5.3.4 Conservative Key Thinkers - Ayn Rand WIP Flashcards
What political strand did Rand believe in?
The new right - Neo-liberalism
What was Rand’s view on the size of the state?
Opposed state intervention and believed the state should be minimal - rejected anarchist state however
What did Rand say about state intervention in social issues?
She believed in “the right to choose” and as such people should be able to make their own choices on the likes of homosexuality, abortion etc
What did Rand say about Society?
“A great deal can be learned about society by studying man….. nothing can be learned about man by studying society”
What did Rand believe about the economy?
Advocated economic freedom and rejected the Keynesian economics going on at the time to lower inequality
What did Rand believe about Human Nature?
Believed humans are guided by rational self interest and the pursuit of self fulfilment. I.e believed humans driven by quest for self interest
What part of conservatism did Rand oppose?
Conservative Paternalism
What was Rand’s view on human nature?
Rand supported the philosophical idea of objectivism, which argues that we can gain objective knowledge through the use of logic and reason.
Rand believed that because humans are rational and self-interested beings, we have a duty to put our interests before other people’s and that altruism (putting others before one’s self) is immoral.
What was Rand’s economic stance?
Rand supported a laissez-faire economic system and believed this was the only way for individuals to be truly free.
What text did Ayn Rand write?
Atlas Shrugged - text strongly focused on the idea of freedom and individuality. She believed the purpose in life was to find individual happiness and that putting others first is immoral
What are Rand’s three main ideas:
Ethical Egoism: We are morally obliged to act in our own self interest
Rational egoism: Acting in your own interest is rational
Objectivism: Idea we learn knowledge via logic and reasoning
