The Philosophic Orders Related to Rational Thought
We live in a world where there is such a thing as a cause-effect relationship.
This is an extremely important factor to keep in mind.
We live and are able to continue living only because there is such a thing as reality.
Reality is, and within the world of reality, there is a cause-effect relationship. That
is to say, when a particular action is initiated, we can learn and ultimately predict the consequence
of that act or a series of acts. If this were not true, we could not stay alive. It is absolutely
When we are thinking in terms of cause-effect, we often tend to think that a cause-effect
hookup comes in what we might call isolated pairs. In other words, I would like to attain
Objective X. And I learn through observation and study and experience that A plus B plus
C minus W produces X. And so I put that together just the way I should put it together, and
I get X, and I say hooray. That's how you do it, and X is the desirable good, and therefore
Before I continue to do this, but what I may not have taken into account is that X, once
it arrives, is in itself a cause for future effects down the road. These are other effects
that I wasn't interested in, and probably I didn't even bother to think about them.
I simply thought of reaching X by the least cost, the most efficient method, and so I
I know how to reach X, and what happens after that I am not concerned with, but I should be.
Because, further down the road beyond X, there may be other factors now coming into existence
because of the existence of X that will ultimately sweep around in a great arc and interfere
with my ability to put A and B and C together, and I can't have X anymore. Whereas, if I
If I learned a better way of going at X, maybe I would learn how to increase the likelihood
of A, B and C being available, and I could continue to have X for a long time. You see,
what we need to do is to learn how to be omniscient. And of course we can't. So there is something
else that we have to have as a substitute. Now, incidentally, the development of the
The computer has helped us here because we can feed into a computer all of the known
data that we have in relation to any particular area, and then we can ask the computer to
make mathematical computations relating to the law of probability, and the computer can
can do this so rapidly that it can in only a few minutes' time transcend years and
years of careful mathematical work. And thus we can extend the laws of probability into
the remote future to find out what is probable in terms of the data that have been fed into
to the Computer.
But man isn't a computer.
We cannot do that type of mathematical work, and we don't always have a computer handy
so that we can punch in the information and then activate it and ultimately get a feedback.
But you know, there's an interesting thing.
We don't necessarily need the computer.
If we have done our homework correctly, then we would be able to detect principles.
And a principle which is the known characteristic of the behavior of certain things, singly
or in combination. Once we know the principle, we don't have to do the mathematical prediction.
Because knowing the principle, we are guided on the basis of the characteristics of reality
to get the right answer. And that's what we want to have. The important thing is to
Learn the principles by means of which we can predict not only the consequence of a
plus b plus c minus w equals x, but we can learn the characteristics of a plus b plus
c plus w and plus x, so that we don't have to multiply it out every time. We simply know
on the basis of principle. This is what we want to do.
Now there are several philosophic orders that concern us here. And a philosophy, that's
a big word of course, but actually what it relates to is an overall view of things. All
of us have philosophies of one sort or another. They are simply the composites of what we
We know and the way we think things ought to be as well as the way we think things are.
And we put these together and we have a certain attitude that develops from this.
In the world we live in, we could divide everything in the world into, say, these two philosophic
orders.
We would have what we could call the natural order, and then we would have the man-made
order.
Now these are obviously different.
The natural order would be comprised of all of those things that nature has provided.
That would be all of this earth and the resources of the earth—the air, the water, the soils,
the minerals, the metals, the growing things, plant or animal, or of any other kind, even
the kinds we don't know of.
As long as they have been provided by nature, that would be part of the natural order.
Man himself, for instance, would be a part of the natural order.
And then there's the man-made order. Now, what's that? The man-made order would be
those things that exist in reality which men have brought into existence. And I'm not speaking
here in terms of man's ability to procreate and to have children. That also is a natural
and not a man-made process. What we are talking about here is those things that men make only
only because they have learned the principles respecting reality and then they put the pieces
of nature together in a way that nature doesn't do it. And we come up with new substances,
new products, new gadgets, new devices, new tools, new comforts and conveniences. And all
of these things, although they contain the elements of nature, are of the man-made order.
can make them. You can't go out and pick these off trees. They are put together with the
human mind at work. But this is also a part of reality. So we have these two orders, the
natural order and the man-made order. Of even greater importance to us, I would think, would
be these orders, the order of the objective and the order of the subjective. Now what
are these. Well, the objective order would be that order that is concerned with reality
itself. Another word that you could use in place of objective would be reality or fact.
You could use also the word principle because a principle is always related to the objective
of Order if it is a principle in fact. Men do not invent principles. They discover them.
The principle exists in the nature of things as they are. It relates to the basic, fundamental,
natural characteristics of existing phenomena. So principles, reality, fact, all of these
And really, it's the same thing, would be a part of the objective order. That is to say, it has existence in itself. It is. It doesn't make any difference whether you know that it exists or whether you don't. It exists independent of your knowledge, independent of your judgment, independent of your likes or dislikes. It simply is.
An example of something that is objective, that we know exists, and yet very few of us have any actual direct contact with it, and that would be the other side of the moon.
As you know, the moon circles the earth in such a way that we only see one side of it, the other side is hidden. But it's there.
Is there anyone who would care to contend that the moon does not have another side?
It would be pretty hard to argue logically and conclusively to that effect, that although
you only see the one face, that there isn't another side.
Of course there's another side.
Now the fact that you haven't seen it doesn't take it out of existence.
It's there.
It is objective, it is real, but it is beyond your sense of awareness through anything you
can bring to bear except your sense of logic.
It's got to be there.
If you've got an item that has one face, it must have an opposing face. You may not
know what's there on that face, but whatever is there is there, and that is a fact whether
you know it or not. The same would relate to items that are under the earth. For instance,
if I were to dig down here, right where I'm standing, get right through the building and
go right down into the ground and dig down for 20 feet, I would find something. What
What would I find? I don't know. But whatever it is, it's there now. I don't have to know
what it is. I just know that something is there. Something has got to be there. It would
be something relating to soils, rocks, minerals, metals or something of this sort because it
would be of that genera. It would be a part of reality. It's there. I don't know what
What it is, I don't have to know what it is to know that it is. How do I really know
that it is? Well, in one sense, I really don't know that it is in the sense that I have any
immediate input into my mind on it because I really don't. I simply have a supposition
that it has to be there, and the reason my supposition is a reliable supposition, even
Even though as supposition, is that I know the nature of things. It's got to be there
because that's the nature of things as they are. And that's how we learn about objective
reality. It is there because it has to be there. Thus, if I create a table and I make
If I take the table out of wood, I can predict that the table will be in existence generally
about as long as any piece of wood would be in existence relating to the type and kind
of wood that I used. I would also predict that if I put a table into a given room and
then walk off and leave it in the room, that it doesn't cease to exist. It simply remains
in that room. Well, how do I know the minute I go through the door that it didn't disappear?
Because I know the nature of wood. Wood doesn't disappear. It stays there unless some other
factors that I don't know about are brought to bear on it. So this is how we survive in
this world. We learn the nature of objective reality. We learn the principles respecting
certain things. And then we can predict that it's pretty intelligent to make a table
And this is how we learn to live in this world.
We learn the nature of objective reality.
But the learning process is a fascinating one, and this takes us to the other order, the
subjective order. And this is a very tricky one. As a matter of fact, right now, we have
persons who contend that there isn't any such thing as objectivity at all. They say
it's all in the mind, because you never know anything until you know it. And obviously
that's, of course that's true, but then they say until you know it, it doesn't exist.
as though the mind actually brought into existence the items of reality.
Now the mind is good, but it isn't that good.
The mind doesn't create reality.
It becomes aware of reality.
Of course, reality would have to be there for it to become aware of anything.
And so the mind is that sensitive instrument that we use to coalesce various inputs from
and various sense organs that we have, by means of which we learn that there is a real
world and we learn how to deal with it.
But now there's a very important factor here.
And this is where, you see, we have certain people today, for instance, who insist that
although there may be such a thing as a subjective world, that anything that is subjective is
is an error, and they would contend that they themselves know objective fact.
I want to show you that that is probably an improper approach to reality.
You don't really ever get an objective fact into your mind.
The only facts that you get are related to the objective world, but you obtain them subjectively.
Let me make a little analogy here so that you understand what I'm talking about. Let
me suppose that I have a camera, an extremely sensitive camera, and I bring it into this
room and we'll assume that it has a good lens and that the lighting is correct and
I have good sensitive film. I can aim this camera at the far side of the room and activate
the shutter, and I will take into the camera an image of everything that is on the far
side of the room. Assuming a good camera, a good lens, proper lighting and so forth,
I will have an extremely accurate image in my camera. And then it will be on a negative
plate. I can have it developed and I've got a picture of the far side of the room. Fine.
But that's all I can do. There is no way that I can pick up the far side of the room,
Which is reality, and put that reality into my camera. It won't fit. The only thing I
can get into my camera is an image of the far side of the room. That's all I can do.
That's all I can do with my brain. I cannot put you into my mind. By no possible process
can I pick up reality and stow reality in my mind. All that I can get into my mind is
is an image of reality. And an image of reality is just not reality. It is an image only. And
like any image, it lacks dimension. The mind, of course, has more dimensions than a flat
surface in a camera, a negative plate. But nonetheless, it lacks dimension. I, for instance,
get to know you very well. But I never know your reality. All I ever know is my image
of your reality, and it is lacking in dimension. There is no possible way that I can put into
my mind the multidimensional creature that you are. No way. Just an image. That's all
Now, that doesn't mean to say that the image is wrong. Just as my camera could focus on the far end of the room and bring me an extremely accurate picture of everything that's there, it's only a picture.
What is there is still there. I didn't get it into the camera. I can have an extremely accurate picture of you, but it's not you. It's only a picture. It's an image.
And man is a creature of images. He is a creature of dreams. He deals in the subjective area with ideas, with visions, with dreams, with images.
That's what he has to deal with. They can be accurate images, they can be inaccurate images, but whether they are accurate or inaccurate, they are images.
and he has to deal with them that way. That's what we mean by the subjective order.
The subjective order is the order of the mind. It is an order of imagery.
Wipe out all human minds and everything left will be in the objective order.
The subjective order is that order of imagery created by men.
Now, the important thing to understand here is that that is the way we deal with objectivity.
Thus, no man ever knows what is objective in an objective sense.
He knows what is objective in a subjective sense.
We learn objectivity subjectively.
And that means that every human being, irrespective of how much he knows, could learn more.
There is no total point where we reach absolute saturation and maturation in the area of knowledge.
That's not possible.
The amount that we don't know will probably always exceed the amount that we know.
It's a very humbling thought.
You don't know anything in the total sense that knowing objectivity in your mind would
bring you. Now this does not mean that you are ignorant or stupid or dull or anything
of the sort. On the contrary, you do have knowledge. Now what is knowledge? Actually,
Knowledge is the word we apply, that we make use of, when we have found that the objective
world is accurately portrayed subjectively. It is the combination of the two. Now, if
you have an objective piece of reality out here and you get an impression of it in your
If your mind and your impression is inaccurate, we don't call that knowledge. We say, well, that's a mistake.
We say it's an opinion. Granted that you have an image of reality, but your image is wrong.
This can be. People can have incorrect images. But people can also have correct images.
And that is the point that has to be made.
So many people imagine that if it is in an image, it has to be incorrect. No. Actually,
man is rather good at forming accurate, subjective impressions. They are still subjective, but
they are accurate. As a matter of fact, human beings have a lot going for them. You know,
We had to learn at a very early age that there is a profound, objective difference between
a saber-toothed tiger and a rose bush. And we managed it. We got that figured out a long
time ago. And there was no argument about it. You couldn't make a mistake there and
survive. You have to treat these things quite differently. And if you make a mistake, it
And that will probably be your last mistake. So human beings have very good equipment.
We have very sensitive sensory-perceptive organs. Very sensitive. We pick up subtleties in sound
and color and light. We pick up subtleties of meaning and inference. We are very good
at Picking Things Up. We're very good at putting them out. But it's important that we classify
them accurately if we are going to understand reality and deal with it. Now, obviously,
there wouldn't be any point in having a camera if there weren't something to take a picture
of. The reason cameras were invented is because there's a real world out there that you can
The reason we have brains, the reason we have a mind to use, relates to the fact that there is something out there that we are to get impressions of.
The brain is simply an impression instrument. It deals at a lot of levels.
I've only mentioned one, actually, but there wouldn't be any point in the brain if there
wasn't something in the objective order for the brain to try to understand.
So the argument of the subjectivist that there is no objective order at all, it's all in
the mind, is complete hooey, if you'll pardon that downgrading, because in point of fact,
There wouldn't have been a mind. There would be no reason for it to exist if there wasn't
something of an objective nature for the mind to grapple with and learn to comprehend. If
it's just nothing out there, the mind would not know what to visualize to create anything.
You wouldn't create anything. You would be totally disorganized and the only thing in
existence would be space. And your mind wouldn't even be in existence because that too would
should be space. So, you forget it. The subjective position is not an accurate one. But likewise,
the objective position, or the objectivist position, which tends to assume that subjectivity
is always erroneous, that's not accurate either. The fact that we are dealing with images doesn't
mean that we are wrong. It means that this is the method that we use in order to deal
with Reality. What is important is that we learn to deal with reality. The manner that
we have to deal with reality relates to our subjectivity very well.
Now let's consider some of the functions of the brain, of the mind. The brain of course
is the organ in the skull consisting of several parts. We don't have to get into the physiology
Formation and the Impression Reception. This goes on in the mind.
Now there is another factor in the mind. The mind also has fabulous memory banks. You talk
about the memory banks of a computer. The human mind has a vast memory bank or series
argue, but certainly this is true in a large measure. It is certainly true that we are
able to recall things that we've totally forgotten, seemingly, and yet the impression
is there, way back in the mind, and we recall it, and then bring it to the fore again. Now,
that's memory. This is one of the functions of the mind. We then not only take in images,
But we store them away. We have a vast storehouse, many, many filing cabinets in which we put
things. And, of course, the manner in which we sort things out in our mental filing cabinets
can be just as vital as the way we file letters in an office. If we don't file it correctly,
we end up having a disorderly mind. And then we're confused and we don't know how to
bring forward those bits of information that we have carefully stored there. We just sort
of fall on them helter-skelter and then we seem to be disorganized. And you and I have
met people like that who are disorganized in their memory banks. They just don't remember
what they should and they remember what they shouldn't. This goes on.
Then there is another factor of the mind. The mind is also the instrument of desire,
of Want, of Emotion, the things that we admire, the things that we like, we emotionalize in
our minds. This is done in the mind. Then there is another factor in the mind. We evaluate.
We give preference to various things. We like everything more or less. And this is an evaluation
process in the mind. We infer. We value. We store up knowledge. We form images. We do
all these things in the mind. The mind is a tremendous storehouse, a tremendous tool
by means of which we deal with reality. The important thing for us to keep in mind is
Notice this. We have to live in a real world. The brain, the mind, is our basic tool for
learning how to do it correctly so that we can initiate the proper causes that will take
us to the effects we want, which effects themselves must be understood sufficiently so that they
are not dysfunctional, and thus we can establish successful living, successful operation within
a libertarian context, avoiding tyranny and slavery. And this is what we want to do.
Thanks very much.