Ayn Rand's Theory Of Objectivism
Objectivism Standard Ethical Egoism holds that the individual must act to benefit him or herself the most. On the surface this theory seems plausible, but several problems occur. Chief among these is a conflict between competing obligations. If two decisions can give an individual the same amount of profit, there is nothing else to factor in to make a correct decision. Objectivism, developed by Ayn Rand, gives a more sophisticated approach to Ethical Egoism. The adoption of this ethical theory would greatly benefit our current societal structure. Rand's metaphysical stand is, predictably, an objective one. According to her theory, reality is independent of our awareness or understanding of it. In essence, she says “wishing won't make it
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However, the concept of happiness is not a straightforward one. Every major philosopher has at least slightly different parameters for it, usually ranging somewhere in the spectrum of complete cold-hearted selfishness to total selflessness, and occasionally radical ideas like the absence of happiness from reality are also brought up. Rand's definition of happiness is not nearly as extreme as this, but it isn't the first thing that most people think of when they try to describe it either. In The Virtue of Selfishness, Rand explains her definition of happiness and how it relates to her idea of productive selfishness. “Happiness is that state of consciousness which proceeds from the achievement of one’s values. If a man values productive work, his happiness is the measure of his success in the service of his life” (The Virtue of Selfishness, 28). For those who value typical virtues that are thought of as good, this definition fits. But those who find pleasure in untypical virtues don't always seem to apply. To this, Rand answers by saying “if a man values destruction, like a sadist — or self-torture, like a masochist — or life beyond the grave, like a mystic — or mindless “kicks,” like the driver of a hot rod car — his alleged happiness is the measure of his success in the service of his own destruction” (The Virtue of Selfishness, 28). This explanation seems to be at odds with the idea of everyone working towards their own personal happiness, but later Rand adds “that the emotional state of all those irrationalists cannot be properly designated as happiness or even as pleasure: it is merely a moment’s relief from their chronic state of terror.” (The Virtue of Selfishness,
However, the concept of happiness is not a straightforward one. Every major philosopher has at least slightly different parameters for it, usually ranging somewhere in the spectrum of complete cold-hearted selfishness to total selflessness, and occasionally radical ideas like the absence of happiness from reality are also brought up. Rand's definition of happiness is not nearly as extreme as this, but it isn't the first thing that most people think of when they try to describe it either. In The Virtue of Selfishness, Rand explains her definition of happiness and how it relates to her idea of productive selfishness. “Happiness is that state of consciousness which proceeds from the achievement of one’s values. If a man values productive work, his happiness is the measure of his success in the service of his life” (The Virtue of Selfishness, 28). For those who value typical virtues that are thought of as good, this definition fits. But those who find pleasure in untypical virtues don't always seem to apply. To this, Rand answers by saying “if a man values destruction, like a sadist — or self-torture, like a masochist — or life beyond the grave, like a mystic — or mindless “kicks,” like the driver of a hot rod car — his alleged happiness is the measure of his success in the service of his own destruction” (The Virtue of Selfishness, 28). This explanation seems to be at odds with the idea of everyone working towards their own personal happiness, but later Rand adds “that the emotional state of all those irrationalists cannot be properly designated as happiness or even as pleasure: it is merely a moment’s relief from their chronic state of terror.” (The Virtue of Selfishness,