The Primacy of
Existence: A Validation
The
following presentation of the primacy of existence principle was posted to the Apologetics.com discussion
forum on January 31, 2005, as an installment to the thread titled The
'Fallacy of the Primacy of consciousness'. I chose to submit this
presentation since it was clear, after reading the previously posted exchanges
in the same thread, that many of the participants in the discussion did not
have a very good understanding of what the primacy of existence is saying. This
is not unique in my experience: theists definitely sense the threat that
identifying this principle poses to their god-beliefs, so it’s not unusual to
see apologists trying to distort it (along with other discoveries made by Ayn Rand) in order to discredit it. And indeed, subsequent
discussion shows that religious apologists have a very difficult time coming to
grips with this undeniable principle at the foundation of all thought.
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I
am always amazed to see people operate by a principle in most everything they
do, and yet deny the validity of that very same principle when it is named and
their attention is directed to it. This of course is just what is happening
when someone denies the truth of the primacy of existence principle. Most
people who deny its truth will at the same time admit that wishing doesn't make
something true. But do they understand why wishing does not make something
true? The issue of metaphysical primacy is, according to
Many thinkers never stop to consider whether or not there is a relationship
between their consciousness and the objects which they are aware of, let alone
whether there is a proper relationship as opposed to an improper relationship
between subject and object. And yet, since all thought is consciousness in
action, the question of the nature of this relationship is inescapable to one's
understanding of the world, of truth, of values, of society, etc. Why then do so
many resist identifying the proper nature of this relationship? So I ask, do you recognize that there is a relationship between
subject and object? If so, what do you think that relationship is?
Consider what one would be saying if he affirmed that the subject has primacy
over its objects. He would essentially be saying that their identity derives
from what he holds in his consciousness, that his consciousness has final say
as to, not just what to call them, but what they are, what their nature is, what
they can and/or will become, and what range of action is available to them. In
terms of fundamentals, this position is akin to affirming that wishing does
make it so.
One person had stated, "If counsciousness is
simultaneous with existence then this argument is pointless.
'cogito ergo sum, et vice versa' would be my rejoinder." [sic] Statements like this suggest to me that the individual
making it does not understand what is being asked by the question of
metaphysical primacy very well. The subject of awareness is distinct from the
objects it is aware of. A subject does not switch sides with its objects. The
relationship between subject and object is not a relationship of equals, and
this is easy to demonstrate. Fix your attention on an object in your visual
field. Right now I'm looking at the stapler sitting next to my computer. I am
aware of it by means of perception: I am the subject, and the stapler is the
object of my awareness. As the object of my awareness, the stapler had to be
there for me even to be able to perceive it to begin with. In this sense alone
my very perception of the object already implies the primacy of the object - of
existence. My perception of the object certainly did not bring it into
existence. But did my perception of the stapler change it in any way? Or is it
still the same stapler I used yesterday to fasten several sheets together?
Indeed, it is still the same stapler. Did it change colors as a result of my
mere perception of it? No, it did not; it was tan yesterday, and it is still tan today. Did it sprout arms and legs and acquire animation
as a result of my perceiving it? No, it did not. Did it turn into a Ford Taurus
as a result of my perception of it? No, it did not. So already just by
perceiving the object, the truth of the primacy of existence is implicit: the
object remains what it is, and I am simply aware of it.
Now let's try another experiment. Let me compare what I perceive with what I
imagine. While I am looking at the stapler, I imagine it starts to levitate off
the desk it is sitting on. Does the stapler obey me? No, it does not. What if I
imagine that the stapler changes form, turning itself into a tape dispenser. Will it do so as a consequence of my imagining?
No, the object does not obey my imagination; it remains what it was before I
conjured such visions. What about wishing? Suppose I wish the stapler to
levitate off the table top. Does it levitate then? No, it does not. What if I
wish it could speak to me? Does it do so? No, it did not. It is still the same
stapler it was before I wished otherwise. Both imagination and wishing are
actions of my consciousness. But the object of my consciousness did not respond
to these conscious actions. So far, I've not had any luck in influencing the
identity, position or very reality of the object of my awareness by perceiving,
imagining or wishing. So I command the stapler to levitate. What do you think
happened? Did it levitate? No, it did not. It stayed right there - it did not
obey my commands, wishes or imagination.
Let's ask some more questions in an attempt to ascertain the proper
relationship between consciousness and its objects. Can I switch places with
the stapler such that it is aware of me instead of me being aware of it? No, I
cannot. I cannot become a stapler, and the stapler cannot become me. Whatever
relationship obtains between myself as subject and the
stapler as the object of my awareness, it is fixed, it is absolute, it does not
change. And the relationship that obtains is in fact what the primacy of
existence principle says it is. The primacy of existence principle is simply
the recognition that the objects of awareness are what they are independent of
the subject which perceives them, thinks about them, wishes about them, doesn't
know about them, approves or disapproves, etc. This is an ever-present
principle in the sense that it obtains in all instances of the subject-object
relationship of our conscious interaction with reality. Just
as wishing doesn't make it so, existence does not conform to consciousness.
When I get my phone bill and it tells me that I owe my carrier $200.00, my
wishing otherwise will not change this. Why? Because
existence holds primacy over my consciousness. If I become hungry and
there is no food in my cupboards, wishing cans of soup and boxes of crackers to
suddenly populate their shelves will not make them appear. Why? Because existence holds primacy over my consciousness.
The recognition of the truth of the primacy of existence is the essence of the
concept of objectivity. Essentially, objectivity is the consistent recognition
that the object of awareness holds metaphysical primacy over the subject, that
consciousness is a means of awareness of the object, not a cause which brings
its objects into existence. Objectivism is the philosophy which is borne on the
consistent application of this principle to all issues of life. Subjectivism,
on the other hand, constitutes a reversal of the primacy of existence
principle. Subjectivism essentially holds that the subject (consciousness) holds
metaphysical primacy over its objects (existence), and is the metaphysical
basis of the belief that wishing makes truth, that might makes right, that
faith is a means of validating beliefs. Thus, Objectivism is the consistent
application of the recognition that reality does not conform to consciousness
to all spheres of philosophy, while subjectivism constitutes an affront to
this, pretending that reality conforms to consciousness.
Since all reasoning, including the process of proving a conclusion, is conscious
activity, and consciousness is consciousness of something, the primacy of
existence is a necessary precondition of proof. One does not need to prove the
primacy of existence since it is validated in every instance of consciousness
(since consciousness is consciousness of something, and the objects of our
consciousness do not conform to our will). To deny this is to deny the
fundamental nature of consciousness to begin with. As