Who is an Objectivist?

[Vikram]

Recently, the group saw heated arguments over gun control laws. In my over 30 years as a fan of Ayn Rand and an Objectivist, there have been countless times when I have disagreed vehemently with people whom I would otherwise regard as solidly Objectivist.

Earlier, I would tend to doubt whether they were truly Objectivist and would start to distance myself. But, in the past ten years or so, I have realized that even if one agrees on the core tenets of Reason and Reality, there are many honest errors that I or the other person can make on the facts, the context, or the application of logic in a given situation. Naturally, this will lead to arguments and disagreements. But, this does not automatically mean that one is not an Objectivist. In time the error would be revealed, and only if someone persisted in believing a patent falsehood would they qualify to be disqualified.

So, think twice before you vilify someone for mis-representing Ayn Rand or her philosophy based on their views on a specific issue, unless they are openly repudiating a central tenet like reason or reality. 

The link below is to a podcast by Leonard Peikoff that tackles the same issue. 

http://www.peikoff.com/2009/10/12/i-disagree-with-ayn-rand-on-architecture-as-an-art-form-and-on-the-nature-of-femininity-and-masculinity-but-i-accept-objective-reality-reason-self-interest-and-capitalism-am-i-still-an-objectivis/

Vikram Bajaj