What are you thoughts on Ayn Rand and particularly her views on selfishness?

Question

If you're not familiar with her view, or you haven't read her essay on the subject - there is an explanation on this site ; http://www.objectivistcenter.org/cth--406-FAQ_Virtue_Selfishness.aspx

Share your thoughts.

Answer 1

Ayn Rand is one of the most influential figures of the 20th Century. She has made an incredible impact on my life.

The virtues of selfishness as dictated by Ayn Rand objectivism are self evident. Forced collectivism is the ruin of society. The projects of NYC are prime examples of this. That my hard earned money is spent on "undeserved" entitlement programs only saps the initiative and sense of personal responsibility out of the recipients of these entitlements. There are acre and acres of these projects and all they do is keep the poor poor. These populist politicians and community leaders who championed these programs, cultivate this cult of victimhood are pariahs who seek to lower us all to the level of the lowest common denominator and in doing so line their own pockets (e.g a well known politician under ethics review and race baiting community leader who shakes down well known companies for donations not to have them boycotted).

From another perspective, the lowest form of regard for someone is pity. Lesson here is, don't ever put you or your family in a position that you can be pitied. Keep and use your wits about you at all times. Be accountable and take charge of your own life.

Example: If you have been warned for years that a neighborhood is 20 ft below sea level and is ripe for a hurricane strike, use your head and either don't move there or take precautions to evacuate in the eventuality. Don't blame others for your own stupidity.

Answer 2

I think you need to immerse yourself in it and see the bigger picture.     There's a point to be made about FORCED charity, and about the fact that a big part of the reason you look at your own personal balance sheet and think "yeah, I might need to rely on government if this or that happens" is the taxes you've paid so much money in taxes to pay for things that happened to someone else.

Add to that the taxes you pay to finance corporate welfare, earmarks and other pork - - if we all got that back, very few of us WOULD need a "helping hand" financially.

Answer 3

Rand is particularly appealing to poor readers; these are the same who concern themselves with "thoughts", "views", i.e., the vulgar who need instruction from books rather than those who simply find pleasure in the experience of the well-written. Instruction, after all, is what the hurried and impatient prefer over education. Education for them is [viewed as] a tool, a means to an end, not something inherently valuable in itself, worthy of lifelong pursuit, the best life. I LIVE with worthy companions. Indiscriminate selves may indeed SHARE their objective gifts [commodities] indiscriminately with each other: a banal sort of relation belonging to lonely ambition.

Answer 4

There's nothing wrong with purusing one's rational self-interest, but I wonder if her view would have been so extreme had she had children.

I believe (can't swear to it) that she said the reason one would support children is so that when they grow up, one can trade with them. Plausible, considering that she believed even romantic relationships were forms of "trading." Anyhow, I'm a parent and I can assure you that you don't love a child for the value they can return to you.

Between egoism and altruism, I'm for moderation. There's a time for all seasons.

Answer 5

I love her name, and adore the title of her novel "Atlas Shrugged", which I think is perfectly wonderful.  Aside from that, I find her totally unreadable.

Answer 6

I never finished reading Virtues of Selfishness. I think she has it wrong in a lot of ways. She thinks that in order to be an individual you can only care for yourself, to be selfish. There are people who need help and if you don't help them, well you're "individuality" isn't going to save you or them and it' heartless.

I've always gotten this from her ideas: Do what you want, get all that you can get, and who cares is others have nothing as long as you have everything. It's the same idea of child labour and slavery, why care about them as long as you can profit from it? See what I mean?

Answer 7

My thoughts on Ayn Rand are largely positive.  She grew up under less than ideal circumsances in Russia at or near the time of the Communist takeover.  Despite the difficulties of doing so, Rand managed to find freedom in the United States and to live what would have to be considered a full and successful life.

Rand's Objectivism is an interesting philosophy, one which I find very appealing.  One of its more rare qualities is its view of selfishness.  According to Rand, we should all be selfish, but selfish in the sense that we should all act with our own rational self-interests in mind.  This is to be distinguished from the hoarding glutton or the screaming brat, both of whom are acting irrationally and in a manner that fails to serve their own interests.

I think Rand's philosophy is sound on this point.  Rand's philosophy calls upon the individual to secure a livelihood for himself.  This is to be earned through a combination of that person's effort and his capacity to reason.  With this in mind, it is only natural that Rand would call upon people to have a high regard for their own self interests, as our own well-being serves as the prize underlying the drive to sustain one's existence.

Rand does not approve of self-sacrifice, and this is where her philosophy catches a raised eyebrow from most people.  However, definitions are everything when Rand speaks of selfishness, and the same holds true here.  Self-sacrifice, according to Rand, only occurs when one chooses a course of action that runs contrary to his rational self-interest.

Many will criticize Rand for her failure to recognize the virtue of helping others, and it is true that Rand's philosophy does not praise this activity in the same way other philosophies do.  However, helping others is perfectly acceptable to Rand, provided doing so is done in a manner where the helper benefits.  For example, if I help my friend move into his new apartment, I am not engaging in self-sacrifice, for I value his friendship and am happy that his move into his new home will go all the more easier because of my help.  In fact, I'd feel bad about myself if I was not there for my friend when he could really use my help.  Thus, my self-interest is served by engaging in what others might call an act of self-sacrifice.

Unfortunately, we see true acts of self-sacrifice everyday.  The woman who remains in an abusive relationship all for the sake of a man who does not appreciate her has lost her grasp of her rational self-interest.  Similarly, I think Rand would state that the religious zealot who physically beats himself in order to show his commitment to an unseen deity has lost his grasp of his self-interest.  These people are not giving of themselves to serve some greater benefit to their own self-interests.  To the contrary, these people are sacrificing themselves because they have abandoned their proper regard for their own self-interests.  On this point, I agree with Rand.

There are aspects of Rand's philosophy that I still consider and question.  However, her regard for selfishness as a moral good is not one of them.

Thanks for the question.

Answer 8

Randall--she didn't say she disagreed with you. She might be Objectivist herself except for one thing: Why would an Objectivist want to hear other peoples' "thoughts" when she already knows her own on this subject?

Or maybe she doesn't know. But your judgement was too quick. She said nothing about disagreement with you.

And that is what i think about "selfishness." It was in my own rational self-interest to point out to others who read your comment that she said nothing of opinion one way or the other, but actually did Objectivism a favor by introducing it to some people who may never have read what is in her link.