According to ethical egoism, as human beings we are by nature self-interested in the sense that we make decisions suitable to our own interests and take others into account afterwards. Consequently, because our moral duty is to enhance self-interest we deem ourselves to be the only individuals with moral significance and do not allow for moral equality. The term self-interest is associated with the fact that most people want to be happy and are more concerned with their happiness than with the happiness of a stranger. Ayn Rand’s theory of ethical egoism addresses this type of ethics and calls her view objectivism. According to Rand’s objectivism theory I think she believes it is irrational to save a stranger over a loved one because it is not …show more content…
Ayn Rand’s theory of objectivism states that every individual is an end in him/herself. Since this is the foundation of the theory this would mean that as individuals we exist to achieve one’s own happiness and do not sacrifice ourselves for others. In order to address why Rand believed her theory was superior to altruism we must point out the flaws found within the concepts of the altruism ethical theory. The ethics of altruism places its moral purpose on helping others and states that to value another being means you must sacrifice yourself. Along with this sacrifice altruism does not allow for individuals to choose whether or not they would perform good acts toward others because according to the theory an act of benevolence should be your duty. As a result of this servitude an individual’s virtue is determined by the degree to which he relinquishes his values. These “values” are any individual and/or object which hold personal and rational importance
At first glance, the book Anthem by ayn rand is pretty good. The book flows nicely and makes you want to stay up reading it instead of sleeping(at least that’s what I did). But there is a lot more hidden in the writing than you might think. In this essay, I will be discuss the topics of the unspeakable word, Objectivism, Rand putting her life into her work, and the possibilities of a connection between Anthem and the book “Uglies” by Scott Westerfeld. Ayn rand is a really smart author, and she has hidden many secrets in her book.
Ayn Rand’s assertion in Anthem is that it shows mankind has had their freedom hidden and it exactly what the book says and shows. One of the quotes in Anthem was “We are one in all and all in on. There are no men but only the great we, one, indivisible and forever”. Anthem’s knowledge is skills, information and practical understanding of a subject. Equality remembers that his “Happiness is not the means to an end”. Relevant quote “Happiness is not a ended”. The purpose of knowledge is it causes us to known things. It helps survival, so therefore it’s often useful and pursued. The way how it benefit mankind is that Equality understands that his invention will benefit mankind greatly. Dystopian societies control knowledge by his images and how
Anthem written by Ayn Rand is a novella about Equality 7-2521 and the dystopian society he lives in. Everything is decided by a World Council and doing anything that makes you stand out is classified as crime, your individuality is seen as a great evil. It is a warning of how putting others in front of yourself is a great evil. So, after all 105 pages, how good was Anthem exactly?
“It is a sin to write this. It is a sin to think words no others think and to put them down upon a paper no others are to see. It is base and evil” (17). Equality 7-2521 was born into a society that portrays a totalitarian rule. The people living in the controlled environment have been taught and brainwashed to know only one thing: the priority of the group over the individual person. Equality 7-2521 is one of the few people raised in the world of collectivism that is born different – filled with curiosity, gifted with intelligence; the difference leads him to believe he is cursed and evil. He was ashamed of his unique qualities and believed that he was a flaw. It is this divergence that makes him believe there is an initial
We base our morals off of society. If society says something is a sin, the majority of us agree that it is a sin. So naturally, when Equality 7-2521 is told that writing for just himself is a sin, he believed it was. Had he been told differently, he would have thought differently. Throughout the story, he continued to believe that writing for just himself was a sin.
By the end of the story, Equality 7-2521 has changed his mind and become very critical of the leaders of his society, denouncing them in moral terms. Do you think he is correct to do so? Why or why not? Do you think he would agree with the advice that Rand offers in her short essay “How Does One Lead a Rational Life in an Irrational Society?”? Explain.
Ayn Rand’s ideology centralizes on the idea that total human individuality is absolute and is obtained only by means of reason, self-esteem, and total worship of virtues. Atlas Shrugged ideal hero, John Galt, is the major example of objectivism and its complex layers. He is the symbol of no guilt, no fear, no submission, and no doubt in the value of the mind. Henceforth, John Galt is the reality that lies behind any human; the use of reason and self-interest as the motor for the improvement of the world; and, in consequence, the natural right to live by the power of thinking.
“What brought it to pass? What disaster took their reason away from men? What whip lashed them in shame and submission? The worship of the word we.” is what Equality 7-2521 thought of on page 102. What Equality 7-2521 describes of is what Ayn Rand calls collectivism, which is production for use and that a person’s own job ignores their aims, desires, and happiness. Early in the story, Equality 7-2521 shows he has a desire to become one of the few people who are chosen to live in the House of Scholars as their job. However, the Council of Vocations decide that his job for the rest of his life should be a street sweeper. Equality 7-2125 believes that the Council of Vocations has made a mistake, however there was sinister motivation of why the
Although Equality 7-2521 acknowledges that his great re-discovery of electricity will benefit all of mankind, that wasn’t his primary motivation for making it. In Chapter V, Equality says, “We can give our brothers a new light, cleaner and brighter, than any they have ever known.” (60). He recognizes that this discovery will completely alter the way his society is set up, presumable for the better. But, as he states later in Chapter VII: “We have lied to ourselves. We have not built this box for the good of our brothers. We built it for its own sake.” (76). Thus, Equality’s primary motivation for conducting his experiments is not to help others, but to help himself. It’s his own curiosity to find the extent of his abilities and power that drives
There is little doubt that Rand’s representation of individuality in Anthem aligns with her own Objectivist philosophy. In Anthem, the City’s emphatic view toward collective achievement carries a strong sense of altruism. However, Rand perceives the concept of altruism with great disdain, believing that this does not promote a positive, egalitarian society. Rather, she views it as an exploitative relationship between the leaders who enforce equality and the citizens of said society. In one of Rand’s speeches, she proclaimed that altruism promoted a sense of morality based on guilt rather than human nature; in conjunction with this claim, she describes altruism as a contributor to dictatorships that prioritize compromising individuality
Ayn Rand's Anthem shows us her view of our world united under what seems to be communist rule. For example their view of right and wrong; which Anthem portrays is a system of very strict rules which mainly make sure that everyone is involved in a collective role within the society in this system no one is considered an individual or that they can even think as an individual.
brought them for a civilization where the word ?I? did not exist to a world
Vision a lifestyle where one perceives it as a sin to comprehend data more efficiently than of one’s peers; a felony to long for things that others do not wish upon. Where floods of white tunics and austere minds obliterate the Earth. A colony built upon leaders who asphyxiate anyone from infatuation of any object or significant being; moreover, a world suffocating in collectivism. Through exasperated transcription, Anthem brings about such a community; nevertheless, a world of black and white. Ayn Rand does not overemphasize the effects of totalitarianism, but amplifies it so that it is more effortless for one to enlighten he or she’s notion on the particular proposal. First, by analyzation of “Equality 7-2521”, and
“When one acts on pity against justice, it is the good whom one punishes for the sake of the evil; when one saves the guilty from suffering, it is the innocent whom one forces to suffer.”
How should we live our lives? Do you live for others or for yourself? What do you deem to be the ideal: selflessness, or selfishness? Why? Ayn Rand’s novel The Fountainhead addresses these issues and her philosophy behind it called Objectivism. Her rebellious rhetoric is to convince us that the only true virtue is selfishness and that we should abide by its standards and live for ourselves.