The Virtue of Selfishness is a collection of essays written by Ayn Rand in the 1960’s. She discusses a variety of themes such as: individualism, reason vs. whim, virtues, self-sacrifice, and rationalism to introduce the moral principle of Objectivism. She states that one must use reason (think rationally to make decisions) and self interest (make decisions that are ultimately, beneficial to you) to live as an individual in a free society and act on their own interests, not the interests of the collective. Rand also states that the purpose for living should be for one’s self, not for others and uses the entire book, The Virtue of Selfishness, to explain how one can live in a society, surrounded by other people, and still act for themselves. She states that there is no such thing as collective rights, compromise, even helping someone out for the sake of helping someone out and that one should put themselves first and make decisions that benefit themselves the most. I found throughout the read, Rand made references to her previous book, Atlas Shrugged, which I had not read. This, at times, made it harder for me to relate and comprehend what she was trying to put forth in her arguments. I later read that The Virtue of Selfishness is in response to Atlas Shrugged and was meant to better describe the perfect world in which her rational protagonist lived in. Rand was also an intellectual and this was evident in her writing in The Virtue of Selfishness. She makes various references to historical events (some I was familiar with, others I was not), philosophers and in combination with her rich vocabulary, she limited her book to a narrower, educated audience. However, this might not be a bad thing. Her material and arguments are very complex and Rand was very concrete in her opinions and the educated mind might better comprehend her ‘abstract’ thinking. Rand was born is Russia and witnessed the Bolshevik Revolution, a series of revolutions which replaced the Tsarist autocracy and led to the creation of the Soviet Union. Her father’s pharmacy was nationalized and the family moved to the United States which she believed embodied the most ideal political system which held the rights of the individual over the society. A reader has to keep in mind that she fled from one extreme and entered a society on the other side of the spectrum therefore throughout the book, she represents significant bias. She also lived through the rise and fall of Nazi Germany, World War 2 and the Cold War. Whenever the United States are used as a comparison they are always the ‘good guys’ and the ‘bad guys’ are always Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia which once again, presents extreme bias. The mood of the work is highly critical of other human societies, especially those under control by governments that deny individuals’ rights. Overall, I would recommend this book. It is a challenging read and one that has some very controversial ideas according to current day morals and ethics. However Rand has an interesting take on various themes in life and they are ones that are worth reading and contemplating, but not worth putting into action.
The Virtue of Selfishness is a collection of essays written by Ayn Rand in the 1960’s. She discusses a variety of themes such as: individualism, reason vs. whim, virtues, self-sacrifice, and rationalism to introduce the moral principle of Objectivism. She states that one must use reason (think rationally to make decisions) and self interest (make decisions that are ultimately, beneficial to you) to live as an individual in a free society and act on their own interests, not the interests of the collective. Rand also states that the purpose for living should be for one’s self, not for others and uses the entire book, The Virtue of Selfishness, to explain how one can live in a society, surrounded by other people, and still act for themselves. She states that there is no such thing as collective rights, compromise, even helping someone out for the sake of helping someone out and that one should put themselves first and make decisions that benefit themselves the most. I found throughout the read, Rand made references to her previous book, Atlas Shrugged, which I had not read. This, at times, made it harder for me to relate and comprehend what she was trying to put forth in her arguments. I later read that The Virtue of Selfishness is in response to Atlas Shrugged and was meant to better describe the perfect world in which her rational protagonist lived in. Rand was also an intellectual and this was evident in her writing in The Virtue of Selfishness. She makes various references to historical events (some I was familiar with, others I was not), philosophers and in combination with her rich vocabulary, she limited her book to a narrower, educated audience. However, this might not be a bad thing. Her material and arguments are very complex and Rand was very concrete in her opinions and the educated mind might better comprehend her ‘abstract’ thinking. Rand was born is Russia and witnessed the Bolshevik Revolution, a series of revolutions which replaced the Tsarist autocracy and led to the creation of the Soviet Union. Her father’s pharmacy was nationalized and the family moved to the United States which she believed embodied the most ideal political system which held the rights of the individual over the society. A reader has to keep in mind that she fled from one extreme and entered a society on the other side of the spectrum therefore throughout the book, she represents significant bias. She also lived through the rise and fall of Nazi Germany, World War 2 and the Cold War. Whenever the United States are used as a comparison they are always the ‘good guys’ and the ‘bad guys’ are always Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia which once again, presents extreme bias. The mood of the work is highly critical of other human societies, especially those under control by governments that deny individuals’ rights. Overall, I would recommend this book. It is a challenging read and one that has some very controversial ideas according to current day morals and ethics. However Rand has an interesting take on various themes in life and they are ones that are worth reading and contemplating, but not worth putting into action.
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