Ayn Rand and Virtuous Rational Egoism Flashcards
Ayn Rand wrote a series of novels and essays that…
have influenced generations of readers, CEOs, and politicians in their attitudes about markets, capitalism, and how to make the most of life
Rand defends…
ethical egoism
- a person is “a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute
Rand’s ethical egoism celebrates…
the interests of the self as the ultimate ground of value and ethics
Ethical Egoism is…
a maximizing or perfectionist concept about what is good for you: maximize the good of the self that you have, man qua man, in the words of Rand
Rand had a passionate defense of…
rationality as the only reliable guide to life
- As humans only source of knowledge, reason is the ultimate authority or determining how to pursue one’s full potential
Rational Egoist Perspective entails…
a set of virtues for responding to an unvarnished reality, such as honesty, independence, justice, integrity, productiveness, and pride
Three points that emphasize Rand’s notion of virtuous egoism
1) Her emphasis on independence means that people are not defined by their relationships
2) The noblest activity in human life is productive activity
3) To treat people as they really are, each person ought to get what he or she deserves based on what that person does
