The Virtue of Selfishness (Signet) by Ayn Rand
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Book Reviews of The Virtue of Selfishness (Signet)
Book Review: Truly Changed My Life
Summary: 5 Stars
I read this book a few years ago when I was a sophomore in college. I hadn't read too many books at that time and it was my first Rand book. From the first page I was absolutely enthralled. It was the most intellectually stimulating experience of my life up to that point.Some people who read this book will reject it out of hand because they don't like some or all of her conclusions. But she argues everything so clearly and thoroughly starting with basic premises building up to complicated philosophical ideas that it's hard to rationally disagree.
Before I read this book I had only vague conceptions of what I believed or valued. This book gave me a logically consistent foundation for my views on morality, politics, and philosophy.
What Rand is fighting for is the idea that reason is supreme and can be effectively used to optimize life in all its aspects. She uses reason to analyze many big questions such as "What is the purpose of morality?" "How should I decide what moral ideals to choose for my life?" "What is the proper role of government?" and more.
I have now read most all of her work and agree wholeheartedly with almost every detail of her philosophy. But where we do disagree I find it to be insignificant because her entire philosophy I believe can be summed up in this statement: "Use reason without contradiction to guide your life in every way" which I completely agree with.
That statement seems obvious enough but once I understood its significance (through reading her books) I saw that people everywhere all the time are knowingly contradicting themselves in their beliefs and actions. Indeed, without knowing it, they will argue passionately that contradicting yourself is the proper way to act and think. These are the Rand haters.
How can you seriously consider the opinion of someone who says in a debate "You're taking logic too far." Or "Reason is good for some things but not for everything". Or "Your argument makes sense but I'm just being practical". Such people don't seem to grasp what reason is. They might as well be saying "2 plus 2 equals four sometimes and five other times".
I highly recommend this book and would also say that if you do disagree with Rand on some point don't abandon reason taken to its logical conclusion to support what you are saying. If you do you have already lost the argument. If there are any logical errors in her writing they should be treated as errors and not as an indictment of her philosophy of using reason which is absolutely correct.
Book Review: Social Poison?
Summary: 5 Stars
When first exposed to the notion that altruism was not a good thing, I strongly disagreed. I have read The Virtue of Selfishness 3 times and am beginning to understand the substance of this premise.
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. Rational self-interest begins with defining one's values and not subordinating those values to some externally mandated priorities. As offensive and extreme as some of her conclusions may be to some, it is difficult to see any flaws in her reasoning.
History has shown, when something other than rational self-interest becomes the priority, it is only a question of time before individual rights suffer. The notion that the wealthy have no incentive to help others in the absence of praise for the altruist, is a fallacy. People should do what they can to help others, not because altruism is a higher calling, but because it makes for a more productive, humane society. I dont think Bill Gates became one of the most generous philanthropists in history because he believes in altruism.
I wish there were a happy medium on the individualist / collectivist continuum, but until we return to the garden of eden and thereby satisfy each person's needs and wants with unlimited resources, I would rather count on the individual to realize that rational self interest involves more than self-indulgence than to pray that the current dictator of social priorities hasn't forgotten about freedom and liberty. It is ironic that the Pope recently urged catholics to be less selfish, while the vatican is spending billions of dollars on the legal consequences of a collectivist ideal that we should all be like Mother Teresa. This book helped me realize that self-denial and guilt do not lead to happiness and that selfishness and kindness are not mutually exclusive.
To those who find the theory of objectivism unoriginal and solipsistic, I would respectfully suggest that they read the many examples of how this philosophy changed the way people think and feel in the preceeding customer reviews. I would recommend Pekoff's book Objectivism: the philosophy of Ayn Rand to anyone seeking an in deapth analysis of Objectivism. Because I can not think of any philosophy that had a bigger impact on the way I view myself and the world around me, I have found the philosophy of Objectivism startlingly original, and brilliant in its simlicity.
Book Review: Enter At Your Own Risk
Summary: 5 Stars
This may be one of the great works of all time. It is not for everyone.
Ayn Rand's The Virtue of Selfishness is a powerful statement of part of her philosophy, Objectivism. Specifically, it is a collection of essays dealing with the Ethics of her philosophy. She advocates "rational selfishness" as being opposed to selflessness or altruism. She advocates that people act to make themselves healthy and happy--that this is good, and not something for which people should suffer guilt. She argues that people should not feel compelled to make sacrifices for others, which stands in direct opposition to most mainstream ethical systems, such as Christianity (which is based upon a sacrifice, after all).
It is controversial and in-your-face. Rand holds nothing back. She does not pretend to have sympathy for other points of view. She says that what she has to say is true, and then attempts to prove it. Whether you finally agree with her or not, one of the most refreshing aspects of reading Rand is her honesty. She does not try to hide her opinions. Everything is clearly laid out. The writing is concise, using words neither larger than necessary nor smaller. She defines her terms as she goes, aiming for complete understanding. You will never read a writer (and especially in philosophy) who displays more respect for her reader. She dares you to disagree--to prove her wrong.
On the other hand, as I say, Rand is not for everyone, and for precisely the same reasons that make her such a compelling read. If you have any sacred cows going in, they will likely be butchered. It can be quite uncomfortable to have your most basic beliefs threatned and attacked outright, and thus a little introspection prior to reading this may be best.
This book is designed for: people who are comfortable in debate-type situations; people who are earnestly interested in "truth", even if said truth hurts; people who believe in the power of logic, and follow it to its conclusions; people who respect candor and honest argumentation; people who are used to challenging conventional wisdom and questioning everything.
I picked up this book because I knew of Rand's basic assertions and I thought she was dead wrong. I wanted to read her reasoning and tear it apart.... It didn't work out that way. :) She convinced me through the raw power of her arguments, evidence and logic. As my title states, Enter At Your Own Risk. The Virtue of Selfishness is a powerful little tome.
Book Review: A New Moral Philosophy
Summary: 5 Stars
Ayn Rand's " The Virtue of Selfishness" is truly a new moral philosophy. Her essays in this book are profound. In this volume, Rand rejects the idea of self sacrifice and metaphysics and embraces rational self interest. Rational self interest is the philosophy that your life belongs to YOU, it does not belong to anyone else. YOU are responsible for your life, feelings and actions. Rand lays out the argument that self sacrifice, and altruism, have denigrated man's sense of self and caused mankind innumerable centuries of suffering. Man was only liberated by the Western Enlightenment and the use of his reason through science and capitalist economics. Where the Dark Ages end, progress and freedom begin.
Rand is an unabashed fan of America and our Founding Fathers. She is absolutely correct in affirming the fact that they founded the American Republic on the Enlightenment ideas of liberty, freethought,individual rights, amd scientific progress. Rand obliterates the view of the Religious Right that American was founded as a "Christian Nation" and the view of the Left that America was founded as a "conservative" nation. She points out that the Declaration of Independence was a radical document affirming the rights of all men as individuals. As a consequence of the American Revolution, capitalism unleashed nearly a century of classical liberalism, freedom from government, and individualism never before seen in any nation or age. Rand shows that the American Republic was the first nation to ever proclaim man as a rational being with inherent and unalienable rights.
The basic thrust that Rand is attempting to get across to the reader is that altruism and the concept of living for others is not only immoral, but fatal to the maintenance of an enlightened republic. Altruism is the root of all the other "isms" that afflict the world. Communism, Fascism, conservatism, liberalism, socialism, all promote the idea of the tribe where the individual is submerged and drowned out by voices degrading him with notions of original sin, "common good","public welfare", mankind's "depravity", and obligation to others. If you want a philosophy of life, liberty and one to truly pursue your happiness with, Ms. Rand's "Virtue of Selfishness" will help guide the way.
Book Review: No conflicts of interest among rational people
Summary: 5 Stars
The heart of Ayn Rand's ethical system is that the goal of ethics is to guide human beings in living full and successful human lives, and that there are no ultimate conflicts of legitimate interest among rational people.This collection of essays is the primary source in which Rand makes her case for this ethic. Her presentation is indeed flawed; as one reviewer notes, she doesn't make sufficient allowance for human beings to be directly motivated by concern for one another. But making the adjustments necessary to include benevolence doesn't alter the overall ethical outlook much; it just allows the good of other people to be a value legitimately sought for its own sake by rational agents. The standard of value is still "life," and the contention that there are no conflicts of interest among fully rational people still stands.
So it needs a little work, and I'm not entirely persuaded that the result should still be called "egoism" (I personally prefer the term "rational eudaimonism"). But remember the book's subtitle: Rand was trying to offer a _new_ concept of egoism. Both her supporters and her detractors need to keep this fact in mind, or they will charge her with having said things she didn't.
She does not, as one reviewer says, "leav[e] no room for argument" or "achieve . . . absolute certainty with no contradiction." But that means merely that one must read her critically and carefully, just as one would any other author. So ignore the inflated claims of her most ardent "followers" and think for yourself; her die-hard supporters are not worried that you'll catch _her_ in a mistake, but merely that you'll find out that _they've_ wasted their lives serving as dogmatic, "individualistic" mouthpieces for an imperfect spokesperson.
Readers should also dig out a copy of Brand Blanshard's _Reason And Goodness_, which may be the single best volume ever written on ethics. (Or see the section on "ethics" in _The Philosophy Of Brand Blanshard_.) Blanshard's ethical thought presents a much sounder overview of the issues involved, and his clear-sighted "rational temper" makes a nice contrast to Rand's rather badgering tone.