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Selfishness In Ayn Rand's Fountainhead

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Selfishness (Ayn Rand’s opinion and whether or not I agree.) The motives behind selfishness are simple really: to further yourself through your own ambitions without consideration for others. It is often said that selfishness can ruin the best of people. Athletes who are said to be selfish are considered a burden on the team, no matter the benefits they may be able to provide. Children are said to be selfish because they are concerned for their well being first and foremost. Society has played a major role in deciding what characteristics of a person should be admired and which ones should be cast off as undesirable. Unsurprisingly, the idea that anyone should put themselves above the cause for the greater good has been deemed 'unethical,' …show more content…

Howard Roark appears to live by the idea that egotism trumps altruism. Parallel to egotism, runs …show more content…

Imagine what could've happened if every person was concerned about the welfare of their neighbor. They wouldn't think about themselves thus shorting their own chances for survival. We would have been caught in a chain of kindness that nobody would have been able to break out of. Our neighbors would try to help us, and we would try to help them, and neither would actually accept the help. During the trial, Roark had no defense set up other than ten pictures of the temple. His monologue during that time was about how people feed of others work, but no improvements can be made unless we expand our horizons. These “second handers,” have no self respect and only know how to mimic others. Roark argued that if something was made solely by one person, they should have complete say in what happens to their creation, and that is why he blew the Stoddard temple up. Despite what literature and ethical authorities say about Fountainhead, readers will agree with Howard Roark's decisions despite the complete inability to successfully live a life like that in the current society. His selfishness was just and he deserves great respect for the standard at which he held himself accountable to. Theoretically, if everyone could follow Roark's example, selfishness would be the greatest and most honorable attribute that could be

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