The Virtue of Selfishness (Signet) by Ayn Rand
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Book Reviews of The Virtue of Selfishness (Signet)
Book Review: ...realistic, workable, and ultimately, matchlessly effective...
Summary: 5 Stars
Sift through the pseudo-intellectual scribblings in this Amazon review page and you will find the polarizing effect of Rand's boldness and brashness, and the fear of those who disagree with her, without attempting to engage her philosophy in their own lives.
The truth of the matter is that Rand's philosophy, Objectivism, and its espousal through this book "The Virtue of Selfishness" is realistic, workable, and ultimately, matchlessly effective in the world as it exists. Many find her too forthright, too controversial, and fear that she may be right. At the core, the test of a particular philosophy's precision is how closely it parallels reality and how adherence leads to effectiveness in life. I challenge you to purchase the book, read it with an open mind (no matter your philosophic bent) and with verve and passion, put it to use in your own life.
It works.
If you have the pluck necessary, you will be all the happier, and your actions will inspire an echoing awe within yourself and have a resounding effect in the reality in which we all find ourselves.
Book Review: awesome
Summary: 5 Stars
freedom form taxes is freedomthis books shows people why being free from other people is freedom
hong kong had 15% flat tax and grew faster than any economy in history besides america
1% flat tax would do even better
every law is a tax
regualtions are laws
1% flat tax would be awesome
this ayn rand book is great
read it
understand that democracy withotu individuals rights is communism
and doesn't exist
hsitory shows a minority always has control
capitalism put that controll back into the smallest minoirty the individual
all concept such as racism are moot
racism mean one is mroe racist that an ohter this is not true
everything capitalism does is good
the medical financial and insurance insdustries and educaiton are 4 area where regualtion, essentially taxes they are the same---have created ruinous ssytems
capitalism si the cure
1% flat tax is all we need
read this book
ignore the frenzied attempots by commies to make u ignore this or tell you its wrong
they are wrong
Book Review: Hierarchy of Values
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't want to turn this into a discussion forum on Greg Nyquist's "soldier dilemma", but I feel a response is warranted.Objectivist ethics are based on one's hierarchy of values. It is only evil to sacrifice a greater value for a lesser one, Or a value for a non-value. For instance, if I give up my life to save my son's, that is not a sacrifice. I hold his life to be a higher value than my continued existence without him.
Therefore, in the soldier example, an objectivist soldier would throw himself on the grenade if 1), he had become friends with the other soldiers, and held them in very high value and did not want to continue his existence without them or 2) he believed that by doing this he was serving the cause of the greater war effort of freedom, and did not want to live his life in serfdom.
It can even be argued that it is not evil to give up one's life for a stranger, since it is your life that is at stake, and your life is yours to do with what you please. It IS evil, however to expect or require that someone else do so.
Book Review: Rational Selfishness
Summary: 5 Stars
The Virtue of Selfishness is a collection of essays offering a shockingly new morality based on man's nature. In the essay entitled "The Objectivist Ethics," novelist/philosopher Ayn Rand explains the basics of her revolutionary ethical system. The essays are vibrantly refreshing. They offer for the first time in history an ethical system proper to man's nature qua man. The ethics of rational selfishness is a not a morality of sacrifice, but a morality of productivity. It is not a morality of need, but a morality of achievement. It is not a morality of suffering but a morality of joy. Miss Rand's ethics is a morality for living---not as a cog in a vast collective, not as a slave to the needs of others---but as a sovereign and autonomous being capable of dealing with reality and achieving his own happiness.
For those interested in a presentation of Miss Rand's ethics within the framework of her entire philosophy, Objectivism, I also highly recommend Leonard Peikoff's Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand.
Book Review: Read and make up your own mind !
Summary: 5 Stars
Ayn Rand is certainly a fascinating subject and an extremely important one for all of us. But beware, judging her from the standpoint of her personal life,worse than wasting time,is failing to grasp the true importance of her thinking and legacy. Ayn Rand is arguably the most important thinker to-date. Consider the following:At the base of her work is the unshakable foundation of her Objectivist Epistemology, that proves the human mind as capable of producing valid knowledge. This in contrast with Kant et al who try to prove the contrary. All those philosophers who either outright accept this rotten beginning, or else fail to denounce it, they have nothing certain to ascertain, right? After establishing the definitive criteria to validate knowledge, Ayn Rand, never deviating from it, gives you valid arguments in favor of your right to live your life with the pursuit of your values and happiness as your responsibility and right.So, read and judge for yourself. Free yourself from whatever may be holding you back. And a lot more!