👉 In philosophy, a peony (Japanese: ペオンシズム) is often used as an analogy to refer to a system or concept that seems to be self-replicating and perpetually evolving. This concept was first proposed by philosopher Ayn Rand in his book "The Fountainhead" in 1943, and has since been widely adopted as a metaphor for concepts like free will, progress, and the pursuit of happiness. In this sense, a peonism