A far more satisfactory solution to the problem of universals—one which is neither intrinsicist nor subjectivist—was presented by Ayn Rand and is one of the most important contributions of her philosophy of Objectivism. As already noted, if our concepts are to lead us to knowledge of reality, they must derive from that reality. That is, our mental groupings of units into concepts must somehow reflect real similarities and differences among entities.

The entities of reality may differ either in kind or in degree. We grasp differences in kind through the process of concept formation, while we grasp differences in degree through the process of measurement. We may therefore expand our earlier diagram (see right) to include both of these aspects of conceptual consciousness.     Next page
concepts


CONCEPT
FORMATION 		measurements


MEASUREMENT

percepts


PERCEPTION


sensations


SENSE  ORGANS
REALITY
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