`` The Public Good Be Damned ``

A man who murders another is considered immoral, while one who showers his community with money through philanthropic acts is considered morally right. Many people believe morality only includes two polar opposite acts of right and wrong. Ayn Rand illustrates in Anthem Equality’s view on what is just, as shown by the quote, “It is my will which chooses, and the choice of my will is the only edict I must respect” (Rand 36). This excerpt starkly depicts Equality’s main goal of a future, individualistic society based on his own perceived morality, which is oneself before others. In contrast, the collectivist and restraining society keeps a core principle of, "What is not done collectively cannot be good... " (Rand 27). Looking at both of these examples from Anthem and respective moralities of Equality’s future society and Equality’s original society, one might think that these two communities share no common moral standards.

The practices of a collective society such as the one in this book disregard all belief in the individual. By doing this, the society and its leaders brainwash the people into having no personal priority or authority. Everything is done with the betterment of the entire group in mind, no sense of self involvement. Their life is fated in almost every

Ceaseless collectivism is not something that can be forced upon a community. Ayn Rand’s novel Anthem conveys this through the writings of Equality 7-2125, a man willing to stand up to the collectivism of the society he is confined to. Anthem not only shows how dull and lifeless a society can be with a lack of individuality in its people, but also reveals how one person can significantly impact a community. This novel displays the importance of individualism through Equality’s thoughts and actions. This includes when he reinvents electricity in the tunnel, falls in love with Liberty, and when he completely separates himself from society.

Thoreau believed that people should follow their own consciences rather than societies. Alex’s beliefs parallel Thoreau’s in the way that Alex did not conform to anybody’s rules and did not agree with the government. “How I feed myself is none of the government’s business.” (Krakauer 6).

I share this view of society with Emerson: “Society is a joint-stock company, in which the members agree, for the better securing of his bread to each shareholder, to surrender the liberty and culture of the eater. The virtue of request is conformity. Self-Reliance is its aversion.”

Utilitarianism is a moral theory according to which an action is right if and only if it conforms to the principle of utility. An action conforms to the principle of utility if and only if its performance will be more productive of pleasure or happiness, or more preventive of pain and happiness, than any alternative. The rightness of an action entirely depends on the value of its consequences, this is why the theory is described as consequentialist. The “separateness of persons” is an objection against utilitarianism stating that the theory fails to recognize people as distinct individuals. It rejects the allowance of one person’s loss to be offset by another person’s gain, and it is only the net sum total that ultimately matters. Recognition of the “separateness of persons” is needed to put constraints on such trade offs. In this essay I will lay out the theory of utilitarianism and explain the “separateness of persons” objection presented by John Rawls and Robert Nozick. Ultimately I do think they present a successful argument, since utilitarianism is detached from individuals it can lead to grotesquely immoral consequences when put into practice.

After spending a night in jail, after nonpayment of Massachusetts poll tax, Thoreau wrote his essay “Civil Disobedience”. He states that governments are mostly “inexpedient” (1577), or not practical. At best, Thoreau pushed the idea that the government isn’t useful because it is not our own. He writes “What makes this duty the more urgent is the fact that the country so overrun is not our own, but ours is the invading army” (1580). Americans listen to the rules established by the government, but it is not necessary, because the government is just the majority of people with whom are living off a different countries rules. The reason the government is even there, is because it gives the citizens some type of stable structure to live by. Thoreau feels that the government is unjust and the citizens of America should not follow rules. He feels like a reform is in need; “It is not a man’s duty, as a matter of course, to devote himself to the eradication of any, even the most enormous, wrong” and “not to give it practically his support” (1582). Thoreau and Emerson both push for social reform of the individual. Emerson wants the individual to be reliant on themselves, and not fall into the conformity of the American society. Thoreau, also teaches the individual to think different then the governmental established rules. Both authors want the readers to trust themselves, before they trust the

A similar struggle is seen in The Fountainhead. The main character of that novel, . Howard Roark, has to defend himself in court after dynamiting a government housing project that he designed. An agreement was made that the project would be built exactly as designed, but it wasn’t, so Roark made a protest against collectivism by destroying the project. He ends up in court. He then delivers a moving speech titled “The Soul of an Individualist”. In it he proclaims his individualism, and denounces collectivism as a parasitic system in which no one can achieve anything or truly live. “I came here to say that I do not recognize anyone’s right to one minute of my life. Nor to any part of my energy. Nor to any achievement of mine. No matter who makes the claim, how large

In today’s society, a lot of people tend to take for granted what they have. Every once and a while, something drastic will ensue them, and that’s when they finally grasp what’s been right in front of them the whole time. In many different societies, for example the societies in The Hunger Games, and Anthem, the individuals that are living there are forced to listen to the ruler, or rulers, do not have an opinion in some of the choices that are made for them, and are also forced to accept the rule of selflessness. Based on the themes of the Power of Knowledge, the Image of Self, and the Consequences of Free Will, the novella, Anthem, and the

Henry David Thoreau uses Aristotle’s appeals in his essay “Civil Disobedience” to convey his beliefs and to convince others to think how he does. He wants people to realize how truly flawed the American system of government is, he does this by showing how he has been personally wronged by the government and how he knows the government can take control of you.

Individuality arises when an individual encounters and endures a life, taking their first step with their family which is the first society an individual faces. Through their lives, individuals promote their own exclusive originalities, while Ayn Rand’s novella Anthem characterizes a totalitarian society suppressing individualism. In the society depicted in Anthem, individualism is oppressed by the society imposing children live away from their families which is one form of totalitarian dictator’s authority. The intention of totalitarian dictators enforcing the arrangement of children living apart from their families is to impede individualistic society- avert dissimilarities transpiring in the process of family influences in education, forfend the enlightenment of emotions, and the establishment of collectivism.

Henry David Thoreau in his speech-turned-essay, Civil Disobedience, makes the case for individuals to be self-sufficient and independent. Thoreau’s purpose is to illustrate the importance of those qualities in everyday life and how someone should always keep these unwavering principles throughout their existence. Utilizing diction, imagery and syntax, Thoreau adopts a forthright tone to invoke independent thinking, action, and self-contemplation in the American populace.

To begin, Ayn Rand shows the negative side of collectivism with the creation of the main character Equality 7-2521. Rand’s strong beliefs had her create a whole character that is against the large idea of collectivism. In Anthem, it starts off by saying, “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” (Rand 17). Collectivism portrays the idea of being an individual as a sin. Because Rand is being derogatory, she makes collectivism seem wrong. The character is breaking the rules that he grew up learning and being forced to obey. Throughout the book, Equality 7-2521 continues to take his own path and become an individual against collectivism. Rand explains in the story Anthem, “This is a great sin, to be born with a head which is too quick. It is not good to be different from our brothers, but it is evil to be superior to them” (Rand 21). The word “evil” is often associated with demons and the devil, so Rand's use of that word sets the tone of negativity. Collectivism makes the people feel guilty for being born with the ability to learn and comprehend schooling at a faster rate than others. This dystopian world is warped; instead of being praised and acknowledged for being advanced, they have to keep it to themselves and pretend to be normal when they aren't.

In agreement with Thoreau, an anonymous author explains how human existence separates from its essence due to a preoccupation with financial prosperity. In the National Anti-Slavery Standard, an obscure anti-slavery newspaper from 1854, the author states, "The life exhibited... teaches us that this Western activity of which we are so proud, these material improvements, this commercial enterprise, this rapid accumulation of wealth, are very easily overrated" (8). Thoreau understands the harmful effects of modernization and relinquishes his responsibility to society in order to discover his connection with the natural world, and shows us how to achieve the same through his

In a specific adaptation of the debitor-creditor relation that was discussed earlier, we owe our ancestors a debt of gratitude for making our society prosperous, at least to the extent that we continue to exist. The more prosperous the society in which an individual find himself, the more debt he find himself owing. It is this situation man is forced to suppress his natural instincts, particularly his will to power, in order to be a social animal reaping the benefits of society. This ironically is done for the sake of survival. “I regard the bad conscience as the serious illness that man was bound to contract under the stress of the most fundamental change he ever experienced—that change which occurred when he found himself finally enclosed within the walls of society and of peace... in this new world