The Philosophy of Terry Goodkind

On my philosophy:

I get asked about this quite often, so I want to give readers a bit of insight. Please keep in mind that philosophy is a broad topic and not one that I can address in depth here. This is in no way complete; it is only intended to give a general sense.

Whether they realize it or not, everyone’s actions are driven by their philosophy. Few people fully understand what their own personal philosophy is or how they came by it. Whether or not we consciously realize it, we all need a means to make choices in life. Philosophy is that means. It colors our every thought, points our way in every action we take. It is our roadmap through life. If we don’t think clearly then we formulate a tattered philosophy composed of confused notions, misdirections, misconceptions, and meaningless bromides that will serve us poorly.

I am an Objectivist. Let me say right here, though, that my books are not intended to explain, advance, or promote Objectivism. My intent with my novels is simply to tell a good story. My Objectivist beliefs, however, guide what I think is a good story and how I tell it, just as every writer, whether they realize it or not, is guided by their philosophy. Because our outlook on life — our philosophy — governs our every action, it is essential to have a complete and integrated philosophy in order to live the fullest life possible.

Objectivism is the name Ayn Rand chose for her philosophy. (I believe that she was the most brilliant thinker since Aristotle because the totality of her philosophy is such a seamless coherent whole. I’ve always held views very much the same as hers, but studying her work helped me clarify my own thoughts on philosophy, link concepts I hadn’t fully connected, advanced my understanding of knowledge itself, and helped me grasp how we come to know what we know and how to verify the truth of such knowledge. When I first discovered Ayn Rand in her short novel Anthem, it powered my growing desire to be a novelist and my conviction that I could accomplish such a goal.)

Ayn Rand summed up Objectivism as follows:

“My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute.”

Understanding with clarity my own beliefs is essential for me in being able to write in the way I write, especially since I’m published in the fantasy genre. Objectivism could easily be seen by those who don’t understand it or who know very little about it as contrary to the very idea of a fantasy. It’s not, however, when fantasy is properly used to illustrate important human themes.

I believe that the world we see is real. I don’t hold with the Platonic view of reality. (Plato was an advocate of mysticism. According to Plato, the reality we see is an abstract, imperfect reflection of the real reality that exists in another dimension. These abstracts we see around us cause us to remember the real reality which we had known, before birth, in that other dimension. According to Plato our consciousness controls an illusion we call reality. This is because we are not individuals but all different reflections of the one being who exists in the other dimension, which Plato believed was the real reality. I know, Plato is nuts, but that’s Plato. The thing is, this belief, Primacy of Consciousness, which says that it is our consciousness that controls our reality is, in one fashion or another, the predominant belief today and is the basis for the typical magic in fantasy — real things, or existents, are controlled by magic, which is directed by a person’s consciousness. Our consciousness thus directly shapes reality. We wish for rain, it rains. We wish for victory, we are delivered victory. We wish for a cure to illness, we become well. All controlled by our conscious desires and direction, each of us a mini-god.)

I don’t believe in magic. I’m Aristotelian. (While Aristotle was wrong in some other areas, one of his greatest achievements is as the father of the laws of logic — our means of knowledge. All science is built on Aristotle’s foundational work in logic. Aristotle advocated reason, in polar contrast to Plato’s mysticism. This conflict of belief defines mankind’s ancient struggle to rise out of the savagery of mysticism. It is the Renaissance born out of the Dark Ages, reason out of chaos, freedom out of slavery. Aristotle understood that there is only one reality, which is the one we perceive. Reality, he said, exists as an objective absolute and it is the task of our consciousness to perceive reality, not to create it. Abstractions are man’s means of integrating what is perceived. We perceive what is. A is A, he said — a thing is itself independent of what we may want it to be. In other words, nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed.)

Existence, Identity, and Consciousness are the three irreducible, primaries. These axiomatic concepts are implicit in all knowledge. They are the foundation of reason. Existence exists. Consciousness perceives those things that exist. These axioms can’t be avoided. They must be accepted even to attempt to argue that they don’t exist. For example, you can’t argue a position against consciousness and existence unless you implicitly accept that there is something that exists — consciousness — to perceive the assertion you are making.

Because of my philosophy, my books present magic as an existent — something that exists — just like everything else that exists. Because it exists it has its own identity, just as in the real world where all existents have identity and function according to that identity. A thing is what it is. Carpet can’t have a conversation with you. A chair will not become a cow, either spontaneously or by wishing it to. A thing is itself. I portray magic as having its own identity, just as a chair does, and it, too, must follow the laws of its identity. This is Primacy of Identity, rather than when magic is portrayed as ruled by consciousness, or Primacy of Consciousness.

Those who are ruled by Primacy of Consciousness believe that consciousness can affect reality, affect things that exist. Those who think this way are always at war with reality because reality will not conform to their wishes. Despite their best efforts, reality, stubbornly, refuses to submit to conscious direction. These people are never at peace with themselves because they are always at war with reality.

As an Objectivist I believe that our consciousness is our means of perceiving reality in order to understand it so we can know and use its laws to sustain our existence. It’s as simple as that. Wishing won’t overcome the laws of gravity. You have to build an airplane. Wishing will not keep you warm and dry in the rain. You have to do something — but you must first choose to do something (free will), you must think. Our consciousness, our means of survival, cannot manipulate the nature of reality so we must learn the laws of identity to build a roof over our heads, make a plane fly, a boat float, or to make a ham sandwich. It’s an important distinction in my personal beliefs and in my books. This is the way in which my philosophy drives my work.

How philosophy drives every aspect of human endeavor is a rich but detailed topic. I don’t expect this short explanation to begin to cover it all, but I do hope that it gives clear insight into my beliefs, how important different philosophies are to me, and how fascinating a subject I hold it to be. In much the same way that various philosophies drive mankind’s actions, different beliefs drive all of my characters. To make characters real to readers, one must understand what makes them tick.

When you read about philosophy it’s crucially important to keep in mind that those who try to make it so complex as to be impenetrable to the “lay mind” have a motive for clouding their views: those views won’t stand up to the light of reason. Philosophy, properly, is a roadmap to achieving values in order to live life to its fullest. A ham sandwich is a value because it keeps you alive, and a ham sandwich is not all that complicated. It’s a value. Values exist in reality — values such as food, shelter, accomplishment, happiness.

Simple concepts, like food, are building blocks of more ever complex concepts, such as agriculture, agribusiness, business, business law, law, justice, etc. All true concepts, no matter how sophisticated, can be traced back to things that exist in reality. Thus, truth is inseparable from reality. Truth can be verified.

Our consciousness is capable of perceiving the nature of reality, achieving values, and using them to live to our fullest.

Some people use big words to try to make their beliefs sound scholarly and important or, worse, to hide the fact that their beliefs don’t make any sense. Don’t ever allow such people to bully you with their attempts to make philosophy impossibly complex, or intimidate you into accepting what they say. What this kind of person wants is for you to blindly believe them; they don’t want you to think for yourself.

Reason demands clarity. Whenever presenting your views it is essential to be clear about those beliefs and to frame them rationally. When confronted with reason, some of those without rational arguments or beliefs will frequently switch to personal attacks. Obscenities and insults are the product of an ineffectual mind, merely the crude tools of the enemies of reason and thus the enemies of life. You cannot reason with this type of person; they are incapable of reason. Clarity and reason are tools of truth. Use them to better your own life.

Now that you are armed, go out there into the world and be the best you can be. Rise up and live. You might even make yourself a nice ham sandwich. Maybe with mustard and mayo. That’s philosophy in action, values realized.

Favorite Quotes:

Click here for Terry's favorite Ayn Rand quotes.