What 'Atlas Shrugged' Says About Morality

Ayn Rand's approach to morality is the subject of controversy. But is it as bad as some take it to be? Michael Knowles and Eric Daniels discuss.

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[markpallotto]

You shouldn’t go around killing people or making their lives miserable. However, you shouldn’t have to go around and make sure everyone else’s life is good. Personal responsibility.

[JMPStart]

I think that some people have placed a false dichotomy on living for oneself or living for others, some actions that benefit others also benefit oneself and vice versa, example: if a business owner sells a quality product he is helping others while simultaneously making a profit, in Luke 6:31 it states that we should “Do to others as you would have them do to you” this means that we should be good to others with the presumption that we are also good to ourselves

[beedubs]

Rand was right! Her philosophy does not negate personal sacrifice or charity. It just maintains that those things should remain voluntary.

[penneyburgess]

The heroes of the book do everything they can to better the lives of man kind. It’s a marvelous read if anyone is interested.

[agsilverradio]

My take:
Sacrificing your pleasure for others is virtuous, but should not be mandatory.
Make sure you take care of yourself too, and don't let the receiving party abuse your generosity.

[treeorwh]

Taking care of yourself makes it so that others don't have to. Similarly, if I can trust everyone to look after themselves, then I can focus on myself. I don't think any other approach has so much balance. The moment you try to sacrifice yourself for "the less fortunate", you take their own responsibility away and you might cause them to never take it again. Similarly, if you give up your responsibility by accepting someone else's sacrifice, how do you get it back? Exchange value for value. Nothing is cheap, and it shouldn't be.

[vitaquasus]

It seems as if the more educated a person is the less wise they become. Everything becomes an intellectual game, morality become a debate.

[Amory-wdws]

An individual’s only responsibility is to live their life for their own sake, to do anything else is immoral.

[BalugaWhale]

Don Watkins published "Effective Egoism" as a short introduction to living life with reason, purpose and self-esteem. Being a Randian hero takes a lot of work, but it is possible to every man and woman who is willing to use their mind to identify and produce their values. Watkin's book unique value comes from dealing with current intellectual views on free will, knowledge, careers, love and sex and showing how a systematic morality of reason can produce a climate of happiness for you and the people you love.

[BalugaWhale]

I appreciate Mr. Daniel laying out that traditional morality has taken two forms and then saying that Rand identified a third way. He is not collapsing Rand's view of egoism with the Übermensch of Nietzsche. There's no need to mortgage your life by paying off every man who failed to be productive and take care of themself.

[TB-ModelRR]

Bring back the draft?
Does everyone or no one serve?
Curious.

[oliverallen]

Ayn Rand and Robert Heinlein had it right. Morality is self-preservation beyond the individual.

[Eltalstro]

"Every man for himself!"
Jesus Christ

[chriskelleher]

Rand is an atheist. Prime reason to tune her out. I'll take my capitalism 2nd and Christian faith 1st. You'll still make money .

[jasonssavitt]

Egoism is just as corrosive and degenerate as Wokeism. It's a secular ideology that promotes material selfishness, and apathy or outright disgust for the less fortunate.

[DesertPackrat]

Ayn Rand’s objectivism is a flawed philosophy used by self absorbed, greedy human beings to justify their actions. Utilitarianism and Contractualism recognizes that social contracts can be formed that enhance more than one individual and are optimal. Ayn Rand died lonely and supported by government handouts. She couldn’t even apply her philosophy to her own life. What astonishes me even more is how people that claim to be Christian can in the same breath claim to be disciples of Ayn Rand; they are antithetical to the other. The answer is people are hypocrites.