The Egoism-Altruism Debate: a Study with Reference to Ayn Rand’S Philosophical Ideology
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Ayn Rand? Ayn Rand Ayn
Who Is Ayn Rand? Ayn Rand Few 20th century intellectuals have been as influential—and controversial— as the novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand. Her thinking still has a profound impact, particularly on those who come to it through her novels, Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead—with their core messages of individualism, self-worth, and the right to live without the impositions of others. Although ignored or scorned by some academics, traditionalists, pro- gressives, and public intellectuals, her thought remains a major influence on Ayn Rand many of the world’s leading legislators, policy advisers, economists, entre- preneurs, and investors. INTRODUCTION AN Why does Rand’s work remain so influential? Ayn Rand: An Introduction illuminates Rand’s importance, detailing her understanding of reality and human nature, and explores the ongoing fascination with and debates about her conclusions on knowledge, morality, politics, economics, government, AN INTRODUCTION public issues, aesthetics and literature. The book also places these in the context of her life and times, showing how revolutionary they were, and how they have influenced and continue to impact public policy debates. EAMONN BUTLER is director of the Adam Smith Institute, a leading think tank in the UK. He holds degrees in economics and psychology, a PhD in philosophy, and an honorary DLitt. A former winner of the Freedom Medal of Freedom’s Foundation at Valley Forge and the UK National Free Enterprise Award, Eamonn is currently secretary of the Mont Pelerin Society. Butler is the author of many books, including introductions on the pioneering economists Eamonn Butler Adam Smith, Milton Friedman, F. -
Altruism in Auguste Comte and Ayn Rand Robert L. Campbell
A Dialogue on Ayn Rand’s Ethics Reply to Robert H. Bass, “Egoism versus Rights” (Spring 2006) Altruism in Auguste Comte and Ayn Rand Robert L. Campbell Robert H. Bass (2006) emphatically rejects Ayn Rand’s well- known argument that altruism in morality is inconsistent with respect for individual rights in politics. His article raises a multitude of issues. As much needs to be said about its treatment of egoism as its treatment of altruism. A good deal could be said, as well, about Bass’s insensitivity to the ancient ethical tradition to which Rand’s moral theory largely belongs. But here I will target a single point of controversy: Rand’s interpretation of altruism, which Bass declares is such a gross distortion as to invalidate her entire critique of it. Did Rand Misunderstand Altruism? As Bass correctly summarizes, Rand ([1943] 1968; 1957; 1961; 1964) maintained that altruism means placing what is good for others above what is good for oneself. According to Rand, the altruist regards achieving the good of others as essentially unconstrained by any concern for the rights or dignity of mere individuals, whose prime moral obligation is to submerge themselves within the collective and sacrifice themselves for it. This, however, should be no comfort to any Objectivist seriously concerned to address positions that real people hold. For Rand’s conception of altruism was entirely fantastic. It is a doctrine that has never been held by any important moral thinker and, in particular, not by any of the The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies 7, no. 2 (Spring 2006): 357–69. -
Egoism and Altruism: the “Antagonists” Or the “Brothers”?
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by InfinityPress Journal of Studies in Social Sciences ISSN 2201-4624 Volume 7, Number 2, 2014, 164-188 Egoism and Altruism: the “Antagonists” or the “Brothers”? Levit L. Z., Ph. D. The Centre for Psychological Health and Education, Minsk, Belarus Abstract. The article under consideration deals with the theoretical analysis and the practical research of the ratio between the two notions: egoism and altruism. The author shows the inadequacy of the one-sided, morally loaded interpretations of both terms. The scores of two ESM-investigations mostly show the positive correlation between the “egoism” and the “altruism” scales in a person’s everyday activity. The results obtained give the opportunity to replace the inadequate view on egoism and altruism as opposites by a more appropriate metaphor of the older and the younger brother. Such an approach removes the idea of antagonism which is usually ascribed to the egoism-altruism interrelation. Key words: egoism, altruism, meaning, happiness, personal uniqueness, positive psychology. © Copyright 2014 the authors. 164 Journal of Studies in Social Sciences 165 Person-oriented conception of happiness: introduction and the brief explanation. In the years 2006 – 2012 the author (Leonid Levit) elaborated a synthesizing conception of self-realization and happiness, which is based on the ideas of the systemic approach and combines biological, psychological, social and spiritual (the highest) levels of individual life and activity. The results of our seven-year work on the problem are summarized in five monographs (Levit, 2010; 2011a; 2011c; 2012 a; 2013 c) and articles (Levit, 2009; 2011 b, 2012 b, 2012 c; 2013 a; 2013 b; 2013 e; Levit, Radchikova, 2012 a). -
The Palgrave Handbook of Altruism, Morality, and Social Solidarity Formulating a Field of Study
The Palgrave Handbook of Altruism, Morality, and Social Solidarity Formulating a Field of Study Edited by Vincent Jeffries THE PALGRAVE HANDBOOK OF ALTRUISM, MORALITY, AND SOCIAL SOLIDARITY Copyright © Vincent Jeffries, 2014. All rights reserved. First published in 2014 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN® in the United States—a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN: 978–1–137–39184–1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The Palgrave handbook of altruism, morality, and social solidarity : formulating a fi eld of study / [edited] by Vincent Jeffries. pages cm Includes index. ISBN 978–1–137–39184–1 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Altruism. 2. Ethics. 3. Solidarity. 4. Sociology. I. Jeffries, Vincent. HM1146.P35 2014 301—dc23 2014003318 A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library. Design by Newgen Knowledge Works (P) Ltd., Chennai, India. First edition: August 2014 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents List of Figures and Tables ix Preface xi Acknowledgments xv Part 1 General Perspectives and Future Directions 1 Altruism, Morality, and Social Solidarity as a Field of Study 3 Vincent Jeffries 2 Virtues and Human Personhood in the Social Sciences 21 Margarita A. -
Ayn Rand and Youth During the 1960S
UC Berkeley The Charles H. Percy Undergraduate Grant for Public Affairs Research Papers Title Radicals for Capitalism: Ayn Rand and Youth during the 1960s Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4tb298wq Author Tran, Andrina Publication Date 2011-05-31 Undergraduate eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California ““RRAADDIICCAALLSS FFOORR CCAAPPIITTAALLIISSMM”” Ayn Rand and Youth During the 1960s ANDRINA TRAN DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY There is a fundamental conviction which some people never acquire, some hold only in their youth, and a few hold to the end of their days – the conviction that ideas matter. In one’s youth that conviction is experienced as a self-evident absolute, and one is unable fully to believe that there are people who do not share it. That ideas matter means that knowledge matters, that truth matters, that one’s mind matters. And the radiance of that certainty, in the process of growing up, is the best aspect of youth. –Ayn Rand CONTENTS Acknowledgements 2 INTRODUCTION 2 I THE QUIETEST REVOLUTION IN HISTORY 11 II MARKETING OBJECTIVISM 24 III THE THRILL OF TREASON 32 IV LIFE, LIBERTY, PROPERTY: Persuasion and the Draft 38 V LIBERTARIANS RISING 46 EPILOGUE: MEMORY & HISTORY 52 Bibliography 55 Appendix 61 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Even a paper pertaining to egoism could not have come into existence without the generous support of so many others. I would like to thank the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program, the Center for the Study of Representation at the Institute of Governmental Studies, and the Center for the Comparative Study of Right-Wing Movements for funding the various stages of my research. -
“The Experience of Flying”: the Rand Dogma and Its Literary Vehicle Camille Bond Submitted in the Partial Fulfillment Of
“The Experience of Flying”: The Rand Dogma and its Literary Vehicle Camille Bond Submitted in the Partial Fulfillment of the Prerequisite for Honors in English April 2017 © 2017 Camille Bond The greatest victory is that which requires no battle. Sun Tzu, The Art of War CONTENTS INTRODUCTION: 2 WHY STUDY RAND? CHAPTER ONE: 8 ON THE FOUNTAINHEAD AND CHARACTER CHAPTER TWO: 39 ON ATLAS SHRUGGED AND PLOT CONCLUSION 70 WORKS CITED 71 Bond 1 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS To Bill Cain: Thank you for taking this project under your wing! I could not have asked for a more helpful advisor on what has turned out to be one of the most satisfying journeys of my life. To James Noggle and Jimmy Wallenstein: Thank you for your keen suggestions and advice, which brought new contexts and a clearer direction to this project. To Adam Weiner: Thank you for your assistance, and for the inspiration that How Bad Writing Destroyed the World provided. And to my family: Thank you for your support and encouragement, and for making this project possible. Bond 2 INTRODUCTION: WHY STUDY RAND? Very understandably, I have been asked the question “Why would you study Ayn Rand?” dozens of times since I undertook this project over the summer of 2016. In a decidedly liberal community, Rand’s name alone invokes hostility and disgust; even my past self would have been puzzled to learn that she would go on to spend a year of her life engaging academically with Rand’s work. Many of Rand’s ideas are morally repulsive; it can be physically difficult to read her fiction. -
Ethical Perspectives
01-Johnson(Ethics)-45065.qxd 10/25/2006 3:51 PM Page 3 1 Ethical Perspectives Chapter Preview Utilitarianism: Do the Greatest Good for the Greatest Number Evaluation Kant’s Categorical Imperative: Do What’s Right No Matter What the Consequences Are Evaluation Rawls’s Justice as Fairness: Balancing Freedom and Equality Evaluation Communitarianism: Promoting Shared Moral Values Evaluation Altruism: Concern for Others Evaluation Implications Application Projects Chapter End Case: Truro’s DNA Dragnet Endnotes thical theories are critical to organizational transformation. We will Eemploy them repeatedly throughout the remainder of this text. Ethical per- spectives help us identify and define problems, force us to think systematically, encourage us to view issues from many different vantage points, and provide us with decision-making guidelines. In this chapter I’ll introduce five widely used ethical approaches. I’ll briefly summarize each perspective and then offer an evaluation based on the theory’s advantages and disadvantages. Resist the temptation to choose your favorite approach and ignore the rest. Use a variety of theories when possible. Applying all five approaches to the same problem (practicing ethical pluralism) is a good way to generate new 3 01-Johnson(Ethics)-45065.qxd 10/25/2006 3:51 PM Page 4 4—LAYING AN ETHICAL FOUNDATION insights about the issue. You can discover the value of ethical pluralism by using each theory to analyze the Chapter End Case (see Application Project 7 on page 24). You may find that some perspectives are more suited to this prob- lem than others. Combining insights from more than one theory might help you come up with a better solution. -
Ayn Rand's Philosophy “Objectivism” and Her Idea of “The Ideal Man”
Ayn Rand’s philosophy “Objectivism” and her idea of “the ideal man” in comparison to modern approaches Diplomarbeit Zur Erlangung des Magistergrades An der Kultur- und Gesellschaftswissenschaftlichen Fakultät Der Universität Salzburg Fachbereich: Anglistik und Amerikanistik Gutachter: Dr. Ralph Poole Eingereicht von: Simone Koch Salzburg: 2018 1 Inhalt Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 4 1. Objectivism ........................................................................................................................... 6 1.1. Ayn Rand’s novels ........................................................................................................ 7 1.1.1 The Fountainhead (1943) ............................................................................................. 7 1.1.2. Atlas Shrugged (1957) .............................................................................................. 10 1.2. Reality ......................................................................................................................... 12 1.2.1. Reason ....................................................................................................................... 13 1.3. Capitalism – the economic system ............................................................................. -
The Philosophical Core of Effective Altruism
Forthcoming in Journal of Social Philosophy The Philosophical Core of Effective Altruism Brian Berkey 1. Introduction In his recent book on the effective altruism movement, Peter Singer approvingly cites a definition according to which effective altruism is “a philosophy and social movement which applies evidence and reason to working out the most effective ways to improve the world” (2015, 4-5). Effective altruism’s identity as both a philosophy, or, more precisely, a set of core philosophical commitments, and a social movement places effective altruists in a position in which they must consider the question of which philosophical commitments are essential, such that one must embrace them in order to count as an effective altruist, at least in part in the light of the goal of building a robust social movement capable of advancing its aims. On the one hand, the goal of building a social movement provides a strong reason for effective altruists to embrace a set of core commitments that is as ecumenical as possible, so that no one is excluded who might otherwise identify with the movement and contribute to advancing its central aims. On the other hand, there are a number of risks involved in adopting a broadly ecumenical approach to social movement building. Such an approach can, for example, limit a movement’s ability to challenge conventional wisdom by publicly defending controversial claims, including claims the acceptance of which may have helped to bring together and motivate many early members of the movement. More generally, it can undermine the distinctiveness of a movement, making it less clear how it should be distinguished from other sufficiently similar movements, and why it might represent an important and unique way of thinking about and attempting to address the social problems on which it is focused. -
Atlas Shrugged (Centennial Ed
ATLAS SHRUGGED (CENTENNIAL ED. PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Rand Ayn | 1192 pages | 01 May 2005 | Penguin Putnam Inc | 9780525948926 | English | New York, United States Atlas Shrugged (Centennial Ed. PDF Book They are all available in Signet editions, as is the magnificent statement of her artistic credo, The Romantic Manifesto. Richard McLaughlin, reviewing the novel for The American Mercury , described it as a "long overdue" polemic against the welfare state with an "exciting, suspenseful plot", although unnecessarily long. At the climax of the novel, the untalented but successful architect Peter Keating, a college friend of his, pleads with Roark for help in designing a prestigious project that Roark himself wanted but was too unpopular to win. These are two entirely different conceptions, with entirely— immensely and diametrically opposed —different consequences. Anthem In a world that places the good of society above all else, why is a man with a revolutionary invention that would benefit everyone forced to run for his life? What were your first impressions of her? The major novels of Ayn Rand contain superlative values that are unique in our age. Customers who bought this item also bought. On her way to Daniels, Dagny meets a hobo with a story that reveals the secret of the motor: it was invented and abandoned by an engineer named John Galt, who is the inspiration for the common saying. Written in , Anthem was first published in England; it was refused publication in America until , for reasons the reader can discover by reading it for himself. Retrieved September 21, Retrieved February 9, What happens to the world when the Prime Movers go on strike. -
DICTIONARY of PHILOSOPHY This Page Intentionally Left Blank
A DICTIONARY OF PHILOSOPHY This page intentionally left blank. A Dictionary of Philosophy Third edition A.R.Lacey Department of Philosophy, King’s College, University of London First published in 1976 by Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd Second edition 1986 Third edition 1996 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.” © A.R.Lacey 1976, 1986, 1996 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Lacey, A.R. A dictionary of philosophy.—3rd edn. 1. Philosophy—Dictionaries I. Title 190′.3′21 B41 ISBN 0-203-19819-0 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-203-19822-0 (Adobe eReader Format) ISBN 0-415-13332-7 (Print Edition) Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data A catalog record for this book is available on request Preface to the first edition This book aims to give the layman or intending student a pocket encyclopaedia of philosophy, one with a bias towards explaining terminology. The latter task is not an easy one since philosophy is regularly concerned with concepts which are unclear. -
Daoist/Taoist Altruism and Wateristic Personality: East and West1
Daoist/Taoist Altruism and Wateristic Personality: East and West1 Yueh-Ting Lee Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Minot State University, Minot, North Dakota 58707 USA [email protected] Vinai Norasakkunkit Department of Psychology, Minnesota State University Li Liu School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University Jian-Xin Zhang Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Min-Jie Zhou Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Based on the Daoist/Taoist model of water-like (or wateristic) personality features (Lee, 2003, 2004), four hypotheses were derived with a focus on altruism and modesty. A total of 122 Chinese college students and 106 American college students participated in this cross-cultural study. It was found (1) that American college students were more altruistic than Chinese counterparts; (2) that levels of modesty were more trait-specific than culture-specific; and (3) that Chinese participants were more altruistic and receptive toward outgroup members or outsiders (e.g., aliens) than American counterparts in uncertain situations. Theoretical implications are also discussed. 1. Introduction: Rationale for Studying Daoist/Taoist Altruism Cross-Culturally In this introduction we will address three major issues. First, how do western and Eastern scholars see altruistic behavior and human nature? What do we mean by altruism? How is altruism related to love? Next we will discuss the connections between altruism and Daoism (Taoism) as well as a Daoist/Taoist model of water-like (or wateristic) personality features, which involve altruism. Finally, we shall review cross-cultural evidence with regard to self- sacrificing altruism, modesty, and religion and also present our major research questions based on the Daoist/Taoist model.