ipl-logo

Ayn Rand's Argument Against Ethical Egoism

566 Words3 Pages

The philosopher Ayn Rand believed that an individual’s life is of the utmost importance, as is her well-being. She knew that altruistic ethics require individuals to sacrifice their own wellbeing and lives for the sake of others. With ethical egoism, and will value their own wellbeing above all others. So, she was for ethical egoism. Ayn Rand also had an argument against ethical egoism believing it is a mistake to treat the interest of some individuals as being less important than the interest of others. She thought on the fact that your interest is yours is not relevant to their importance relative to the importance of the interest of others. So, it is a mistake to treat your own interests as if they are more important than the interest of others. Personally, I agree with Ayn Rand’s view supporting ethical egoism. I’ve realized that I only do whatever I choose to do for my own self benefit and self-interest. Living life seems to be about survival and happiness which means having a good wellbeing. There is rarely ever a motivation for a person to do something for somebody else unless they get something out of it. For example, I could volunteer my time to help in a soup kitchen, but in return I most likely will want to be …show more content…

We think of ourselves all the time, and even if we think we are putting others first most of the time we really aren’t. People in general are selfish for their own well-being. People typically strive for their goals, dreams, and views of what success is. Nobody wants to miss out on opportunity to get what they want in life, so the big question is “Why possibly sacrifice your opportunity for the sake of another person?” You only live one life so your best to go ahead and take your shot at opportunity. The general mindset of most people is why focus on other’s interest when I already have mine to focus on in this

Show More
Related

  • Compare And Contrast Anthem And The Scarlet Ibis

    988 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ayn Rand’s method and use of vocabulary explained their findings and the way they experienced their findings stayed inspirational “[Such as] never had we seen rooms so full of light. The sunrays danced upon colors, colors, more colors than we thought possible” (90). Subsequently, these items were so forbidden to Equality and Liberty the way they described their findings was exalting, “We found a room with walls made of shelves, which held rows of manuscripts, from the floor to the ceiling” (95). If Equality did not contemplate himself first, then discovering the wall of the books or the house with Liberty would never have occurred because, they remained in their city performing their jobs and would not have met each other. In addition, they were to gain their own process of philosophies about issues, with more of an open opinion and the many ways they could act upon or us their egos to guide their judgments through

    Read More

  • Summary Of Anthem By Ayn Rand

    1102 Words  | 5 Pages

    In her eyes, if the government or any organization gives to the less fortunate than they should be looked down on. This is because if they give to them they are, in the end, not looking out for his or her self interest because they will become too dependent on that support and will eventually be living off this. This completely goes against the views of Ayn Rand which completely and utterly supports self independence. This is why the book was written as a warning not something that was eminent, just something that people should think about next time they want support. However, in my opinion I think that people should get the support they need but not necessarily from the

    Read More

  • Why Did Ayn Rand Believe In Objectivism?

    585 Words  | 3 Pages

    Why did Ayn Rand believe in Objectivism? Is relying on yourself for every situation a good thing? Ayn Rand grew up with lots of political influence in her home country Russia. Ayn Rand’s books were very controversial in the political side of things she went along with a lot of objectivism, which in simpler form means that you can only use rational self-interest to survive.

    Read More

  • Ayn Rand's Anthem Analysis

    292 Words  | 2 Pages

    The novel “Anthem” by Ayn Rand was a short heartwarming story that was set in the future presumably after World War 3. In Anthem the society uses Collectivism; they live in groups and put the group above individuals. These people live similar to an ant colony their only purpose for existence is for the overall good of the whole. With this being said, people are not to see themselves as anything more than part of the group.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Anthem By Ayn Rand

    1560 Words  | 7 Pages

    This violates the principles of Objectivism by mankind being taught to be irrational, although rationality is a natural quality of any human. In addition, “‘... he must work for his rational self-interest, with the acheivement of his own happiness as the highest moral purpose of his life.’ Thus Objectivism rejects any form of altruism- the claim that morality consists in living for others or society” (Rand 261). So, Rand’s opposition to altruism is shown by the beliefs of Equality’s society by them also violating her philosophy.

    Read More

  • Identity In Ayn Rand's Anthem

    295 Words  | 2 Pages

    In order to counteract this sociological phenomenon, the late Ayn Rand’s Anthem should be required reading for all high school students. Although I have several intellectual qualms with the book’s author, its core message is incredibly powerful: even in the midst of oppressive powers, individualism is the most important aspect of the self. The main character discovers in his brief adventure that his ultimate purpose in life can only be created by himself, not by anyone else. He learns that it is more important to be a freethinking individual with a unique personality than to become one of the many impressionable robots of which his society is

    Read More

  • The Theme Of Objectivism In Anthem By Ayn Rand

    806 Words  | 4 Pages

    Men are said to live for their brothers' happiness and one shall not be selfish. Equality strives away from society’s norms bit by bit and begins to reason that after discovering the lightbulb he was committing an act of selflessness. Later on when he runs away to the Uncharted Forest, he observes his surroundings and begins to reason with the world and why it looks the way it does. He says that he cannot change how the world is to be perceived and that facts are facts. In response to Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, the first tenet is metaphysics.

    Read More

  • Moral Assessment Of Anthem Essay

    792 Words  | 4 Pages

    Moral Assessment of Anthem In Ayn Rand’s novel, Anthem, Equality lives in a communist society that believes everyone must work for and be exactly like one another. For much of the novel, he believes what the Council of Vocations tells him, despite his intelligence and independence. By the end of the book, he realizes that the idea that everyone is the same and must work for each other is flawed. He deserves to live his own life and enjoy himself.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Individuality In Ayn Rand's Anthem

    517 Words  | 3 Pages

    The author of the book Anthem, Ayn Rand, believes that one’s own individual choices and needs are more significant than everyone else’s. Her book Anthem shows this in countless ways. The main character Equality 7-2125, later known as Prometheus, learns to think individually and believes that individuality is more valuable than humanity as a whole. Since Rand wrote the main character to believe this, it makes since that she would believe this too.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Individuality In Anthem By Ayn Rand

    705 Words  | 3 Pages

    Individuality allows every person to be themselves and be different from each other. However, In Ayn Rand’s novella Anthem, Rand describes a society where the people were not allowed to openly be themselves, or else they would be punished for being different. The main character, Equality, notices he is different slowly throughout the novella, but kept continuing to be like everyone else for awhile. These rules exist in this society to strip human individuality in order to achieve total equality.

    Read More

  • Self Sacrifice In The Book Night By Elie Wiesel

    814 Words  | 4 Pages

    People are often think of themselves and base their actions on what would harbor the best outcomes for them. It is rare in which people would go out of their way to help other even when it won’t harm them to do so. Therefore, it goes to show, based on that pattern, that the

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Rules In Ayn Rand's Anthem

    1042 Words  | 5 Pages

    Could you imagine living in a world where you were not your own individual? In the book Anthem, by Ayn Rand, everyone is the same and no one can be “better” or more intelligent than each other. In this book, the characters can not even speak the word “I” without getting executed. Think about having rules that restrict individuals from having their own thoughts, ideas, and opinions. In the book Anthem, the readers will discover that these rules and restrictions become a reality.

    Read More

  • Collectivism And Selfishness In Ayn Rand's Anthem

    594 Words  | 3 Pages

    Selfishness and selflessness can be balanced, and this balance is crucial to a functioning

    Read More

  • Essay On Equality And The Golden One In Ayn Rand's Anthem

    948 Words  | 4 Pages

    His mindset soon becomes to be very selfish even by ignoring Liberty. Rand gives her theme of selfishness that she believes would benefit us all if we would only try

    Read More

  • Ethical Egoism In The Movie Rain Man

    1044 Words  | 5 Pages

    Ethical Egoism is a simplistic approach to morality which reduces notions of justice and ethics to mere self-indulgent desires. This philological approach asserts that an action which satiates an individual 's desires or inclinations is right, while an action that goes against an individual 's wishes is categorically immoral. In sum, Ethical Egoism puts the individual 's wants, interests, and aspiration at the forefront of morality. The movie Rain Man is riddled with instances and scenarios of the protagonist Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) employing Ethical Egoism. In fact, the entire premise of the movie and the development of the plot rely on Charlie continually using Ethical Egoism to make decisions.

    Read More

More about Ayn Rand's Argument Against Ethical Egoism

Open Document