The evil of a robber does not lie in the fact that he pursues his own interests, but in what he regards as to his own interest; not in the fact that he pursues his values, but in what he chose to value; not in the fact that he wants to live, but in the fact that he wants to live on a subhuman level . The book contains 19 essays, 14 of them written by Rand and five by Branden, plus an introduction written by Rand. One theme of this book is that morality is a matter of principle, not divine revelation or subjective desire. One is free to avoid them.” … This idea is tied to ancient notions of self-sacrifice as a virtue, with selfishness framed as its antithesis. What are political rights? If any of these are gained, then selfishness contaminates the deed and lowers its moral value. Her other essays engage a variety of ethical topics, often challenging common perspectives on such issues as compromise and moral judgment. . In, Den Uyl, Douglas J. and Rasmussen, Douglas B. . [3] Rand acknowledged in the book's introduction that the term 'selfishness' was not typically used to describe virtuous behavior, but insisted that her usage was consistent with a more precise meaning of the term as simply "concern with one's own interests". Only when one answers these questions, Rand argues, is one in a position to evaluate egoism and altruism as good or evil. The Virtue of Selfishness is a collection of essays presenting Ayn Rand’s radical moral code of rational selfishness and its opposition to the prevailing morality of altruism —i.… Moreover, the world would be a far better place if more people chose to live a rational, conscious life. [13] Gladstein reported that a number of contemporary reviews compared Rand's views to existentialism. Selfishness is not a virtue Written by Bob Sage on September 3rd, 2007. The Virtue of Selfishness Introduction 1. In her essay “Man’s Rights,” Rand presents her case for individual rights — moral principles that spell out one’s proper sphere of freedom — and grounds the rights to life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness that were America’s founding principles. It means living by the judgment of one’s own mind and by one’s own productive effort — and enjoying the results, materially and spiritually. "[16], Presley, Sharon. There is a fundamental moral difference between a man who sees his self-interest in production and a man who sees it in robbery. How much sacrifice is required? It includes a collection of essays by Rand and a few notable contributions from Nathaniel Branden. Read this book using Google Play Books app on your PC, android, iOS devices. The Virtue of Selfishness (1964) is an argument in favor of self-interest and capitalist economics.At the time of its publication, it was a bold and original assertion of a new moral creed. In such articles as “The Ethics of Emergencies,” “Collectivized Ethics” and “The ‘Conflicts’ of Men’s Interests,” Rand argues that we need to reconceive the place of the welfare of others and of the individual in ethics, and to question the idea that the interests of rational men conflict. [8] Philosophy professor Stephen Hicks wrote in the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy that Rand's "provocative title" was matched by "an equally provocative thesis about ethics". Who’s entitled to benefit from others’ sacrifices? I don't think there's any need to have essays advocating selfishness among human beings. What’s the rational function of government? . A collection of essays that sets forth the moral principles of Objectivism, Ayn Rand’s controversial, groundbreaking philosophy. of course, deal only with those basic issues where The Virtue of Selfishness and Rational Man overlap. . Uncomfortable with Rand's comparison of Kennedy to Adolf Hitler, Cerf asked that Rand choose a different title essay. The above parallels. "Life, Teleology, and Eudaimonia in the Ethics of Ayn Rand". Mental Health versus Mysticism and Self-Sacrifice, Nathaniel Branden (1963) 3. It is commonly believed that morality demands we choose between sacrificing other people to ourselves (which is deemed “selfish” and therefore immoral) and sacrificing our own values to satisfy others’ needs (which is deemed unselfish and therefore moral). Many readers, like S. Curtis, struggle with the bad connotation of the word selfish and miss the distinction between rational self-interest and whimsical self indulgence. Ayn Rand chose this book’s provocative title because she was on a mission to overcome centuries of demonization. Fortunately, I was able to overcome my initial skept… She rejected this request and dropped Random House (as well as ending her friendship with Cerf), choosing New American Library as the publisher for her new book. This daring work is sure to challenge many deeply held ideals. The O’Neil Disciples, Dr. Chris Kacher and Gil Morales, co-authors of “Trade Like an O’Neil Disciple: How We Made 18,000% in the Stock Market”, and and top performing portfolio managers for legendary investor William O'Neil, show you how to gain a material edge in today’s market Isn't Everyone Selfish?, Nathaniel Branden (1962) 6. Debate then centers on details: Should we serve an alleged God or substitute “society” for God? The Virtue of Selfishness is a short book, so this will be a relatively short review of it. “No philosopher has given a rational, objectively demonstrable, scientific answer to the question of why man needs a code of values. The selfish individual, Schwartz maintains, lives by reason, not force. What about the needs of others? He lives by production and trade, not by theft and fraud. How do we decide who should be the beneficiary of our actions? Branden's essays, such as "Counterfeit Individualism" and "The Psychology of Pleasure", present a more psychology-focused view of morality. If you have this, there will be none that can withstand your logic. “Yet . there is a fundamental moral difference between a man who sees his self-interest in production and a man who sees it in robbery. . Book Rating: 2/5; Ayn Rand writes a mean novel. The Virtue of Selfishness is a collection of essays written by Ayn Rand and her associate, psychologist Nathaniel Branden. A properly defined principle — one that identifies an actual truth about human action — should be acted upon consistently, never compromised. But, a book about selfishness seemed a bit too much, even for me. Ayn Rand – THE VIRTUE OF SELFISHNESS 7 Yet that is the meaning of altruism, implicit in such examples as the equation of an industrialist with a robber. The Objectivist Ethics, Ayn Rand (1961) 2. [9], The idea of creating a collection of Rand's essays initially came from Bennett Cerf of Random House, who had published two of Rand's previous books, Atlas Shrugged and For the New Intellectual. A young man who gives up his career in order to support his parents and never rises beyond the rank of grocery clerk is regarded as morally superior to the young man who endures an excruciating struggle and achieves his personal ambition. In this collection of articles, Rand offers a “new concept of egoism” based on reason as man’s means of survival and opposed to all forms of sacrifice. Objectivist Conferences (OCON) and the Ayn Rand Institute eStore are operated by ARI. Ayn Rand's "The Virtue of Selfishness" is possibly the most liberating treatise on human living ever put to pen. “Yet the exact meaning and dictionary definition of the word ‘selfishness’ is: concern with one’s own interests. Her fresh, provocative answers cast new light on what it means to be genuinely selfish. “A trader,” she writes, “is a man who earns what he gets and does not give or take the undeserved. Most of the essays originally appeared in The Objectivist Newsletter. . The Virtue of Selfishness - Kindle edition by Rand, Ayn, Nathaniel Branden. He disavows the mindlessness of the do-whatever-you-feel-like emotionalist, and upholds rationality as his primary virtue. “There can be no compromise on basic principles or on fundamental issues,” Rand writes. The exception was the book's first essay, "The Objectivist Ethics", which was a paper Rand delivered at the University of Wisconsin during a symposium on "Ethics in Our Time". In this broad sense, Rand’s “trader principle” encompasses not only economic transactions but all voluntary human relationships. [5] Philosophy professor Max Hocutt dismissed the phrase 'the virtue of selfishness' as "rhetorical excess", saying that "without qualification and explanation, it is too paradoxical to merit serious discussion". Libertarian feminist writer Sharon Presley described Rand's use of 'selfishness' as "perversely idiosyncratic" and contrary to the dictionary meaning of the term, Rand's claims to the contrary notwithstanding. In Rand’s view, however, individuals derive indispensable benefit from exchanging values with other people. Isn't Everyone Selfish?, Nathaniel Branden (1962) 6. The Virtue of Selfishness, as provocative a title as the book may have, is a philosophical synopsis of the application of Rand's philosophy, objectivism; it is not Rand's philosophy in itself. Her answer to that question culminates in the definition of a new code of morality, based in rational self-interest, aimed at each individual’s life and happiness, and rejecting sacrifice as immoral. "[7] Philosopher Chris Matthew Sciabarra said it is "debatable" whether Rand accurately described the meaning of the term, but argued that Rand's philosophical position required altering the conventional meanings of some terms in order to express her views without inventing entirely new words. Why, she asks, does man need morality in the first place? [6] In contrast, philosophers Douglas J. Den Uyl and Douglas B. Rasmussen described Rand's response to the question of why she uses the term as "neither antagonistic nor defensive, but rather profound. Morality’s task is to identify the kinds of action that in fact benefit oneself. The Virtue of Selfishness - Kindle edition by … Rand viewed altruism as incompatible with human nature. Most of the essays originally appeared in The Objectivist Newsletter. Atlas Shrugged and the Fountainhead are inspirational. Does man need values? Presley believes the use of the term has caused Rand's arguments to be frequently mischaracterized. Isn’t everyone selfish? . The Virtue of Selfishness Summary. ARI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. If you want to fight the collectivist and the statist where they stand, you need to be able to expound on the concepts found in the Virtue of Selfishness with sound conviction and a thorough understanding of the underlying principles. Far from being self-evident, these principles need a new moral defense. Some of its themes include the identification and validation of egoism as a rational code of ethics, the destructiveness of altruism, and the nature of a proper government. they would undoubtedly disagree in many instances. [14], In his book Winning Through Intimidation, self-help author Robert J. Ringer said The Virtue of Selfishness is Rand's "masterpiece". The essays were separately published between 1962 and 1964 in the monthly publication The Objectivist Newsletter, with the exception of the first chapter of the book, "The Objectivist Ethics", which was published in 1961. In this volume’s lead essay, “The Objectivist Ethics,” Ayn Rand challenges that basic assumption by reconsidering ethics from the ground up. The Objectivist Ethics, Ayn Rand (1961) 2. But this compedium of … Selfishness — a virtue? Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading The Virtue of Selfishness. [10], The book became one of Rand's strongest-selling works of nonfiction, selling over 400,000 copies in the first four months of its release,[11] and over 1.35 million copies by 2014. In “The Nature of Government,” Rand argues that a constitutional republic on the American model (with certain crucial flaws corrected) is necessary to protect individual rights, and that this is the only valid purpose of government. Payments to OCON or the Ayn Rand Institute eStore do not qualify as tax-deductible contributions to the Ayn Rand Institute. The Virtue of Selfishness, 49 SHARE Love, friendship, respect, admiration are the emotional response of one man to the virtues of another, the spiritual payment given in exchange for the personal, selfish pleasure which one man derives from the virtues of another man’s character. The equation of selfishness with evil, Rand said, had caused "the arrested moral development of mankind" and needed to be rejected. In additional articles, Rand expands her theory and discusses practical questions such as: Do people face intractable conflicts of interest? The title of this book may evoke the kind of question that I hear once in a while: "Why do you use the word 'selfishness' to denote virtuous qualities of character, when that word antagonizes so many people to whom it does not mean the things you mean?" Some of its themes include the identification and validation of egoism as a rational code of ethics, the destructiveness of altruism, and the nature of a proper government. I have read The Virtue of Selfishness 3 times and am beginning to understand the substance of this premise. About The Virtue of Selfishness. It is the task of ethics to answer such questions.”. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read The Virtue of Selfishness. The argument goes that a truly charitable act should bring no benefit to the actor, be it through profit, praise, or even personal pride. In this book, Rand rejects both options as forms of selflessness, and offers a new concept of egoism — an ethics of rational selfishness that rejects sacrifice in all its forms. “What would you regard as a ‘compromise’ between life and death? Most ethical discussions take for granted the supreme moral value of selfless service. “Observe the indecency of what passes for moral judgments today. The Virtue of Selfishness - Ebook written by Ayn Rand. Ayn Rand® is a registered trademark and is used by permission. The Ethics of Emergencies, Ayn Rand (1963) 4. So long as that question remained unanswered, no rational, scientific, objective code of ethics could be discovered or defined.”. One of the book’s themes is that this “beneficiary-criterion of morality” makes it impossible to even conceive of self-interest as moral. He had been assassinated before it was released, making the point of the essay moot. In 1964, Objectivist philosopher Ayn Rand published a collection of essays titled The Virtue of Selfishness. Doesn’t life require compromise? The Virtue of Selfishness A yn Rand. The Virtue of Selfishness "Objectivist ethics proudly advocates and upholds rational selfishness." An industrialist who produces a fortune, and a gangster who robs a bank are regarded as equally immoral, since they both sought wealth for their own ‘selfish’ benefit. Sure, all of us who have read Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead, or Anthemare used to Rand’s defense of profits andlaissez-faire business above all else. As a result, compromise becomes essential to survival, consistency seems dangerous, and philosophers like Rand are marginalized as dangerous fanatics. Why do we need them? and pursues nothing but the gratification of the mindless whims of any immediate moment. One of this book’s themes is that morality must identify principles to identify and guard against this threat. She saw selfishness as a virtuous quality. All but one of the essays had previously been published in The Objectivist Newsletter, a magazine that Rand and Branden had launched in 1962. In the introduction to her collection of essays on ethical philosophy, The Virtue of Selfishness (VOS), Rand writes that the "exact meaning" of selfishness is "concern with one's own interests" (VOS, p. vii). The book covers ethical issues from the perspective of Rand's Objectivist philosophy. The "Conflicts" of Men's Interests, Ayn Rand (1962) 5. Rand’s moral ideal is a life of reason, purpose and self-esteem. All rights reserved. In, "Atlas Snubbed - Christopher Hitchens destroys the cult of Ayn Rand (mirror)", Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right, Nathaniel Branden § "Mental Health versus Mysticism and Self-Sacrifice", The New Left: The Anti-Industrial Revolution, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Virtue_of_Selfishness&oldid=1013734580, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 23 March 2021, at 04:53. The Virtue of Selfishness is a collection of essays written by Ayn Rand and her associate, psychologist Nathaniel Branden. Egoists are generally assumed to prey on others. The Virtue of Selfishness: A New Concept of Egoism is a 1964 collection of essays by the philosopher Ayn Rand and the writer Nathaniel Branden. Although the egoistic individual is perfectly at home in society, he recognizes that other people hold the power to destroy the value of social life by initiating physical force against him — in the form of criminal acts or, more dangerously, improper government coercion. These virtues (productivity, independence, integrity, honesty, justice, pride) are all applications of the basic virtue, rationality. Reproduction of content and images in whole or in part is prohibited. He deals with men by means of a free, voluntary, unforced, uncoerced exchange — an exchange which benefits both parties by their own independent judgment.”. . and, were Rand and Veatch to deal with precisely the same areas. By “rational selfishness” Rand means pursuing the values and practicing the virtues that objectively sustain and enrich one’s own life, not just in the immediate moment but over the course of one’s entire life. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. The Ethics of Emergencies, Ayn Rand (1963) 4. [2], Rand's characterization of selfishness as a virtue, including in the title of the book, is one of its most controversial elements. "The Virtue of Selfishness" novelist ___ Rand. He does not treat men as masters or slaves, but as independent equals. In such articles as “Doesn’t Life Require Compromise?,” “The Cult of Moral Grayness” and “The Argument from Intimidation,” Rand discusses these issues in detail. “In popular usage,” Rand writes, “the word ‘selfishness’ is a synonym of evil; the image it conjures is of a murderous brute who tramples over piles of corpses to achieve his own ends . Unfortunately, principles have gotten a bad name because conventional ideals like self-sacrifice cannot be consistently practiced without inviting disaster. The Virtue of Selfishness (1964) is among her notable works of non-fiction. Contributions to ARI in the United States are tax-exempt to the extent provided by law. . The Virtue of Selfishness: The Objectivist Ethics: a critique (part 3) ShaunPhilly Culture and Society, Skepticism and atheism April 3, 2014 19 Minutes. “This concept does not include a moral evaluation; it does not tell us whether concern with one’s own interests is good or evil; nor does it tell us what constitutes man’s actual interests. — Ayn Rand, “The Objectivist Ethics,” The Virtue of Selfishness. To introduce it, suffice it to say that I was a bit uncomfortable when I first picked it up. How do I live in an irrational society? Mental Health versus Mysticism and Self-Sacrifice, Nathaniel Branden (1963) 3. Rand proposed a collection of articles to be titled The Fascist New Frontier, after a Ford Hall Forum speech she had given criticizing the views of President John F. Kennedy. Rational, scientific answer to the question of why man needs a code values! Your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets ], Critics have disputed Rand 's position this! 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