Ethical Egoism In Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead

Collectivism is a very common theme in Ayn Rand’s writing. From Anthem to The Fountainhead, her opinion is very clear: individualism is the source of freedom and joy, while collectivism is the root of sorrow and slavery. In Anthem, the main character, Equality 7-252, has grown up in a collectivist society that has remained strong for centuries. In that society, no one has had the choice to do what they want to do, love what (or who) they love, and simply be who they are. That society praises the idea that men live only for each other. Living for oneself is evil, a Transgression. The idea of “I”, “Me”, and “Mine” has disappeared, dragging the precious words along with it. Throughout the plot, Equality 7-2521 is seen both unintentionally and intentionally defying his society. At first, he condemns himself, describing his evil acts and mind and labeling his different mindset as a curse. “We were born with a curse. It has always driven us to thoughts which are forbidden.” (Rand 18) He is also condemned by others, for things he cannot control. He is taller than most other people, he has preferences for what he wishes to become, and he has ideas and opinions. Yet when his life assignment is Street Sweeper, he rejoices. He sees that as a way to pay penance for his sins. Later on, however, he embraces his individuality. “I am. I think. I will.” (Rand 94) He is the first to accept the idea of individuality for centuries, and helps others accept it, too.

What lies at the heart of each character of The Fountainhead is their own central principle, idea and drive. Roark, the hero and protagonist, embodies creativity, efficiency, independence, and reason. On the other hand, Lois Cook is the avatar of a notorious logical fallacy—the Appeal to Novelty. This fallacy states that because something is novel and never-before-seen, it is automatically better than an existing predecessor; the only criterion used to measure greatness is modernism. While this fallacy may be a rebellion against the familiar, conceivably stagnating “don’t fix it if it ain’t broke” mentality, it manages to be only a complete reversal of the philosophy, providing no further reasoning as to why the novelty is actually better.

David Shoemaker provides two theories of egoism in the text--psychological theory and ethical theory. Psychological egoism is the claim that all actions are done solely for the sake of one’s own self-interest. Ethical egoism simply states that all actions ought to be done for the sake of one’s own self interests. Shoemaker elaborates stating ethical egoism is the more attractive theory.

Throughout the Novel The Fountainhead the main conflict between Individualism and Collectivism is put on display. Howard Roark, the embodiment for individualism, creates buildings that are not currently accepted in society. Throughout the course of the novel he is fighting Ellsworth Toohey, the embodiment of collectivism. Toohey feels that people should do what everyone likes and individuality should be non-existent. These two ideas couldn’t be more different and are constantly clashing.

Ayn Rand was a woman born and raised in Russia. She is what one would call a very dauntless woman when it comes to her personal thoughts, and she is not fearful of sharing her said thoughts. She is a strong believer of Ethical egoism, to look out for one’s own self interest, and her blunt fashion of voicing her thoughts shocked most of the public. She also wrote a book, Anthem, as if to show what would happen if we solely relied on our government and fellow man, how we would revert to a time before technology and almost have a Hungergames type of segregation. Now, the government of today is not like the one described in Ayn Rand’s book, however, government official Rand Paul referenced her writings in his argument against the Energy Independence act of 2007, and may have unintentionally compared the two governments. There is no right or wrong way to claim his action as. Many believe it was incorrect to make this reference,

It is easy to see how Dominique might feel that Howard is better off being unsuccessful. His work goes against every idea society has at the time, and as such, people rarely understand or appreciate it. When explaining why she left him, Dominique says, “she had run from the dread of seeing him hurt by the world” (Rand 613). She believes he has no chance to succeed when the public opinion is so consistently inconsistent with true talent. The people of the world will do everything to tear down an independent man like Roark, and she knows it. She recognizes his genius, and knows how much it will pain her to see the far inferior society mocking it. By ensuring that Peter Keating, a mediocre architect who does everything society expects, gets most of Howard’s

He was the person with ego and integrity that personified everything considered as a virtue by Rand. Howard was an individualist who had built himself to be the person who he want to be and lived the life that he wanted to live. In the book, he has his own principles and refused to change because the need of the others. He individually walked down the road being armed with nothing but his own vision of how he want things to work out for him. The unchanging of Howard's personality and integrity throughout the whole story symbolizes the success of individuals over the second-handers of the society. In the book, Howard told Peter this when Peter asked Howard to design the Cortlandt, "‘The only thing that matters, my goal, my reward, my beginning, my end is the work itself.'" (Rand 579). Concerning others other than himself was never his first concern. His first only concern was his own motivation, and he only thought of himself and act on his own

Psychological egoism is the view that people are always selfish. When was the last time you did a good deed? Did you do it for its own sake, or for your own? The egoist says that all of us are necessarily self-regarding. I shall argue that this view is incorrect.

Ethical egoism holds that moral conduct ought to be judged through self-interest. Ethical egoism states that the good consequences for the individual outweigh the consequences placed upon others. In egoism, actions could be considered ethical for the individual if the one taking the action is benefited, while any benefit or detriment to the welfare of others is a side effect and not as important as the consequences for the individual.

Ethical Responsibilities of a Business, the basic premises based on Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand Introduction & Discussion Atlas Shrugged is a Novel which was by Ayn Rand with an attempt to showcase the morality of rational self-interest by exploring the consequences of a strike by intellectuals refusing to supply their inventions, art, business leadership, scientific research, or new ideas to the rest of the world. The author supports capitalism through the promotion of intellectual capacity, hardwork, and free capital markets and portrays how a corrupt society that doesn’t carries ethical values downplays overall welfare of the society (Rand, Ayn 1997). Liberal productive minds are left with no option but to keep off the business activities due to deplorable unfriendly government policies

Roark being a person who believes in individualism, designs modernized buildings. Even though he was offered many jobs to design traditional buildings, he declines them. His defining moral characteristics are his individualism and integrity. He guides every aspect of his existence by his own judgment, making him successful. Unlike Wynand, Roark believes the fully virtuous man

At the heart of Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead is the rejection of self-sacrifice for the collective good. Howard Roark, a self-proclaimed egotist, represents moral integrity and the refusal to conform, while Peter Keating represents the submission and cowardice of the altruistic masses. Men with power, such as Ellsworth Toohey, use this submission to manipulate and maintain dominance over society. Through Roark’s dismissal of Ellsworth Toohey, he also dismisses what he sees as the plague of society that is collectivism, central to the novel’s theme of the supremacy of the individual.

Originality is a hard trait to maintain, it can change due to the expectations of the public causing people to change their trait. This can cause a person to lose their originality and influences them in a bad manner. Ayn Rand challenged this ideology and through her novels, she proved that individuality is a better philosophy. Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead is an attack on collectivism, an entity overpowering creativity and individualism.

Ayn Rand's first major success as a writer came with The Fountainhead in 1943. In The Fountainhead, Howard Roark is the centerpiece of Ayn Rand's philosophy as he rejects the demands of his peers and remains loyal to his own creative vision. Roark is a reflection of Rand's ideals.His unwillingness to compromise his designs to appease clients, eventually forces him to closedown his office. Ayn Rand stated“ The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me.” By using four competitive architects; Roark,Keating,Francon,Heyer Rand is able to strategically reflect her ideals that she challenges to introduce into society. The habit of being independent and self-reliant reflects the meaning of individualism. The ideal of giving

Objectivism is defined as “an ethical theory that moral good is objectively (based on facts rather than feelings or opinions) real or that moral precepts are objectively valid.” (Webster). Demonstrated by Ayn Rand in the book, The Fountainhead, objectivism seems to most, to be morally wrong, and socially impractical, despite seeming to be a stress-free way of life. In The Fountainhead, Howard Roark does not see relationships as necessary, but as a means to an end. For America to be purely objectivist would tear the country apart, in the sense that “normal social relationships” would no longer exist, but hatred and racism would become obsolete. A democratic government would be unable to succeed because no one would look at issues from