of premises requires the taking of beneficial action for one's life, and that provides proof of the truth of the Objectivist ethics.