"There will never be a really free and enlightened State until the State comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all its own power and authority are derived, and treats him accordingly"
~ Henry David Thoreau
Archive for the ‘ Individualism / Objectivism ’ Category
Today, February 2nd marks the birthday of the late novelist and philosopher of Ayn Rand. Classic novels written by Ayn Rand are ‘The Fountainhead’ and ‘Atlas Shrugged’. Ayn Rand born in Russia in 1905 came to America at the age of twenty-one. She published her first novel in 1936 titled, ‘We The Living’. Published in 1943, ‘The Fountainhead’ brought Ayn Rand international fame and recognition. The publication of Atlas Shrugged in 1957 established Ayn Rand’s position and philosophy on Objectivism. It was her philosophic principles which make such individuals possible to formulate “a philosophy for living on earth.”
Chris Wolski wrote a piece in 2000 for Capitalism Magazine.
Ayn Rand began writing The Fountainhead in 1935. In the character of the architect Howard Roark, she presented for the first time the kind of hero whose depiction was the chief goal of her writing: the ideal man, man as “he could be and ought to be.” The Fountainhead was rejected by twelve publishers but finally accepted by Bobbs-Merrill. When published in 1943, it made history by becoming a best seller through word-of-mouth two years later, and gained for its author lasting recognition as the champion of individualism.
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Published in 1957, Atlas Shrugged was her greatest achievement and last work of fiction. In this novel, she dramatized her unique philosophy in an intellectual mystery story that integrated ethics, metaphysics, epistemology, politics, economics, and sex. Although she considered herself primarily a fiction writer, she realized that in order to create heroic fictional characters, she had to identify the philosophic principles which make such individuals possible. She needed to formulate “a philosophy for living on earth.”
It becomes more evident that, 52 years ago, Ayn Rand predicted today’s world. John Stossel airs a great program that reflects on individualism and our role in society. Our government should be limiting regulation and protecting against the nanny state, allowing us to live more freely. This should not give man authority to restrict freedom and rights out of a sense of obligation. This act is immoral. Just think, environmentalists, vegans, animal right activists, safety control, etc.
(1) What are values? (2) Who should be the beneficiary of values? Altruism substitutes the second for the first; it evades the task of defining a code of moral values, thus leaving man, in fact, without moral guidance.
Is it selfish to not care for our ‘welfare’ neighbor? How about wrong to not want to protect the adult who wishes to drive a car without a seat belt? Or, what about being the decider to ban cigarettes, alcohol, and trans fats because they are all bad for your health? At what cost is safety? Is there a difference of virtue of those promoting individualism for the benefit for all over those who promote altruism for the simple sake of giving? Should one sacrifice for someone else’s benefit even if they don’t deserve it? Where is the good in doing something when one restricts? Sacrifice is needed but at what cost?
All questions that many of us think about but we have our own take on it. I tend to look at things from a win-win perspective where if it benefits both (all) of us then it has achieved the goal of true goodness. If it didn’t jeopardize the goal of one life for another (those individual rights for someone else), which is exactly what many on the left think we should be doing, then it has truly served for the common good.
In part, that of which damages the individual is as follows: redistribution of wealth, increased regulation, society bans that put safety above freedom, over control and dictatorship (and the idea of a military draft). Claiming my belief over yours is taking something away by brute force.
Man’s rights can be violated only by the use of physical force. It is only by means of physical force that one man can deprive another of his life, or enslave him, or rob him, or prevent him from pursuing his own goals, or compel him to act against his own rational judgment.
(Ayn Rand Center)
Now onto the John Stossel video.
What is the moral code of altruism?
The basic principle of altruism is that man has no right to exist for his own sake, that service to others is the only justification of his existence, and that self-sacrifice is his highest moral duty, virtue and value.
Do not confuse altruism with kindness, good will or respect for the rights of others. These are not primaries, but consequences, which, in fact, altruism makes impossible. The irreducible primary of altruism, the basic absolute, is self-sacrifice—which means; self-immolation, self-abnegation, self-denial, self-destruction—which means: the self as a standard of evil, the selfless as a standard of the good.
Do not hide behind such superficialities as whether you should or should not give a dime to a beggar. That is not the issue. The issue is whether you do or do not have the right to exist without giving him that dime. The issue is whether you must keep buying your life, dime by dime, from any beggar who might choose to approach you. The issue is whether the need of others is the first mortgage on your life and the moral purpose of your existence. The issue is whether man is to be regarded as a sacrificial animal. Any man of self-esteem will answer: “No.” Altruism says: “Yes.”
My brief response on a Facebook status after I saw the program was regarding capitalism and the dangers of those who try to poison society:
Oh yeah, sure…blame capitalism but if you let the free market do what it’s suppose to do by allowing those to succeed or fail on it’s own, there would be no need for regulation and the nanny state. That includes not manipulating the system and then bailing out failed businesses.
My good friend Christopher Budden of the The Conservative Rainbow had gone a bit more in depth and posted this with a video regarding Ayn Rand and altruism:
Ayn tackles the poison of altruism. Pay particular attention to the distinction she makes between giving to someone else you VALUE vs. giving to someone else merely for the sake of giving–whether the excuse is by religion tells me to or to make myself feel better; neither of those are valid excuses. Therein lies the subtle difference that Americans have lost the grasp of and why our leaders have been able to convince us that big government programs which rob us of our own VALUE and highest moral purpose are “good for us.”
Here is a short clip that was provided.
Something that benefits us all: Many who know me know that I am a big supporter of our military. That is a true sacrifice like no other. To put your own life ahead of others is a true testament of character and strong will. To stand on principles of freedom and liberty and risk life affects each and every one of us. Without a strong defense, many of the freedoms today would not exist. Our military is simply the best and they deserve to be treated as such for their bravery. In return of their goodness, as it the brave men and women who choose to serve for us, we must remind them everyday how thankful we are of them. God bless them!
All of what I can do is be a voice of reason. To stand up and defend freedom when it is under attack. To challenge those who wish to shred the Constitution. If anything, to provide insight and rational thought to counter that clouded view and lack of direction. Common-sense is a corner stone to a practical approach in doing what is in the best interest without imposing on the liberty and free will of others. To do no harm!
More from the Ayn Rand Center:
“The two great values to be gained from social existence are: knowledge and trade. Man is the only species that can transmit and expand his store of knowledge from generation to generation; the knowledge potentially available to man is greater than any one man could begin to acquire in his own lifespan; every man gains an incalculable benefit from the knowledge discovered by others. The second great benefit is the division of labor: it enables a man to devote his effort to a particular field of work and to trade with others who specialize in other fields. This form of cooperation allows all men who take part in it to achieve a greater knowledge, skill and productive return on their effort than they could achieve if each had to produce everything he needs, on a desert island or on a self-sustaining farm.
