Ayn Rand on Selfishness
October 31, 2008First of all, let me start by saying that I’m glad I’m not the Dallas Morning News, New York Post or Washington Times, after all they were kicked off the Obama plane…possibly for being papers that endorsed McCain…no says the Obama camp.
Moving on to redistribution of wealth news, this from Barack Obama:
“The point is, though, that — and it’s not just charity, it’s not just that I want to help the middle class and working people who are trying to get in the middle class — it’s that when we actually make sure that everybody’s got a shot – when young people can all go to college, when everybody’s got decent health care, when everybody’s got a little more money at the end of the month – then guess what? Everybody starts spending that money, they decide maybe I can afford a new car, maybe I can afford a computer for my child. They can buy the products and services that businesses are selling and everybody is better off. All boats rise. That’s what happened in the 1990s, that’s what we need to restore. And that’s what I’m gonna do as president of the United States of America.
“John McCain and Sarah Palin they call this socialistic,” Obama continued. “You know I don’t know when, when they decided they wanted to make a virtue out of selfishness.”
First of all, if this is a reference to a great read: The Virtue of Selfishness by the great Ayn Rand then it would be worth it for any and all conservatives and libertarians to remember this:
The meaning ascribed in popular usage to the word “selfishness” is not merely wrong: it represents a devastating intellectual “package-deal,” which is responsible, more than any other single factor, for the arrested moral development of mankind.
In popular usage, 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, who cares for no living being and pursues nothing but the gratification of the mindless whims of any immediate moment.
Yet the exact meaning and dictionary definition of the word “selfishness” is: concern with one’s own interests. (Introduction – Virtue of Selfishness)
Obama would have you believe that concern for your welfare, concern for success and concern for your idea of your own American Dream is wrong, immoral, irrational and if Joe Biden had anything to add – unpatriotic.
I leave it to ethics, just like Ayn Rand, to answer the intent of each individual man’s own interests, but there is nothing immoral, wrong or bad about having concern for your own interests.
If you still don’t buy that, remember this analysis from Rand’s Capitalism: the Unknown Ideal
America’s abundance was created not by public sacrifices to the common good, but by the productive genius of free men who pursued their own personal interests and the making of their own private fortunes. They did not starve the people to pay for America’s industrialization. They gave the people better jobs, higher wages, and cheaper goods with every new machine they invented, with every scientific discovery or technological advance- and thus the whole country was moving forward and profiting, not suffering, every step of the way.
More at Hot Air:
This reveals the basic underlying philosophy of the Left – that one cannot possibly be charitable unless they use the government to redirect their funds.
We do not redistribute wealth nor sacrifice rational self interest for society because it is the individual who creates the fortune, prosperity and greatness that is the American Dream.
I leave you with this final thought from Ayn Rand:
…I use the word “rightist” to denote the views of those who are predominantly in favor of individual freedom and capitalism–and the word “leftist” to denote the views of those who are predominantly in favor of government controls and socialism.
[...] This post originally written for Memoirs From a Young Conservative [...]
Excellent! Thank you for this post.
Ask anyone if they felt that the ‘unselfish’ government worked for the ‘common good’ under Communism and they will tell you no.
It’s interesting that those who prosper under capitalism despise it so much.
This is a great piece. May I reprint it over at Libertarian Republican blog?
If so, please email me at ericdondero@yahoo.com.
Thanks
[...] Ayn Rand on Selfishness First of all, let me start by saying that I’m glad I’m not the Dallas Morning News, New York Post or Washington Times, after all they were kicked off the Obama plane…possibly for being papers that endorsed McCain…no says the Obama camp. Moving on to redistribution of wealth news, this from Barack Obama: “The point is, though, that — and it’s not just charity, it’s not just that I want to help the middle class and working people who are trying to get in the middle class — it’s that when we actually make sure that everybody’s got a shot – when young people can all go to college, when everybody’s got decent health care, when everybody’s got a little more money at the end of the month – then guess what? Everybody starts spending that money, they decide maybe I can afford a new car, maybe I can afford a computer for my child. They can buy the products and services that businesses are selling and everybody is better off. All boats rise. That’s what happened in the 1990s, that’s what we need to restore. And that’s what I’m gonna do as president of the United States of America. “John McCain and [...] [...]
I doubt Senator Obama’s remark was a reference to Ayn Rand’s Virtue of Selfishness. Given the manner with which he made his remark, he is clearly ignorant that rational selfishness was shown to be a virtue about half a century ago.
His ignorance of the virtue of selfishness is not surprising. Given his altruist/collectivist premises, it’s pretty clear that he holds the ancient views of Nietzsche: the brute walking over corpses, the malevolent dog-eat-dog notion long ago utterly debunked.
Rational selfishness names a moral code of the highest order, requiring the strictest adherence to the values of reason, purpose and self-esteem, requiring uncompromising practice of the virtues of rationality, honesty, integrity, justice and independence, among others. In short, rational selfishness is, to paraphrase Miss Rand, the recognition that “only one’s own happiness is within one’s power to achieve.” Obama condemns this as wicked. No wonder he scoffs of the idea that selfishness is a virtue.
As astonishing is Obama’s claim that socialism is not the practice of government confiscating the money of those who’ve earned it and giving it to those who have not. Every tract on socialism/communism cites the distribution of wealth as central to its doctrine. Obama surely knows this. After all, he studied under the Communist teacher Alensky and was said to have been a star pupil. On top of his ignorance, is Obama also a liar?
Sincerely,
Sylvia Bokor
Albuquerque, NM
The kind of selfishness that Ayn Rand advocated (and which Obama apparently opposes) is a completely noble and moral American virtue. This country was founded on the principle that men and women had the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” free from government interference and tyranny.
Many immigrants (such as my parents) came to this country precisely to be able to work hard, prosper, and give their children a chance for a better life. They came to this country with little more than the clothes on their back, but did well over the years, sent two children to college and medical school, and are now enjoying a well-earned and comfortable retirement. Their lives have been a real-life embodiment of the American dream.
If we want America to remain a beacon of hope to millions around the world, we should re-affirm our commitment to free markets and capitalism, and reject calls for more socialism and “redistribution of wealth”.
This country is great precisely because it allows people like my parents to attain selfish goals such as their lives and happiness. Americans should be proud of that fact, not condemn it.
Rand’s uses a concept of rational selfishness that respects the rights of others (as opposed to the notion of some “selfish” thief).
Still, it is not just Obama who criticizes such selfishness; virtually every religion does the same. Even McCain says “Country First”.
The way I see it, everyone in the mainstream, whether GOP or Democrat, think that people must live for others. The differences between the main parties tend to be about: in what areas must people give of themselves, and to what degree.
The country needs to put aside the creed of altruism if it is to succeed.